The new district would have a five-member school board, two each from the existing school boards and a fifth to be unanimously appointed or installed following a special election. Nishnabotna would combine all the debts, buildings, assets and liabilities of the two districts. Its enrollment would be in excess of 300 students, the minimum the state recommends districts to have to meet financial obligations.

A middle school in Hamburg and a high school in Farragut already have the Nishnabotna name, but district officials have said the future appears to be operating Marnie Simmons Elementary School in Hamburg and Nishnabotna High School in Farragut – regardless of the reorganization vote – because of the cost of repairing the districts’ other schools.

Reorganization would allow Hamburg and Farragut to address financial concerns about their “negative unspent budget authority,” which is overspending by the districts in excess of state regulations on how much school districts are allowed to spend per pupil. Neither district is insolvent, but state spending caps are difficult to meet for districts with smaller enrollments such as both Hamburg and Farragut.

If the vote fails to pass,the Hamburg and Farragut school districts have pledged to continue cooperating, including continuing to be whole-grade sharing partners. The districts would go before the School Budget Review Committee in January to communicate a Plan B for addressing deficiencies and overspending. A different review will be conducted in February by the Iowa Department of Education for concerns it has with the districts.

More information on the reorganization can be found at the districts’ joint website, nishbd.org.

Early voting is also available through noon Tuesday at the Fremont County Auditor’s Office at the courthouse in Sidney. Contact the auditor’s office at (712) 374-2031 for any additional informational about the special election.