(Cylinder)– A consultant is recommending two northern Iowa area education agencies join forces. The feasibility study was ordered by the Lakeland and Arrowhead AEA’s. The two agencies, based out of Cylinder and Fort Dodge, have been talking about merging for some time now.
Guy Gahn presented his recommendation to the Lakeland AEA board Thursday in Cylinder. It points to a 31 percent decline in enrollment in both AEA’s since 1975…making it the largest decline among the 15 AEA’s in Iowa. Gahn says that makes a strong case for merging.
The Lakeland board took no action on Gahn’s recommendation Thursday. The Lakeland and Arrowhead boards will meet in a joint session January 21st when they’ll formally act on the merger proposal. It wouldn’t go in effect until July 1st, 2003.
Lakeland AEA 3 serves school districts in Clay, Dickinson, Emmet, Palo Alto and Kossuth counties; the Arrowhead AEA five serves school districts in Buena Vista, Calhoun, Greene, Hamilton, Humboldt, Pocahontas, Sac, Webster and Wright counties.
