Dubuque Community School Board members on Monday night approved a recommended plan that will reorganize the district’s schools to create a one-high school model in the next two years. The Telegraph Herald reports Board members voted, 6-to-1, to have the district move forward with the third of three facilities plans proposed in August. Under that plan, the district is set to close Washington and Jefferson middle schools and send all sixth- and seventh-grade students in the district to Eleanor Roosevelt Middle School, which is slated to be renovated and expanded to accommodate the additional students. At the meeting, the board also approved plans for that expansion project and authorized the district to seek bids for the work, which the board will discuss in a public hearing during its monthly meeting on January 11. Under the plan, Hempstead High School will serve grades eight and nine and Dubuque Senior High School will serve grades 10 to 12. The scenario, which district officials have said will save $4.63 million in annual operating expenses, will take effect in fall 2028.
