Approximately 50 community members attended a public hearing at Guthrie Center High School Tuesday night, with the purpose of  learning more and asking questions about a proposed whole-grade sharing agreement between Guthrie Center and Adair-Casey schools.

The meeting began with school board members giving a recap of the proposed five-year agreement, which was released last week. During the following question and answer session, community members showed mostly support for the measure, but wanted answers on the long-term financial viability of the agreement. Superintendent Steve Smith says that in instances like this, accurate financial and enrollment projections are almost impossible to create. Additional concerns included the feasibility of transporting students to and from Adair-Casey and the tough decisions of having to cut some teaching positions if the agreement passes.

Dennis Flanery, speaking on behalf of the Guthrie Center Development Group, stated that he believed the agreement was a good opportunity for the community and says that keeping the high school operating in Guthrie Center with additional students coming up from Adair-Casey could prove to be a nice boost to the local economy.

The Board took no action on the whole-grade sharing agreement at Tuesday’s meeting.