Mt. Morris officials hold off talk of taking ownership of DLR

MT. MORRIS – Discussion on whether Mt. Morris officials should accept ownership of David L. Rahn Junior High will be a topic for next month, Village President Phil Labash announced Tuesday.

Oregon School District Superintendent Tom Mahoney went before the Mt. Morris Village Board at the behest of school board members to ask if village officials were interested in the property.

“This is not an agenda item, so it’s not open to discussion or approval from a board perspective this evening,” Labash said. “It’s my intent that at our next board meeting we will go into executive session for the purpose of discussing the potential of working with Dr. Mahoney and the school board.”

Mahoney said he didn’t need an answer that night but told board members to let him know what they decide and then, if necessary, conversations can begin.

“The board is also on a parallel path. This isn’t the only action they’re taking,” Mahoney said. “Some other options they have available, they’ll continue to pursue. So if you guys aren’t interested, we would understand.”

In February, school board members voted to close DLR – the last school in Mt. Morris – and move seventh- and eighth-grade students to Oregon High School, despite the objections from village residents and officials.

The Oregon and Mt. Morris school districts merged in 1994 after the Mt. Morris School District dissolved because of financial reasons.

Mahoney proposed closing DLR in May 2021. He cited decreasing enrollment and increasing maintenance costs at DLR as reasons for doing so.

“What is the real reason and hidden reason you continue on the most destructive path in the long-term health of the school district and the taxpayers in both communities?” Trustee Jerry Stauffer said.

“If you’re confident the building is in great condition, then I hope that you’ll take that into consideration when you do your discussions, that it wouldn’t take much money,” Mahoney said. “That wasn’t my belief. To bring that building up to the same level as other buildings in the district would take a significant amount of money – far more than what we have. Additionally, my job is to do things that are hard at times, and I believe that this is what’s the best path for the district, which is why I made the recommendation.”

Trustee Melissa Rojas asked whether school board members have considered paying the village to take the DLR property.

That would be something that could be brought up during negotiations, Mahoney said, adding that he can’t speak for school board members about whether they would be open to such an arrangement. It has been done before, however, and is legal under the transfer law, he said.

The next Mt. Morris Village Board meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 14.