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Aug 25, 2007 2:26 pm US/Central
Officials Of Flooded School Vow Sept. 4 Start
Rushford, Minn. (AP) ―
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Some schools in the flooded area had leaking roofs or soggy flooring, and several bus routes will have to be changed for a time to bypass washed-out roads and bridges. (File)
Eric Humble
With the lower level of Rushford's main school complex covered with sewage and mud, school buses swamped by floodwaters and scores of families homeless, officials in the Rushford-Peterson School District vowed school would open on time.
A handlettered sign outside district offices Friday proclaimed: "School Starts Sept. 4th/We Will Be Ready!"
The district, with 685 students enrolled in elementary and high schools in Rushford and the middle school in nearby Peterson, was perhaps the hardest hit by flash flooding in southeastern Minnesota last weekend.
New Superintendent Chuck Ehler was philosophical as he prepared to begin his first school year with the district.
"In some respects, it's been invigorating from the standpoint that it does test your abilities," Ehler said in an interview with the Star Tribune in his office Friday. "You go into overdrive and try to make the best decisions."
Some schools in the flooded area had leaking roofs or soggy flooring, and several bus routes will have to be changed for a time to bypass washed-out roads and bridges. But school officials throughout the area were looking on the bright side.
"An amazing amount of water did an amazing amount of damage, but just as amazing is how much progress is being made to improve access," said Kim Ross, superintendent of Houston's public schools.
In Winona and Lewiston, district officials were struggling with plans to accommodate displaced students. Neither district had serious property damage, but both districts serve students from Stockton, where many homes are uninhabitable. Winona also has students from hard-hit Minnesota City and Goodview.
Winona Superintendent Paul Durand said at least 200 families of students and 15 staff members lost their homes.
The Winona district will add six buses to accommodate new routes, Durand said. He expects enrollment to increase as displaced families migrate to the region's population center.
The Winona School Board has allocated $50,000 in emergency transportation funds and approved three emergency days per staffer.
In Rushford, a town of 1,800, work began almost immediately after the flooding began to salvage what teachers and staff could from the school building's lower level, while making the facility available as a shelter and rest stop for National Guard members.
Joel Hovland, a Rushford native who started as the elementary school's principal this month, said volunteers "came out of the woodwork" to start repairing the damage.
Muddied lawn mowers, track equipment and footballs had to be removed from the flooded storage shed at the athletic field.
Nine of the leased buses used by the district were swamped in more than 6 feet of water and are no longer drivable.
Owner Mike Bernard of Bernard Bus Service of Chatfield said he has enough buses in the rest of his fleet to cover Rushford's routes.
"If we run out of buses, we can use our motor coaches," he said. "We should be fine. I just feel bad for everyone who also lost their homes."
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
