There won’t be a Superintendent sharing agreement between the CAM and Coon Rapids-Bayard School Districts, but school officials say they are open to a similar arrangement with the Nodaway Valley District in Greenfield. As we mentioned following the CAM School Board meeting on March 31st, Superintendent Steve Pelzer and Board President Gary Dinkla told the Board they had been approached by the Coon Rapids/Bayard School District to see if there is any interest in sharing a superintendent starting the next school year. CR-B was interested in a 60-40 split of that person’s time.

Since then, officials with Nodaway Valley also indicated they would also be interested in exploring a sharing agreement. According to Superintendent Steve Pelzer, the CAM School Board decided Monday that the distance between CR-B and CAM was too much of a hurdle to overcome, and that they were therefore not interested in pursuing that arrangement. The Board was however, open to continued discussions with Nodaway Valley.

Reasons for exploring a Superintendent sharing agreement with a neighboring school district boils down to financial incentives. The Iowa Legislature has passed operational sharing incentives equaling eight students for each district that is sharing a superintendent. The districts would be eligible for the incentive for five years. That amounts to about $50,000 per year.