Edmunds Central School Board approves Joint Powers Plan with Bowdle School District

The Edmunds Central Board of Education approved a Joint Powers Plan with the Bowdle School District during the school board meeting on January 13.

The Bowdle School District’s fall enrollment count on the last Friday in September 2023 was below 100 students, and the district was notified by the Secretary of the Department of Education that it would have to submit a plan for reorganization or pursue an approved joint powers plan. Through

discussions with the Edmunds Central School District, it was decided that a joint powers agreement could meet the requirements of the law, while benefitting students in both school districts by enhancing educational opportunities and increasing cost savings for both districts.

In this plan, the Bowdle School District will continue to operate an elementary school serving students in its own district. Middle school and high school students will be sent to the Edmunds Central School District (Roscoe) beginning with the 2025-26 school year.

For the 2025-26 school year, the Edmunds Central School District will operate a middle school — sixth through eighth grade, and a high school, 9-12 grade, that will serve students from both districts. The Bowdle School District will operate an elementary school serving the students of that district in Pre-K through fifth grade. The Edmunds Central School District will operate an elementary school serving its own students in Pre-K through fifth grade in its district.

The projected enrollments for the 2025-26 year are 42 6-12 Bowdle students and 72 Edmunds Central 6-12 students, for a total of 114 6-12 students.

The Edmunds Central School District benefits from this plan in two significant ways. The challenges of offering expansive educational opportunities at the middle and high school levels, previously constrained by small class sizes and limited staffing due to low enrollment, will be significantly alleviated for the Edmunds Central School District. The plan also creates greater financial efficiency for the Edmunds Central School District by lowering the cost per ADM.

The plan also identifies benefits for the Bowdle School District in two ways from the implementation of this plan. The first benefit is a direct benefit to students, expanded educational offerings. Edmunds Central High School offers more in terms of electives and provides varied options in terms of available choices to fill core requirements in comparison to Bowdle High School. The second benefit for the Bowdle School District is substantial cost savings generated primarily by the elimination of approximately 7.5 FTE (full-time equivalent). The cost savings to the Bowdle School District will be most evident in the general fund.

A flat tuition rate of $10,000 per student ($9,300 for general fund expenditures and $700 for capital outlay expenditures), payable to the Edmunds Central School District, will be in effect for the 2025-26 school year for students in sixth grade through 12th grade residing in the Bowdle School District.