Category Archives: Schools

Dec 12

Waterville school at risk of closing

April 17, 2015: Waterville Elementary, on X32 in Allamakee County, has an old-school gym (pun mostly intended) to go with its 1922 building. Trophies inside recall the days when this was a high school. We had made it nearly half … Continue reading

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Dec 06

School timeline gets some tweaks

I finally made good on the first part of a personal New Year’s resolution: I went through my entire timeline of school district and building changes and made year notations on a list of Iowa towns for closed buildings. (The … Continue reading

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Nov 06

Northeast Hamilton one step closer to elimination

Late last month, the Webster City and Northeast Hamilton school districts approved reorganization petitions for a vote in April. The story from the Webster City Freeman-Journal mentions “two possible district maps” and I admit I don’t know what this means … Continue reading

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Oct 31

North Tama volleyball one step from state

In the span of three school years — fall 2010 to spring 2013 — North Tama sports had their best overall period in school history. Those three years included appearances in the state tournament in four different sports: football (state … Continue reading

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Oct 24

Decorah-North Winn consolidation vote set

July 25, 2016: North Winneshiek school, east-southeast of Burr Oak on County Road W34. Open in new tab to see larger version. We knew this was going to happen. A year and a half after the North Winneshiek school district … Continue reading

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Oct 20

Roland-Story needs an outlet

Next year, the Roland-Story school district will mark 50 years since consolidation. The district wants to build new athletic facilities, reports the Ames Tribune, but — in a sign of how old things are — the school is “landlocked” and … Continue reading

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Oct 18

Who gets the flugelhorn?

Questions that must be asked, just not to the State Board of Education… All other issues raised, including the ownership of the “famous flugelhorn,” are deemed irrelevant to the question of the legality of the whole-grade sharing agreement and accordingly … Continue reading

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Oct 16

Harmony, Van Buren move toward consolidation

The Harmony school district is about to face the music. At the end of August, the Harmony and Van Buren school boards met to start petitions for consolidation of the two districts. (Story: KTVO) The “new” name would be Van … Continue reading

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Oct 06

Alta-Aurelia consolidation approved

The Alta and Aurelia school districts — one mostly in Buena Vista County, the other mostly in Cherokee County — extended their whole-grade-sharing agreement last year. Last month, however, they dove into full reorganization, effective next year. Story: Cherokee Chronicle-Times. … Continue reading

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Oct 02

Iowa Falls, Alden set 10-year sharing agreement

More than a year after Iowa Falls exerted pressure on Alden to end its current grade-sharing arrangements, Iowa Falls got what it wanted. (Story: KLMJ) The deal, which will last until 2028 (PDF), matches up with the previous arrangement except … Continue reading

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