Chasing rumors about McKinley Middle School

So the other day a reader called to tell me that the word on the street is the Cedar Rapids Community School District is thinking about selling McKinley Middle School to nearby Mercy Medical Center. The district would then build a new middle school at an unknown location on the city's southeast side. The guy is a straight shooter, so I listened.

Then I made some phone calls. It turns out that one school board member's informal spitball has snowballed.

School board member Mary Meisterling floated the notion of selling McKinley during a MedQuarter board meeting a couple of weeks ago. She's on the board, which oversees medical district improvements, representing her employer, Alliant Energy. Also on the board is Tim Charles, president and CEO of Mercy.

The idea surprised City Council member Pat Shey, who also was at the meeting and represents the neighborhood near McKinley. “Near-side schools, including McKinley, are just vital to Wellington Heights and the downtown core,” Shey said, noting a renewed push to revive the area. “There's a lot of people putting a lot of committment into Wellington Heights.”

I called Meisterling, who explained that she was simply tossing out an idea for the distant future, not a concrete plan. And it's her own idea, not the school board's or the school district's. She says the school's future within the medical district is something to consider as the district develops over the next five or 10 years.

“It's not a real proposal,” Meisterling said, insisting she's had no “conversation or consultation with any other board members or superintendent or staff members” about her idea.

“I just want to stress, I think conversations are good. I think you just always have to keep your mind open to suggestions, ideas, thoughts. And that's why I throw stuff out there,” she said.

Then I got a call from School Board President John Laverty. “I haven't heard it from any other board member as even a thought,” Laverty said of Meisterling's trial balloon. He said the board is actually preparing to make new investments at McKinley.

I'm not writing this to alarm folks or criticize Meisterling for tossing out an idea. The rumor is out there, so I thought it would be best to explain the story behind it.

The last big school-closing saga in this town was filled with rumors, so I'd like to avoid a rerun as the district embarks on a new facilities planning process in September. (The instructional portion of the process starts Monday.) I've promised to do my part by watching more closely, checking stuff out and telling you what I know.

And Laverty says he's still committed to rumor-killing transparency. “The directive from the board to the administration is that all the meetings will be open to the public,” he said.

Here's the school district's news release on the planning process and the meeting schedule:

School District to Develop Facilities Master Plan

The Cedar Rapids Community School District will consider existing and expected facility needs to develop a Comprehensive Facilities Master Plan. An Instructional Visioning Committee will begin the process by defining the vision of teaching and learning for the future of education. This committee will include District administrators, teachers, and support staff members, as well as architects from Shive Hattery, representatives from higher learning, and community members.

A Facilities Steering Committee will then review information from the Visioning Committee, as well input from school building leadership, to revise the District's existing facilities plan as needed.

Steering Committee members will include staff members, architects from Shive Hattery, members of the District's SILO Infrastructure and Technology Oversight committees, representatives from the Cedar Rapids Education Association and City of Cedar Rapids, and community members.

“The goal of the process is to submit a facilities master plan to the Board of Education in April 2013 that is a reality-based plan recognizing limits on our existing resources, needs of the District, and potential new financial resources,” explained Steve Graham, Executive Director of Business Services.

A complete meeting schedule is attached. The first meeting is set for August 6 at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Road NW. Community members are welcome to attend and observe the meetings.

Calendar Master Plan 12 Month