Ask Mr. Answer Person: a reader asks about how North Winneshiek buildings factor into new elemenatry school plans

Ruth e-mails: "With all the work on finding a new place to build an elementary school, what will the school district be doing with the North Winneshiek building? Is the building and property a part of the consolidation? What will our district look like in 30 years? Is the North Winn facility even an option to our overall plans? I have not seen anything in the news about the building or about what will happen to it."

Mr. (School) Answer Person has talked with Decorah Superintendent Mike Haluska.  Most of this response is from previous comments he made on the issue of the North Winneshiek property:  "Once reorganization takes place, the North Winneshiek building would become the property of the reorganized Decorah School District."

Generally speaking, the North Winneshiek property does not figure into district long-term plans for multiple reasons. While some of the classrooms there were added in the late 1990's, most of the building is the same vintage as John Cline.  Most of the facility is not air conditioned and most room sizes would be too small to meet needs.  Some renovations are possible, but costly.  One estimate for busing two grades, for one year, would be around $50,000.  Added to the facility challenges, there is the likely resistance from Decorah parents regarding the location.

"Even in the short term, some of the same issues would have to be dealt with.  Busing would be an immediate issue and a building located at the North Winneshiek site requiring all students there to be bused to the site and then the vast majority returned to Decorah would pose some very difficult scheduling issues due to the strict limitations the Iowa Department of Education have placed upon school districts in terms of hours of attendance.

"Yet as finding a suitable location for a new elementary school continues and the potential reorganization, set for the 2019-2020 school year, draws closer, it is becoming more of a possibility that the building may have to factor into short-term District plans."

And what will the district look like in 30 years?  Mr. (School) Answer Person's crystal ball suggests that Decorah will likely remain fairly stable compared to other communities. Discussions/planning  regarding new elementary facilities imply that the new facility should be something that is part of a 50 year vision for elementary educational facilities, so it is imperative that the district get it right – once a site is selected.