"Forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead."
Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken" tells the story of a person blazing their own trail. This individual faced a choice, deliberated long and hard about which path to take, and ultimately opted for the road less traveled. In the end, it proved to be the right decision, and by choosing that "one less traveled by," it made all the difference. Over twenty years ago, Exeter and Milligan found themselves at a crossroads and decided to consolidate, embarking on the road less traveled. This decision made all the difference, creating an environment that nurtures and 'empowers our students to become knowledgeable, responsible, patriotic citizens.'
Today, we find ourselves at another crossroads, a fork in the road, or as Frost points out, that divergent path. We cannot travel both roads, but we have journeyed down one of them in the past. A thought printed on one of the EMF Booster t-shirts tweaks Frost's poem ever so slightly:
Honor the Past,
Live in the Present,
Look to the Future
The crossroads I am referring to now is the prospect of taking the EMF coop to the next level through consolidation with Friend, effective the 2025-26 school year. This topic has been a point of discussion for over two years, and the time has come to transition it from a mere discussion item to an action item.
In the upcoming months, a series of meetings will be conducted for everyone to learn about the process, understand how this consolidation would benefit our students, and how it would positively impact everyone involved. Throughout this entire process, our focus should remain student-centered. We must remove the emotional aspect from the equation and employ logical reasoning in reaching our conclusion. Over 20 years ago, the leaders of the Exeter and Milligan districts set aside their personal feelings to do what was best for their students. Let's follow their example. We can honor the past by living in the present and looking to the future to create something even better.
Below is the timeline that the Exeter-Milligan and Friend school boards have crafted to help disseminate the specifics of the plan. I encourage everyone to take advantage of these listening and learning sessions. There will be an opportunity for everyone to share their ideas and ask questions. Be a part of the solution, not a part of the problem.
Special joint meetings to share specifics - information only - no public comment but will distribute cards for questions to be answered later:
Wednesday, January 17 at 7 PM in Milligan
Tuesday, January 23 at 7 PM in Friend
Special joint meetings with public comment and answers to questions that were shared at the previous informational meetings:
Tuesday, February 27 at 7 PM in Friend
Monday, March 4 at 7 PM in Exeter
March 2024 board meeting - public comment
April 2024 board meeting - vote on Petition for Reorganization - effective July 1, 2025
Brian Murphy shared this quote at the December board meeting. I found it appropriate then as well as I do now:
"Political participation is part of our nation's identity and tradition."
From Holt Social Studies: U.S. History Beginning to 1877 (2007).
Come and be a part of the solution!