“This is a problem that a lot of rural Iowa districts would like to have,” said Superintendent Jess Toliver. “We see it as an opportunity rather than a problem.”

The picture he has seen this year and last year is much brighter than the one he saw when he started as superintendent several years ago, at a time when the district was losing about 40 students each year.

Eagle Grove has gained 111 students in the last two years, 47 of whom were new this year. Total certified enrollment in the district is about 800, with a total of about 850 students served. Toliver said that before the last two years of rapid growth, enrollment held steady for about five to six years.

“I don’t think the next jumps will be this big, but there’s a growth pattern for the next five to six years,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
Eagle Grove Community School District implemented new technology, issuing Chromebooks to older students this year.

In a landlocked district with a limited capacity for further bonding, that presents some big challenges.

“We need a new building, but we don’t have the bonding capacity,” Toliver said. “We’re a small district land-wise, which limits our bonding capacity. For one thing, you’re trying to control tax rates, but you just can’t get enough money with the bond limits.”

Though no changes are set in stone for 2020 yet, the district is continuing to plan for continual growth over the next three to four years, looking at its options with architects and building planners to accommodate the potential for moving around certain grades.

“The alternative is expanding existing facilities in stages,” Toliver said.

He predicted that the district’s administration building, which is about 50 years old, may get more busy in the future.

-Messenger photo by Elijah Decious
Eagle Grove Elementary started using a new wing and playground for kindergarten and third grade at the beginning of this school year, in August 2019.

“My gut tells me we’ll start using the building for high school classes,” he said. “Within the next couple years, we’ll put students in it, I’m guessing.”

He said the building has mostly been used for overflow from offices to this point.

So far, Eagle Grove has added 10 rooms to its elementary school, many of them used for kindergarten and third-grade classes. The school began using the new wing in August.

Faculty has also grown with the addition of about 10 positions, some of whom have been brought in to accommodate the growing population of students who are English language learners (ELL).

“Our population continues to change,” Toliver said, in terms more than just numbers. “We’re adding more ELL students, and there’s an emphasis on getting the appropriate staff to serve that population. Getting the ELL students acclimated to school and the standards the state puts out is a challenge.”

Currently, all ELL students in the district have learned Spanish as their first language, but the superintendent said that could change.

The school district in Storm Lake, where Tyson meatpacking employees have contributed to a diverse ELL population, sees more than 20 languages spoken in its schools.

Toliver said student enrollment stabilized shortly after Prestage Foods came to town.

Currently, seventh and eighth grades are the largest in the district. Without any additional growth, that means the high school will soon be under pressure.

“Without any additional growth, our high school will get really big,” Toliver said. “We don’t anticipate losing students. If we continue to add even a few a year, pressure will get really tight.”

Rooms added to the elementary school have freed up some space. The middle school, which is completely full, is looking diligently at options to relieve the pressure on the building.