Three school districts--Decorah, North Winneshiek and Mabel-Canton--and one family caught in between

North Winneshiek 7th and 8th grade students will begin to attend Decorah Middle School in September as a whole grade sharing agreement between the two school districts.  Consolidation of the two school districts will happen in September of 2019--if approved earlier by at least 50 percent plus one vote in both the North Winneshiek District and the Decorah District.

In the meantime, the new whole grade sharing of 7th and 8th grades in September is already having an effect on one Winneshiek County family.  The Fillmore County Journal reports that a Hesper family has received a letter from the Iowa Department of Education saying it would not cover tuition costs this fall for the incoming 7th grader's open enrollment into Mabel-Canton Schools.

An Iowa Department of Education spokesperson tells decorahnews.com that Iowa and Minnesota do have a state-to-state agreement that allows people living along the border of the two states to send their students to a school district in the other state.  However, Iowa Dept. of Education officials have ruled Decorah and Mabel-Canton do not have a valid agreement on handling open enrollment requests after the North Winn consolidation with Decorah.

Mabel-Canton officials now are drafting a letter to send to Decorah, asking the Decorah School Board to draw up a sharing agreement covering students in the present North Winneshiek district.

The Iowa Department of Education spokesperson tells decorahnews.com that even if an agreement is reached between the two school districts, anyone transferring to Mabel-Canton or other MInnesota school districts will have to live closer to the school in that district than they do to the school in Decorah or any other Iowa school district.