AHST, which serves Hancock, Shelby and Tennant along with Avoca, and Walnut are proposing a consolidation after years of whole-grade sharing. Walnut is facing an eventual shortfall in its spending authority, along with declining enrollment, and is proposing the merger as a solution. If the reorganization is approved, it will make AHST-Walnut the second-largest school in the Western Iowa Conference (WIC), according to Jesse Ulrich, the shared superintendent of both districts.

Lane Plugge, the chief administrator of the Green Hills AEA, said the AEA board verified the reorganization petition was consistent with its plan for district reorganizations. Plugge said in advance of the upcoming hearing, residents of both districts can submit objections on the proposal to the AEA, either arguing it shouldn’t proceed or asking their land be moved to another school district. Those objections will be received until Noon on May 12th.

The districts hope to have the reorganization question on the ballot for the regular school board election on Sept. 8th. If voters approve the merger, the districts would reorganize effective July 1st, 2016. Next year, Walnut will continue to serve elementary school students at the Walnut Community School while continuing to send seventh through 12th grades to AHST — the same as the school districts have operated this year.