Republicans talk incentives to foster school sharing

As school enrollment declines statewide, Republicans in the legislature are looking at ways to provide financial incentives for school district sharing arrangements. Iowa schools share facilities and staff in a number of ways, including having one superintendent oversee both districts, or “whole grade sharing” arrangements in which just one of the districts’ high schools is used. House Speaker Brent Siegrist, a republican from Council Bluffs, says it’s time for the state to encourage those sorts of arrangements.Siegrist says two years ago, state incentives for school district sharing ended. The state used to pay slightly more, per pupil in those sharing districts.Governor Vilsack says he’s willing to discuss the school district incentives, but not ready to endorse them.