Aerial view of Titonka school from Google Maps. Notice airplane indicator on building roof.
The other half of the never-merged WCLT district agreed to give up the ghost Tuesday. Titonka and Algona approved a merger, and the Titonka name will disappear. Of note here is that Titonka district taxpayers will still be paying for a building that likely no longer will be used. It’s a very nice building. I hope a use is found for it.
This vote brings the Algona school district past the midpoint of Kossuth County. In the southeast corner, Lu Verne, technically separate from Corwith-Wesley but together for decades, will also be looking for partners. In that case, it makes more sense for the two to go separate ways, Lu Verne with Algona and C-W with West Hancock. Lu Verne and Corwith both have to have some students in their buildings, though — at least, I think, as long as they’re technically separate.
Titonka is one of two districts to have the word “Consolidated” in its official name. The other is Olin.
That wasn’t the only merger vote Tuesday. Sumner-Fredericksburg and South Central Calhoun (Rockwell City-Lytton and Southern Cal) also approved mergers for 2014.
UPDATE 2/8: Jefferson-Scranton and East Greene also held a vote Tuesday. They just didn’t tell anyone. (The only evidence I see online is a tweet from J-S.) The Jefferson-Scranton/East Greene combination will become Greene County. Ironically, East Greene is going from fully separate to fully merged with J-S faster than Paton-Churdan is; P-C has shared football and some classes with J-S for decades. But as it turns out, P-C is looking into sharing with Glidden-Ralston, even though a look at the map makes sharing with J-S look better geographically.
Meanwhile, in the same state physically but in another world in every other way, Ankeny is going to build a tenth elementary school.
Also, the Iowa AP put out a piece about mergers, using Sumner-Fredericksburg as a hook but mostly focusing on the “Easton Valley” issue in far eastern Iowa.