Keokuk, IA –
Enrollment
The district's certified enrollment in the fall of 2004 was 2397.
Keokuk has lost students in each subsequent year.
The result is a certified enrollment in the fall of 2010 of 2012.
School Board President Tyler McGhghy says the board has been working in anticipation of another drop in enrollment.
"You know, it is a trend across the state of Iowa that enrollments are going down," says McGhghy, "and we have to do what we have to do."
The Keokuk School Board has closed Lincoln and Torrence Elementary Schools in recent years. The panel has started the process of closing Wells Carey Elementary within the next two years.
Business Manager Greg Reynolds says the district will lose about $435,000 in state aid, next year, based on Keokuk's declining enrollment. He projects the loss of 200 more students over the next five years.
Facilities Planning
Meanwhile, the Keokuk School District is moving ahead with millions of dollars worth of facility improvements.
SVPA Architects developed the district's new long-range facilities plan. The Keokuk School Board has voted to continue working with the West Des Moines firm on the priority projects identified in the plan.
Most of the priority projects are at the high school: replacing windows, repairing exterior walls, and upgrading mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
School Board President Tyler McGhghy says the board is eager to get the projects started early next year.
The priority list also includes the closing of Wells Carey Elementary School and a five-room addition to Hawthorne Elementary School. The total price tag is about $14,000,000.