Recently, I was contacted by a few of our school district’s patrons that were concerned by something they had read in the school board minutes. Specifically, they had read that North Tama has been having discussions with neighboring school districts about sharing opportunities. These folks were concerned because they had interpreted the use of the term “sharing” as whole-grade sharing, which from the viewpoint of most students and parents is essentially the same thing as a merger.
Your school board’s number one goal is to maintain the financial stability of the district and retain existing programs so that North Tama will remain a viable K-12 school. North Tama is NOT headed toward a merger or whole-grade sharing situation with any of our neighboring districts. However, the district IS looking at some other types of sharing possibilities to help us achieve our goal of long-term financial stability without limiting opportunities for our students.
There are three basic types of sharing arrangements available to schools: 1) Whole-grade sharing; 2) Program & Staff Sharing; and, 3) Operational Sharing. In my column this week and next week, I’ll explain these three types of sharing arrangements, and provide an explanation of the various types of sharing that we are engaged in at North Tama as well as the sharing arrangements that are being considered for next year.
WHOLE-GRADE SHARING
Whole-grade sharing arrangements are usually a precursor to a school merger. While the two districts involved in whole-grade sharing maintain their individual school boards and have separate taxing authority, students are usually transported to another community to attend classes -- at least for some grades. Often times, one district has the high school while a middle school or junior high is located in the other district. Elementary grades may also be combined.
While whole-grade sharing arrangements have the potential to provide greater opportunities for students in small districts, this is NOT the type of sharing that North Tama has been considering. We are, however, making major strides with the other two types of sharing. I’ll describe one of these types of sharing in the next few paragraphs, and will provide an in-depth description of the other type in next week’s column.
PROGRAM & STAFF SHARING
North Tama and Gladbrook-Reinbeck have successfully shared the GRNT RebelHawks wrestling program for many years. More recently, North Tama began a sharing agreement with Union for girls’ soccer. In another sharing agreement, students from Hudson wanting to take Family & Consumer Science classes and Business classes are able to enroll in classes here at North Tama. In all of these programs, we are sharing coaching/teaching staff and resources in order to provide opportunities that students may not otherwise have.
For the coming year, our board has approved a new agreement to share our agricultural education teacher and FFA advisor with Gladbrook-Reinbeck. Mr. Cibula will teach two periods each day at G-R before coming to Traer to finish his day at North Tama. He will also advise separate FFA chapters at North Tama and Gladbrook-Reinbeck. While Mr. Cibula will remain an employee of North Tama, the two districts will split the cost of Mr. Cibula’s contract, saving both districts money. What’s great about this arrangement is that no student opportunities will be eliminated; in fact, North Tama’s students will be able to enroll in the exact same agriculture courses that they were able to take in previous years.
We have also had similar discussions with other districts related to other staff sharing opportunities, and it is possible that other sharing agreements may be enacted for next year or in the coming years. Any time we consider staff or program sharing, the following criteria will be considered: 1) “Will it save money?” and, 2) “Will it provide additional opportunities for North Tama students, or will it at least not take away opportunities for students?” If the answer to either of these questions is “no” then we most likely won’t pursue sharing. If the answer to both is “yes” then sharing will strongly be considered.
As many of you know, this year I have been shared between North Tama and Union, serving as a principal in Dysart and the Superintendent at North Tama. This sharing agreement has allowed both districts to realize a financial savings by sharing the cost of my employment contract. While there has been an adjustment period for everyone getting used to having the superintendent in the district less often than before, it has still been a positive move for the district because it reduces our costs and student opportunities have not been limited in any way. While our sharing arrangement with Union has been beneficial, it does not qualify the district for the OPERATIONAL sharing incentives offered by the state of Iowa, which leads us to the final type of sharing, known as Operational Sharing. We’ll discuss operational sharing in next week’s column.
These Star Clipper columns as well as my blog and Twitter postings are part of my plan for open communication with the community. As a part-time superintendent that also has duties in another school district, I believe that open and clear communication is more important than ever before. If you’ve missed any of my columns or would like to re-read or share them with your friends and family, you are welcome to visit my blog at http://redhawksupt.blogspot.
NEXT WEEK: Operational Sharing: What is it, and how can it benefit our school?
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