Category Archives: Schools

Jul 27

Three all-private semifinals in state baseball tournament

Three of the eight semifinal matchups in the 2017 Iowa high school state baseball tournament will be between private schools. Mason City Newman and Remsen St. Mary’s, Dyersville Beckman and Iowa City Regina, and Davenport Assumption and Dubuque Wahlert all … Continue reading

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Jul 25

St. Ansgar school building preserved, for now

In contradiction of a Mitchell County Press-News story that I blogged about 11 months ago, the St. Ansgar school board reversed its decision to sell its 1928 school building to the city development council. A nonprofit group formed a counterproposal … Continue reading

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Jul 17

The end of AEA 267, and the mystery of AEA 8

Thirteen months after I put Area Education Agency 267 on my “worst names in Iowa” list, something has been done about it. As of July 1, the agency — made up of the former AEAs based in Clear Lake (2), Marshalltown (6), … Continue reading

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Jul 13

Goodbye to Raider Country

Last week the Ames Tribune went to the Collins-Maxwell/Baxter area and wrote about the end of their sports sharing program. The story focuses on the athletics, which came to a surprise abrupt end when the top-ranked CMB softball team lost … Continue reading

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Jul 10

Gladbrook-Reinbeck dissolution debate and the national mood

A week from tonight, the Gladbrook-Reinbeck school board will have a final meeting regarding a petition to dissolve the school district. There will be an opportunity to share opinions, but I think everyone’s mind is pretty much made up. The … Continue reading

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Jul 07

North Union, North Kossuth look at consolidation

At least, that’s what I get from the headline-only item from the area weeklies. The North Union School Board page hasn’t been updated with minutes/agendas for THREE YEARS. A radio station link whose headline says the same is already 404’d but … Continue reading

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Jul 03

OABCIG consolidation passes

June 24, 2017: The school in Odebolt was a sticking point in previously failed reorganization votes. Residents were afraid the town would lose its school. The Odebolt-Arthur and Battle Creek-Ida Grove school districts will consolidate in 2018, the Sioux City … Continue reading

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Jun 16

Bonus: E is for Elma

August 4, 2015: Some of the windows at Elma Elementary aren’t “windows” at all; they have classical artwork and inspirational quotes on them (detailed below). A decade ago, the Howard-Winneshiek school district was the second-largest in the state by area … Continue reading

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May 28

Final graduation at Charter Oak-Ute

A week ago today, Charter Oak-Ute High School graduated its 55th and last class of students. Story: KTIV. One line in the story is practically boilerplate text in this era: Low enrollment numbers and lack of funding are responsible for the … Continue reading

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May 26

Grand Junction losing its school

July 5, 2013: The school in Grand Junction most recently, and lastly, had fourth- through sixth-graders for the Greene County school district. The century-old school building in Grand Junction, which five years ago had the last class for East Greene … Continue reading

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