The mayors of Cook, Tower, and Orr, along with a host of other local elected officials, will be hosting a public meeting at the Cook School this Wednesday, Feb. 10, to discuss the threats posed to the three communities by the school restructuring plan proposed by ISD 2142. The meeting is set for 6 pm., with a rally beginning at 5 p.m., also at the school. Members of the ISD 2142 school board have been invited to the event.

The mayors and other interested residents have been meeting for the past several weeks to devise a response to the district’s plans to close schools in all three communities. The plan calls for bussing students from Cook and Orr to a new school located 4.8 miles north of Cook, while the district plans to bus high school students from the Tower-Soudan area to Babbitt. The district proposes to continue operating an elementary school in Tower, at least for now.

Community leaders say they are frustrated that the economic effect on their communities was never considered as part of the district’s plan. They argue that the loss of schools will badly undermine their cities’ main streets and lead to the eventual demise of their communities.

The mayors’ group is hoping to press their case for a delay in implementation of the plan, at least as it affects the three communities. The group is also planning a joint request to Iron Range Resources for funding for an independent study of the viability of maintaining the three community schools, either as part of ISD 2142, or as part of a new school district.

In addition, the group recently submitted a petition to the state auditor seeking an investigation of alleged improper use of public resources by ISD 2142 to promote a yes vote in the recent referendum.