Usually when a person travels away from home, especially if they're headed to a place they've never been to before, a map and careful planning are required.
     Upon leaving familiar territory to venture to places unknown, the traveler takes the maps and highlights the route he or she plans to take, then follows it with as much accuracy as possible.
     The smart traveler will call or check on the Web for tornado warnings or snow storms depending on the season.
     Forethought will go into packing to ensure that proper clothing shoes and accessories are brought along for the trip. With careful planning, the smart person will be able to mitigate any potential hazards.
     The Wauneta-Palisade school district is also headed into the unknown, going on a journey to a place they've never been before.
     The number of students enrolling in the district is shrinking and state aid is shrinking along with the drop in enrollment.
     These facts are a bit frightening.
     It is also frightening is that the administration and the school board have admitted they have no map for the journey.
     They have no short-term or long-term plans to guide the district into a healthy future.
     It's been expressed by members of the board that it's hard to map out a plan since they don't know what's going to happen in the coming years.
     Yet it's essential for the board, if they truly want to see a district here in 15 years, to set out a plan of action to achieve that.
     The current board and administration are trustworthy men and women who care about the communities of Wauneta and Palisade. It seems, from statements made in public meetings and from talking to the administration and board members in private, that they have the best interests of the children in mind. That concern and commitment should be applauded.
     Faced with the difficult decision of a funding shortfall and decreasing enrollment, the board and administration looked at the options before them and chose what they believed was the best educational choice for the children of the district-moving Wauneta's K-4 to Palisade.
     While something must be done at this time, and moving all K-4 students into a single school building is an educationally sound idea, the plan seems to have been cobbled together in haste.
     The decision to move the K-4 seems to be more of a reactive decision rather than a proactive one. This could have been avoided if the board had engaged in more forethought.
     In looking toward the future the board and administration need to ask themselves hard questions then seek out the best answers.
     A suggested course of action should be in place before events occur so the board will already have an idea of what must be done when curves, bumps and detours appear in the road.
     The board needs to have a plan if enrollment falls below a certain number, if state aid falls below a certain amount, and if option out numbers continue to climb.
     The WP school board and administration need to begin to take a proactive approach to declining student enrollment and state aid instead of continuing on the path of reactive decision-making.
    
    Breeze editorials are written by staff members and reflect the opinion of the news staff.the path of reactive decision-making.