The ads, which have been placed in the Hastings Tribune and newspapers in Kearney, Franklin, Minden and Holdrege, could mean the difference between keeping the school open and closing its doors for good, Superintendent Gary Fisher said. Attracting new students will be necessary for some schools if they are to remain competitive in the enrollment market, Sandy Creek Superintendent Kent Miller said recently. In theory, an increase in the number of students means smaller per-pupil spending. In addition, some schools will have to cut programs to balance their budgets.
Competition comes in when one school can afford to offer more classes and activities than another.
In Hildreth's ad, three juniors talk about what they like best about their school. Ninety-six percent of the school's graduating seniors receive scholarships. The advertisement boasts students' academic and athletic accomplishments in the 1996-97 school year. Campbell elementary students. Faced with their own financial problems, Campbell school board members voted in December 1997 to pursue merger talks with neighboring Silver Lake.