The whole-grade sharing agreement between the Alden and much-larger Iowa Falls school districts is currently the oldest two-way deal in the state (2004). Any arrangement that’s older has either fallen by the wayside through consolidation/dissolution or only sends students to larger schools and not the other way around. The IFA arrangement sends all sixth-graders, but only sixth-graders, to Alden.
Earlier this year, Iowa Falls told Alden to put up or shut up and demanded a move toward full consolidation. (Times-Citizen links are paywalled and do not show the full article.) Alden responded by saying things were fine as they currently stood. Last week, Iowa Falls responded to that, and it’s a doozy.
“Having reviewed extensive research, data, and findings we have concluded that Iowa Falls’ 6th grade students are best educated in Iowa Falls,” the school board said on the first page of a three-page letter (PDF). That means in two years — fall 2018, after the current agreement expires — no more Iowa Falls students will be sent to Alden. What about Alden’s junior high and high school students? “The Iowa Falls School Board … extends an invitation to the Alden School Board to engage in a one-way sharing agreement…”
If there is to be further sharing done, it will be on Iowa Falls’ terms, with Alden decidedly the junior partner. Iowa Falls occupies Alden’s entire eastern boundary. To the north, Dows just merged with Clarion-Goldfield. To the south, Hubbard-Radcliffe is in whole-grade sharing with Eldora-New Providence (the second-oldest active two-way deal).
To the west, Northeast Hamilton gave up its high school last year and entered a three-year agreement to send grades 7-12 to Webster City. Both deals expire at the same time. Could Alden and Northeast Hamilton figure something out? No, based on the simple fact an entire high school faculty would have to be reconstituted. Both districts have seen enrollment going nowhere but down. The two ships have passed in the night.
The only certain change is that Iowa Falls sixth-graders won’t come to Alden; Alden can still be its own district, with a K-6 school, and send 7-12 to Iowa Falls. Alden’s name and color have already been added to Iowa Falls’ in the current sharing deal, and that’s the best arrangement the school district is going to get.