Webster City Superintendent Dr. Mandy Ross, along with NEH Superintendent Mike Kruger and a team of state, county, district and private personnel are working through the laundry list of state requirements to merge the two districts into what will be known as the Webster City Community School District with a Learning Center at Northeast Hamilton.

“We are in the throes of getting tasks and everything in order,” said Ross.

“People are doing everything they can to make this as smooth of a transition as possible,” Kruger said.

Legally, it is a reorganization and the Iowa Department of Education establishes the rules. Some of the initial requirements were addressed when NEH entered into a Whole Grade Sharing contract with Webster City for students in grades seven through 12 for the 2015-2016 school year. Those included establishing a school calendar, setting a daily schedule, transportation routes, co-curricular activities, grades, and even disciplinary action. At that time, the districts also agreed on shared support and administrative services. 

After voters in the two districts approved the reorganization last April, the effort now includes the NEH Pre-K through sixth-grade school and addresses district boundaries, property, facilities, maintenance, budgets, teaching staff, office personnel, school calendars, supply purchases, and transportation.

Behind the scenes, there are a number of legal aspects that need to be addressed, said Dr. Ross.  Those include transferring properties and insurance, bookkeeping, record-keeping and insuring that reports to the Iowa Department of Education are current.

“There are a lot of things with the state concerning technical details,” said Ross.

She commended the district’s “amazing” administrative office staff for its work during this transition.

She also applauded retired Webster City and NEH Superintendent Mike Sherwood for his work in the early stages of the reorganization.

“I commend Mike Sherwood for the fabulous job he did in providing the groundwork for this entire process,” said Ross. “It takes tremendous people to carry an effort like this forward.”

The administration is working to coordinate and merge the day-to-day operations of both districts in order to unite the two communities, she said.

Since taking over the role of superintendent in July 2018, Ross has made a number of visits to NEH in person to discuss questions from the staff and the board.  

“I’m trying to meet with the staff once a month to get their questions answered,” she said. “The NEH teachers have a unique lens on the process. We are getting everybody’s voice heard and thinking through this together.”

While the administration will keep an eye on enrollment trends, there are no plans to change staff, terminate staff or close the Blairsburg facility, she said. While student enrollment dictates much of the future, Dr. Ross is working to ensure the NEH building stays open and all the staff in place.

“We want to have the building open and to maintain that for as long as possible,” she said.  “We don’t anticipate any change in staffing and are not looking at any imminent changes.”

Over the past several months, both districts have surveyed patrons about where families would like their children to attend school in hopes to use the facilities in both Webster City and Blairsburg to their full potential.

Kruger notes that while the class sizes at NEH are smaller, many students could benefit from a reduced teacher-to-student classroom ratio. 

“We want to continue to present the best educational opportunity for students,” said Kruger.  “We want to work with the staff as we join Webster City and I think this is a great opportunity for students and staff.” 

Kruger commends Ross and the Webster City staff for collaborating, planning and listening to NEH.

“Northeast Hamilton has had a voice in this process,” said Kruger.  “The staff has done a great job in making NEH included in all those decisions.”