Category Archives: Schools

Aug 16

The other mall between two school districts

Posted on Thursday, August 16, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Last month I wrote about how Coral Ridge Mall was divided between two school districts. It turns out it’s not the only one like that in Iowa. Merle Hay Mall is split not just between the Des Moines and Urbandale … Continue reading →

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Jul 30

Electricity comes to Sioux City

Posted on Monday, July 30, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 9, 2018: This is not Sioux City. It is CAL’s baseball diamond in Alexander. I happened to pass by when the team was having its last practice, ever. The tie-in to this post is that a district so small … Continue reading →

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Jul 13

Iowa’s oldest active school building in line for replacement

Posted on Friday, July 13, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 27, 2015: This part of Bellevue Elementary has been a school for 157 years — 65% of the time since U.S. independence. Its construction in 1848 is closer to the late 17th Century than the present day. A building … Continue reading →

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Jul 12

Locust School’s place in history rapidly usurped

Posted on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

September 28, 2015: Locust School, Winneshiek County. In northern Winneshiek County, closer to the Minnesota state line than Decorah, is the Locust School. It’s a one-room school historic enough to be maintained by the Winneshiek County Historical Society and get … Continue reading →

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Jul 06

Mall between two school districts

Posted on Friday, July 6, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A not-particularly-trumpeted but governmentally significant thing happened July 1: The tax increment financing district for Coral Ridge Mall expired. The mall opened 20 years ago at the end of this month. The city of Coralville’s website explains: At that time, … Continue reading →

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Jun 14

A Wisconsin town loses its school, and the New York Times is on it

Posted on Thursday, June 14, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Sound familiar? But the reality of rural life in the Midwest, school officials say, is that younger people are fleeing. They want Starbucks and Thai restaurants, plentiful jobs and high-speed internet, and when they start families, they want schools with … Continue reading →

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May 29

Davenport considers dropping outlying school

Posted on Tuesday, May 29, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

So… remember the “West Scott” petition from a few weeks ago, which is actually a rehash of the same thing three years ago? It’s on the Davenport school district’s radar, and the district has a response of sorts: Punish them … Continue reading →

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May 17

Mallard school’s goose is cooked

Posted on Thursday, May 17, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

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 … Continue reading →

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May 11

Petitioners want school separate from Davenport

Posted on Friday, May 11, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Davenport was the only school district in Iowa to add a high school in a nearly 40-year span. But if some petitioners have their way, WQAD reports, a significant portion of the district would be severed entirely. Blue Grass, Buffalo, … Continue reading →

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May 08

Plainfield school will close

Posted on Tuesday, May 8, 2018, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

A crude metric for your place in the school ecosystem is as follows: If your district has been losing about 10 students every year for a decade, is it a rounding error, something to monitor carefully and attempt to remedy, … Continue reading →

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