The Webster City School Board approved a petition for reorganization with the Northeast Hamilton School District Monday evening.

District patrons can now begin gathering signatures for the petition to be submitted to the Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency by Nov. 1.

If the petition is approved by Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency, the vote on reorganization will be held by both districts in April 2018.

The petition maintains that the Webster City School District and Northeast Hamilton School District be merged and consolidated into a new community school district to be known as the Webster City School District.

The district boundary lines are nearing completion.

“We had one section in Wall Lake Township that we’re still trying to clarify,” said Superintendent Mike Sherwood. “Otherwise all the other maps are done and ready to go.”

Board members looked over the three boundary line map options for the proposed new district and chose the third option.

NEH Board members had looked over the map also, according to Sherwood and were also in favor of the third option.

During a joint board meeting between the NEH and Webster City School Boards on Oct. 12, both boards voted to establish an interim board comprised of four Webster City members and one NEH member. These boards will be determined by population. If the reorganization is approved by the majority of patrons of both districts in April 2018, both the Webster City and NEH school boards, along with the interim board, will preside independently until January 1, 2019. After that date, only the interim board will preside until the November 2019 school board elections when two directorships will be open for election.

The approved petition states that there will be five directors for the proposed school district. The method of election of the proposed district will be with the election of two directors at large from the entire district and three more directors from three designated single member districts.

The petition also states the assets and liabilities of both districts be merged. This excludes the existing debt service levy for payment of principle and interest on outstanding general obligation bonds for each respective district.

A resolution authorizing the sale of Metlife, Inc. common was approved.

A fundraising request from the Webster City Middle School for students to sell tumblers was approved. Students hope to sell $10,000 to go towards events and activities.

Sherwood brought the board up to date on certified enrollment in the district. Last year the district’s certified count was 1,543.66. This year, it was 1,503.88. The district is down 39.78 students from last year. According to Sherwood, total students provided with services in the district added up to 1,600.28.

Students who open enrolled out of the district and in the district were 37 and 37.6.

The board approved three Rabiner Academy Consortium Student Contracts.

A loan repayment to First State Bank was approved.

A bond counsel engagement agreement was approved.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Webster City resident Paul Dahl brought to the board’s attention a request to plant more trees.

Dahl also informed the board he is running for Congress in the 4th District and provided four education points he would like to see at the federal education level concerning policy.

The next board meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m. at the school administration office board room.