SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
Iowa public school enrollment was down slightly from the previous year, while non-public enrollment rose. Data from the Iowa Department of Education show there are 483-thousand public school students in the state, down a half-percent from last year. There are 36-thousand non-public students, up 7.4%. There were over 16-thousand, 700 students who used education savings accounts in non-public schools. One-third of these students did not previously attend a non-public school. Prior to implementing the ESA program, public school enrollment showed a downward trend. That trend will continue through the 2026-27 school year.
LE MARS SCHOOL BOARD SPECIAL MEETING
The Le Mars Community School Board will hold a special meeting Monday. Just two items are on the agenda. One is an exclusion recommendation to the Board. The other is a discussion on the recently-completed facility study by consultant ISG. The firm recently concluded a prioritization study of the district’s school buildings.
CHEROKEE WOMAN SENTENCED FOR DRUG CONSPIRACY
A Cherokee woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and possessed with intent to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Sioux City. Christina Gianopoulos-Rohrer, 50, pled guilty on March 15, 2023, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The defendant was arrested in Woodbury county in December, 2021, during a traffic stop. Gianopoulos-Rohrer was a passenger and seized approximately one pound of methamphetamine which Gianopoulos-Rohrer intended to distribute. She also admitted her involvement in two other conspiracies that distributed over four pounds of meth in the Cherokee area. Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Gianopoulos-Rohrer was sentenced to 47 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release following the imprisonment.
LEGISLATOR ATTEMPTS TO CAST IOWA DARTER AS STATE FISH
A northwest Iowa legislator is introducing a resolution to name the Iowa Darter the state fish. State Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake says the nomination came from a constituent. The Iowa Darter is not a large fish.
To see the Iowa Darter become the State Fish, Wills will have to convince his colleagues in the House and Senate to pass a resolution he’s sponsoring. Iowa has just a handful of state symbols.
The legislature designated the American Goldfinch as the state bird — in 1933. The legislature named the wild prairie rose the state flower 127 years ago. In 1961, the legislature declared the oak the state tree and in 1967 Iowa lawmakers named the geode the state rock to promote tourism in the Keokuk area where the rocks — which have a crystal interior — are plentiful. Since then, there have been proposals to name the ladybud the state insect and the catfish as the state fish — but none were able to get the Iowa legislature’s endorsement.
BILL WOULD LET IOWA SCHOOLS HAVE CHAPLAINS COUNSEL STUDENTS
Iowa’s public schools would have the option of having a paid or volunteer chaplain on staff if a bill being considered in the Iowa Senate becomes law. Pastor Mike Demastus (deh-MASS-tuss) of the Fort Des Moines Church of Christ says it could help schools address mental health issues among students and staff. Chaplains would have to pass a background check, but schools would not be allowed to require any kind of licensing or professional credentials for chaplains. Eric Johnson, head of the chaplain program at Unity Point Health hospitals in Des Moines, says it seems reckless not to require training or certification for chaplains counseling vulnerable children. Last year, the state of Texas passed a law letting public schools use safety funds to hire people to be chaplains, who provide mental health counseling to students.
