Editor, Most in our community are aware that Gladbrook-Reinbeck, like many other small districts in Iowa, will be going through changes based on declining enrollment and insufficient funding through our state government. With our current budget projections, we plan to make some changes to how our district looks. As GR school board members, it is our responsibility to make decisions that we believe are best for the future of our school district. We want our students to get the best education possible and have the best opportunities that are available, while staying within our budget. If we would not make changes to our current system, then we could be forced to cut programs, sports, and educational opportunities. Your school board would like to ensure that all have accurate information during this process. Information packets are available at both Gladbrook and Reinbeck city hall, the office of each of our three buildings and on the district’s website. Sketches of the buildings and potential locations were done only for the purpose of ensuring each location would have adequate room for the proposed scenario. Our middle school system has been successful in the past, but due to our current financial situation we are in need to alter our current setup. Many different ideas and options were discussed by the board over several meetings, and our financial situation has caused us to consider closing a building within the GR district. We have reviewed multiple scenarios, but these two are what we feel will be more efficient, fiscally responsible and give our students the most academic opportunities. These are the two that we are asking the community committee to discuss. If we could continue our three building system and survive as a school district while continuing to provide the same opportunities to our students, then we would not be considering the closure of a building. The two options presented to the committee to discuss are a K-6, 7-12 in Reinbeck, and a K-6 in Gladbrook, with a 7-12 in Reinbeck. Structuring our district in this way would provide many efficiencies with our staff and allow for more staff time spent with students. We currently have many teachers that are shared between our three buildings, which cost the district money for travel reimbursement and those teachers also lose a class period during their driving time. In either of these two building systems we would greatly reduce this time and money spent traveling between buildings. In the 7-12 building, students in 7th and 8th grade will operate very similar to the 9-12; most likely moving to the classroom of the instructor teaching the various classes. Students will not remain in a particular classroom or floor all day long. Some 8th grade students may have the opportunity to take select courses with older grade levels for high school credit, but this will not be the norm. This will result in the change from a middle school concept and structure to a junior high structure. Regardless of which building our students are in and what floor they are located on, our students are in a safe place. Their safety is a priority to the board, and we are currently looking at ways to make our buildings even safer. All of our buildings get hot at certain times of the year, but if the heat is excessive then school is dismissed early, or other arrangements are made to help the students learn in a more comfortable environment. The GR Board of Education decided to have a community committee help us in the process of determining which building would be closed. This consists of 20 community members, which will meet four to six times this fall. The committee is facilitated by two school superintendents that the board has hired, who have been through school closures and similar situations in the past. The community committee plans to give the board a recommendation in December, with the board making a decision in February. During the month of January the school district will hold two community input meetings in Gladbrook and in Reinbeck giving all community members a chance to speak to the board, ask questions and voice concerns. It is true, based on our projections, that there is time until our unspent balance would become negative, however, our goal is to be proactive and avoid having this unspent balance become negative. We have heard the question as to if GR can dissolve the district. In speaking with the Iowa Department of Education, one way for this to happen is if our unspent balance were to run negative. A negative unspent balance is against the law and fiscally irresponsible for a school board to allow this to happen, and at that point the state could dissolve the district. They would redraw district lines and students would go to whichever district the state decides they are to go to. Nobody wants this to happen. Questions will arise through this process, and the best way to answer these questions and stay informed, is to attend the board meetings and work sessions. Gladbrook-Reinbeck is a GReat school district, and we hope to keep it that way for many years to come.

G-R Board Josh Hemann Matt Wyatt Mandy Gehring Doug Rowe Eric Sieh Lisa Swanson Rod Brockett