The story about Goessel first-grader Roy Bosser (Page 1) demonstrates the potential of the Marion County Special Education Cooperative, and the importance of its role in the educational process in county districts. It also highlights the need for finding solutions to the issues that have endangered its future.
Part of the issue, of course, is state-funding cuts. Like all school districts, the MCSEC has been victimized by the same state budget crisis that has pummeled every rural school district in Kansas.
Other issues seem, at least from this perspective, to swirl more around personalities and relationships between MCSEC and at least some of the five districts that support it. One district, Peabody-Burns, has already petitioned the state to be released from its participation in the co-op.
We have excellent educators and administrators in our county school districts. Surely they can find a way to keep the MCSEC serving our children with special needs, so they can thrive like Roy Bosser. ?DR
