What's New at Dubuque Community Schools

The Dubuque Community School District will recommend the appointment of Phil Kramer as the district’s next executive director of human resources. Kramer will begin transitioning into the position over the next few months and will assume the position full-time on July 1, pending approval by the district Board of Education at its May meeting. Kramer will succeed Rick Colpitts, who is leaving the position to become the superintendent of the Western Dubuque Community School District.

As executive director of human resources, Kramer will oversee all human resources operations for the over 1,800 employees in the district. This includes district-wide planning and coordination of staff recruitment, the performance evaluation system, employee relations and personnel management.

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The four-year graduation rate in the Dubuque Community School District climbed to 91.49 percent for the class of 2014, up 2.36 percent from the previous year and higher than the state average of 90.5 percent. This new data was released today by the Iowa Department of Education.

“We are committed to preparing students to be college- and career-ready, and graduating from high school is certainly an important part of the equation,” said Superintendent of Schools Stan Rheingans. “The increase in our graduation rates should be a point of pride for not only for our high school teachers, principals and staff, but also for staff throughout the district. We believe the cumulative experience our students receive in the district greatly contributes to their success in high school and beyond.”

The Dubuque Community School District had the third-highest graduation rate among the state’s 10 largest urban school districts.

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Students often hear about the “Jaws of Life” vehicle-extraction tool being used as a response tool in severe accidents. Now, Hempstead High School students will have the chance to see the tool in action on Wednesday, April 1, at part of the school’s Spring Wind event.

The Dubuque Fire Department will demonstrate the extraction process twice on Wednesday (once beginning at 8:25 a.m. and again at 9:15 a.m.) in the parking lot by the school’s baseball field.

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The Iowa legislature has been unable to reach an agreement on school funding for the fiscal year beginning on July 1, with the House passing a 1.25 percent increase in funding and the Senate passing a 4 percent increase. There is currently a Conference Committee from both chambers convened to negotiate the impasse.

TO REMAIN COMPETITIVE WITH EDUCATIONAL SPENDING ACROSS THE COUNTRY, IT IS CRITICAL THAT THE LEGISLATURE SET THE 2015-2016 INCREASE AT 4 PERCENT AND THE 2016-2017 INCREASE AT 6 PERCENT.

Learn more about the current status of funding and ways to voice your support.

The Dubuque Community School District recently acquired land and a home on Pennsylvania Avenue adjacent to Irving Elementary School. The land will provide for future needs at the school.

Bids are now being accepted for the home located on the property, and the bidder will be responsible for removing the home from the foundation and relocating it to another home site.

Read the official requirements and bid procedures for the home.