CONRAD – The BCLUW School District continues to enter into staff sharing agreements to help cut down on costs and give it the ability to add staff without the burden of paying a full salary. The district has entered into a three-way sharing agreement with GMG and Hubbard-Radcliffe to hire a new elementary guidance counselor, Ali Hines. It also has entered into a four-way sharing agreement with GMG, North Tama and Gladbrook-Reinbeck to hire a director of curriculum and innovation, Matt Switzer.

BCLUW Superintendent Ben Petty, who himself is shared with the GMG school district, said these type of sharing agreements are funded in part by state funds as legislation was enacted to encourage this practice for certain staff positions.

“It provides additional funding to encourage more sharing with the districts,” he said.

He said in this case they are able to add staff but other small school districts are able to keep staff by these sharing agreements. He expects sharing will continue for small school districts in the state.

“I think it’s one of those things that we are going to continue to face,” Petty said. “Most rural areas of Iowa are continuing to see declining enrollment. I have no doubt that if most rural Iowa schools and communities continue to gradually decline in population, that we will have to continue looking for ways that may be a little ‘outside the box’ if we are to continue to adequately staff our schools, provide high quality and innovative programming and increase efficiencies.”

BCLUW also shares a transportation director with GMG and an art teacher and family and consumer sciences teacher with Hubbard-Radcliffe.

Petty said it makes for some creative scheduling to allow staff to move between school districts.

“We are being pretty flexible and creative,” Petty said.