Tuesday’s city and school election will put in front of the voters in the Southeast Webster Grand and Prairie Valley community school districts a ballot measure to consolidate the two districts into Southeast Valley Community School District.

If passed, the consolidation would go into effect on July 1, 2023, in time for the 2023-2024 school year.

“But aren’t we already consolidated?” is a question Brian Johnson, superintendent of both districts, has heard time and again.

In 2014, the two school boards approved a whole grade-sharing contract for grades 5-12, uniting under the name Southeast Valley for the middle school in Burnside and the high school in Gowrie. Each district kept its respective elementary schools — located in Dayton and Farnhamville.

Enrollment in rural school districts has declined in recent years, leading to reduced revenue for districts and the need for grade-sharing and reorganization.

In the last 10 years, Southeast Webster Grand has declined by 70 students and Prairie Valley has declined by 106.

“It’s such a volatile market out there,”Johnson said. “Right now, we know what the trends of rural education are doing, enrollment-wise.”

Combining the two rural school districts into one would bring in more state funding and lead to better longevity of the rural schools, Johnson said.

The state is also offering districts incentives for reorganization, which are set to expire in 2024.

The ballot measure must pass by a simple majority — 50% plus one — in each of the districts.

If the consolidation vote does not pass, Johnson said, the two districts would still remain in their grade-sharing agreement.

Johnson said not much would change if the consolidation is approved by voters. The district boundaries would stay as they are, the mascot would remain the Jaguars, the colors would remain teal and black and all four school buildings would stay open.

If the consolidation does pass, the newly formed Southeast Valley Community School District would become the state’s second-largest school district in land mass, Johnson said. Southeast Valley would cover just about 500 square miles, while Western Dubuque Community School District has about 550 square miles in its district.

The new, combined district would cover nearly all of the southern half of Webster County, and would dip into Calhoun, Greene and Boone counties.