Orient-Macksburg proposes whole-grade sharing with Nodaway Valley; plans to close in 2026

ORIENT — The Orient-Macksburg school board Monday approved two separate public hearings regarding whole-grade sharing with Nodaway Valley in Greenfield and to continue the process of closing the district.

Facing declining enrollments and financial challenges, earlier this year the Orient-Macksburg board agreed to close the school after the 2024-2025 school year. Legal disputes from adjacent Creston and Winterset districts delayed the desired schedule by Orient-Macksburg. Orient-Macksburg board agreed to stay open for the 2025-2026 school year, but only through a proposed whole-grade sharing agreement with Nodaway Valley.

A public hearing for whole-grade sharing hearing will be held 5:30 p.m. Dec. 9 in conjunction with the regular Orient-Macksburg board meeting. It will only be a hearing. The board will not take action. Approval of whole-grade sharing must happen at least 30 days after the hearing.

Orient-Macksburg Superintendent Jeff Kruse said a draft agreement for whole-grade sharing has been sent to Nodaway Valley. The plan is for Nodaway Valley to have all of Orient-Macksburg’s students, prekindergarten through 12th grade. Orient-Macksburg would pay 70% of student cost, from state funding. The remaining 30% would stay with Orient-Macksburg for its expenses. Nodaway Valley would pay for all transportation and staff costs.

Board member Jana Scott said Creston and Winterset have been asked if they would bus students from Orient-Macksburg who have opened enrolled to those districts.

“We realize not everyone is gong to pick Nodaway Valley. They can’t come into the district for one kid,” she said. “We recognize this is not ideal. We got to stay open for another year. This is one way we can do it.”

Scott said she had been told by some Orient-Macksburg families who are planning for their children to attend elsewhere.

Orient-Macksburg students would receive an Orient-Macksburg diploma for that whole-grade sharing year. Nodaway Valley and Orient-Macksburg officials noted minimal differences in graduation requirements between the two schools.

“We want to use this facility some how,” Kruse said about Orient-Macksburg buildings. “There wasn’t any push to use this facility.” Kruse said it is common for participating schools in a whole-grade sharing agreement to both benefit from the arrangement, but because of Orient-Macksburg’s plan to close, there wasn’t a valid reason to utilize Orient-Macksburg.

“The state is OK with one way because of dissolution,” Kruse said. “I don’t think two way will benefit us long term.”

Kruse said all of Orient-Macksburg’s neighboring districts have been notified of the district’s intent to close; just like it did earlier this year. There were no changes to how Orient-Macksburg would distribute its territory to the neighboring districts as it proposed during the summer. Creston, East Union, Nodaway Valley and Winterset border Orient-Macksburg.

The board voted to schedule the dissolution public hearing 5:30 p.m., Jan. 7. In case of weather, the dates will be Jan. 9 or Jan. 13.

Through legal counsel, Kruse said if a vote on dissolution is held in March, the district must close the end of the fiscal year, which would be June 30, 2025. But with Orient-Macksburg considering whole-grade sharing for 2025-2026, it’s possible Orient-Macksburg voters could go to the polls in September 2025. Kruse doesn’t want to wait that long.

“Potentially, another hurdle we have to meet. If we get derailed, we get derailed,” Kruse said.

He said he will continue the dissolution process and hope to have influence from state Senator Amy Sinclair and Representative Ray Sorensen about allowing Orient-Macksburg to have a dissolution vote but close in June 2026 after a year of whole-grade sharing, if that is approved.

In other Orient-Macksburg news....

The board will create committees to discuss the future of the Orient-Macksburg school property and for its memoriablilia. That would include trophies, uniforms and other items. Kruse hopes the committee can at least inventory the school’s content.

The board approved for Orient-Macksburg softball players to play with Nodaway Valley. There are no high school boys wanting to play basketball this season ending the arrangement Orient-Macksburg has with Nodaway Valley.