News Releases

The Dubuque Community School District will host a Career Hiring Event for members of the Class of 2023 who are seeking full-time employment after high school on Wednesday, May 10, from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Dubuque Senior High School Cafeteria. 

The event is open to all graduating seniors. Registration is requested, but not required.

REGISTER NOW!

The event will give graduates looking to move directly into the area workforce after graduation the chance to visit with employers about job opportunities, pay, benefits and more.

There will also be the opportunity for on-the-spot interviews and immediate offers are possible.

Over 30 area employers will be in attendance, including:

• AccessDubuqueJobs.com
• AY McDonald
• BEAMS LLC (multiple companies)
• Bodine Electric Company
• Brown NationaLease
• Carpenters Local 678
• Cottingham & Butler
• Cummer Masonry Inc.
• Dixon Tug Service
• Dupaco Community Credit Union
• DuTrac Community Credit Union
• Express Employment Professionals
• FedEx Ground
• Giese Sheet Metal Co Inc
• Grand River Medical Group
• Hawkeye Care Center
• Hills & Dales
• Kloeckner Metals
• Kwik Stop / Dairy Queen
• Laborers Local 43
• Lime Rock Springs Co
• Lime Rock Springs Co/Pepsi Dubuque
• McCoy Group
• Mediacom
• Medical Associates
• MercyOne Medical Center
• Mi-T-M Corporation
• NICC
• Paramount Ambulance
• Progressive Processing (Hormel)
• Sedgwick
• Stonehill Communities
• Sunnycrest Manor
• Truck Country
• UnityPoint Health – Finley Hospital
• Universal Tank & Fabrication

THIS EVENT IS AN
EXPLORATION + APPLICATION
OPPORTUNITY

Learn more about the
VERTEX Initiative at
www.dbqschools.org/vertex.

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announce plans to establish a preschool center in Dubuque’s industrial center that will provide access to the district’s high-quality preschool programming while offering streamlined access to wraparound childcare services.

Pending School Board approval, plans call for the District to begin offering preschool programming in the new center in fall 2024, while also retaining preschool classrooms in each of its elementary schools.

The project, to be developed on the site of the former Medline facility at 7900 Chavenelle Road, is a partnership between the Dubuque Community Schools, Dubuque Initiatives and the Dubuque Community Y, which will offer wraparound childcare on site. The building was purchased in December by Dubuque Initiatives.

“Development of this center is truly an example of community partnership at work,” said Superintendent Amy Hawkins. “Partners came around the table with a goal of addressing Dubuque’s childcare needs and aligning them with strong early childhood education. The result will be a combination of services that gives families a new kind of flexibility with preschool and wraparound care seamlessly integrated in one state-of-the-art location.”

As part of the plan, the District would renovate an 18,000-square-foot portion of the facility into a preschool center with space for up to 10 preschool classrooms, as well as student common areas, sensory areas, meal preparation and services spaces, student support spaces and administrative offices. The facility will also include a dedicated preschool playground outdoors and a dedicated entryway.

This new preschool center will be adjacent to a full-service childcare center operated by the Dubuque Community Y, allowing for a seamless transition for preschool students moving from or into wraparound care before and after preschool.
Read More about “District to Create Preschool Center to Expand Early Childhood Options”

The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is proud to announce Greg Moklestad, 9-12 Computer Science and Engineering Instructor at Dubuque Senior High School in Dubuque, Iowa, has been named as a recipient of the 2023 Iowa STEM Teacher Award, sponsored by Kemin Industries. The award is given to six educators each year who go above and beyond to inspire student interest in and awareness of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Dubuque Senior Teacher Greg Moklestad (center) receives the Iowa STEM Teacher Award from Heidi Hall of Kemin Industries and Jeff Beneke of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Council.

Now in its ninth year, the award is given annually to one full-time, licensed preK-12 teacher from each of the six STEM regions in Iowa. Each recipient is honored for their efforts to foster enthusiasm and inspire a passion for STEM that goes beyond the classroom and helps prepare students for future high-demand careers.

Moklestad is being recognized for his work in reimagining the school’s engineering program and bringing new life to the subject, as seen by increased enrollment in his classes and the need for additional courses to meet interest levels. He recognizes that success in the 21st century revolves around a healthy STEM education and focuses on creating strong relationships with his students and providing access to real-world experiences to increase awareness of STEM opportunities.

Molkestad created a partnership with the John Deere Dubuque Works Facility where students have the opportunity to work on intern level engineering projects with John Deere engineer mentors. His work on this trail-blazing program will not only benefit students at his school, but also allows for other schools to partner with John Deere using structures similar to what he set up.

In addition to his classroom work, Moklestad is a co-founder of the Dubuque Senior High School’s FIRST Robotics team, participates in STEM outreach programs, and continually looks for ways to stay up-to-date with STEM careers and the industry.

As a recipient of the 2023 Iowa STEM Teacher Award, Moklestad will receive $1,500 to use for his classroom and $1,500 for personal use. He recently received his award and a small celebration at his school and will later be honored, along with his fellow recipients, in a recognition ceremony during STEM Day at the Fair at the Iowa State Fair.

About the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council
Established in July 2011 via Governor’s Executive Order, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is a public-private partnership of educators, companies and Iowa students and families addressing policies and programs designed to improve Iowa’s educational system focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The STEM Council works to engage and prepare students for a career-ready workforce path, regain our state’s historic leadership position in education and provide a vital competitive economic advantage now, and for the future, to ensure that every Iowa student has access to world-class STEM education opportunities. The 62-member STEM Council is co-chaired by Governor Kim Reynolds and Foundation Analytical Laboratory Owner and Director of Technical Services Diane Young. For more information, visit https://iowastem.org.

About Kemin Industries
Kemin Industries (www.kemin.com) is a global ingredient manufacturer that strives to sustainably transform the quality of life every day for 80 percent of the world with its products and services. The company supplies over 500 specialty ingredients for human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textile, biofuel and animal vaccine industries.

For over half a century, Kemin has been dedicated to using applied science to address industry challenges and offer product solutions to customers in more than 120 countries. Kemin provides ingredients to feed a growing population with its commitment to the quality, safety and efficacy of food, feed and health-related products.

Established in 1961, Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated company with more than 3,000 global employees and operations in 90 countries, including manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Italy, San Marino, Singapore, South Africa and the United States.

A study conducted to determine next steps in the Dubuque Community School District moving from three middle schools to two has concluded with a recommendation from the planning team that facilities are expanded or reconstructed facilities on the Washington Middle School Site.

The recommendation was presented at the facilities/support services committee meeting on February 6 and will also be presented to the full board at its February 13 meeting. In April, the School Board voted to approve a goal of moving to a two middle school model by fall 2026, with a focus on creating feeder schools to the district’s two high schools.

Consolidation into two middle schools would ensure that all district middle school students have access to similar, high-quality learning spaces, while also resulting in a reduction of approximately $3.4 million annually from the district’s operating budget.

“As we moved through the process, maintaining a school facility at the Washington Middle School site continued to emerge as the strongest, most efficient option,” said Laura Peterson, an architect with INVISION. “The site is a cornerstone of the community given its central location and high visibility. The site also provides numerous options for expansion to develop a larger school that focuses on providing high-quality modern learning spaces for students.”

The study, led by Iowa-based INVISION Architecture, included baseline data collection and analysis of the district’s current middle schools, benchmarking against best practices, analysis of potential consolidation locations, and conceptual work to illustrate how a school could be situation on the site. Feedback was sought throughout the study process from various district stakeholder groups and a community task force including administrators, parents, teachers and community members moved in-depth through the process as it unfolded.

At the committee meeting, Tim Oswald from Piper Sandler also presented information to the Board related to funding available to the district through the Securing an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) fund as well as other potential funding sources, including possible efforts to obtain a general obligation bond through a ballot issue. Expansion or reconstruction of the school is estimated to cost between $65 million and $120 million depending on the scenario selected. Depending on the agreed upon scope, a general obligation bond could also allow the district to more quickly address additional infrastructure needs, such as climate control across all district facilities.

“This recommendation is the first step in charting the future of the district, both in providing high-quality learning spaces to all off our students while also increasing efficiency across the district,” said Amy Hawkins, superintendent of schools. “We look forward to future discussion with the Board to determine our path forward.”

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Julia Jorgenson as the new principal of Hempstead High School, pending approval by the Board of Education at its March meeting.

Jorgenson, who currently serves as assistant principal/registrar at Hempstead will succeed Lee Kolker, who will retire at the conclusion of the school year. When she assumes the position on July 1, Jorgenson will be the first woman to serve in this role in the history of Hempstead High School.

Julia Jorgenson

As principal of Hempstead, Jorgenson will be responsible for the strategic and day-to-day operations of the school, which serves approximately 1,600 students and has 200 professional and support staff.

“Julia is a well-respected leader who has built a strong network of relationships with staff and students at Hempstead,” said Superintendent Amy Hawkins. “This, combined with her strong instructional, communication and collaboration skills, make her an ideal fit to lead Hempstead into the future.”

Jorgenson currently serves as assistant principal/registrar at Hempstead, overseeing delivery of the school’s academic programming in addition to a wide range of administrative responsibilities including staff evaluation.

Prior to being named assistant principal, Jorgenson served as a mathematics teacher at Dubuque Senior High School since 2007, where she also served in a leadership role as instructional coach since 2014. She was mathematics department chair at Dubuque Senior from 2009-2014 and a mathematics teacher at Central Alternative High School from 2002-2007.

Jorgenson holds a bachelor of science degree with education certification from the University of Iowa as well as a master of arts in educational administration from the University of Northern Iowa. She is a member of School Administrators of Iowa.

The Dubuque Community School District is pleased to announced that 12 district buildings have earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Certification. This recognition is presented to the most energy efficient buildings in the country.

Board President Kate Parks and Superintendent Amy Hawkins are presented with the district’s Energy Star recognition from Abbi Hammann and Jesse Coulter from Cenergistic.

“ENERGY STAR recognition underscores our district’s commitment to energy efficiency,” said Dubuque Community School District Superintendent Amy Hawkins. “Our energy conservation efforts are saving taxpayer dollars while also helping protect the local environment and maintaining healthy, comfortable learning spaces for students and staff.”

To earn ENERGY STAR Certification, buildings must rate in the top 25 percent nationwide for energy efficiency and meet ventilation standards. Dubuque Community Schools has the 4th most ENERGY STAR certified K12 buildings of any school district in Iowa.

Dubuque Community School District buildings earning ENERGY STAR Certification include:

• Audubon Elementary School
• Carver Elementary School
• Eisenhower Elementary School
• Hempstead High School
• Irving Elementary School
• Kennedy Elementary School
• Marshall Elementary School
• Prescott Elementary School
• Roosevelt Middle School
• Sageville Elementary School
• Senior High School
• Table Mound Elementary School.

The cost of utilities is one of the largest operations budget line-item for Dubuque Community School District, and the prices for electricity, natural gas, water, and sewage have been steadily increasing. To combat these rising energy and utility costs, Dubuque Community School District entered into a partnership with Cenergistic to implement a comprehensive organizational behavior-driven energy conservation program throughout all its buildings and campuses. Cenergistic’s Energy Specialist Abbi Hammann ensures the conservation program reduces energy consumption, helping the district save valuable resources that can be used elsewhere.

Since partnering in 2019 with Cenergistic on a comprehensive energy conservation program, the district has avoided utility costs of nearly $1.6 million. From an environmental standpoint, this impact is the equivalent of reducing CO2 by 3,761 metric tons or planting nearly 97,000 trees in our community.

Registration for free four-year-old preschool in the Dubuque Community School District will begin on Monday, Jan. 9. This includes all 12 Dubuque public elementary schools offering preschool through the Statewide Voluntary Free Preschool Program.

Parents and guardians may register students in person at the selected site, beginning at 7 a.m. on Monday, January 9.

Proof-of-age, preferably a birth certificate, is required to register a student. Other accepted proof-of-age documents include a passport or signed immunization record.

Preschool registration paperwork is available to complete in advance beginning on the district’s preschool webpage or in-person at all elementary schools. You can also find registration details and forms, as well as additional preschool information, online at www.dbqschools.org/preschool.

Free four-year-old preschool is open to students who are four by September 15. For additional registration questions, individuals should contact the school they are interested in registering at.

Space may be limited in some facilities and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Enrollment for preschool is not based on geography and all sites are open to residents within the Dubuque Community School District.

In addition to spots in Dubuque’s public schools, a variety of community preschool partners also offer free four-year-old preschool.

The Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children is funded by the State of Iowa and facilitated locally by the Dubuque Community School District.

The Dubuque Community School District has released draft calendars for the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.

View the DRAFT 2023-2024 School Calendar

View the DRAFT 2024-2025 School Calendar

Feedback on the draft calendars is being accepted through Wednesday, Nov. 30.

COMPLETE THE DRAFT CALENDAR FEEDBACK FORM

The Dubuque Community School District will host a second informational meeting on the district’s middle school consolidation study on Tuesday, November 1, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Forum, 2300 Chaney Road.

At the meeting, the team from INVISION Architecture leading the study will provide an update on the process, share potential consolidation site locations, discuss considerations for each option, and allow those in attendance to provide feedback.

The INVISION team plans to complete its research gathering, analysis and community feedback in time to provide a recommendation by the end of the calendar year.

In April, the School Board voted to approve a goal of moving to a two middle school model by fall 2026, with a focus on creating feeder schools to the district’s two high schools. The study includes baseline data collection and analysis of the district’s current middle schools, benchmarking against best practices, and analysis of potential consolidation locations.

VIEW PRESENTATION MATERIALS FROM THE FIRST COMMUNITY MEETING

For those unable to attend, the presentation content will be shared on the district website at www.dbqschools.org following the meeting.

The Dubuque Community School District will host an informational meeting on the district’s middle school consolidation study on Thursday, Sept. 22, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Forum, 2300 Chaney Road.

In April, the School Board voted to approve a goal of moving to a two middle school model by fall 2026, with a focus on creating feeder schools to the district’s two high schools. The district is currently working with INVISION Architecture, an Iowa-based firm, on conducting a study and plan development to meet that goal.

The study includes feedback from a variety of constituent groups throughout the process, including a series of community informational meetings. The first half of the meeting will feature a presentation, followed by the opportunity for attendees to ask questions at a variety of topic-based stations during the meeting’s second half. The planning team from INVISION, the firm conducting the study, as well as district staff will be on hand to present and answer questions.

This first community meeting, with another to be held in October, will discuss the middle school planning process and intent, the state of the three current district middle schools, and a review data and benchmarking information. It will also include an early update on the consolidation study progress to date and a chance for attendees to provide feedback to inform the study moving forward.

For those unable to attend, the presentation content will be shared on the district website at www.dbqschools.org following the meeting.