Exira in the News
Gentle reader,
My hometown of Exira, Iowa, is once again in the news, this time in The Des Moines Register, and again the future of the Exira school system is at stake. The elementary school, built in 1913, is beyond repair, so they say, and proponents of a bond issue to build a new elementary school as part of the high school complex are pushing for success with a revote on the issue, which failed on its first try last spring.
Not having a dog in the fight, I can see the points made by both sides. Of course, nostalgia says, "Keep the Exira school!", but if it really is a case of raising the property taxes of the good folk of Exira, including those of my mother, who has neither grandchildren nor great-grandchildren in the district, then perhaps it is time to consolidate with neighboring school districts. The fact that Exira residents would pay a greater school tax rate than that of the Des Moines neighbor, Ankeny, is astounding and quite a cause of concern. Ankeny is a expanding city, at least for now (check back after the fallout of the current finanical crisis attacks suburbia), whereas Exira has been in decline ever since the baby boomer generation left town. That being said, one thing that people should consider with consolidation is the fuel costs of bussing students in an era of dwindling fuel supply and overall rising fuel costs. Any way you solve the problem, there will be advantages and disadvantages with which to contend. (You see, the answer to all questions is indeed, yes...and no!)
Stay tuned to Yggdrasil for further developments!
CRM
My hometown of Exira, Iowa, is once again in the news, this time in The Des Moines Register, and again the future of the Exira school system is at stake. The elementary school, built in 1913, is beyond repair, so they say, and proponents of a bond issue to build a new elementary school as part of the high school complex are pushing for success with a revote on the issue, which failed on its first try last spring.
Not having a dog in the fight, I can see the points made by both sides. Of course, nostalgia says, "Keep the Exira school!", but if it really is a case of raising the property taxes of the good folk of Exira, including those of my mother, who has neither grandchildren nor great-grandchildren in the district, then perhaps it is time to consolidate with neighboring school districts. The fact that Exira residents would pay a greater school tax rate than that of the Des Moines neighbor, Ankeny, is astounding and quite a cause of concern. Ankeny is a expanding city, at least for now (check back after the fallout of the current finanical crisis attacks suburbia), whereas Exira has been in decline ever since the baby boomer generation left town. That being said, one thing that people should consider with consolidation is the fuel costs of bussing students in an era of dwindling fuel supply and overall rising fuel costs. Any way you solve the problem, there will be advantages and disadvantages with which to contend. (You see, the answer to all questions is indeed, yes...and no!)
Stay tuned to Yggdrasil for further developments!
CRM
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