Columbus Community School District and a district in Van Buren County might share a superintendent next year to address their budget problems. The Columbus School Board met with Harmony Superintendent Kerry Phillips and members of the Harmony School Board earlier this week. Columbus Superintendent Marlene Johnson says the districts are in the same financial situation, and both sides expressed interest in entering into a sharing agreement as a cost saving measure. Harmony is expected to make an official decision at their meeting in February.

At the Columbus School Board meeting on January 26th, Johnson says she will turn in her resignation. She previously stated she would resign if the school board chose to share the superintendent position with another district.

Iowa’s School Budget Review Committee has turned down a plan Columbus submitted to fix their negative spending. Johnson says they’re currently looking at ways to further reduce their spending, which may involve cutting more jobs or sharing positions with neighboring districts. The plan the SBRC denied involved cutting eight teaching roles and a family contact position.

Columbus schools and Harmony schools are approximately 59 miles apart.