CAL Board of Education approves whole-grade sharing with Hampton-Dumont

Decision to keep kindergarten through sixth grade is made
     The CAL Board of Education voted Monday night unanimously to whole grade share with Hampton-Dumont, retaining kindergarten through sixth grade at CAL school, and sending seventh through twelfth grades to H-D middle and high schools.
     The two options before the board both entailed whole grade sharing, but what would be retained at CAL school hung in the balance: keeping k-5 of keeping k-6. According to an Iowa School Finance Information Services (ISFIS) report in February, CAL was spending approximately $300,000 of its unspent budget reserves, per year. ISFIS Representative Larry Sigel said that there would no longer be a district in four years, if nothing were to change.
     While taking advantage of Iowa Department of Education Operational Sharing Dollars has achieved maximum participation between CAL and H-D (21 positions, resulting in $138,000 in kickbacks from the state, as well as saved money), there was still not enough money being generated to sustain k-12 at CAL.
    Read the full article in the January 11 edition of the Hampton Chronicle.