Information on the proposed Iowa City school closings

This post is a source of online information about the proposed Iowa City school closings. I will keep adding information to it as it becomes available. If you know of any additional information I can link to, please let me know in the comments. [UPDATE: I’ve slowed down updating this post, as much of the discussion is now occurring within the context of the school board election – which I’ve given its own continuously updated post.]


BASIC INFORMATION

The school board’s facilities steering committee forwarded two long-range plans to the board for consideration. Although participants in the committee’s community workshops repeatedly favored plans that did not close any schools, both plans that the committee forwarded would close Hoover Elementary School, and one would also have closed Lincoln and Hills elementaries.

On July 23, the board passed a variant of one of the plans, which included the closing of Hoover, though no earlier than 2017-18.


INFORMATION FROM THE SCHOOL DISTRICT

The two proposals that the steering committee forwarded to the board are summarized here (as Scenario 1d and Scenario 4c). The proposal that most people at the last community workshop favored is here (as Scenario 1c). Additional district resources:

The report on enrollment projections, prepared by the district’s consultants (a very large PDF)
Results and comments from the final community workshop sessions
Additional information about elementary attendance populations
A map of elementary school boundaries
The district’s 2011 capacity calculations
The district’s facilities planning website
District engagement website


NEWS COVERAGE

State board approves annexation request for future Coralville elementary school site (8/14)
New High School Location Raising Concerns In Johnson County (8/14)
School Board approves purchase of land for new high school (8/13)
Iowa City school board agrees to buy land for new high school, elementary school (8/13)
District looking ahead with the utilities for new schools (7/29)
District to discuss elementary schools and district future (7-23)
Iowa City votes to close Hoover for more room at City High (7/23)
Iowa City school board approves building plan that closes Hoover Elementary School (7/23)
Iowa City School Board Closing Hoover for Expansion (7/23)
Iowa City School Board Could Vote to Close Hoover Elementary Tonight (7/23)
District to discuss elementary schools and district future (7/23)
Should district close Hoover? (7/21)
Iowa City school district throws out recommendations (7/17)
Talk turns to closing Hoover Elementary (7/17)
Iowa City School Board Leaning Toward Closing Hoover Elementary? (7/17)
District officials to talk facilities master plan's future (7/16)
Closure of Iowa City's Hoover Elementary still a possibility (7/16)
Iowa City School Board Indicates Support for Closing School (7/16)
School scenarios draw heated responses (7/15)
Hills fighting to keep school open (7/13)
Iowa City School Board Announces Land Acquisition for New School in South Iowa City (7/10)
School board details two building scenarios (7/10)
Residents say board misled voters (7/10)
Iowa City Parents, Community Members Speak Against Closing Schools (7/9)
Iowa City school district parents speak against closing schools (7/9)
Facilities plan in board's hands (7/8)
Iowa City school board may vote next week on buying land for new schools (7/5)
Leaders discuss funding disparity options (6/21)
To Close Three Schools or Not to Close Three Schools? It's Up to the School Board Now (6/20)
Steering committee narrows down school district facility options (6/20)
Committee settles on 2 school scenarios (6/19)
Iowa City school district committee settles on two planning scenarios (6/19)
District mulls closures (6/12)
Iowa City School Facilities Public Workshop Zeroes in On Two Scenarios (6/6)
Locals not put off by pricey building plans for school district (6/6)
District leaders taking extra time for planning (5/30)
Iowa City School District committee proposes changes (5/7)
Iowa City schools developing construction scenarios (5/6)
Report: Iowa City school district could see 3,000 more students in next decade (3/28)
Report: Iowa City high schools’ capacity lower than believed (3/26)


COMMENTARY

This blog’s posts on the issue (available in one long stream here):

Preserving existing schools is perfectly compatible with magnet schools
More candidate responses on the Hoover closure
School board already planning to ignore its own capacity numbers
No matter how you slice it, Hoover can’t close unless a future board closes it
Sarah Swisher on the status of Hoover School
I wish Hoover weren't an issue, but it is
Commentator, heal thyself
Ninety percent of a loaf is not enough
Board votes to close Hoover; what next?
The runaround
Why does a 300-student addition necessitate a 750-stall parking ramp?
Hoover closure would shift wealth to the wealthy
The constantly shifting rationales for the Hoover closure
Will the board close an elementary school without public support?
Candidates' responses about closing schools
Where do the board candidates stand?
School board converges on closing Hoover Elementary
Why pit City High against its own neighbors?
Some unanswered questions from last night's school board work session
Sure, schools might be torn down, but did you see how ill-behaved the public was?
Can anything pierce the Bubble?
Is the diversity policy causing school closings?
Are we closing schools to buy empty classrooms?
Disrespect for the public
Some thoughts about the proposed school closings
Verdict: Yes, I wasted three hours of my life
Some facts about Hoover Elementary (and a little opinion, too)
Wishful building
Incredibly, we're *still* waiting for the results of the school facilities workshop 
Still waiting to hear key results from the facilities meeting
Did I just waste three hours of my life?
Guest post: One Vision?  Not there yet.
Guest post: One (Managed) Vision

Other commentary:

Greg Howes: Closing Hoover is the wrong decision
Nancy Smith: No more blank checks for district
Erin Kaufman: Good cause to be 'disagreeable'
Garry Klein: A Do-Over for Hoover?
Press-Citizen: Approving a new facilities plan is just the 1st stage
Mike Carberry: Closing Hoover would show a lack of clear vision
Press-Citizen: Time for school board to decide on facilities plan
Maria Houser Conzemius: SAVE HOOVER: Contact the School Board Soon!  Don't Close Our Schools!
Mary Murphy: Where are the students coming from?
Susan Wagner Cook: ICCSD shouldn't close any schools
Philip Kaaret: Process needs to be child-centered
Douglas Ward: District need not be so adversarial
Maria Houser Conzemius: A Shout out to the Parents Who Spoke at the 7/9/13 ICCSD Board Meeting
Daily Iowan: Limit school closures
Maria Houser Conzemius: 7/9/13 School Board Meeting: Educational Adequacy Completely Dependent on Physical Structures; Really??
Press-Citizen: School campaign to focus on facilities and much more
Joe Henderson: School District Closing Schools Would Violate Trust Without Improving Learning
H. Dee Hoover: Choose options other than closing elementary schools
Douglas Jones: Our inner-city schools are our community anchors
Blaine Greteman: Back to the Chalkboard
Dennis Befeler: Cost-to-benefit ratio is misleading
Bob Elliott: Hope emerges at district's facilities planning session
School Superintendent Steve Murley: School district values the public's input and support
Press-Citizen: District gives another option for public input
Frank Durham: Workshops were like the caucuses


SCHOOL BOARD CONTACT INFORMATION

You can send an email to the entire school board at board@iccsd.k12.ia.us

You can also email individual board members:

Karla Cook: karla.cook@iccsd.k12.ia.us
Tuyet Dorau: tuyet.dorau@iccsd.k12.ia.us
Patti Fields: patti.fields@iccsd.k12.ia.us
Sally Hoelscher: sally.hoelscher@iccsd.k12.ia.us
Jeff McGinness: jeff.mcginness@iccsd.k12.ia.us
Marla Swesey, chair: marla.swesey@iccsd.k12.ia.us
Sarah Swisher: sarah.swisher@iccsd.k12.is.us

Other contact information for school board members

Websites of current school board candidates: Sara Barron, Karla Cook (info here), Brian Kirschling, Jason T. Lewis, Chris Lynch, Phil Hemingway (info here), and Gregg Geerdes (info not yet available)


OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

Hills Elementary PTO Officers
Hoover Elementary PTA Blog and Facebook page
Lincoln Elementary PTO Website
Save Hoover Elementary
.