Cedar Rapids Weather
UPDATE: Anamosa Middle School Begins Classes Aug. 27By Nadia Crow, Reporter
ANAMOSA, Iowa - Thousands of Iowa school children will head back to school this week, but about 400 kids won't hear the opening bell. The Anamosa Community School District's new middle school building won't be finished in time. That's pushing back the start of school at least two days pending a final state inspection.
The first delay came before the first shovel hit the ground with contracts and regulations. Now, the district needs final state approval that the building is safe for kids to be inside before they can start class. Outside, the new Anamosa Middle School is a construction zone. Inside, teachers aren't quite ready for students. For soon-to-be middle schooler Lexie Goldsmith, it's the final countdown to school. "I like math for my most favorite subject. My least favorite is probably reading,” Goldsmith. But Lexie and her classmates may start those subjects by Friday... if they're lucky. "We were delayed with contracts and regulations and things like that so we didn't get things moving quite as quick as we would have liked to,” said Anamosa Community School Superintendent Brian Ney. Federal stimulus dollars and FEMA funding provided plenty of red tape pushing the school behind schedule. Even great features, like a gym kids can brag about, won't be ready for months. "We'll have room for practice floors and a lengthwise competition gym,” said Ney. The superintendent says the gym won't be finished until well into the school year. "We've had some issues with getting inspections completed when we need them completed,” said Ney. Most recently, mis-communication delayed a final state inspection until this Wednesday which was supposed to be the first day of school. Now it's plan b for parents with middle schoolers. "Yeah, my mom was kinda upset when she first saw it,” said Goldsmith. So on Wednesday, siblings in different buildings won't be on the same schedule. Some will start, others will continue to play. "This is a one-time glitch. This is not something that's going to happen every year,” said Ney. On Monday night, the school board voted to start classes Monday, Aug. 27. That's if they pass the final state inspection on Wednesday. If the district doesn't, that'll push back the first day of classes indefinitely. |
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