Part of the recent public health proclamation by Governor Kim Reynolds concerning schools and education mentioned proper funding to school districts.

Paton-Churdan Superintendent Kreg Lensch says as parents and guardians register their child for the upcoming school year and decide to keep their child at home, the full state funding will still go to that child’s school district. The Iowa Legislature allocates funding to all public schools in the state, on a per pupil basis. 

Lensch says aside from funding, it also comes down to the comfortability that parents have with a school district.

“You build relationships with families within your district and with those kids. We feel we can serve them better in a distance learning (environment) than if they just jumped right to one of the other online schools or something like that.”

Lensch encourages any family that registers with Paton-Churdan to notify them if they are choosing to keep their child at home to at least begin the school year due to COVID-19 concerns.