Category Archives: Schools

Sep 21

Walcott could lose half its school grades

The Davenport school district is considering changes to the grade configuration in Walcott. KWQC and WQAD both reported last week that the K-8 school there could become a middle school for grades 5-8 or 6-8. Younger students would go to … Continue reading

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Jul 27

Eldora school demolished 15 years after closure

Every once in a while for a long time I would check the Eldora newspaper’s website to see if there was any progress on demolition of the 1916-17 school building. Nothing kept happening, so I let it slide. But after … Continue reading

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Jul 22

Algona, Lu Verne consolidation in final stretch

A vote in September will turn what 25 years ago had been five official school districts, and 2½ high schools, into the largest one-high-school consolidated district in Iowa. Algona and Lu Verne have spent the past year going through the … Continue reading

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Jul 13

Gladbrook school demolition finishing up

June 17, 2022: The Gladbrook school was in mid-demolition during Corn Carnival. Windows and fixtures had been removed. KWWL has a story, with unembeddable video, about the Gladbrook school being demolished. The story has an error in it: The school … Continue reading

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Jun 22

Gladbrook school demolition in final stages

June 17, 2022: The southeast corner of the Gladbrook school building, as seen last week during Corn Carnival. A piece of paper on one of the few remaining windows of Gladbrook’s school building announces the fitness center — the half-million-dollar … Continue reading

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Jun 08

Luana school converted to rec center

The Luana school, part of MFL-MarMac, closed in 2001. According to the March 21, 2001, North Iowa Times, closing the building would save the district $100,000. Opposition to the plan was less about closing Luana and more about busing young … Continue reading

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May 20

North Tama plans revealed during building tour

It’s happening? Maybe? After a few votes and an extra $31 million? Whatever the step or two is after “commencing to proceed to get started,” that’s where North Tama is right now in a master plan that would radically alter … Continue reading

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May 18

More about Mount Ayr Community schools, 1957-61

October 17, 2021: The chimney of the Beaconsfield school building is visible at a distance. It’s about all that’s readily visible up close, too, because the deteriorating building is hidden in a grove of trees. In a follow-up to this … Continue reading

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May 06

A nearly complete timeline of Southeast Valley

The Southeast Valley school district, which will become official in mid-2023, can trace its history to 1914. One of the first experiments in school consolidation, to be tried in this part of Iowa, will be at the town of Lanyon, … Continue reading

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May 04

Southeast Valley consolidation effective in 2023

The Prairie Valley and Southeast Webster-Grand school districts started whole-grade sharing as Southeast Valley in 2014. Almost a decade later they will be officially consolidated. Although the vote was March 1, the merger won’t go into effect until 2023, based … Continue reading

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