One step closer to Decorah and North Winneshiek merger

The Decorah Community School Board has approved a Petition for Reorganization that would begin the merger of the district with the North Winneshiek District as of July 1, 2019. They approved the petition on Monday night. The North Winneshiek School Board is expected to act on the same petition approval on Tuesday, August 15.

Once both boards have approved the petition, the boards hope to secure the necessary number of petition signatures from both districts (237 from North Winneshiek and 400 from Decorah) by mid September. Then the Area Education Agency would take over the process in preparation for a ballot in February 2018 to approve the merger. Decorah School Board President Ron Fadness reminds voters to be careful to sign only the petition from their residential district, noting that petitions from either district might be in similar settings.

The petition includes an initial district board to include four appointees from the Decorah Community School Board and one appointee from the North Winneshiek Board. The permanent board to convene as of 2021 would include two at-large members, two from the Decorah District, and one from old the North Winneshiek District – all to be elected from the entire district population. The new district would be named Decorah Community School District.