February 22, 2025

Emerson Hough considered most ‘financially sound’ option in configuration

Newton school board continues discussions but seems close to making decision

Students of the Newton Community School District started their first day back to school on Aug. 23 at all seven buildings: Aurora Heights Elementary, Emerson Hough Elementary, Thomas Jefferson Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Elementary, Berg Middle School, Newton High School and WEST Academy.

School board members have not reached a decision regarding the configuration of elementary buildings in the Newton Community School District, but all agreed during a Sept. 25 work session that Emerson Hough Elementary is the most “financially sound” option of the three buildings being considered.

Robyn Friedman, president of the Newton school board, said, “It does feel like there is some board understanding that Emerson Hough is a financially sound decision to use as a school; that is a, without being controversial about whatever else we would use, is a pretty sound comment about that.”

According to information provided by FRK Architects & Engineers at the Sept. 11 work session, Emerson Hough was the most cost efficient option whether it was chosen to be converted to a preK-1 center for $6.6 million, a grades 2-4 center for $6.6 million or a preK-4 elementary school for $7.1 million.

Despite an extensive discussion that went beyond the allotted one-hour estimate, Friedman confided the purpose of the work session was to determine when people feel comfortable to put it on the agenda as an action item, but from what she had witnessed that night it still “doesn’t feel super comfortable right now.”

Part of the reason it feels that way is because there are so many variables to account for, school board member Travis Padget said; variables such as costs, the need for consistency across all buildings, transition impacts on students and staff culture, among others. Still, Padget said he is ready to make a decision.

“At some point, we have to put our foot in the water. We have to jump in. We can’t just keep touching it to see if it’s cold or hot,” Padget said, before adding it is a scary decision. “…It’s big decision for the future of our community and for the future of our administrators and our teachers and our students.”

The school board’s decision will ultimately affect the lives of the future generation’s families who call Newton home.

“It’s very serious,” Padget said.

Again, school board member Ray Whipple pushed for building a new school over following through with the proposed remodels and additions. But this time the district’s architectural firm came prepared with more accurate price tags that still do not include land acquisition. Even then, there wasn’t much board support.

The cost to build a preK-1 building would be about $16 million; the cost of a grades 2-4 center would cost $20 million; and the cost of making two buildings preK-4 would cost $18 million each.

Community feedback from surveys and town halls lobbied for more concern around maintaining a west side school, like Thomas Jefferson Elementary or Woodrow Wilson Elementary, with the latter ultimately decided by administrators to be unfeasible due to it being too small for the amount of extra space needed.

Still, there is community pressure to choose a west side option, with the only viable building left being Thomas Jefferson. Whipple and Padget consider Emerson Hough and Aurora Heights to be on the same side of town. School board member Donna Cook said they are not even close to each other.

“But I think 90 percent of the community feels that way,” Whipple said.

School board member Liz Hammerly said, “Which is great, but I go back to we have facilities — baseball, softball, football — on the south side of town. We have Berg over on that side of town. The high school is in a different location. We are a Newton community spread across our town.”

Emerson Hough is technically considered by school district boundaries to be on the west side, along with Thomas Jefferson and Woodrow Wilson, but only just. Superintendent Tom Messinger said by the City of Newton boundaries, Emerson Hough would be considered east of central.

The district map extends far beyond city limits.

If the school board is in consensus that Emerson Hough should stick around, Padget suggested the decision essentially boils down to: Aurora Heights or Thomas Jefferson. But Friedman discouraged board members deciding between the two building in a work session since it could be considered a voted on action.

“If we’ve already spoken about a comfort level with Emerson Hough, and then you’re going to ask people to weigh in between, I’m a little uncomfortable just going around and having people say that,” Friedman said.

Padget said, “I’m alright with that. I just want to move. I want to keep moving forward. I don’t want to sit here for another hour-and-a-half … after an hour-and-a-half, after an hour-and-a-half, after an hour-and-a-half, without making some progress forward.”

Friedman proposed putting the decision on an agenda item, fearing the board would keep nitpicking at work sessions until a decision is met. Padget recommended it be classified as an action/discussion item, so if the board is not ready to make that decision they can stop.

“If we make it an action item, we can really parse it out to see are we all close enough on the same page or not,” Padget said.

Christopher Braunschweig

Christopher Braunschweig

Christopher Braunschweig has a strong passion for community journalism and covers city council, school board, politics and general news in Newton, Iowa and Jasper County.