MARYSVILLE – Superintendent Becky Berg said at Monday’s school board meeting that a decision on the future of Marysville Getchell High School has been delayed.

As expected, she announced that the district will study all of its secondary schools. “On one hand, this is a plan to plan,” she said in her presentation. “On the other, we need to be methodical, deliberate and inclusive to consider the needs of all of Marysville students, not just those attending Marysville Getchell.

“The decisions we make today will have ramifications for years. It is better to go slow at this point, to go fast later.”

Berg said she is action-oriented, so this goes against her personality. It seems indecisive.

“I tend to jump into the pool before seeing how deep it is,” she admitted.

So many things need to be looked at, she said, including the 10th year of declining enrollment, which continues to diminish state funding. Even open enrollment at MG and Marysville-Pilchuck high schools needs to be discussed because of that added expense.

The middle schools and high schools need to be studied also because of a new state law requiring 24 credits to graduate.

“It’s the perfect storm,” board member Chris Nation said. “It all works together.

Tom Albright, another board member, said the financial problems won’t go away. The state legislature still hasn’t fully funded education.

“This is a big issue. You sure it can be done in six months?” he asked Berg.

To which she responded: “Time is a luxury. It could take a year.”

To get buy-in from the community, Nation said the public has to be more involved.

“People will support what they help to create,” he said as a few in the audience said, “Yep.”

Berg added, “We need to explain what we do and why we do it.”