first on decorahnews.com: Albert City school district could be a model for changes at North Winneshiek

The Albert City-Truesdale School District in northwest Iowa could become a model for future changes at the North Winneshiek School District.  North Winn officials are looking at switching to a preschool through 6th grade school--which is how Albert City-Truesdale operates now.

Albert City-Truesdale School Principal Cody Tibbetts tells decorahnews.com his school district has had an agreement for the past ten years with the Sioux Central School District under which 7th grade through 12th grade students in Albert City-Truesdale are sent to Sioux Center.  In fact, Tibbetts tells decorahnews.com the Albert City-Truesdale School Board will vote Wednesday night on signing another 10-year agreement with Sioux Central.

108 students attend classes at the Albert City-Truesdale School, but Tibbetts says the school district's financial position remains strong.  That's in large part because the school district can avoid what Tibbetts calls "departmentalization"--the need to hire separate math teachers, science teachers, etc. for 7th and 8th graders.

Instead each grade level has its own teacher from preschool through 6th grade.  The district then signs part-time agreements with specialists to come in two or three days a week to provide services for students.

North Winneshiek School Board members have visited with Tibbetts about the experiences of Albert City-Truesdale and could use that school district's experience as a model to follow when North Winneshiek's current agreement with Decorah ends after the 2017 school year.  Tibbetts is encouraging about using the model, telling decorahnews.com, "We're very happy with this on our side."