October 3, 2016
The inevitable finally happened: West Bend-Mallard announced in January that Mallard Elementary will be closed after the 2018-19 school year. Story: KICD. (I missed this when it happened because I was waiting for the Emmetsburg News to cover it, and never saw.) The West Bend-Mallard school board minutes from January 9 are terse.
It’s been a slow-motion wait for the inevitable. West Bend-Mallard first explored closing the building in 2014, but ultimately put off the decision for re-evaluation after certified enrollment dropped below 300. That happened this year. During that time, an addition was planned and put under construction at West Bend.
With a year’s advance notice, Mallard joins the North Winneshiek building as a school that won’t make it out of the decade alive.