| Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn Community School District | |
| Type: | Local school district |
| Grades: | K–12 |
| Established: | 1991 |
| Location: | Hartley, Iowa |
| Region: | O'Brien, Osceola, and Dickinson counties |
| Country: | United States |
| Coordinates: | 43.185717, -95.485024 |
| Superintendent: | Patrick Carlin |
| Schools: | 3 |
| Budget: | $11,871,000 (2020-21)[1] |
| Us Nces District Id: | 1931660 |
| Students: | 663 (2022-23) |
| Teachers: | 56.36 FTE |
| Staff: | 51.57 FTE |
| Ratio: | 11.76 |
| Conference: | War Eagle |
| Mascot: | Hawks |
| Colors: | Maroon and Gold |
The Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn (H-M-S) Community School District is a rural public school district headquartered in Hartley, Iowa.[2] The district is located in portions of O'Brien and Osceola counties, with a small section in Dickinson County. It serves the cities of Hartley, Melvin, Sanborn and May City.[3]
The district formed on July 1, 1991, with the merger of the Hartley–Melvin and Sanborn districts.[4]
In April 2014, there was a first attempt at a school bond that was voted down with only 40% of voters approving, and in September 2016 a second attempt, with $16.2 million for the bond, failed with 56% support.[5] The margin of failure that time was 47 votes.[6]
The district attempted to pass a $16.5 million bond in April 2017 and stated it would close Hartley–Melvin–Sanborn Elementary School in Hartley if it did not pass. The bond needed a 60% threshold to pass, but the count was 904–615, with only 59.5% approving.[5] On December 11, 2017, the district said the school would close after Spring 2019.[7] Initial plans were to move elementary students to the middle school building.[8]
In 2018 another bond, for $18.9 million, was voted on and passed. The new bond will add a new elementary school to the high school and renovated and expanded the existing middle school.[5] This project is estimated to be completed in the fall of 2020.[9]
The HMS Quizbowl team won the 2020 KCAU9 tournament hosted by Buena Vista University. Thus earning themselves a spot at the state and national competitions that were ultimately canceled by COVID-19.