School board sluggish on FFA deal

CLINTONVILLE – For the second board meeting in a row, the Clintonville Board of Education didn’t approve an agreement with the Clintonville FFA Alumni that would allow the FFA Alumni to plant crops on land owned by the Clintonville School District.
The board initially discussed an agreement with the FFA Alumni at its Feb. 10 meeting. The board again discussed the agreement at its Feb. 24 meeting. The proposed agreement would allow the FFA Alumni to rent the property for $1, and any profits from the sale of harvested crops would go to the school district’s student activity account.
While the board did not approve an agreement, it did direct school administration to continue to work with the district’s legal representatives to refine the agricultural lease/memo of understanding with the Clintonville FFA Alumni organization. The memo of understanding is to include two options for a dollar amount, and for the lease to include three- or five-year options.
Discussion
During the discussion on the agreement at the Feb. 24 meeting, Clintonville Superintendent Troy Kuhn told the board that the district’s Land Use Committee recommended the land be used for educational purposes. The Clintonville FFA would take responsibility for planting and harvesting, in conjunction with the education.

Board Treasurer Jason Moder said he wasn’t against the FFA, but said the recommendation was for the land to be used for educational purposes for the district, but not specifically by the FFA.
“Meaning that, just for example, if we took the county average, put that as a minimum rent for whoever is decided the person to be, that dollars get divvied up for, not only the FFA, but also for the science classes,” said Moder. “It’s kind of the sole purpose of that property, owned by the district, is for both.”
Kuhn clarified that any profits from the property would go into the district’s student activity account, not the FFA account.
Moder said he thinks there should be a minimum amount of funds placed in the district’s activity account each year as part of the rent for the property.
Huber said nothing is guaranteed in agriculture.
“If you’re doing this over a five-year lease, you will see over that five-year lease a very, I think, a better return than you would from a single renter,” said Huber.
Board secretary Laurie Vollrath told the board that the FFA Alumni was chosen as the renter because they would be giving up the profits from the crops grown on the land, but they have also financially supported the district’s FFA chapter.
Moder asked why other clubs, such as the Quarterback Club, don’t have the opportunity to rent the property.
Huber said because none of those clubs have a group willing to plant crops on the land, or even asked the district if they could do that. He added that the FFA Alumni had originally contacted the district about planting on the property so the property would not become infested with weeds.
“Since then, no one else has come forward as a booster club,” said Huber.
Moder said he was playing “devil’s advocate” with that scenario.
“I look at it this way, those other booster clubs, do an extreme amount of things for the student body of the school,” said Moder. “That’s my only point there.”
Board member Glen Drew Lundt said some clubs, such as the soccer clubs and the swim team, have to pay to rent district facilities.
“I don’t know that getting into a deal with one club, when it’s not really been the precedent, how do we justify that to how these other clubs, we expect them to pay a fee to use certain things on the district property,” said Lundt.
Huber said the proposed agreement with the FFA Alumni is different because the other clubs don’t give all the profits from their events to the district. They pay a fee, but keep the profits.
Board member Kris Strauman said the FFA Alumni is a longtime supporter of the district’s students in agriculture science classes and FFA programs.
“Why are we putting roadblocks there,” said Strauman. “We need to support them.”
She added, “We’re not in this to make a profit off of the FFA, we’re in it to give education to the kids.”