Dorchester Times: NEWS ROUNDUP: DPS Superintendent Looks To Boost Student Numbers

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

NEWS ROUNDUP: DPS Superintendent Looks To Boost Student Numbers

DPS Superintendent Aims To Increase Student Body Numbers: Superintendent Daryl Schrunk has made public his goal to expand the average class size at DPS to 16 students per grade level over the next two years. He is encouraging folks to reach out to friends and family in surrounding communities to encourage them to consider option enrolling their students at Dorchester. DPS even offers daily bus service to and from Crete. (May 1 is the paperwork deadline for those students who want to option enroll.) Mr. Schrunk is to be commended for his goals and thoughtful approach. But it will take more than just option enrollment students to create long-term growth in class sizes, especially as the number of farm kids continues to decline. A good first step would be for the Village Board to devise a plan to fill vacant homes and lots in Dorchester. (See last week's story on ideas from Elwood, Neb.) Another step would be to encourage DPS teachers with children to live in the school district and grow our community. (A no-brainer in days gone by, but it isn't happening much nowadays.) Bottom line: Dorchester needs more young families, a goal that can be accomplished with a plan and the right mindset.

Next School Board Meeting Is Feb. 6: Do you have an issue you want to discuss with the Dorchester School Board? Your next chance is Monday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. at the school. This year's board members are Matt Hansen, Mike Hatfield, Neal Pavlish, Carol Schnell, Kelli Schweitzer, and Steve Vyhnalek.

DHS Parents' Night Is Feb. 3: DHS Parents' Night is set for Friday, Feb. 3. The parents of DHS' basketball and wrestlers will be honored at the conclusion of the DHS vs. Giltner varsity game, which starts at 6 p.m.

Crete's Growing Police Force: Does a large influx of immigrants in a short time cause the crime rate to rise? The major media tell us no -- and to quit being xenophobic for raising the question. But in Crete, they've had to add two more new police officers, bring the city's total to 14 sworn officers, which is being paid for by an increase in the city's sales tax. We can remember when there were six or eight police officers in Crete not that long ago. However, in the Jan. 25 issue of The Crete News, the weekly crime record took up four columns, with crimes ranging from driving with no insurance or license, to speeding, to disturbing the peace, to possession of K2 or marijuana. That's not our opinion; those are the facts.

10 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 31, 2017 at 9:56 AM
When you are caught driving with no operator's license or without proof of insurance, your vehicle should be confiscated, if not on the first offense, at least by the second one. Doesn't matter if you are driving your own vehicle, or one that belongs to a friend, it's taken away and sold with the proceeds going to the police department. Time to get tough on these scofflaws! Those driving without insurance are raising the rates for everyone when they cause an accident with damage.
As a side though, I am glad to see that the county and city is recouping some of their expense through fines and court costs, even though I don't think those fines are hefty enough to keep the culprits from reoffending, and they don't begin to cover the added expense of hiring more officers.
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AnonymousJanuary 31, 2017 at 12:26 PM
How about 6 man football ?
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AnonymousJanuary 31, 2017 at 9:13 PM
I think there are a lot of good plans out there, including from the bloggers but I don't see any one doing a lot just lots of talk in this time of internet and computers
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AnonymousFebruary 1, 2017 at 12:55 AM
6man football would be a start. It would be great for Friday night business.
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AnonymousFebruary 1, 2017 at 1:26 PM
How long ago is "not that long ago"? Do you know the names and or races of people being picked up for these crimes?
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AnonymousFebruary 1, 2017 at 10:06 PM
I think anyone can see the names in the crete paper, right? Its public records and half a brain cell can usually help you determine races. The bloggers made their point, no need to get yer panties in a wad.
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AnonymousFebruary 2, 2017 at 12:44 PM
If you don't police I guess you don't have crime or any statistics to report? I could argue that the reason Crete has crime statistics above other areas is and emphasis on public safety, quality police work and accurate reporting. Demonizing Crete will not help Dorchester grow. I'd look for other ways to attract people to Dorchester scaring them there is a poorly thought out approach.
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AnonymousFebruary 4, 2017 at 11:19 AM
I must be a little slow because I don't see how this story "demonized" Crete. Someone is blatantly defensive. Is there a reason?
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AnonymousFebruary 17, 2017 at 11:48 AM
It's nice to see how Dorchester's superintendent is progressive, has plans and is looking for ways to help grow enrollment. This is a great way to help the school and community. Our neighbor Friend's superintendent says degrading things about us and only hangs out with wealthy farmers that is self serving. He doesn't care at all about their community.
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Dorchester: A Good Little Family Town

Dorchester, Nebraska (est. population 630) is located in northern Saline county. Close in proximity to Interstate 80, Dorchester is only 25 minutes from the state capital of Lincoln (est. population 250,000) and about 55 minutes from Omaha (metro population 725,000).

Dorchester's median resident age is 37 years. In 2005, Dorchester had a median family income of approximately $35,600. The median house value was about $63,000. About 95 percent of Dorchester residents commute to work via Interstate and highways.

The village has a quality public school, which received a $4.1 million expansion and modernization in 2008; it offers a small classrooms and individualized attention. Total enrollment of grades K-12 is around 230-250 students.

Ancestries of the Dorchester area are primarily German (42.4%), Czech (24.9%), Irish (12.5%), English (5.4%), and Dutch (4.9%).

Dorchester Historical Facts

* On July 4, 1871, the railroad reached Dorchester.
* Incorporated in 1881, Dorchester's population grew from 200 to 500 by 1882.
* In 1882, Dorchester had 90 buildings, 35 of which were businesses or public facilities. Brick buildings lined both sides of Washington Avenue for two blocks.
* Dorchester's longest-running newspaper was The Dorchester Star, which was published until the late 1940s.
* By 1889, Dorchester's population is said to have reached 800, while the town housed an opera house, a two-story brick schoolhouse with a bell tower, and four churches.
* By the 1910s, Dorchester had electricity, a water tower and a fire department.
* Dorchester's main arteries, Highways 6 and 33, were graveled in the 1940s.
* Dorchester's first irrigation well was drilled on Chris Weber's farm and rural electrification was finished following WWII.

A Village with History

Dorchester is one of the "alphabet towns" on the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad line built west from Lincoln. The town site was selected for its pleasant location in the northern part of Saline County, about eight miles west of Crete. This situation is an attractive one, being on the level prairie land, midway between the West Blue River and Turkey Creek. The first named stream is three miles north, and the latter about the same distance south from the town. Dorchester was platted in 1870 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Dorchester" came from either for a suburb of Boston by that name or a town in England. No one is sure. Two of the very first settlers were James Seely and Edward McIntyre, who both made Dorchester their permanent home.

Dorchester: In The Beginning

Here is a look at Dorchester around 1890, less than a decade after its official incorporation, as documented by Andreas' History of the State of Nebraska:
* POPULATION: "About 300, and is made up of a substantial and progressive class of citizens, who are moral and industrious. ... The town grew but very little until the year 1879, for the reason that Pleasant Hill, on Turkey Creek, a short distance south, was the county seat and naturally drew a trade for quite a large scope of country."
* BUSINESS: "The business and professional interests of the town are represented by three general merchandise stores, two drug, one grocery, one furniture, two hardware, and two millinery stores, one bank, two restaurants, two hotels, three livery stables, a post office, one newspaper office, two elevators, two lumber yards, two coal yards, two blacksmith shops, two lawyers and four physicians."
* SCHOOL: "The schoolhouse is a good one. The schoolhouse was built in 1872, since which time the public schools have been continually kept up. The present schoolhouse is 24' x 40' in size, two stories high. The school is graded and consists of three departments. The house is found too small, and arrangements will soon be made to increase its size."
* CHURCHES: "There are three substantial churches."
* HOMES: "The residence portion of the village is made up of neat houses of different styles of architecture, but none of them very large."
* NEWSPAPER: "The Dorchester Star, which was established August 21, 1881, by H. C. Bittenbender, who edited it until January 19, 1882, when he sold it to Ryerson & Bullock, the present proprietors. The Star is a bright weekly paper, five-column quarto, in size, and is Republican in politics."