Category Archives: Schools

Dec 17

Creation, analysis of retroactive football brackets

When the IHSAA said it would no longer pre-set a full bracket for the football postseason, instead setting up an “as-you-go” for each round, I wondered if there would be final brackets made after the finals. That did not happen. … Continue reading

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Dec 16

Seymour school replacement vote narrowly fails

September 13, 2011: Top center of the original Seymour school building. Sadly, medieval-themed school flourishes just aren’t in vogue anymore. In today’s climate, steady to slightly-higher student enrollment is a victory for small districts. The Seymour school district in Wayne … Continue reading

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Dec 12

No automatic waivers to start school in August

“Effective immediately, the department will no longer automatically grant waivers of the school start date requested under Iowa (law) for the 2015-2016 school year.” Big move. Stories: Gazette, Register (AP), KCCI. It was one thing to get waivers starting school the … Continue reading

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Dec 12

Courier features North Tama’s “Plus 1” Mondays

This year, the North Tama school district is not following a standard school calendar. Every other Monday is a “Plus 1” “enrichment session.” Regular classes aren’t held, and students spend more time than a regular class period on various activities. … Continue reading

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Dec 03

Seven votes

The combined vote total in Farragut and Hamburg to merge their school districts would have formed a supermajority in favor, but each district must vote separately. Hamburg opposed reorganization by seven votes. Not quite 1000 votes were cast overall, but it’s … Continue reading

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Dec 02

Farragut, Hamburg vote on merger today

In far southwest Iowa today, the Hamburg and Farragut school districts are voting on consolidation to become Nishnabotna. There have been plenty of meetings on the issue, with slightly higher stakes than a normal school merger because of the potential … Continue reading

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Nov 28

Ackley elementary moves mid-semester

It is very rare for an Iowa school building to close during the school year, but that’s what just happened at Ackley Elementary. Students packed up their things and left the old building for the last time Tuesday. The elementary, … Continue reading

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Nov 26

Crystal Lake and Corwith: Two buildings on divergent paths

July 6, 2011: Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka High School in Crystal Lake. First, the good news: The old WCLT school building in Crystal Lake was sold to a private owner after WCL merged with Forest City, and the owners want to have … Continue reading

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Nov 25

Creston, Prescott merger talks advance

The Creston News-Advertiser says that a consolidation vote with Prescott will be in April assuming petitions are gathered and the AEA approves. It’s a merger in name only, as the reality is the Prescott school will close and be a … Continue reading

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Nov 24

Remsen-Union, MMC call off whole-grade sharing

These articles from the Le Mars Sentinel and Sioux City Journal point to the same difficulty: The Remsen-Union and Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn boards could not agree on which town would get (and who would lose) the high school. Both articles also say … Continue reading

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