News Releases

At its meeting on Monday, Aug.10, at 5:30 p.m., the School Board will hold a public hearing to consider moving the school start date to the original date of MONDAY, AUG. 24.

The meeting is open to the public with a small number of seats available in person at the Forum, 2300 Chaney Road, or with virtual access via Zoom.

VIEW THE MEETING VIA ZOOM
The event passcode is: DCSD@2300!
Full Zoom details are below.

VIEW THE PROPOSED AMENDED CALENDAR

ZOOM MEETING DETAILS:

https://dbqschools.zoom.us/j/81975538813?pwd=VjcxZXBISXllVHJnV1A0MWdneFVJQT09
Passcode: DCSD@2300!

Or Telephone:
US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799
Webinar ID: 819 7553 8813
Passcode: 5333643655

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Lange as the district’s new director of digital literacy.

In this new role, Julie will work to ensure equitable curricular offerings and skills needed for instructional online delivery, provide support-teaching and guidance to faculty and students in the use of instructional hardware and software, and establish and lead best practices for educational content creation, delivery and organization. She will also coordinate the district’s assessment plan as well as Iowa Testing, ACT, FAST and other standardized tests.

“Julie is well-versed in the use of technology to support strong instructional practices,” said Superintendent Stan Rheingans. “Her expertise in this area, combined with her strong relationships across the district and her deep familiarity with our instructional practices, make her an excellent fit for this new position.”

Julie currently works at the district level as a teacher on special assignment overseeing elementary science, social studies and technology. Prior to this, she was the district’s lead elementary technology coach, technology integration coach at Kennedy Elementary School, and a teacher at both Kennedy and Lincoln Elementary School.

She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in education, as well as an instructional coach certificate from the University of Northern Iowa. In 2019, she completed her master of arts degree in educational leadership also from UNI.

The Dubuque Community School District has again been honored with the Best Communities for Music Education designation from The NAMM Foundation for its outstanding commitment to music education. The district is one of 754 school districts across the country, and one of five in Iowa, to receive the 2020 designation.

Now in its 21st year, the Best Communities for Music Education designation is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement in efforts to provide music access and education to all students. To qualify for the Best Communities designation, the district answered detailed questions about funding, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time, facilities, and support for the music programs. Responses were then verified with school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

In order to assist in providing support for students and families needing internet connectivity, the Dubuque Community School District has purchased and installed outdoor wireless access points to provide free Wi-Fi access in parking lots at all 19 school buildings in the district. The district will be adding signage to these locations in the future.

These access points provide free internet access between 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. District-owned devices issued to staff and students will connect automatically to the district network as they do normally. Users with non-district devices can select the “DCSD-Public” Wif-Fi network. Those utilizing a Wi-Fi zone will be able to do so from their vehicle in order to reinforce appropriate physical distancing efforts.

Locations are as follows:

• Alta Vista Campus: Bus Lane
• Audubon Elementary School: Staff Parking Lot
• Bryant Elementary School: Staff Parking Lot
• Carver Elementary School: Bus Lane
• Eisenhower Elementary School: Upper Staff Parking Lot
• Fulton Elementary School: Staff Parking Lot
• Hempstead High School: Bus Lane and Main Entrance (Flagpole) Parking Lot
• Hoover Elementary School: Staff Parking Lot
• Irving Elementary School: Main Parking Lot
• Jefferson Middle School: Rear Parking Lot
• Kennedy Elementary School: Bus Lane
• Lincoln Elementary School: Bus Lane
• Marshall Elementary School: Staff Parking Lot
• Prescott Elementary School: Bus Lane
• Roosevelt Middle School: Front Drop Off by Library and Rear Bus Lane
• Sageville Elementary School: Bus Lane
• Senior High School: Bus Lane and Main Parking Lot Near Dalzell Field Ticket Booth
• Table Mound Elementary School: Main Parking Lot Near Entrance
• Washington Middle School: Parking Lot Near Smokestack

The Dubuque Community School District saw an overall increase of 56 students for the 2019-2020 school year, as compared to last year, according to the district’s tentative certified enrollment numbers. The numbers will be reviewed and finalized by the Iowa Department of Education by November 1.

Certified enrollment is the benchmark formula that districts across the state use to report student attendance – and is the key factor in determining the amount of funding districts receive. Because of the complexity of a district’s student makeup, it is also the most accurate indicator and uniform measure of student attendance in the state.

This year, the district’s tentative certified enrollment is 10,486 students across 18 schools as well as the district’s Alta Vista Campus, which houses the Alternative Learning Center, Summit Program, HEART Program and the district’s new Cornerstone Academy.

“Rising enrollment numbers are a positive sign for the district, even with the increase being small,” said Stan Rheingans, superintendent of schools. “We hope to see this trend of incremental growth continue moving forward and, as always, remain committed to providing the highest-quality education to each and every student who walks through our door.”

Brenda Duvel

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Brenda Duvel as the district’s next executive director of special education. Duvel will assume this position after serving as principal of Kennedy Elementary School during the 2018-2019 school year.

In this role, Duvel will be responsible for the overall management and coordination of the district’s special education program, while also serving as a liaison between the district, the Area Education Agency, parents and the various community agencies.

“As our search progressed, it became increasingly clear that Brenda possesses the right special education expertise, leadership experience and interpersonal skills to lead this critical area of the district into the future,” said Stan Rheingans, superintendent of schools. “We are pleased to welcome her to our executive leadership team.”

Read More about “Kennedy Principal Named District Executive Director of Special Education”

The 2019 editions of two state-level awards from the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) have been presented in Dubuque.

From left to right: ISEA President Mike Beranek, Superintendent Stan Rheingans, Executive Director of Human Resources Phil Kramer, and Dubuque Education Association President Tammy Duehr

The association announced that Dubuque Superintendent of Schools Stan Rheingans and Executive Director of Human Resources Phil Kramer are the 2019 recipients of the Iowa State Education Association’s TEAM Award.

Established in 1990, the ISEA’s TEAM award stands for Together, Educators and Administrators Make it Happen. The award honors school administrators who have worked to create collaborative, collegial working environments for staff in school buildings or districts. Any school administrators, current or retired, are eligible for the award.

Rheingans and Kramer were nominated for the award by the Dubuque Education Association’s executive board with words of praise and enthusiasm for their leadership, support and particular detail to a respectful environment for all.

“It is clear that Mr. Rheingans and Mr. Kramer care deeply about the students and education professionals in their care. They work hard to create a collegial work environment which promotes creativity and learning,” said Mike Beranek, President of ISEA. “At a time when respect and appreciation are sometimes lacking, their efforts are an outstanding example of how strong leadership is both effective and rewarding. We applaud their success in making Dubuque schools an inspiring place to work and look forward to many years of student growth and opportunity.”

Otto Krueger

ISEA also announced that Otto Krueger, a student mentor and former member of the Board of the Dubuque Community Schools is a recipient of the Iowa State Education Association’s 2019 Friend of Education Award.

Krueger began mentoring at Prescott Elementary School and was paired with a kindergartner who he helped with reading and other skills. Meeting with the student and his family over the summer, Krueger was able to continue mentoring and helping throughout the next 13 years. Upon graduation, the student will be attending college having grown and thrived with the positive connection and relationship he established with Krueger.

“A good mentoring relationship can make such a huge difference in the lives of our students. The time, energy and commitment that Otto put forth is remarkable and should be honored and celebrated,” said Mike Beranek. “We are so grateful to the many wonderful mentors, like Otto who help positively change the paths of so many young students every day. This is our way to say thank you. We are pleased to be able to honor him with our Friend of Education Award.”

ISEA’s Friend of Education Award honors citizens who give their time and energy, but pays special tribute to one individual or group who has made a significant contribution to education. The award recognizes that education is a total community effort and that we must combine efforts to provide for our students.

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Joe Maloney as the district’s next director of activities and athletics, pending approval by the district Board of Education at its May meeting.

Maloney, who currently serves as principal of Carver Elementary School, will assume the position full-time on July 1. He will succeed Amy Hawkins, who is leaving the position to become the district’s next executive director of human resources.
Read More about “Maloney Named District’s Next Director of Activities and Athletics”

The following message was sent to district families and staff on Thursday, April 18, 2019

Dear Families,

After the winter we had this year, it was hard to imagine spring arriving – but we made it!

As planned, we are now looking ahead to the calendar for the remainder of the school year. With the last day of school on June 7, we know that there is at least the possibility of some heat-related issues as we near the year’s final weeks.

With our bank of available hours depleted (even after the addition of the extra 25 minutes to the school day), we will move forward with adjustments to the Friday late arrival schedule for the last four Fridays of the year to ensure enough instructional time to meet the state requirement. To accomplish this:

All schools in the Dubuque Community School District will CANCEL the scheduled Friday-morning, one-hour late arrivals on May 17, May 24, May 31 and June 7.

SCHOOL ON THESE FOUR FRIDAYS WILL START ON THE NORMAL MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY START TIME.

This time will provide us with the flexibility to accommodate any heat issues that may arise.

I would again like to thank each of you for the many accommodations you made this past winter. We look forward to a great spring of learning and I wish you and your student all the best as we complete the school year.

Sincerely,
Stan Rheingans
Superintendent of Schools