Harmony Community School District

Last updated

Harmony Community School District was a school district which was, at the end of its existence, headquartered in unincorporated Van Buren County, Iowa, near Farmington. [1] It served sections of Van Buren, Henry, and Lee counties. Communities in its service area included Farmington, Bonaparte, and Hillsboro. [2]

Contents

In previous eras it had its headquarters in Bonaparte. [3] In 2016 the high school closed and the elementary moved into the former high school building. [4] At the end of its existence the district operated one school, Harmony Elementary School near Farmington, and sent students to Van Buren Junior-Senior High School in Keosauqua as part of a grade-sharing arrangement.

History

The state of Iowa had changed its scheme for funding public schools, and the numbers of students in area schools had decreased. [5] In January 2016 the Harmony district and the Van Buren Community School District agreed to begin a grade-sharing arrangement in which Harmony-zoned students attended Van Buren schools for grades 7–12. The Harmony district repurposed the Farmington high school building for its elementary schools. [6] The arrangement began in fall 2016. The Harmony district's junior and senior high school closed the previous spring. The final graduating class consisted of 15 students. [4]

In January 2018 the administrations of the Van Buren and Harmony districts began to consider merging. In February 2018 83% of the voters in the Van Buren and Harmony districts voted to merge, with 94% (of 637 voters) in favor in the pre-merger Van Buren district and 72% (of 619 voters) in favor in the pre-merger Harmony district. [7] The requirement for a merge was for both districts to each have over 50% of voters in favor. [8]

There was be a single superintendent and school board for both areas beginning on July 1, 2019. [7] On that day the Van Buren County Community School District formed. [9]

Schools

It formerly operated Harmony Elementary in Bonaparte, Harmony Middle School in Farmington, [3] and Harmony High School in unincorporated Van Buren County. [10]

Related Research Articles

Van Buren County, Iowa County in Iowa, United States

Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census the population was 7,203, making it the state's tenth-least populous county. The county seat is Keosauqua, which contains the oldest continuously operational courthouse in the state of Iowa, and second oldest in the United States.

Bonaparte, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Bonaparte is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 359 at the 2020 census.

Cantril, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Cantril is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 224 at the 2020 census.

Farmington, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Farmington is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 579 at the time of the 2020 census.

Keosauqua, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Keosauqua is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 936 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Van Buren County.

Milton, Iowa Town in Iowa, United States

Milton is a city in Van Buren County, Iowa, United States. The population was 380 at the time of the 2020 census.

The Clear Creek Amana Community School District, sometimes abbreviated CCA, is a rural public school district spanning Johnson and Iowa counties in Iowa. With its administrative offices in Oxford, the district spans areas of eastern Iowa and western Johnson counties, encompassing the communities of Oxford, Amana, North Liberty and Tiffin.

Benton Community School District Public school district in Van Horne, Iowa, United States hick town USA

The Benton Community School District, or Benton Community, is a rural public school district headquartered in Van Horne, Iowa.

Southeastern Community College is a public community college in Iowa, one in Burlington and one in Keokuk.

The West Fork Community School District is a consolidated rural public school district in Iowa, with campuses in Rockwell and Sheffield. It resides in sections of Cerro Gordo and Franklin counties, with smaller portions in Hancock and Wright counties. The district is for students residing in the communities of Rockwell, Sheffield, Swaledale, Meservey, Thornton, Dougherty, and Chapin.

Clarion–Goldfield–Dows Community School District Public school district in Clarion, Iowa, United States

The Clarion–Goldfield–Dows Community School District is a rural public P/K–12 school district headquartered in Clarion, Iowa. The school district is mostly in Wright County, with portions of the district extending into Franklin, Humboldt and Hancock counties. The district serves the communities of Clarion, Dows, Galt and Goldfield, as well as the unincorporated communities of Cornelia and Holmes. Schools within the district include an elementary school (P/K–5), a middle school (6–8), and a high school (9–12) all located in Clarion.

The North Winneshiek Community School District was a public school district in unincorporated northern Winneshiek County, Iowa, with a Decorah address. At the end of the district's existence it only served grades Pre-K through 8th. The enrollment for the 2015–2016 school year was 126 students.

Farragut Community School District was a school district headquartered in Farragut, Iowa. Its territory included the communities of Farragut, Imogene, and Riverton. The district, from 2011 to 2016, also served secondary school students residing in Hamburg. The state of Iowa forced the district to close effective 2016.

Van Buren Community School District was a school district headquartered in Keosauqua, Iowa.

Fox Valley Community School District was a school district serving Cantril and Milton in Iowa. For a period it had its headquarters in Cantril and operated Cantril Elementary School in Cantril and Fox Valley Jr./Sr. High School in Milton. It later got into a grade-sharing arrangement with Van Buren Community School District in which it sent secondary students to Van Buren Junior/Senior High School in Keosauqua. The former high school closed, and the elementary and district headquarters were in Milton. In November 2003 voters in the Van Buren and Fox Valley districts approved a consolidation. The combined school board was to begin meeting in December 2003 and consolidation was to be effective July 1, 2004.

Battle Creek–Ida Grove Community School District was a school district headquartered in Ida Grove, Iowa, which served that city and Battle Creek. Established in 1994, it became a part of the consolidated Odebolt–Arthur–Battle Creek–Ida Grove Community School District effective July 1, 2018.

Odebolt–Arthur Community School District (OA) was a school district headquartered in Odebolt, Iowa, which served that city and Arthur. It became a part of the consolidated Odebolt–Arthur–Battle Creek–Ida Grove Community School District effective July 1, 2018.

Central Springs Community School District Public school district in Manly, Iowa, United States

Central Springs Community School District is a rural, public school district headquartered in Manly, Iowa. The district is located in sections of Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Mitchell, and Worth counties. It serves Manly, Nora Springs, Hanlontown, Plymouth, and Rock Falls.

Eddyville–Blakesburg Community School District (EBCSD) was a school district headquartered in Eddyville, Iowa.

Van Buren County Community School District Public school district in Keosauqua, Iowa, United States

The Van Buren County Community School District (VBCSD) is a rural public school district headquartered in Keosauqua, Iowa.

References

  1. Home. Harmony Community School District. Retrieved on June 20, 2018. "33727 Route J40 Farmington, IA 52626" - To find on Google Maps, look for "Harmony High School, Route J40, Farmington, IA, USA"
  2. "Harmony." Iowa Department of Education. Retrieved on June 20, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Harmony Community School District." Southern Prairie Area Education Agency 15. May 10, 1997. Retrieved on June 20, 2018. "Administrative Offices 1st & Washington Bonaparte, Iowa 52620"
  4. 1 2 Aguirre, Joey (2016-05-23). "Harmony sends off its final graduating class". The Hawk Eye . Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  5. "Voters approve consolidation of two Iowa school districts". Newton Daily News . 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  6. Aguirre, Joey (2016-01-31). "Harmony/Van Buren make whole grade sharing official". The Hawk Eye . Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  7. 1 2 Niehaus, Michaele (2018-02-06). "Van Buren, Harmony to merge". The Hawk Eye . Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  8. Niehaus-Steffensmeier, Michaele (2018-01-14). "Voters could derail consolidation of districts". The Hawk Eye . Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  9. "Iowa Educational Directory 2019-2020 School Year" (PDF). Iowa Department of Education. p. 175. Retrieved 2020-04-05. (PDF p. 177/186) - From section "REORGANIZATION & DISSOLUTION ACTIONS SINCE 1965-66"
  10. "Harmony". AEA 15. 2006-10-11. Archived from the original on 2006-10-11. Retrieved 2020-04-06. Harmony High School (Grades 9-12) 33727 Route J40 Farmington, Iowa 52626-9801

Further reading