Storm Lake’s latest deal with Iowa Central Community College comes with new fees — and new questions — as school districts navigate changing Perkins funding rules.
The Storm Lake Community School District Board of Education approved its 2026–27 concurrent enrollment, placement testing and charter school 28E agreements during its Wednesday afternoon meeting, but not before Superintendent Dr. Stacey Cole laid out how statewide shifts are reshaping the cost of college credit opportunities for high school students.
Cole told the board that Iowa Central is raising certain fees tied to the agreement, and she opened the discussion by noting the change.
She explained that the fee increases stem from major changes in Perkins Career and Technical Education funding — changes that have effectively pushed Storm Lake out of a long‑standing regional consortium and reshaped how districts and community colleges share costs.
For years, Storm Lake participated in a multi‑district Perkins consortium that pooled federal dollars and coordinated career‑technical programming. But Cole said the consortium had become increasingly difficult to manage, and after six to seven years of discussions with the Iowa Department of Education, the state advised Storm Lake to leave the consortium and operate independently.
The shift comes at the same time the state has flipped the Perkins funding formula — moving from 60 percent of funds going to community colleges and 40 percent to school districts, to the reverse. That change means districts now receive a larger share of Perkins dollars, but community colleges have lost a significant portion of their funding and are passing new costs back to districts through 28E agreements.
Cole told the board that those added fees cannot be covered by Perkins in most cases, leaving districts to absorb the expense.
Cole said 28E agreements with community colleges are drawing more statewide attention — especially around how districts handle college‑level courses taught in high schools. She pointed to Composition I as an example.
Even if students prefer an online option, she said districts must allow it, even though online courses cost more.
Cole noted that the district’s college course expenses have climbed sharply.
She added that when the state removed the cap on how many college credits high school students could take each year, enrollment — and costs — increased.
Cole said the district supports students taking advantage of those opportunities, but the financial strain is real.
Despite the challenges, Cole said the agreement with Iowa Central remains the district’s standard 28E contract, with added fees the administration is working to reduce. After brief discussion, the board voted unanimously to approve the agreement.
