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Iowa Public Radio · Dubuque, IA

Dubuque becomes the latest Iowa school district to downsize as it faces budget pressure

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Students at Dubuque’s public schools will enter a consolidated district in 2028. The Dubuque Community School District Board of Education approved a plan Monday to close two middle schools and restructure its high schools as the district looks to cut $17 million from its budget by the 2030-2031 fiscal year. It’s the latest and most dramatic cost-saving measure the district has taken in recent years, as declining enrollment and low state funding are pressuring its $170 million budget. “We've been looking at multiple things to say, ‘How can we be more efficient,’ and we've been doing that since 2015, 2016, and we're getting to the point where we have to look at our footprint,” Superintendent Amy Hawkins said at Monday's meeting. The plan closes the Jefferson and Washington Middle Schools. Hempstead High School will serve grades 8-9 and Senior High School will serve grades 10-12. It takes effect in Fall 2028.