For the 12th year, as a project for County Government Week, April 6-12, 2003, the Renville County employees have donated money to a scholarship fund. All seniors who live in Renville County or attend a Renville County high school are invited to apply for one $300 scholarship being made available.

This Years Topic was:

"As a result of declining population, consolidation is being explored in several areas. The three school districts in Renville County and the Lansford district are currently holding public meetings to discuss a consolidation proposal. Our County Commissioners have proposed consolidating offices in the courthouse. And, a bill was introduced in the current legislative session to consolidate 39 of our smaller counties into 18 multi-county districts. What effects will consolidation in schools and/or county government have on our local communities and services to citizens of Renville County?

Winning Essay for 2003 by Megan Bender

The consolidation in schools presents many questions and concerns to many citizens of Renville County. Without a doubt, this consolidation may have both positive and negative effects on our local communities and services to the people of this area..

With this in mind, I believe that the greatest effect that this consolidation will have is on the education system in the schools. Obviously, the quality of education should be the primary focus of these consolidation efforts, since this is the area it will have the greatest impact on. Therefore, by combining the students and schools with each other to the greatest extent feasible, it will allow a way to provide a comprehensive curriculum that affords an opportunity to take the necessary courses that meet the needs and interests for the students. Also, there is more demand now to provide alternative courses for those with special learning problems, whereas before, only one course was offered and all students took that one course regardless of their ability to succeed. The No Child Left Behind Act is requiring more accountability for the success and failure of our students, thus more demand for supplemental services. Teachers will become more difficult to get because of increased academic preparation and the expected shortage that will happen as a result of retirements and low starting salaries. Furthermore, the consolidation of students, schools, and resources can help to achieve the utmost financial efficiency that the increased costs for these services will require.

On the other hand, there are some negative effects this consolidation will have on schools and citizens of the county. The most obvious downside of this consolidation to any community, of course, is that they may lose their school. If this were to happen, they would lose not only their school and students, but also their pride in their "school name". Most people in these small communities in our county take great pride in their name, as it becomes a large part of who they are, and this consolidation would obviously take away this sense of pride from some people in different communities.

Overall, I feel that this consolidation can have some very positive and successful effects on our local communities. It is a great effort to deal with the declining enrollments and the negative impact that these declines will have on the curriculum that we can make available to our students in all of our schools. By combining our schools and resources, we just may operate more efficiently and with less cost than we will by staying alone.