In recent months, I’ve received numerous questions about the current status of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District and about the district’s future. People are aware that there has been an effort to “dissolve” the district, but they may not fully understand what a dissolution means. Questions like, “Is the district dissolving?” and, “Is there a dissolution vote coming up?” are among those that I’ve received. In this column, I will do my best to explain what has taken place and what the future may hold.
Most district patrons are aware that this past August, the G-R school board passed a motion which declared the May 2015 dissolution petition to be invalid. This motion ended the dissolution process at that time. What many might not understand is the reasoning behind this action.
An irregularity was discovered when examining the dates of the signatures on the original petition. Nearly all of the signatures on the petition were dated during March, 2015. The petition itself was written (or at least finalized) during the month of May. This is evident because the petition refers to items of business on the April school board agenda in the past tense; additionally, it refers to items on the May school board agenda in the present tense. Since we know that the petition wasn’t finalized until May, common sense would tell you that it’s not possible that the people who signed in March were signing that exact petition.
In light of this information, the G-R school board followed the advice of its legal counsel and passed the above-mentioned motion which invalidated the petition. A district resident has filed an appeal of the G-R Board’s August decision, and an administrative law judge is currently reviewing the case. The appeal may be thrown out by the judge before going to a hearing, or the appeal may go to a hearing before the State Board of Education.
A second citizen-initiated dissolution petition was recently received by the school. In accordance with the law, the school board has appointed a new dissolution commission. This new commission, comprised of many of the same citizens as the previous commission, will have the same mandate as the previous group: to develop a proposal which spells out the specific details of how the district would be divided if a public vote on dissolution is successful.
The members of the new dissolution commission are Barry Thede, Doug Rowe, Susie Petersen, Gary Stanley, Terri Luehring, Anne Boyer, Christine Farley. Only Christine Farley is new to this process, as the other commission members served on the previous commission. This commission held its organizational meeting recently and elected the following officers: Anne Boyer, President; Terri Luehring, Vice President; and Christine Farley, Secretary.
The law states that this commission has up to a year to complete its work and then must present a proposal to the board. The school board may accept the commission’s proposal, or it can make changes to the proposal. The board must then have its attorney draft specific ballot language which would be forwarded to the county auditor for a public vote. The new commission may take a full year to do its work, or it may be able to streamline the process using some of the work of the previous commission. That will be the decision of the newly-established commission. So, when will a vote take place? At this point, I can’t answer that question, as it depends on how long it takes the commission to do its work.
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| To view dissolution committee agendas and minutes, visit the G-R Website (shown above) at http://www.gr-rebels.net/. Under "District" select "District Committee Meetings" and then scroll down to "Dissolution Commission #2 and click "More." |
Commission meetings are held in the public view, just like school board meetings. Agendas are posted in accordance with the law and members of the public may attend. You can follow along with committee agendas and minutes on the Gladbrook-Reinbeck website. At least one public hearing will be held as part of the process, and all district patrons are welcome to participate. Eventually, I expect a public vote to be held on this matter, and I will encourage all eligible voters in the G-R school district to make your voice heard by participating in this vote.
One thing that has surprised me is that many district patrons still don’t completely understand what it means to “dissolve” a school district. Some think it means that a district can divide into two smaller districts, and this is not correct. According to Iowa law, when a school district dissolves it no longer exists. Under a dissolution, it’s not possible for one portion of a district to break away and become an independent district or become part of a neighboring district while the remainder of the district continues in operation. “Un-merging” or dividing the district back into the “old Gladbrook district” and the “old Reinbeck district” also isn’t an option under a dissolution. When a district dissolves, all parts of the former district are assigned to a neighboring district and the assets, liabilities, land, and students are divided accordingly. Once a dissolution is finalized the district no longer has a school board, the district’s employees no longer have jobs, and the district’s citizens all become residents of another district.
I’ve done my best to provide this information in a way that I think will clear things up and answer your questions; however, I’m sure there are questions that I haven’t answered. As the commission continues its work and the date of a public hearing and public vote draws closer, I will be developing a “Dissolution Q&A” on my blog. Districts patrons will be able to ask a dissolution-related question by submitting it via a web link or by calling a special voicemail line and recording their question. I may even compile the most common questions received and include answers in some of my future columns in the Northern Sun Print and Reinbeck Courier.
My SUPERINTENDENT NEWS & VIEWS columns, in addition to 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 https://rebelsupt.blogspot.com/ where they are all posted. You are also welcome to follow me on Twitter (@DavidRobertHill) where I will occasionally post updates or other information not found on the blog.
If you enjoyed this blog post, you might also enjoy my blog post from August 25, 2016: Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Financial Stability. (Click the title to read that post.) Thanks for your interest in the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District!!!
This blog post has been submitted for publication in the Northern Sun Print and the Reinbeck Courier.
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