MONROE - Bradley and Sara Kaster, Browntown, have petitioned the Monroe school board to alter school district boundaries so they can detach from the Monroe school district and join the Black Hawk school district.
The Kasters' 39-acre property with a home they built is in the southwest part of the Monroe school district, and it is one of several properties that form islands in the district between Monroe and South Wayne.
"The main reason we want to detach is, No. 1, I went to Black Hawk," Bradley Kaster said. "I bus for them. The land is surrounded by Black Hawk. If we have kids, we are going to open enroll them to Black Hawk. This is so we don't have to do the paperwork in five to six years."
The Black Hawk school board unanimously approved the addition of the Kasters' property to the district at a meeting Feb. 12 pending the Monroe school board's approval.
Black Hawk Superintendent Willy Chambers said based on the most recent assessment the value of the property is $288,400.
"It will not change our revenue limit," Chambers said if the property is added to the Black Hawk school district. "It will offset some of the other property taxes."
Chambers said the mill rate based on that value will not change much.
Petitions to file for detachment are required by Feb. 1. The Monroe school board has until March 1 to accept or deny the detachment. At the Feb. 12 Monroe board meeting, District Administrator Rick Waski said the Kasters' land is valued at $600,000 and if the board approved the detachment at the Feb. 26 meeting, the tax base from the property would go to the Black Hawk school district.
"I would say the petition to detach used to be more common than they are now because of open enrollment," Waski said. "It's less common in the open-enrollment era."
Waski advised that the Black Hawk school board rule on the petition first because they meet just once a month compared to Monroe, which meets twice per month. If the Monroe school board votes to reject the petition to change district boundaries and detach, the Kasters could appeal to the state for a final decision, Waski said.
The Kasters' 39-acre property with a home they built is in the southwest part of the Monroe school district, and it is one of several properties that form islands in the district between Monroe and South Wayne.
"The main reason we want to detach is, No. 1, I went to Black Hawk," Bradley Kaster said. "I bus for them. The land is surrounded by Black Hawk. If we have kids, we are going to open enroll them to Black Hawk. This is so we don't have to do the paperwork in five to six years."
The Black Hawk school board unanimously approved the addition of the Kasters' property to the district at a meeting Feb. 12 pending the Monroe school board's approval.
Black Hawk Superintendent Willy Chambers said based on the most recent assessment the value of the property is $288,400.
"It will not change our revenue limit," Chambers said if the property is added to the Black Hawk school district. "It will offset some of the other property taxes."
Chambers said the mill rate based on that value will not change much.
Petitions to file for detachment are required by Feb. 1. The Monroe school board has until March 1 to accept or deny the detachment. At the Feb. 12 Monroe board meeting, District Administrator Rick Waski said the Kasters' land is valued at $600,000 and if the board approved the detachment at the Feb. 26 meeting, the tax base from the property would go to the Black Hawk school district.
"I would say the petition to detach used to be more common than they are now because of open enrollment," Waski said. "It's less common in the open-enrollment era."
Waski advised that the Black Hawk school board rule on the petition first because they meet just once a month compared to Monroe, which meets twice per month. If the Monroe school board votes to reject the petition to change district boundaries and detach, the Kasters could appeal to the state for a final decision, Waski said.