Meeting set for Villisca/Stanton merger

VILLISCA— The wait will soon be over for residents in Villisca, Stanton and Corning.

The Villisca School Board has set a public meeting for Aug. 11 to officially release the joint-feasibility study.

The meeting will be split up into two parts. Villisca’s feasibility study with Stanton will take place at 7:30 p.m. and Corning’s study release will take place at 8:35 p.m.

The meeting will take place in the Villisca High School gym and both the Stanton and Corning School Boards will be in attendance.

Educational consultants from the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI), led by Dr. Bob Decker, will present data they have compiled over the past several months.

The feasibility studies were commissioned as Villisca looks into Whole Grade Sharing options with either Corning or Stanton.

Decker’s presentation will be 20-25 minutes for each session. There will be 30 minutes available, following the presentation, for input and questions from the community.

Stanton and Villisca approved a feasibility study in January. Data was turned in to Decker in April. The report was said to be released as early as June, but as late as the fall.

Both School Boards agreed to the Aug. 11 opening on the calendar. The cost for the feasibility study was $3,500 per district.

Because of the Aug. 11 meeting, the next School Board meeting will be held Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.

The Board also approved changes to the Elementary and High School Handbooks.

The key change was in the high school handbook, which involved more enforcement from teachers and the principal of the dress code.

Bids for milk, bread, gas and roofing were also approved at Thursday’s School Board meeting.

A roofing bid was approved for more than $60,000 to Chappell Roofing out of Nebraska to fix the North end of the Elementary School, while making restorations on the South end.