BURNSIDE - Southeast Webster Grand Community School District is discussing a possible grade sharing program with the Prairie Valley Board of Education.
According to SWG Board President Grant Gibbons, the school had a "frank discussion" at its joint board work session Wednesday on sharing whole grades or sharing teachers between the two districts.
"We've lost enrollment over the last decade. They've lost enrollment. Each student's worth about $5,900 in funding from the state," he said. "As enrollment goes down, you lose four or five kids, that's a teacher. You get put into this position where if you want to stay ahead of the game you have to either raise taxes or cut staff or programs."
Gibbons said that, in addition to financial savings, sharing would also reduce class size and potentially allow the districts to offer more varied class offerings, which would "prepare our students for college and a rapidly transforming work force."
Scott Hansch, Prairie Valley board of education president, said the first aim of grade-sharing is to provide for the students.
"The primary goal of both districts is to provide a quality education, that's first and foremost," he said.
Hansch said sharing could be beneficial to both districts.
"We currently do share some services with Southeast Webster Grand," he said. "There's some benefits that could come from that, and collaboration among the administrators and staff in both districts."
The work session Wednesday continued discussions held in November about the future of the two districts, Launi Dane, superintendent of both districts, said.
"As we think about the future for our kids, we talked about being able to offer more classes and options," she said. "We talked about giving students a well-rounded education, about each district's individual strengths."
Both districts have passionate educations, offer good early childhood programs, and have very involved parents, Dane said. Individuals' needs were also discussed. For example, both districts need more funding and kids, Dane said.
"We need to have a plan," she said. "We're not just going to do haphazard stuff. We have some questions that need to be answered."
According to Gibbons, both districts are at a point where they feel like they've "cut all the fat" and are now "bare bones."
"It's either a choice of continued cuts to keep ahead and stay financially solvent, or to raise taxes," he said.
No action is being immediately taken, Gibbons said. Both districts are merely discussing the possibility of sharing.
"This was just the first discussion we've really had with their board on a true whole-grade sharing arrangement, which is not to be confused with reorganization," he said. "It's not a reorganization, but a whole-grade sharing possibility."
Dane said this will not happen overnight, or even next year.
"The state still mandates timelines if you're going into a sharing agreement, and we already passed those. So this can't happen next year," she said.
Both boards will have a feasibility study done by the Iowa Department of Education.
"It comes down to the needs of both districts and making sure both are giving its students the best education possible," Dane said. "Time will tell."
Contact Brandon L. Summers at (515) 573-2141 or bsummers@messengernews.net