To find out what district residents think about a new school, the Lyle School Board decided Monday to put together a survey.

After the surveys are turned in, the board will hold another public meeting to discuss building options.

Earlier in the year the board proposed a $11.1 million school building project, which voters turned down Nov. 5. Because of the close vote -- 356 against and 276 for -- the board thinks there still is community interest for a new school.

Lyle superintendent Jerry Reshetar said by putting in a multi-purpose room instead of an additional gymnasium and taking the lunch room, two locker rooms and bus garage out of the plan, $1,370,000 would be saved.

That plan would save taxpayers $841,728.

Board members agreed that cost was the biggest issue in the construction project. Board president Dwight DeBoer said the board would have to figure out how an overall tax saving would affect individual taxpayers if the plans were scaled back.

Board member Darci Kline passed around information she picked up at Grand Meadow's monolithic dome school grand opening ceremony two weeks ago.

She noticed that the school did not buy all new school equipment like desks and cabinets. In Lyle's, plan furniture and supplies would be all new.

"In Grand Meadow, they brought everything that was usable into the school," Kline said.

Reshetar agreed some furniture and supplies could be salvaged.

Reshetar said costs may be reduced if they remodeled the elementary wing instead of rebuilding it.

The state, however, may not give as much aid if that portion were remodeled, DeBoer said.

With another plan, the school would need to meet with state officials again to find out how much aid it would get with a revised plan, Reshetar said.

Members of the community also came to the meeting to discuss building options.

Nyles Pederson, of rural Lyle, said the perception is that district residents do not care about the children in the district. He said residents care about the children, but the cost to build a new school is too great. He does not want Lyle to lose its school, he said.

Pederson also said it would not be practical to build a new school if it might close in the near future.

"You can't build something based on they will come," Pederson said.

Lyle's enrollment has increased in the past few years, with many students coming from other school districts such as St. Ansgar and Austin. Enrollment within the district has stayed steady, Reshetar said.

Pederson said nearby communities like Austin are not growing, so he did not think enrollment will continue to go up.

"I just really, really feel you guys are going to have to do some pencil sharpening," Pederson said. "I don't think you can build a school with the hopes they're going to come."

Special education teacher Vicki Bjork said the new school will have a capacity of about 300. With the current enrollment around 283, the school is not planning for many more students.

Board member Randy Fett said taxes will go up in Lyle if the school is closed.

Currently, the Lyle School District has the lowest tax rate in Mower County, Reshetar said. If the Lyle school were to close, taxes would increase almost as high as they would with a new school building.

Pederson also asked if an operating levy would need to be passed later on because the district would need more money after construction got underway.

Bjork pointed out that building and operating money come from different budgets.

But Pederson said that did not make any difference.

"It's still tax money," he said.

Gene Pell, of rural Lyle, asked what would happen if state aid did not come through. He said neighboring school districts have received less money that they has been promised.

Reshetar said from what the district's financial consultant had told him, the state would not give less than promised because it would hurt the districts needing help.

Pell also asked how the state determines how big the classrooms need to be. Part of the proposed $11.1 million plan would have brought elementary class sizes up to code.

Reshetar said the rooms are based off of a class size of 25.

Principal Royce Helmbrecht also added that the state also recommends a minimum size, which Lyle does not currently meet.

Other factors such as the number of outlets in the classroom are part of code and may determine state funding, said board member Doug Young.

One elementary teacher said she has three outlets, but could use six when the children use telescopes.

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at cari.quam@austindailyherald.com