OUR CHALLENGES
Aging facilities and declining enrollment are two of the primary challenges that the East Marshall Community School District continues to face. These same issues affect other rural school districts across Iowa, and often require creative and difficult decisions to be resolved.
East Marshall CSD currently maintains three campuses in three communities — the elementary school in Laurel, a middle school in Gilman, and the high school in Le Grand. For more than three decades, this model has served the district well and successfully educated generations of students.
Meanwhile, certified enrollment has declined by more than 31% in the past two decades. During the 2003-04 school year, we served 748 students. In the recent school year, that number was 511.
All three of the district’s schools have varying levels of infrastructure and facility needs due to age. A thorough review of our schools by architects, engineers, an advisory task force, and district officials was undertaken in 2023. Since then, it has been determined that continuing to spend limited resources at the middle school in Gilman is not practical or cost effective.
The middle school is home to students in grades 6-8. It is also home to many code deficiencies and high-cost maintenance expenses. These conditions and declining enrollment make it unsustainable for East Marshall CSD to continue maintaining this site.
Potentially closing a school is one of the most difficult decisions the School Board and administration can consider. Nobody wants to close a school. However, we no longer have a choice and must make the best decision for our students.
→ Read the School Board's statement
This recommendation was not taken lightly and was informed by extensive planning and discussion. We understand this is a difficult situation for the residents of Gilman, but transitioning to a two-school model will ensure future stability for East Marshall CSD as a whole.
In May, we conducted a community survey in which we asked participants if they would be supportive of potentially closing a school building, resulting in the district becoming more efficient. Just over 76.6% of respondents said yes, compared to 23.4% who said no.
If a bond referendum is approved by the district's voters on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the earliest that the middle school in Gilman could close is 2026, and it would be dependent the completion of projects in Le Grand and Laurel. The district has no plan to repurpose the middle school, but the baseball field at Gilman would continue to be used by the school district and community.
→ 2020 Facilities Assessment: Learn more about the needs outlined in this report
COMMUNITY MEETINGS
The East Marshall CSD will hold informational meetings on September 18, September 21, and October 2, 2024. The times and locations of these events will be announced soon.
District residents are encouraged to attend one of these events to learn more about the facility challenges our students, teachers, and staff face on a daily basis, along with the ways an approved bond referendum would address these issues. District leaders will be present to answer questions.
