Poor shooting from the field let Mingo whip Collins boys 63-49 in Ta-Ma-Ja Conference makeup action here Monday night. Game was originally scheduled for Friday night. Collins boys hit just 33% (17 of 52) and made 15 of 26 free throws. The Clippers had 27 turnovers. Scoring: Jim Titus 12, Doug Klemme 10, Jim Wright 8, Jim Atwood 8, Mark Huntrods 4, Mike McDermott 2, Marv Hampton 2, Tracy Armentrout 2, Kirk Pattrson 1.
February 2, 1977. Voters defeat Maxwell-Collins merger. The proposed merger of the Collins and Maxwell school districts was defeated at the polls on Tuesday. According to the Story County auditors office a total of 876 voted, 494 in Maxwell and 382 in Collins. Of the 494 Maxwell citizens who voted, 369 voted for the merger and 125 were opposed, and of the 382 votes cast in Collins, 158 were yes votes and 224 opposed to the uniting of the two school districts.
"Of course, we were disappointed in the outcome," said Maxwell superintendent Robert Crouse. It would have been a good thing for both communities.
The defeated merger was also regretted by Robert Rampulla, superintendent of Collins school district, who said, "The biggest problem of both schools is their declining enrollment, which makes it virtually impossible to offer the courses that are needed for a good education for the students."
According to Rampulla, a survey was made to those voting in the Collins election where the issue was defeated and it was found that of the 382 voters, 208 had no children. "We don't know just how much this affected the election," said Rampulla, "but if people don't have any children they are bound not to have some interest in the school district."
Members of both boards noted that any personal bad or hard feelings had not surfaced.
Reorganization Studies. Officials of both schools explained to the board members and the dozen or so people in attendance that studies on reorganization had been done by both.
Colo studied the possibility of merging with Collins, Nevada, and West Marshall, but then decided to go ahead and pursue the building matter. The bond issue was subsequently passed and the new addition is in construction.
Collins had studied the possibility of reorganizing with Colo, Maxwell, and Colo, Maxwell, and Nevada at one time in the past.
Steelman reiterated that he felt it was better the matters to be brought in the open rather than to have people hear things in a round about way.
Student Exchange Explained. One question posed by the Colo board to the Collins board concerned what happened to a proposed student exchange program between the two schools, which was worked out and actually set in motion in early 1975. Collins superintendent Rampulla explained to those in attendance that scheduling differences at Collins and Colo made the exchange difficult even after a program had been worked out between the administrations of the two schools.