(Radio Iowa) – The Pocahontas Area Schools superintendent is responding to a petition that challenges his ongoing employment with the district. The petition regarding Joe Kramer cites concerns over issues including staff turnover, declining enrollment, alleged retaliation, spending issues, and a possible hostile working environment. Those issues were brought up by several residents during the public comments session at this week’s Pocahontas Area school board meeting.

“We’re listening. I’m listening to the concerns of those coming to board meetings and we’re utilizing the resources as effectively as I think we possibly can to best meet the needs of students and to address as many of the concerns of the community as we can,” he says. “We can always use more resources but we’re continuing to improve, I believe, focus on improving the district’s educational services being offered.”

The district has recently moved the locations of the board meetings to better accommodate the public, and has also improved its live streaming service. Kramer says the topics mentioned in the petition signed by over 230 residents have been shared in recent months, and he says to his knowledge there have been no claims to back up any of the concerns…”Every school district, especially rural school districts have challenges associated with budgets. We’ve got limited funds coming in, new monies coming from the state. And for those districts that are growing quickly, that does not translate into a lot of new money,” Kramer says. “I believe our wages are competitive. The board offered retention bonuses for returning contracts last year to all employees. But, I’m not going downplay the fact that these are difficult times for everybody.”

Kramer says all small, rural districts faced challenges during the pandemic, and he doesn’t believe Pocahontas Area is unique in that regard. Kramer says the school district doesn’t have the power to change all of the things that residents are frustrated about. No action was taken at Monday’s meeting as the Department of Education and school attorney advised the district a petition is not a means for the school board to change an employment decision. Kramer says the board is likely continuing the process with legal counsel. The Pocahontas Area school board president hasn’t responded to a call for comment.

BREDA, Iowa — Multiple firefighting crews responded to a reported explosion at a northwest Iowa golf course, late Thursday morning. According to the Breda Golf Club Facebook page, the course’ shed was a total loss from the smoke and fire damage. There were no injuries reported. The incident occurred at around 11:30-a.m.

Crews from the Breda Community Fire Department, Auburn, Arcadia, and Carroll Fire Departments, along with Manning Medic 6 and Breda Medic were on the scene. (Click on photos to enlarge)

Arcadia FD Facebook photo

Arcadia FD Facebook photo

Breda Golf Club FB photo

Breda Golf Club FB photo

The Arcadia fire chief told KTIV in Sioux City, that a golf cart battery charger may have sparked the explosion.

(Radio Iowa) – The board which governs the three state universities will ask the Iowa Legislature to increase funding for the schools by 32 million dollars next year. University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook says they want to use the extra money to help with tuition. He says there should be a bigger difference between what students pay at U-N-I compared to the research schools.

“The four million that we are asking for to help us differentiate will help us keep our tuition down for all of our students, and provide better access for students across the state of Iowa,” Nook says. University of Iowa president, Barbra Wilson, says they will target one particular area.

“We are really laser-focused on nursing. This is one of the workforce issues I think president Nook pointed this out already. People are calling on the need for more nursing — not just in Iowa — but across the country,” Wilson says. Wilson says they are also looking to bring in more first-generation college students.

Iowa State University President Wendy Wintersteen says the amount of money coming from the state has gone up and down in the last decade, but is currently about the same as it was in 2014. “And when you factor in inflation it’s more like a 25 percent decrease in funding because of the purchasing power of a dollar that has declined so much,” Wintersteen says.

The request is nearly seven percent more than what was approved last year. The legislature approved a five-and-a-half million dollar increase — which was about one third of what the universities had requested.

(Radio Iowa) – The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is ending its Eating Disorder Program’s inpatient care this fall. The program provides intensive residential treatment for individuals 16 and older managing a severe eating disorder. Hospital officials say they’re redistributing funding to take on the growing numbers of Iowans with acute mental health care needs. Twenty-two-year-old April Bannister is currently in the program and will be among the last participants.

“It leaves me in a pretty precarious position, but I might have the partial program,” Bannister says. “If nothing else, I will have my outpatient team, and honestly, I’m one of the lucky ones that I have two people who are specialized in eating disorders.” Bannister has anorexia, an eating disorder characterized by unhealthily low body weight and a fear of gaining weight. During dangerous episodes, she has been admitted to the hospital for monitoring. Most recently in July, her therapist confronted her about being severely underweight. That day, she committed Bannister to her seventh hospital stay. Bannister is stunned the program is being discontinued.

“It’s terrifying quite honestly. This program, while it has its issues, does save lives,” she says. “It has saved my life on more than one occasion and it’s saved my life seven times, each time that I’ve been admitted.” A spokesperson for the U-I-H-C says the decision to end the program was not made lightly, and a range of services for people with eating disorders will continue, including intensive partial hospitalization and other outpatient programming.

(reporting by Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio)