By Phyllis Schaltenbrand
At the City Council meeting Tuesday evening, Councilman Jerry Reese, Ward 6 voted no on a Council Resolution urging the St. Charles School Board to keep Benton, Lincoln, and Blackhurst Schools open. The School Superintendent, Dr. James Cale and the Board have been going over their options and it has been reported they are considering closing those schools. All of those schools are neighborhood schools and a great deal of money was spent recently in making upgrades to the buildings.
The Resolution of the City of St. Charles, Missouri Encouraging the St. Charles City Board of Education to Keep Benton, Lincoln and Blackhurst Schools open was passed by the Council with Reese’s NO vote being the lone dissenting vote.
Reese told the Council members Dr. Cale had asked him to have the Council hold off on passing the resolution until such time he and the Board of Education made their final decision.
Councilman Larry Muench, Ward 2, told the Council members he had attended some of the recent meetings held by the School Board and the residents in attendance were outspoken in their desires to keep the neighborhood schools open.
Councilman John Gieseke, Ward 8 told the First Capitol News, “We have been elected to represent our wards and protect our investments in the Community. We are not here to cater to Dr. Cale and his wishes. This resolution demonstrates our resolve to protect our neighborhood schools and the integrity of our property values.”
Councilman Mark Brown said, “It is imperative we keep our schools open. The parents should not have to transport their children any further than necessary and we don’t need to overcrowd our classrooms. It is sad to have one Council member who wants to take the administration’s side over the parents and students of St. Charles.?
