O-M committee proposes territory distribution

ORIENT — After about a 90 minute discussion Monday with some landowners and residents of the Orient-Macksburg school district for input, the school’s dissolvement committee then proposed how the district would be split up among Creston, Nodaway Valley and Winterset school districts.

The proposed map will be presented to the Orient-Macksburg school board before Aug. 9 including a public hearing. If approved, the proposal will then be put on a Sept. 10 ballot to be determined by voters in the Orient-Macksburg district. Because of declining enrollment and financial challenges, the school board approved to close the district after the 2024-2025 school year.

“It’s a very short timeline,” said Orient-Macksburg Superintendent Jeff Kruse who is assisting the dissolvement committee with the procedures. “If it passes, it’s effective July 1, 2025. If not, the state department of education would take control over and make the decisions. We are trying to do it on our own and best if we can control it than someone from the outside.”

Commitee chairman Ryan Frederick compared the closing of the district to a “very lengthy and complicated funeral,” he said rhetorically asking who should be the pallbearers, the district’s residents or the state.

Monday’s meetings began with the Orient-Macksburg school board and included the dissolvement committee input. The board did approve to expect to spend up to $2,000 for formal maps of the proposed boundary changes with the neighboring school districts. Committee members are hopeful those maps will be finished by the end of the week.

The committee agreed the Adair County portion of the district should stay in Adair County. A majority of territory north of the Adair-Union county line will be proposed to the Nodaway Valley School District based in Greenfield. The Orient-Macksburg territory south of the county line will be proposed to Creston.

A portion of land south of the county line, west of what is known as Spaulding, and the intersection of Eagle Avenue and 110th Street, would be for Creston.

A portion of the Orient-Macksburg district in Adams County south of what is known as Nevinville and west of Walnut Avenue would also be proposed to Creston.

Another section of the Orient-Macksburg district north of 120th Street in Union County and west of Highway 25 will be proposed to Nodaway Valley.

The proposal boundary for the east side in Adair County is a jagged line of 280th Street, Deer Run, 260th Street and Cottonwood. All east of those roads will be proposed to Winterset school district. The proposed border is one mile east of Macksburg.

Although East Union School District is adjacent to Orient-Macksburg, nothing was offered. When the committee met with representatives from each neighboring school district, East Union was the district least interested in acquiring territory.

Formal maps will quantify how much territory is proposed each for Creston, Nodaway Valley and Winterset. According to state law under these circumstances, if one district is proposed to receive 95% of the Orient-Macksburg district, reorganization is required, not a district closing. If Nodaway Valley was to receive 95%, it would be required to merge with Orient-Macksburg for the 2026-2027 school year.

Committee members are confident the boundary proposals prevent any one district receiving 95%. When the formal maps are drawn, percentage amounts of Orient-Macksburg territory proposed for each neighboring district will be determined.

Orient-Macksburg officials have said the district is estimated to have a $500,000 negative fund balance for the 2025-2026 school year because of enrollment and expenses. Districts who acquire Orient-Macksburg territory also are responsible for the same percentage of Orient-Macksburg’s debts.

“Orient-Macksburg can’t afford or staff for another two years,” Kruse said.

Committee members are still waiting for a confirmed answer from the state about what happens to Orient-Macksburg property owners who become part of a neighboring district. It is not known yet if those landowners will also pay the school tax rates that include debt, like a bond issue. Winterset district residents are paying for school improvements until 2038.

Phone calls during the committee meeting were made with legal counsel. The neighboring school districts can appeal the amount proposed. Landowners can also file an objection. The Orient-Macksburg school board can then decide to approve the map for the vote or ask for revisions to be made. Once the map is approved by the board, only neighboring school districts can then appeal. If agreements are not made the appeal areas will not be included in the election and will be handled by the state.

During the public hearing with area residents, various comments were made about the future of the school building and property. The dissolvement committee’s purpose is to determine new school district borders. Committee members said additional committees will be made to determine the future of the building and school possessions. Legal counsel advised Orient-Macksburg to not sell the building before July 1, 2025.

Dissolvement committee member Kevin Blair was not in attendance.