Midland, Maq Valley to share superintendent

     It is with sadness that we found out recently that the Midland Times will cease operations; its last edition was March 24. The Midland Times is part of the fabric of the Midland School District and local communities it serves. A local newspaper is what makes rural Iowa such a wonderful place in which to live. Shirley Jones did a wonderful job of covering all events in the area and promoting the events that play a key role in living in small town Iowa. Personally, I will really miss the newspaper and had planned on continuing with a subscription after my retirement. Vicki and I have subscribed to our local hometown newspapers ever since we were first married. The local newspaper allows a way to stay connected for those that move away. Thank you, Shirley, for all you have done.

     The Midland Board took official action on March 20 to share the superintendent position with Maquoketa Valley. Doug Tuetken is the superintendent at Maquoketa Valley and brings a wealth of experience to the table as part of the sharing agreement. Mr. Tuetken is familiar with Midland due to our affiliation with the Tri-Rivers Conference. Mr. Tuetken will officially take over his duties with Midland on July 1. I will be working with Mr. Tuetken in any way I can to make the transition as smooth as possible for him and the school district. I vow my dedication and commitment to Midland. A lot has been accomplished over the last eight years and the future is bright. I am proud of what the board, staff and community have done to put Midland in its current position.

     Speaking of being proud, I am extremely proud of our students. They are fine young people who will do well in the future. We often see the athletic events and watch with great anticipation their contests or games. However, our students do much more than just athletics. Our variety show provided good entertainment for our community members. Our speech kids have done well in district and state competitions. Our drama and musical productions were well done. The FFA had their annual banquet and awards night. The students did a great job of speaking in front of a large group of people. The community support of the dessert auction hosted a blood drive on March 24. Our students do care and they have staff members who also care and put forth a lot of time and energy to support their efforts.

     The building project is moving along. From the information that I have been provided, it appears that we will not be ready to occupy the classrooms by the time school starts in the fall. A more realistic timeline would be able to move into the classrooms by the end of October or early November. Certain parts of the project will be done before that. The shop area and safe room/wrestling practice area are now ready for occupancy and we will be moving the shop very soon. The new gym and locker rooms should be completed and ready for use by the middle of August. The general contractor and architect are continuing to look at the schedule and trying to get multiple things done at the same time in order to get finished as soon as possible.