HAMBURG (AP) — Two communities in southwest Iowa are asking residents for approval to merge their school districts in response to years of dwindling student enrollment that has affected their budgets.
A special election will be held Tuesday to decide whether to merge the school districts in Hamburg and Farragut, located in Fremont County, the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reported.
If approved, the communities would work as the Nishnabotna Community School District. It would combine the debts, buildings, assets and liabilities of the two current school districts.
The district would have a five-member school board made up of existing school board members from both sides.
The proposed school district would also have a combined enrollment of more than 300 students. That would help officials organize more efficient spending per student. The state recommends that school districts have around that amount of students in order to meet financial obligations, according to the newspaper.
“Enrollments in small districts across the state are declining,” said Farragut Superintendent Tom Hinrichs. “In some form or fashion, most small districts will face these issues in the near future.”
Both districts have held public meetings on the issue, and officials say inaction could lead to cuts of programs and personnel.
Still, if the measure fails, school district officials said they plan to continue working together to jointly operate certain grade levels. They would also speak to the School Budget Review Committee to address any deficiencies and overspending.
The Iowa Department of Education would also conduct a separate review in February.
“The boards will need to make significant changes to how academic programs are provided in order to be financially viable and academically viable in the eyes of the Department of Education and the School Budget Review Committee,” said Hamburg Superintendent Terry Kenealy.