A special vote Tuesday to consolidate two western Iowa school districts has failed. Voters in both districts needed to approve the measure in order for the merger to take effect. Although voters in the Maple Valley district approved the measure by a wide margin, it was a different story in the Anthon-Oto district, where 65-percent of the voters rejected the merger proposal. Both districts have been involved in a whole grade sharing agreement since 1994, but some residents in the Anthon-Oto district felt they’d lose control with the consolidation. Yesterday’s vote also means the districts will lose out on half-a-million dollars in state aid designed to encourage smaller districts to merge.
