Southeast Polk
During the 1940's, Polk County was a jigsaw puzzle of fifty-five different independent school districts. Of these districts, seventeen had high schools, the rest had only elementary schools. The non-high school districts paid tuition for older children to attend school.
There was a great disparity among the districts in the amount of money that could be spent on education. Some districts were richer than others due to the higher value of the land, or having industry, or having a larger area with few students. The tiny district of Babbitt had a mileage rate (amount paid in tax per $1,000 assessed valuation of property) of 126.25 in 1949 but this only brought in under $500 per pupil. In contrast, Pleasant Hill School, which was just south of Babbitt, had a mileage rate of 2.436 and could spend over $3,000 per pupil.
These two facts, a hodgepodge of school districts, and a large difference in educational spending were the impetus behind the idea of large-scale mergers of many districts into one. Ralph C. Norris, the Polk County Superintendent of Schools, formulated the idea of bringing school districts together in the southeastern part of the county.
"Share the Wealth"
On March 21, 1949, a public hearing was held at the Pleasant Hill school building to get the public's opinion on consolidation. The proposal discussed was the joining of several districts in southeastern Polk County into one school. Several persons, particularly those from Pleasant Hill, objected to the size that a super district would be and to the rise in their tax rates.
Norris, and the proponents of the new district, argued that though there would be some initial transportation problems, those would be worked out. They agreed that the mileage rates for some
While the public meeting did not cause anyone to change his mind on the consolidation issue, it served as an indicator of the decade-long battle to come. The major issue of money and how much property owners should pay was defined. The second important issue of quality education for children was to also be intertwined with money. Enough citizens in southeastern Polk County became interested in school consolidation to form a citizen's committee headed by C. C. Glenn and later by Edwin Fox. In April of 1953 they circulated petitions to ask the county school boards for a vote on the issue. The petition that was circulated proposed combining eleven school districts in the eastern part of Polk County, and a district in the western part of Jasper County. The new district was to be called the "Consolidated Independent School District of Southeastern Polk and Jasper Counties, Iowa." It would replace the school districts of Altoona, Mitchellville, Runnells Consolidated, North Camp Township, Beaver Township, Clay Township, Four Mile Township, Babbitt, West Independent, Franklin No.5 and Pleasant Hill in Polk County. The Jasper County school was Washington Township.
As the petition was being taken around, the Pleasant Hill school board did not know about it. Without any prior consultation, the petition was shown to the three directors of Pleasant Hill (Joe Pierick, president). Ralph Grant, a member of the board, asked to borrow the petition. The next day, he and Fred "Chick" Chmura took the petition to the people of Iowa Power and Light Company. The board of Pleasant Hill and the directors of Ipalco felt the reason for including Pleasant Hill school in the proposed district was to get the tax money from the Ipalco plant. Or, as Grant put it, “We had something, and they wanted it.”