October 22, 2014: The Elliott gym has been separated from the present elementary building since at least the late 1970s.
Over the past year or so, the Griswold school district in western Iowa has been looking at saving money through consolidation and elimination of facilities. In March, as reported by KSOM radio and KJAN radio, the board voted to consolidate all grades at Griswold. This will mean a $9 million addition to the Griswold site, the Atlantic News-Telegraph reported last week. But it will also mean that the elementary schools in Elliott and Lewis will be shut down.
The Elliott school building, just to the west of the gym.
The need to change facilities is based on declining enrollment and inadequate state funding, the N-T reports. Having one campus would save nearly $200,000 a year in operating and transportation costs. This process has just started; plans have to be drawn up and a bond issue has to pass. That means it will be a little while before the two towns with under 500 people each lose their schools.
Autumn colors were in full force when I drove through Elliott, where the south side of town barely grazes IA 48. The school is on the north side.
Unrelated to the school location issue, KMA reported a few weeks ago that Griswold is going to the Corner Conference starting in 2018. It will be the northernmost school in that conference.