Iowa-Grant board opts to deny property detachment

The Iowa-Grant School Board decided that losing land in the district to a neighboring school district is not in the Iowa-Grant’s best interest.

Brian and Shonda Peat asked to detach their property at 2252 Rhoda Road, Town of Linden, from the Iowa-Grant School District and attach to the Mineral Point School District. Their reasoning is their three children had open enrolled at Mineral Point a few years ago and plan to graduate from there. They added that a landowner in the area would consider a land swap involving the two districts to make up for the property loss.

During a public hearing about the request to detach, testimony from those for and against is taken. The Peats spoke in favor while District Administrator Michael Shimshak spoke in opposition.

Shimshak started with the declining enrollment the district is facing and that affects the funding issue which goes along with what programs the district can afford to offer.

He also said he does not like to see the district’s boundaries get chipped away as it sets a precedent which is not positive.

Shimshak added there is already a housing shortage in the district and if the property owners ever decided to sell, it would not be property within the I-G district if the detachment is allowed.

“What if the new owner would want to be part of the Iowa-Grant district,” he said... 

(See the rest of this story in the February 15, 2024 Chronicle issue)