An unnamed school board work session ended with members agreeing to advance a single high school consolidation option — known in board materials as 4BR (the Benton-Central option) — to the regular meeting on Monday, where the board will formally consider rescinding a prior action and hold a final vote.

Board members spent the meeting weighing two competing consolidation road maps, repeatedly citing declining enrollment in St. Joseph and trade-offs between building closures and staffing. "The core reasons...have everything to do with St. Joseph shrinking enrollment and staffing challenges," said Speaker 3, who added that the Benton/Central option raised capacity concerns: "Central would be right at max capacity and, Benton about 71 over." Speaker 3 said he preferred the Lafayette-and-Central route but acknowledged the difficult trade-offs.

Several members pressed whether the full board was ready to commit to a direction tonight. Speaker 4 asked, "are we prepared to to vote to take a vote of 1 of these 2 plans?" Speaker 6 said they would be prepared to vote on either plan Monday but did not want to preannounce a final vote at a prior work session: "I don't plan to abstain. I don't plan to ask for another plan. I plan to make a vote on Monday night."

District finance staff emphasized the fiscal and staffing implications of different options. "Seventy-five percent of our expenses are salary benefits," said Dr. Hedgekard (Speaker 10), warning that keeping more buildings would require deep cuts to staff or larger class sizes and that closing buildings reduces the district's full-time-equivalent staffing needs.

By the end of the session, a majority of members signaled support for 4BR. Speaker 6 said the plan "moves us into the future better" and Speaker 5 cited geographic balance and long-term flexibility. Speaker 8, who said she had "sleepless nights" over the choice, also said she would back 4BR while noting lingering questions that she expected to have answered by Monday.

Board members agreed that only the 4BR option will be placed on the Monday agenda and that any rescindment of a prior vote must be taken during an open meeting. Speaker 1 instructed staff that the rescind action will be processed on Monday.

No final decision or rescind occurred at the work session; a formal vote is scheduled for the regular board meeting Monday. The work session closed with a motion to adjourn, which passed unanimously by roll call.