Iowa City School District officials seemed closer to hiring a consultant who would help address burgeoning enrollment in some district schools.
Robert Schwartz and Mark Porter with RSP & Associates, LLC — a Kansas-based educational planning firm — gave an overview of potential solutions to enrollment problems in a detailed Power Point presentation at Tuesday’s school board meeting.
Potential solutions included plans for every scenario, with variables such as the construction of a third high school and possible boundary changes.
Before the consultants spoke, Superintendent Lane Plugge told those present he was looking for an unbiased party to advise the district about changes needed, and to engage the public in the process.
The team would tackle the issue by examining projected enrollment numbers, building capacities, and census data, Porter said.
Public meetings might also be held in order to garner people’s opinions, he said.
However, some board members were unsure if this measure would be necessary, saying a meeting already held in February may have been sufficient.
Regardless, Tom Nicknish — a local with a child attending Lincoln Elementary — spoke in support of hiring a consultant immediately following the presentation. He lauded the long-term benefits of developing a sustainable growth plan.
Hiring a consultant could cost $50,000 to $100,000 going to the company, depending on the amount of service the consultant would provide, Plugge said.
The School District has sought outside assistance for various issues in the past, he said. The UI geography department is one of the groups the district has called on before.
UI experts in geography have helped district officials examine enrollment projections for the past two decades, Plugge said. School District officials would continue to consult with the UI, even if they hire additional help.
But the definition of a consultant may be broader than expected: For example, architects and engineers can be considered consultants, Plugge said, adding it’s standard for School Districts to hire them.
“You use a consultant when you don’t have the expertise,” he said.
Board President Toni Cilek agreed an outside opinion may be helpful.
A consultant could help sort out possible boundary changes for Iowa City elementary schools — arguably a volatile issue locally — in addition to researching the possibility of building a third high school, she said.
The process of adding a high school to the district was simpler when West High was built, she said. More groups will likely be affected if two schools’ combined population is split into three.
“The sooner we can let the kids know what’s going to happen, the better,” Cilek said.
Still, whether the district will have a third high school at all depends on when the district can afford the change. Board members recently said plans to build a new high school would be postponed until the option was financially feasible.