Objections eliminate Sept. 10 O-M vote

ORIENT — Objections filed by Creston and Winterset school districts over the Orient-Macksburg dissolution committee’s proposed distribution of the district forced the cancellation of a Sept. 10 vote by Orient-Macksburg residents.

The Orient-Macksburg school board and its dissolution committee met Monday in a public hearing with area residents and representatives from Creston and Winterset schools. In June, the Orient-Macksburg board approved to close the district July 1, 2025, and created a dissolution committee to divide the territory among adjacent districts. Declining enrollment and budget challenges influenced the board to approve to close the school. With the dissolution process delayed, it likely forces another school year.

The board did not take any action on the proposed map.

“We could not be allowed on the ballot because the objections are still in existence,” said Ryan Frederick, chairman of the committee, after the meeting. “We don’t have time (to redraw the map). The ballot deadline is 45 days, so it had to be done by first of August.” The committee approved the map July 16 with the intent for the school board to take action on the map.

Board and committee members have said the 2024-2025 school year is manageable, but an additional school year is uncertain. The Sept. 10 vote was the only time a vote could be held. A March 2025 special election date was not allowed because of the timing of school district budget rates and approvals. If Orient-Macksburg voters would have voted no, it would have forced the school board to create tax rates for 2025-2026.

After the meeting Frederick said it is likely Orient-Macksburg will be in operation for 2025-2026, but unsure how it will work. Estimates are Orient-Macksburg will have a $500,000 deficit during 2025-2026. Adjacent districts receiving portions of the Orient-Macksburg district are also responsible for the same percentage of Orient-Macksburg debt.

“It’s going to look a lot different,” said Orient-Macksburg Superintendent Jeff Kruse during the meeting.

There are options.

“It could be we only have an elementary school. It could be the school exists on paper and that’s it,” Frederick said. “The school board will have to figure this out. We are going to have to get into a major whole-grade sharing to be able to afford it.” Whole-grade sharing is when two neighboring school districts share each other’s resources as each district exists.

Frederick said additional time does have some benefits.

“Now that we have a whole other year, it does open up some possibilities, things we could not have done in the time before. Now that is back on that table. We could reorganize,” he said. For example, Orient-Macksburg could agree to merge with a neighboring district.

“Assuming we stick with dissolution, this whole process picks up again in January. The proposal has to be produced 60 days ahead of election, but not less than 45 days, or something like that. The meeting we had last night is going to happen again between Jan. 4 and Feb. 4, something in that time range. This whole scenario happens again, just with a March 4 election date,” he said.

That also gives possible multiple election dates. Frederick said if a March 2025 vote to dissolve is defeated by voters, a second chance could happen in November 2025.

“Sept. 10 was a one-shot deal,” he said about the initial plan.

Frederick said Creston’s and Winterset’s objections are what derailed a Sept. 10 vote.

“We had it confirmed from the department of education, they have objected things they are not able to object. They objected to what they didn’t receive. That is not allowed,” Frederick said. “It’s up to the O-M school board, they can decide to go to reorganization and dissolution is done. If they stick with dissolution, this committee will continue to exist until we have another meeting and we take up where we left off.”

Attorney Nicole Proesch representing Creston and Winterset schools said Creston has a valid objection “because it didn’t make sense to them.” She referred to transportation issues, open-enrolled students to Creston and questions about territory in Adams County.

“We are looking for a conversation about what makes sense, what makes sense about boundaries, what makes sense for the future, what makes sense for kids,” she said. “I don’t know if we should be dissolving a district in a couple months time because it’s a big decision and impacts and it’s going to have impact for years to come. There are other things we would consider that have not been on the table or discussed.”

Creston schools transportation director Scott Busch is a 1996 Orient-Macksburg graduate. He said he strives to follow Iowa Code for the number of students on a bus route and length of time certain students can ride. Iowa law allows one district bus to enter an adjacent district to pick up open-enroll students. He said the proposed map limits Creston that opportunity.

Creston school board president Galen Zumbach reminded the audience of the longtime sharing of extra-curricular activities and services between Creston and Orient-Macksburg that ended in 2020, claiming Orient-Macksburg left the relationship. Orient-Mackburg shifted that relationship to Nodaway Valley in Greenfield beginning with the 2021-2022 school year.

“I was always hopeful we would consolidate one day,” Zumbach said.

Zumbach said 50 students from Orient-Macksburg open enroll to Creston. Audience member Wendy Eslinger, who said lives northwest of Macksburg, later in the meeting questioned the number, claiming it was closer to 20.

“We are asking for in a second proposal a portion of Adams County and Union County be retained in the Creston school system,” Zumbach said.

Creston Superintendent Deron Stender was in attendance but did not speak.

Winterset school board president Jared McDonald spoke. Proesch said Winterset had similar issues with the proposal as Creston. She suggested Winterset retain all of the Madison County territory and “nothing more.”

McDonald said about 16 students in Macksburg open enroll to Winterset. Macksburg is in Madison County and was proposed to be included in Nodaway Valley’s district. “They are hoping those tax dollars move forward with them,” McDonald said, implying Madison County.

Nodaway Valley Superintendent Paul Croghan spoke. The committee desired the Adair County portion of the Orient-Macksburg district stay in the county.

“Nodaway Valley’s philosophy has always been to support the education of Orient-Macksburg and their students,” he said. “We got asked today to help them out. We’ve answered every question they have ever asked us. We are here for the kids and have always been here for the school district. We’ve never made a demand.”

Croghan said Nodaway Valley sports and activities are, “not why we are here. We offered all our sports and activities at no cost. There will be no hard feelings.”

Croghan referred to a 1950 incident that was brought up in 2000 between CAM (Cumberland-Anita-Massena school) and Anita. “That is not right. To hold something against anybody in this room for their thoughts and processes whether you agree with them or not, that is wrong. You must understand where the other side is coming from and how they make their decision. Ultimately understand who is making that decision. I have nothing to do with making that decision.”

He is a shared superintendent with CAM.

East Union, which also borders Orient-Macksburg, was not offered any territory by th

e committee.

Dissolution committee member Kevin Blair defended the committee.

“We come to this meeting and accusations we are not taking our kids seriously. We have thought about our kids in this building. The ones that open enroll out, we looked at the map. There are 10 that goes to Winterset. Numbers have been misquoted twice tonight. We looked at what our constituents wanted. When we’re told we didn’t consider the people, we did. We listened to what our people wanted. That is what we did. We spent hours on that map. I’m not going to make everyone happy. But telling us we didn’t consider certain things?”

He said he is an Orient-Macksburg graduate and staff member.

Blair questioned how he thinks the committee has been treated. “After all the time we did, and now we are getting complaints. It’s like turn my homework in late but change the rules so you can grade my homework. This is the hardest thing all these people have to do. It’s not like back in the old days when the bus was loaded.”