Plant closing leaves school district with uncertainties

Its reputation for excellence is hard to beat.
Low class sizes are the envy of every nearby district.
Voters have an amazing record of financial support.
But the people who make up the family that is the Clopton Pike County R-3 school district have never had to deal with anything like this.
The district stands to lose as much as $527,000, or about a quarter of its local tax revenue, when Holcim Inc. shuts down its cement plant in Clarksville early next year.
As the Courier-Post first reported almost a week ago, 181 employees will lose their jobs.
But the impact will be felt throughout Pike County, and Clopton stands to take a bigger hit than any other tax entity.
Superintendent Terry Robertson called the closing “about as big a challenge” as he’s seen in more than three decades as an educator.
“It’s devastation at it worst,” Robertson said. “Clopton is a family. We take care of each other. There’s a lot at stake here.”
Administrators met with faculty last week. Some staffers have spouses who work at Holcim and many students have parents or grandparents employed there.
The only glimmer of light is that the brunt of the revenue loss won’t be felt by Clopton for about a year. That’ll buy the district much-needed time.
“The first thing we have to do is not panic,” Robertson said. “We need to carefully plan and use all our options. We’re not going to cut anything yet. We’re going to look at every avenue we have.”
The district has a $5 million budget and employs about 55 teachers and 60 non-certified staff. There are almost 600 students in grades K-12 from Clarksville, Eolia and the surrounding countryside.
Robertson estimates expenses generally go up an average of $250,000 a year.
Taxpayer support traditionally has been strong, including last spring’s approval of a $5 million bond issue to pay for renovations and new facilities.
Robertson said he would be loathe to “soak the backs of those carrying the freight” by seeking a tax increase.
“They’re already investing in a quality education,” he said. “I recognize they already are (bearing) more of a load than their neighbors in other districts.”
Some financial relief may be available from the state, but Robertson cautions it won’t be the sole answer to the problem.
“We need to look at any and all revenue possibilities,” he said.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions about the Holcim closing, including a formal date for the shutdown and what the company plans to do with its sprawling site along Highway 79 north of Clarksville.
Right now, there are too many uncertainties, but the answers eventually will translate into how hard Clopton gets hit.
Meanwhile, Robertson hopes representatives from local tax bodies can get together and brainstorm on ways to soften the blow.
“We have everything to gain by getting together and talking about this,” he said.