At the most recent Mid-Prairie School Board meeting, the topic of equalizing elementary class sizes was discussed for nearly three hours during a public forum. The district narrowed its options to have a more even number of students in each class. Superintendent Mark Schneider was pleased with the turnout, and said, “I left the meeting feeling very proud that I live and work in a district that could tackle kind of a sensitive topic in such a respectful manner. I thought for the most part, the comments by the public were very well taken by the board. And then I also thought that the board members did a great job not only listening to the comments, but then asking questions and of course sharing some of their thoughts, too.”

The board started with four options for evening elementary class sizes, though the option of not doing anything was dismissed right away. In the end, Schneider says the board will focus on two ideas: the first would be to institute boundaries in the district; the second would be to go to two K-4 attendance centers, sending fifth grade to the middle school, and house the home school assistance program at Washington Township Elementary. The board could also go with grade centers, where each grade would be housed entirely in one building, but Schneider didn’t feel that was likely. The board will discuss the options at their next meeting, and are expected to make a decision by April 10th. To hear more about the Mid-Prairie School Board meeting, listen to the In Touch with Southeast Iowa interview with Schneider at KCIIRadio.com.