Greater Hoyt continues fight to keep district

An open enrollment agreement between Iowa and South Dakota doesn't solve the Greater Hoyt and Akron-Westfield School districts' problems, the Greater Hoyt board president said this week.

"A lot of people have been misled by this cross border agreement, thinking that it is going to be a good solution for us, when in fact it is an agreement that is doomed to fail," Greg Heeren said.

The agreement, which took effect January 1, allows South Dakota students in the Greater Hoyt District to open enroll into Akron-Westfield and South Dakota students in Greater Scott District, to open enroll into West Sioux Community School at Hawarden.

It also allows Iowa students to open enroll into South Dakota schools. Iowa students who want to attend school in South Dakota face more difficulties, however, under Iowa law.

Iowa state law states that "The boards of directors of school districts near the state boundaries may designate schools of equivalent standing across the state line for attendance of both elementary and high school pupils when the public school in the adjoining state is nearer than any appropriate public school in a pupil's district of residence or in Iowa."

Since the tuition agreement does not supercede Iowa state law, only those Iowa students who live physically closer to a similar South Dakota school than they do to the school in their resident district could cross the state line to attend school in South Dakota.

Although the new agreement allows Greater Hoyt students to open enroll into Akron-Westfield, it requires Greater Hoyt to attach to either the Alcester or Elk Point-Jefferson school districts -- or possibly both. Transportation into Iowa for South Dakota students is not guaranteed and would have to be negotiated with the district to which Greater Hoyt attaches.

The border agreement will expire in 2017, a fact that Heeren finds particularly troubling.

"In eight years, we would have to redo it. We don't know what would happen. It wouldn't be in our hands," Heeren said.

Greater Hoyt presently pays Akron-Westfield about $8,600 for each of the 48 students who attend school in Iowa. (Eleven students who live in the district presently open enroll into South Dakota schools.) This is the first year that the number of South Dakota students attending school at Akron-Westfield has dropped under 50. Heeren said that number could easily go up again.

Under open enrollment, Akron-Westfield would receive $5,750 per student next year. The amount is adjusted each year based on a cost of living formula.

No transportation or capital outlay costs would be paid to Akron-Westfield under the open enrollment agreement. That money would be paid to either Alcester or Elk Point-Jefferson, depending on which district Greater Hoyt agrees to join.

Akron-Westfield, Heeren said, would lose about $3,000 per student.

"When they're looking at losing $150,000, they're going to have to cut somewhere," he said.

The Akron-Westfield board has already made the tough cuts to their budget, he added.

The schools' problems began two years ago when the South Dakota Legislature passed a law that was intended to eliminate tax havens while creating more opportunities for school children.

Heeren said Greater Hoyt has paid much more than tuition to Akron-Westfield through the years to avoid being considered a tax haven. Greater Hoyt presently pays capital outlay and instructional support costs and some operating expenses to the Iowa school.

"As far as creating more opportunities for the kids, we did that 41 years ago," he said, when Greater Hoyt dissolved its country schools and contracted with what was then the Akron Community school district. Heeren said South Dakota officials said it was a fine plan then.

Heeren and the Greater Hoyt board members have been working with area legislators on bills that would allow Greater Hoyt to remain as an independent school district. They have heard some encouraging things, but Heeren said he remains nervous about the situation.

"I won't rest easy until I know what's going to happen," he said.

They plan to begin lobbying at Pierre in about two weeks. If the bills don't pass, Greater Hoyt will have to have a plan in place by July 1 of this year.

"We're going to make every effort to win," Heeren said. "Even if we're not successful, there might be some other things we can do. We'll be looking into that too."