Archive for category Moline-Coal Valley School District
Moline middle school projects move forward
Posted by Sheena Dooley in Moline-Coal Valley School District, Uncategorized on May 22nd, 2009
School board members in the Moline-Coal Valley School District will vote Tuesday on several measures regarding additions and renovations at John Deere and Wilson middle schools.
According to district documents, the John Deere project carries an estimated $16 million price-tag, while the improvements at Wilson are expected to cost $14 million. Those figures are far lower than the $57 million combined cost officials first estimated earlier this year.
Board members will decide Tuesday whether to hire Russell Construction Company of Davenport for the John Deere project and Estes Construction of Davenport for the Wilson project. Russell would receive no more than $987,782 for their work. Estes would earn as much as $711,760.
The improvements will allow Moline to move sixth-graders out of cramped elementary schools and into the middle schools, something district leaders want to accomplish by fall 2011.
The unappeal of school boards
Posted by Sheena Dooley in Moline-Coal Valley School District, Uncategorized on May 1st, 2009
A search for two new school board members in Moline is underway, after the district came up short of candidates in April’s election. With six open seats, only four candidates – all incumbents – sought to fill them. (Potential candidates can fill out a form at Allendale, 1619 11th Ave., Moline, if they are interested).
The lack of interest isn’t unique in the Quad-Cities, although it is for the Moline-Coal Valley School District, which usually nets the most candidates and contested races for board seats.
In recent years, few candidates have run for school board positions. Elections in Iowa yield low turnouts – less than 1 percent in Scott County’s last election. And school board meetings aren’t heavily attended even during times board members make hard decisions, such as closing schools or making budget cuts.
I have been here for three years and found the situation contrasts what’s happening in other parts of the country. Perhaps, it’s because parents are happy with their schools. Maybe people are just too busy, or parents are afraid to speak out because they fear repercussions, which is something I’ve heard.
I’m interested to hear from parents and the community why there is such a lack of interest. What are your thoughts? What could districts do to drum up more involvement in the community?