ARMSTRONG - Armstrong-Ringsted schools will lose $168,685 because of the statewide 10 percent budget cut, or nearly $21,000 less for operating each month.

"There's no way we can cut 10 percent of all our programs, especially in the middle of the year," said Armstrong-Ringsted Superintendent Randy Collins. "Sure, we can cut down on supplies and things, but 80 percent of our budget is personnel, and those teachers are under contract."

Like neighboring schools, Armstrong-Ringsted will take the state's cuts from its cash reserve. However, for those temporarily tight times, the board approved borrowing between funds.

"We want to make this a public action item," Collins said. "Any money we take from another fund needs to be fully paid back by the end of the fiscal year on June 30," Collins said. "It will be tightly watched."

Other options for later in the school year include the ICECAP program, in which schools are allowed to borrow money from the state interest-free.

"This is something we're not planning to do at this time," Collins said. "Our district had an audit last week, and we should be able to rely on our cash reserve."

But come springtime, when Iowa schools are expected to see negative growth for student reimbursement, the district will likely need to look at raising taxes.

"We would expect it to increase for the ag lands about a dollar an acre, and that's just to break even," Collins said. "This is where I get angry with our governor and Legislature; they announce they will address the $1.3 billion state deficit without raising taxes, but instead push it back on us to raise the missing funds. They force us to raise the taxes, giving us no choice."

One of the other long-term solutions is another hot-button topic: whole-grade sharing.

Armstrong-Ringsted, North Kossuth and Sentral school districts met recently, but the casual event took a less than positive turn, according to A-R board president Rod Foster.

"It's important that the three districts work together, but people are protective of their high schools," Foster said. "That's the thing we are getting most from the public is that they want us to do something, and they don't want to lose their building."

He said some board members from North Kossuth and Sentral want to wait another 18 months to two years before looking to have Armstrong-Ringsted get involved with the other two districts.

"We got the feeling that North Kossuth feels everything is going smoothly for them and they don't want to rock the boat," Foster said.

One possible step to move the three districts forward involves hiring a professional to make an evaluation. All three boards would need to agree on the hiring, and all would have to abide by the evaluation's findings. But a similar study was done in 2007.

"They said that the three districts needed to consolidate if they wanted to survive," Foster said. "Just two consolidating won't be enough."

Again, one of the big motivators is the state coming in and telling the districts exactly what they will do.

"We don't want the state mandating us," Foster said. "We can't sit here and wait, because (the state) will try to mandate us."

It also was mentioned that the state attempted to pass legislation making it so districts cannot consolidate if their combined populations is still less than 700 students.

"And you know those numbers are going to go up and up," Collins said. "We gotta be bold; we can't sit here like a turtle or ostrich with our head in a hole ... We made it clear to all that everything is on the table."

That includes talking to other neighboring districts if Armstrong-Ringsted gets the cold shoulder from North Sentral Kossuth.

Collins already shares superintendent duties with Graettinger-Terrill, which will consolidate into one district next year.

"I think we need to call them," said board member Jen Von Bank. "We need to show everyone we mean business. We're not going to sit here and just wait."