Now-closed Hills Elementary School will be demolished

The Hills Elementary School building — closed to students at the end of the 2023-24 school year in a decision by the Iowa City school board that was opposed by residents — will be demolished in the coming months.

The Iowa City Community School District and the city of Hills together made the decision to have the building at 301 Main St. in Hills demolished, according to a news release from the school district Wednesday.

The city determined the former school building does not meet its needs, according to the release. The decision was made after consideration of various factors including potential uses for the building, costs associated with maintenance and renovation and a long-term vision for the structure.

"While it is always difficult to say goodbye to a building that holds many memories, we believe this decision is the best way forward for our community," said Hills Mayor Tim Kemp in a statement. "We look forward to exploring future opportunities for the site that will serve the needs of our residents."

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In an interview with The Gazette, Kemp said while the gym and library at Hills Elementary would have been nice assets for the city, there was a lot of other room in the building that he wasn’t sure how it would be used.

“The cost of acquiring the building and renovating the building might have been more than it would have been worth. The more we looked at it, it seemed the building really didn’t fit our needs,” Kemp said.

Kemp said city officials are continuing to speak with school district leaders about their interest in the land. The district still will own the land, but Kemp doesn’t expect a decision to be made until after the building is razed, he said.

Iowa City schools and the city of Hills are “committed to ensuring that the land will be utilized in a manner that benefits the community,” according to the release.

Iowa City schools Superintendent Matt Degner said he supports the decision to demolish Hills. "After thorough discussions with the City of Hills, we agree that demolishing the former Hills Elementary School is the most practical and beneficial choice. We appreciate the City's partnership and are committed to working together on the next steps,“ Degner said in the release.

The decision to close Hills Elementary School was made by the Iowa City school board earlier this year to save the district $1.66 million annually and preserve educational programs and staff as Iowa schools continue to face budget shortfalls.

Hills Elementary was one of the most diverse schools in the Iowa City Community School District. About 36 percent of students at Hills were Hispanic or Latino and more than 13 percent were Black, according to U.S. News & World Report. About 70 percent of students at Hills were economically disadvantaged.

Starting Friday, students previously going to Hills Elementary will attend Alexander Elementary School, 3571 Sycamore St. in Iowa City.

As educators across Eastern Iowa returned to work this week to prepare for the first day of school, Kemp said it’s been “a little tough for the first time in 60 years” to not see activity happening at Hills Elementary.

“It’s certainly a blow to the community as it was last spring when this came about,” Kemp said. “I think people have come to terms with it. We move forward and make the best of the situation. It’s a little different driving by this week and seeing no cars in the parking lot. I’m sure the kids are going to be excited to go to school again and go back and see their friend.”

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com