Farragut Community School District

Farragut Community School District was a school district headquartered in Farragut, Iowa. Its territory included the communities of Farragut, Imogene, and Riverton.[1][2] The district, from 2011 to 2016, also served secondary school students residing in Hamburg. The state of Iowa forced the district to close effective 2016.

History

Circa 1997 it had about 380 students.[3]

By the 2010s the district began to have budget issues. It agreed to a grade-sharing arrangement with the Hamburg Community School District.[4] Initially both districts were to operate their own elementary schools; middle school students were to attend Hamburg while high school students were to go to Farragut.[5] Nishnabotna High School in Farragut became the community high school for both Farragut and Hamburg,[4] replacing the former Farragut High in 2011.[6]

By March 2015 the districts agreed to change their grade sharing arrangement in which all elementary school students went to school in Hamburg while all secondary students went to Farragut. Farragut and Hamburg attempted to voluntarily consolidate with one another. Voters in the Farragut district approved the consolidation, but voters in Hamburg turned it down, with seven more votes against rather than for.[5] The Hamburg voters wished to retain their middle school.[7] Hamburg voted against on a 271–264 basis, while Farragut residents had approved on a 371–32 basis.[8] Terry Kenealy, the superintendent of the Hamburg district, stated that there was a sentiment against Farragut in the Hamburg community. Tom Hinrichs, the superintendent of the Farragut district, cited disputes over the school grade configurations.[9] The districts decided to continue grade sharing, with Hamburg having elementary grades and Farragut having secondary grades.[7]

Closure

Iowa state education authorities, by 2015, had repeatedly cited the Farragut district for noncompliance with state operating standards.[10] In the fiscal year of 2015 the district had a deficit of almost $93,000. Its enrollment was decreasing at the time;[11] it had 186 students in 2015.[12]

In October 2015 the Iowa Department of Education recommended that the Farragut district be abolished.[13] The Iowa Board of Education voted to close the district, making it the third such district in the state that the board closed.[12] The accreditation was revoked as part of the vote on November 18, 2015.[14] Superintendent Tom Hinrichs resigned in December 2015 after the state board ended local rule at Farragut CSD.[15]

The closure was scheduled for July 1, 2016.[16] The Hamburg district became a PreK–8 district and paid other school districts to take its high school students.[17] The Iowa Department of Education revised the boundaries of the remaining school districts.[17] Most of the Farragut district west of County Road M-16, including Riverton, was assigned to the Sidney Community School District, while most of the Farragut district east of M-16, including Farragut and Imogene, was assigned to the Shenandoah Community School District.[18] The Fremont–Mills and Hamburg districts also took portions of former Farragut district territory.[16] The Shenandoah district took control of the school buildings.[19]

See also

School districts forced by the Iowa Board of Education to merge

References
  1. "SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP (2010 CENSUS): Fremont County, IA." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on June 18, 2018. Shows the boundaries of the former Farragut district and pre-2016 Hamburg Community School District.
  2. "Farragut Community School District" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved 2019-01-14. - Farragut detail map and Riverton detail map
  3. Home. Farragut Community School District. August 14, 1997. Retrieved on January 27, 2019.
  4. Álvarez, Brenda (2017-04-11). "How a Community Copes When a School Shuts its Doors". NEA Today. National Education Association. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  5. Ryan, Mackenzie (2015-03-26). "Two districts to close schools to keep accreditation". Des Moines-Register. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  6. "OWA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (Cite as 26 D.o.E. App. Dec. 197)." Iowa Department of Education. p. 1/5. Retrieved on June 18, 2018.
  7. Leary, Patrick (2015-03-11). "Rural schools study risk, reward of sharing whole grades". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-07-15.
  8. Nelson, Tess Gruber (2014-12-03). "Nishnabotna students protest merger vote failure in Hamburg". The Daily Non Pareil. Retrieved 2019-01-14.
  9. "Failed reorganization vote leaves fate of Hamburg and Farragut school districts unknown". Radio Iowa. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  10. Stewart, Scott (2015-09-22). "Farragut, Iowa, school district given one final lifeline". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  11. Boden, Sarah (2015-11-18). "Farragut Community School District Will Dissolve at the End of School Year". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  12. Ryan, Mackenzie (2015-11-18). "Farragut schools dissolved by Iowa education board". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  13. Stewart, Scott (2015-10-28). "State to recommend dissolving Farragut schools". Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  14. Stewart, Scott (2015-11-18). "State votes to shut down Farragut schools this summer". Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  15. Stewart, Scott; Tess Gruber Nelson (2015-12-11). "Farragut supt. resigns citing lack of 'meaningful function'". Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  16. "REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66." Iowa Department of Education. Retrieved on January 14, 2019.
  17. "SCHOOL FEATURE: Enrollment for Sidney High School stands at 140". Hamburg Reporter. 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2018-06-18.
  18. Peterson, Mike (2016-02-18). "Farragut redistricting plan revealed". KMA Land. Retrieved 2018-06-18. - KMA Land is for 960 AM and 99.1 FM.
  19. "Farragut Community School District has dissolved". Des Moines Register. Associated Press. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2018-06-18.

Further reading

About Iowa school district closure and consolidation in general:


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