September 16, 2024
At Northeast Community School District we believe in learning for life. This commitment to our community's future is displayed every day at our campus in Goose Lake where our dedicated staff educates our students to become resourceful learners and contributing citizens.
Our students and staff work hard. We need our buildings to do the same, and in some places on our campus, facilities are no longer up to the task. Several years ago, anticipating the growing need in our middle/high school in particular, district leadership and board members began preparing to address these issues.
When we could, we tackled small projects such as the new furniture in the ms-hs cafeteria and expanding the parking lot at the elementary. We know, though, that there is more work to be done. So, we are embarking on a facility master planning process.
The first step was hiring professionals to assist us in this task. This summer, the district hired the Iowa Association of School Board’s Iowa Construction Advocate Team (ICAT) with Estes Construction and OPN Architects to conduct assessments of our buildings. These assessments include the physical state of the buildings and infrastructure (heating, cooling, plumbing, etc …) as well as how the spaces are or are not working for our students and staff.
The next important step in this planning process will be to convene a Facilities Advisory Committee made up of parents, staff, community members, business owners, students, and school board members. This group, which will meet for the first time at the end of September, will be tasked with reviewing the findings of the assessment and setting priorities that will ultimately shape a facility plan for the district that balances needs and wants with available funding. Ultimately, the goal is to identify a plan to present to the school board in early 2025 so that the committee can unanimously agree what best meets the needs of our students, staff, and community.
We want this process to be transparent and include as many voices as possible. In addition to the facilities committee, there will be opportunities for the entire community to tour our schools, ask questions, and share thoughts about district facility needs. These are your schools. Your input is vital. We hope you will join us in developing a plan that will shape the success of our students for years to come.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (563) 577-2249 ext. 4 or neil.gray@northeastcsd.org. We are excited to develop a vision for the future of our facilities that will best meet the needs of all Rebels!
Neil Gray
Superintendent