Whether or not Lyle children should stay in Lyle or go elsewhere for school was one of the topics discussed at a special Lyle School Board meeting Monday night.

About 80 people came to the meeting to hear more about the plans, learn how it will affect taxes and ask their own questions about the plan and its costs.

At the first meeting with the public Sept. 10, the main question from residents was whether the school would be large enough. Last night, more asked whether the school would be able fill the proposed 300-person capacity school.

The Lyle School District has proposed an $11.1 million construction plan that would replace buildings built in 1906 and 1957, as well as a 1933 cafeteria. The new school would include another gymnasium and middle school science classrooms that do not currently exist.

A media room with two computer labs would be built and would also be available to the public.

Lyle school district residents would pick up $6.8 million of the cost and the state would pay for the rest.

After Superintendent Jerry Reshetar, a financial consultant and the Mower County assessor spoke, Lyle resident Carlton Reuter asked to speak in front of the group.

Reuter said the commercial tax base in Lyle isn't what is used to be 50 years ago and because of it, district residents will not be able to afford the school. He said St. Ansgar, Iowa, and the Southland school district have better tax bases.

He also said he didn't think the school would fill to capacity. He said there used to be 600 students at the school; now there's 280.

"I'm probably in disagreement with Jerry a little here. He says build it and they will come, but there's not enough students in the district right now," he said.

He concluded saying the new building would not keep the school open in Lyle. This was met with applause from about half the audience.

After the clapping died down, Gene Block asked Reuter how long it would be before the buildings had to be replaced.

Reuter said they don't have to be and that buildings at other schools had been renovated, not replaced.

In the last couple of years, the Lyle school has attracted students from other towns like Austin and St. Ansgar. One resident questioned whether this would continue because, in his opinion, Austin is not growing.

One man asked why the elementary classrooms had to be bigger and why the 1957 portion of the building had to be torn down because of it.

Reshetar said they looked at a plan that would keep the 1957 portion and it cost $9.9 million and would take three years, disrupting more class time. Also, the state requires that elementary classrooms be a minimum size and Lyle's do not meet that standard.

Lori Read, of rural Lyle, asked if they had considered other types of building materials for the school. Instead of brick she asked why they didn't used precessed concrete. She said the Medford school district had built a $11.1 million building for 750 students, although the building was built on a new site.

Reshetar said they had looked at many plans before deciding on this one. He said he would ask the architect about materials alternatives.

One woman asked why the school needed a second gym when it uses Pacelli's for sports as well. Reshetar said the gym is the most-used room in the school and with middle school athletics, they need more practice room.

Another man asked what the difference was between a gym and a multi-purpose room, which would cost half as much. Reshetar said the multi-purpose room would be smaller and not have a hardwood floor.

A resident asked if the school would ask for another levy in two or three years to operate the new construction. Reshetar said no because all materials for the new school are included in the construction cost.

Dawn Block asked the residents why some of them chose to send their children to another school other than Lyle.

DeAnne Silbaugh, of rural Lyle, said she sent her son, a seventh-grader, to Austin because she thought there were more advanced classes than in Lyle.

Richard Nagel said he attended Lyle High School for three years before moving to Austin. He said there were more class options for him in Austin and that he learned more.

"If I had the choice, that's where I would go," he said.

School board president Dwight DeBoer stood up and said his two sons go to Lyle and that he graduated from Lyle.

"I want my sons to graduate from Lyle," he said.

Part of the group applauded, while others mumbled "why?"

"Do you want your school in Lyle?" asked Reshetar. "It's different for each voter. Where does this community stand on this issue? We need to know."

Patty Buntje said she and her husband prefer a smaller school.

"I still stand by the fact that a small school has individualized education," Buntje said.

She and her husband, who teaches at Lyle, moved from Austin to Lyle in 1988 so that their children, now in sixth and ninth grades, could attend school there. She said the fact that her husband is a teacher there has nothing to do with her decision.

"I'm surprised to hear somebody from here chose a larger school," she said.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2230-or by e-mail cari.quam@austindailyherald.com