FENTON - Armstrong-Ringsted, North Kossuth and Sentral school districts Wednesday night at Sentral School in Fenton narrowed down to two the number of consultants it is considering for a consolidation feasibility study.
Educational Consulting Services (ECS) of Lincoln, Neb., and Ray & Associates, Inc., of Cedar Rapids were the consultants whose proposals the districts are considering.
At a Tri-District meeting last month at Sentral, ECS representative Jerry McCall made a proposal which would cost an estimated $18,000 to $24,000 or $6,000 to $8,000 per district.
In the Ray & Associates, Inc. proposal made by Dr. Robert Decker, the cost to the three districts would total $12,000, or $4,000 for each district.
The boards Wednesday night also heard an on-line proposal by RSP & Associates, L.L.C. of Olathe, Kan. Robert Schwarz of RSP pegged a cost of $22,000 to $30,000 plus any architect or engineer's fees.
The boards also reviewed a printed proposal submitted by McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C of Omaha. That proposal called for a feasibility study of $3,000 per district, or $9,000 total.
After reviewing the three proposals Wednesday night in addition to others received last month, Rod Foster, A-R board president, said he did not feel right in choosing Ray & Associates since the district already has a relationship with the firm which A-R has used in the past. Foster said he would prefer retaining ECS.
Mike Landstrum, North Kossuth superintendent, said he had no concerns about A-R's relationship with Ray & Associates.
The boards agreed to narrow their preferences to ECS and Ray & Associates. The boards will contact school districts for which both companies have done feasibility studies before making a decision.