DCSD School Board takes no action on Mabel-Canton shared enrollment agreement

In a packed conference room at the new Decorah Community School District office Monday evening, the DCSD School Board heard from 12 community members, including several students who currently attend school in Mabel-Canton. Most spoke in favor of extending the student enrollment shared agreement between Mabel-Canton School District and DCSD, which is set to expire on June 30, 2024. The shared enrollment agreement with Mabel-Canton was created on Feb. 11, 2019 to allow students who were in 7-12 grades at North Winneshiek to finish out their high school careers at Mabel-Canton after North Winn was closed and merged with DCSD. According to DCSD School Board Director Brian Petersburg, who was on the Board when the agreement was entered, the intent of the original agreement was that it would be a one-off solution for those specific students. "We made it as clear as we possibly could, which is reflected in the board minutes, that this was a five year process only," Petersburg said. "And if people were beginning, younger kids in the district, [...] needed to be aware that [in] five years, Decorah, you know, paying the tuition was going to come to an end. And here we are. I think at the time, we were hoping that people would listen to what was said and understand the cliff. [...] Certainly, no one likes the students having to switch schools. But unfortunately, at this point, we did everything we could to make sure people weren't caught off guard." Board President Cindy Goodner spoke to the changes in state legislature regarding public schools this year and explained how those changes factor into the Board's decision. "We've seen pretty sweeping legislation changes this year, especially, in the state of Iowa and our neck of the woods being in a rural area, we've seen trends of declining enrollment for at least the last 10 years," she said. "So this is kind of a superstorm of swift change, including legislative changes, declining enrollment, reduced tax funding for public schools." "Being elected to the Decorah Community School Board means that the people who elected us, we are in charge of financially managing the school district," Goodner continued. "And at the October board meeting, which unfortunately was disrupted on Zoom, so the entire recording is not there. But one of the things that was shared ahead of that meeting and Ron [Fadness], you had asked Cathy Dietzenbach [DCSD Director of Business Services] to pull the total amount that had been shared over the last five years, and that amount was over a million dollars. Which, by extending an agreement like the one that's currently in place, that means that we are deciding to continue to allow funding to go over state lines." Board members expressed their understanding that school transitions are difficult and reinforced that interstate agreements may not be made out of proximity or convenience or arrangements that are not mutually beneficial, meaning that while students from Decorah School District can attend Mabel-Canton, and it is convenient for them to do so, no students from Minnesota use the shared agreement to come to school in Decorah. Director Petersburg addressed the difficult emotional decisions that will need to be made by families when the agreement expires on June 30, 2024. He added that parents would still have options if they want to send their children to Mabel-Canton. "The good thing is, the only thing that makes me feel not good about it, but feel different about it, is the fact that you kids can still go to Mabel-Canton," Petersburg said. "You know, and there's gonna be some, if we decide not to renew this, you kids can still go to Mabel-Canton, but obviously, there's going to be some type of tuition because people can't just give you education for nothing. [...] So that doesn't make me feel great, but it makes me understand that there are ways that you can still continue your education. [...] So there's not a wonderful situation here. And it's tough. If we look at it from what we were voted on to do, I think, you know, the answer would be to not renew the agreement. But it's not an easy one." Board President Goodner closed the discussion by acknowledging those who shared their experiences and emotion at the beginning of the meeting. "I just want to say how much I appreciate so many coming tonight and making public comments and having the courage to speak publicly and trust us with your story and share your emotion," Goodner said. "There's nothing more important than that. And we're tasked with making a responsible decision and not be emotionally reacting. This is something that we've all put a lot of time and effort into. Thoughtfully talking, talking through the teacher from both sides. And that doesn't make it any easier." The Board did not take any action on the agreement on Monday; therefore, the agreement will be allowed to expire on June 30, 2024.