IOWA-GRANT PANTHER PRESS

A brief summary of the district's finances, current and projected, is followed by an opinion piece on artificial intelligence (AI).

Note: this article is 100 % AI free in its content.

Our district’s financial picture has stabilized, finishing in the black for the second year in row. The 2025-2026 fiscal year budget ended with a surplus, and the board of education again designated the surplus toward capital improvements so that we can maximize our eligibility for general state aid. Long outstanding facility needs are being addressed on a multi-year schedule. The locker room renovation is nearing completion, on time, and except for some contingencies, on budget. On a side note, 100% of our high school students passed the AP English exam. Congratulations to our students and their English teacher Jill Montgomery. Iowa-Grant is becoming a destination school district.

For the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the state will again provide no additional general aid to cover the $325 per pupil allowable increase in revenue authority. Iowa-Grant was in the minority of districts that received a slight increase in state aid for the upcoming year, so the estimated increase $24,000, coupled with attrition in staffing should help. However, any increase in allowable spending will again be borne directly by property owners and not supported by the state. A bill in a special session of legislature late this spring failed in the Senate. As a result the state surplus will neither be used to offset the cost of special education nor to provide any significant increase in general state aid. Our enrollment projections look positive, gaining students at all levels and closing the gap on open enrollment out vs open enrollment in. We are cooperating with Highland Community Schools for athletics as their participation numbers make it difficult to field teams. The board of education has already begun to work on the the superintendent search with plans to conduct a staff and community survey on what constituents are looking for in their next leader. There are many reasons for Panther Pride. Now on to AI.

At a recent regional meeting, we were encouraged to consider the impact AI is having and will have on education. It is challenging basic assumptions, and our students and teachers may already being using it more than we know. Students are finding it easy to use AI in completing assignments, teachers can use it in designing and grading assignments. A scenario was imagined of teachers creating an assignment with AI, students completing it with AI, and the teacher then grading it with AI. ‘Seems like pretty soon we won’t have to think anymore. The message at our meeting seemed to be that AI is coming whether we like it or not, and so we had better try to get out ahead of it. Perhaps we have other options. Big tech pushed addictive algorithms to our children and called it social media, when in fact, social media is harmful to our children and anything but socially productive. Now we are taking steps to get the cellphones out of classrooms.

When we don’t have to, or don’t care to think anymore, we end up things like with a map of Africa being presented by our Department of State at an international conference in which every country is mislabeled. Even a clever teacher knew where Madagascar was when a trap was laid for students who might look to the AI in completing their homework essay. We will likely need to design a curriculum to teach our students about the risks and appropriate use of AI. At the same time, I’d like to see our emphasis on the development of critical thinking skills, and what really works in training the mind to be sharper, not duller. I am afraid the AI path will lead to intellectual laziness. It is becoming evident that there is a political side to the AI story as well, brilliantly documented by Karen Hao in her book, Empire of AI, Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI. It is questionable whether or not the AI push is in the best interest of humanity. It seems certain that AI will be detrimental to the humanities.

I propose we delay joining the AI bandwagon for the upcoming year and instead continue our focus on the journey we started last year, building on our science of reading efforts at IGEMS by supporting writing in all subjects. The writing process develops the mind and critical thinking abilities. And, we can emphasize writing on paper without computer assistance.

Across the country schools are rethinking screen time in favor of the old fashioned, putting a pen to paper. AI will unavailable to students when the page is blank, the pen is the tool, and their own mind, lived experience and teacher support are the only resources. Research seems to support the merits of writing on paper instead of a screen. While we can’t bury our heads in the sand, we can keep or focus what has been known to work.

Throughout my career, I have been enamored with the Reggio Emilia approach to education ala the “One Hundred Languages of Children." I was appalled to read a headline in Singapore about teaching kindergarten students social and emotional learning with robots. From what I see, the Reggio approach will stand the test of time with AI and robots as teachers. The same holds true for writing without a computer. I recall a curriculum director's comment when Google was all the rage. “If a student can look up the answer on Google, then we are asking the wrong questions.” I think the there is a corollary here for the newest, A.I. challenge. Let's write and keep the focus on thinking!

Michael Shimshak

Check out Bound - the new way to check out IGSD Activities calendar

Iowa-Grant School District has switched from PowerSchool to Skyward. Parents/Guardians and students received an email in July from noreply@igs.k12.wi.us with a link to create your account. If you haven't accessed the Skyward link, please click on resend link and it will email you a new link. If you have not received that email, please contact Alisha Martin (IGHS) at amartin@igs.k12.wi.us or 608-943-6312, ext. 2054 or Danielle Hasburgh (IGEMS) at dhasburgh@igs.k12.wi.us or 608-943-6311, ext. 1054.

The Free and Reduced Lunch Application can be found on you Parent/Guardian Skyward Account. It can be filled out by selecting the Food Service Applications tile and following the instructions for completing and submitting the application.

8/10 6:30 PM IGSD School Board Meeting

8/17 6:00 PM Iowa-Grant Booster Club Meeting - IGHS Cafeteria

8/20 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Back to School Night

8/20 5:00 PM Freshmen & New Student Orientation - IGHS IMC

A huge THANK YOU to Marsha Wyatt and Aspen Ridge for giving our IGHS lower mall a much-needed makeover! We truly appreciate your time and creativity in helping make our school a more welcoming and beautiful place.

A special shoutout to former IGHS alum BreAnn Kohlenberg for all of her help with the project! We are grateful for your continued connection to and support of our school community.

Congratulations! All fifteen students in Mrs. Montgomery’s AP English: Literature and Composition class passed the national exam, taken in early May. This 100% pass rate beat both the Wisconsin pass rate of 81% and the global pass rate of 71% on this prestigious exam for 2026. Well done, Panthers.

Back Row - 1-r - Will Fulton, Quentin Koss, Noah Lange, Everett Zimmer, Adeline Foley, Laila Ritchie, Alexandria Sporle, Trenton Pelton

Front Row - 1-r - Abigail Hake, Lucinda Spurley, Ellison Moen, Trinity Baker, Pajessa Baker, Quinn Hoeper, Gabriella Munson, Mrs. Montgomery

Happy August!

School supplies are appearing on store shelves, and it is hard to believe that the start of another school year is just around the corner! We are excited to welcome Chelsie Walter to our front office staff, where she will be working alongside the amazing Danielle Hasburgh. We are thrilled to have Chelsie join our team!

I have had the opportunity to see many of our students throughout the summer during summer school. A big thank-you goes to all of the teachers and volunteers who helped make our summer school programs possible. Your time, energy, and dedication are greatly appreciated.

We also enjoyed a wonderful week with the Missoula Children’s Theatre, which presented The Emperor’s New Clothes August 3–8. Students performed on Friday, August 7, at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 8, at 10:00 a.m. The students did a tremendous job, and we are so proud of their hard work and commitment. Thank you to our two Missoula directors, as well as our local directors, Heather Mayne and Darcy Breuer, for making this experience possible for our students.

I would also like to thank our volunteer coaches, Christi Kennicker, Brittany Nicksic, and Karyssa Prohaska, for their assistance with our T-ball and Coach Pitch programs. We appreciate the time and effort they put into making these programs a success. A special thank-you also goes to our PTC for providing the concession stand throughout the season. We are grateful to everyone who helped make these summer activities such a success.

We are looking forward to welcoming our 4K students beginning August 17 with our Jump Start to 4K program. We are also excited to welcome our staff, students, and families back for Back to School Night on August 20.

Before we know it, our hallways will once again be filled with the energy and excitement of students and staff. We look forward to seeing everyone back full-time very soon!

As always, please reach out to the office if there is anything we can do to support you or your family. We are looking forward to a wonderful school year!