Opinion ID: 1910318
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: school board moves grades four through six to lyons, and coalition responds

Text: In April 2004, the school district's superintendent, F.J. Forsberg, mailed an informational letter to patrons explaining the district's financial problems. Forsberg stated that the school district had lost significant state aid over the previous 4 years. He projected more losses for the upcoming school year because of changes in the school aid formula, declining enrollment, and an economic downturn. He further projected that the school district would continue to lose state aid through 2007 because of declining enrollment. He explained that the district had attempted to meet the deficits by several cost-saving measures: (1) reducing building maintenance, (2) not hiring for certain teaching positions, (3) combining grades at the Decatur school where student enrollment had dropped, (4) cutting building and instructional supplies, and (5) reducing the budget reserve. The district proposed similar cuts for the 2004-05 school year. He included a list of cost-saving measures the school board was considering, including moving part, or all, of the Decatur school to Lyons. In January 2005, the school board rejected a motion to close the Decatur school. It voted 6 to 3, however, to operate it only for kindergarten through grade three and to move grades four through six to Lyons. In April, the Coalition filed this action. The Coalition sought a temporary and permanent injunction to stop the school district from moving grades four through six to Lyons without obtaining the required votes. It also sought a declaration that the school district's action (1) was void because it violated the merger petition, (2) denied its members procedural due process, and (3) violated its members' substantive due process and equal protection rights by operating the Decatur school without individual teachers for each grade, equal facilities, and equal educational opportunities.