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Two Sides in Consolidation Debate State Their Case
Transportation seems to be one of the main issues of difference between the two sides in the proposed consolidation of the Abingdon, Avon, and Bushnell Prairie City School Districts that voters in those areas will decide on next Tuesday.

An opposition group that's formed called "Just Vote No" claims that the Committee of 10's proposals are, in chair John Oakman's words, "absurd."

Another committee member, Duane White, says he's not thrilled with travel time, as heard Wednesday night during a live forum on WGIL.

"We're starting to put kids on a bus for three hours a day, I don't see very many people that work more than an hour and a half away from home, " he said. "I don't know why we should expect our kids to do that, when we don't do it ourselves for our own jobs."

Danny Mahr worked on transportation for the Committee of 10, and says travel times would be longer now, than they would be under a consolidation.

"You're looking at bus ride times of two and a half hours that we currently have in all three districts," Mahr said. "So we felt really pretty pleasant about the fact that we proposed, or suggested, that we'd have a maximum ride time of an hour and a half, and we do feel like that's very obtainable."

The opposition group also questioned academic and other decisions made by the committee of 10.

The committee says students would have a great number of courses and other offerings if consolidated -- more than they could offer if they remained separate.
03 15 12 by Newsroom
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