The Courier from Waterloo, Iowa • 3

Alt VALLEY TUESDAY MARCH 18, 2008 A3 WATERLOO www.wcfcourier.com CEDAR FALLS STORY TIP? CALL 291-1445 or e-mail nancy.newhoffwcfcourler.com THE COURIER chools lengthen day to shorten year CALLTHE COURIER Questions concerning Issues are taken on a special Courier phone line at 234-3566 Questions are answered by Courier staff and staff at trie Waterloo Public Library. the problem at the start of the school year next year," Patera said. Extending a school day sends ripples through nearly every school-related function. Students leaving home earlier may have a hard time adjusting or encounter problems with after-school activities like band or track. After-school programs also will have to change times.

The addition also means teachers had to agree to an extra half hour tacked onto their contract-day, said Bob Cue, Dunkerton's superintendent. "There's many considerations involved in making this work," Cue said. "It's not just adding 15 minutes to the day and calling it good." day, but that got snowed out. "This is the worst winter I've experienced as an educator," Peterson said. Peterson said he decided to bring up a half-hour extension after hearing about Dubuque's plans.

He said on average, the district has three or four days to make up at the end. The addition of 12 was "pretty significant." "In my opinion, that's not a good situation for anyone," Peterson said. The half-hour extension will reduce that total by five days. The board gave final approval to the plan, and new calendar, Monday night. Contact Josh Nelson at (319) 291-1565 or Josh.nelsonw(courier.com.

Dunkerton and Wapsie approved their plans Monday night, the latest in Iowa to add to its days. The Dubuque and West Dubuque school districts were first, extending their days earlier this year. Patera said Oelwein's longer days began Wednesday. That along with using days reserved for spring break and staff development should recoup about seven of the nine snow days. In all, 25 school days were affected by weather, he said.

The decision to lengthen the days was influenced heavily by construction projects on three school buildings scheduled to begin this summer. "Extending the summer clear into June was potentially hying But that may be better than running into scheduling conflicts with summer school or other activities. Dunkerton has 10 snow days this year. Three of those will be made up through a combination of longer days and scheduling. Things are a little more flexible in the Wapsie Valley, which missed 12 days.

The school day is set by Superintendent Dan Peterson, and he extended the day March 10. The board of education must approve extensions to the school calendar. Two school days were canceled because of participation in state tournaments for the Warriors' football and volleyball teams. Presidents Day in Wapsie Valley was supposed to be a makeup By JOSH NELSON Courier Staff Writer FAIRBANK Three area districts are extending school days to make up for dozens of cancelations caused by the fierce winter weather. Oelwein, Wapsie Valley and Dunkerton approved plans to add a half hour to the day.

District officials said they are hoping to avoid going far into June to make up all the lost time. "Educationally, we recognize this is not the best situation to do," said Jim Patera, Oelwein's superintendent. "But we also recognize this has been a horrendous winter, and hopefully we'll never be faced with something like this again in our lifetimes." Q. What is the county doing with the money it receives for road repair? I don't see any results; where is this money going? A. The caller can view the entire county road spending budget at the Black Hawk County Courthouse.

All of the money the county receives for road maintenance and repair is spent on road maintenance and repair, based on the audits conducted each year. County officials have said the money available for road construction in the past has been inadequate to meet the needs, which is why voters approved a sales tax referendum and county supervisors authorized borrowing more than $10 million to beef up the effort. Q. I hit a pothole and broke the tie rod end on my car. Who would I contact with the city to get this fixed? A.

Look under "auto repair" in the Yellow Pages. If you think the taxpayers should pick up the bill through the city government, you can file a claim. It is unlikely you will collect. ITBSITED results hit C.F. officials' standards it- lr jl-m.

-frMllgMjWtgf--MMIai' Minimi Plan rethinks how progress is tracked Iowa school districts were given the go-ahead to begin tracking student progress from year-to-year instead of looking at how one group of students compares to students at the same grade level in the previous year. The plans can be used to determine if districts are making progress and have been hailed as a step in the right direction by educators nationwide. BRANDON POLLOCK Courier Photo Editor Waterloo police and rescue workers survey the scene of a shooting on Western Avenue this morning. Waterloo boy shot in the back Q. I understand it is approximately 10 percent cheaper to use asphalt over concrete when resurfacing streets.

How long does an overlay of asphalt last compared to a brand new concrete street? Is it true they have to take the lowest bid when repairing streets and since asphalt is cheaper we use it instead of concrete? If so, who do we call to get this policy changed? A. The city of Waterloo seeks both asphalt and concrete bids for its annual street reconstruction program. City engineers say the specifications require a thicker asphalt surface to be equivalent to the concrete surface. Waterloo City Council members set the policy. Capt.

Tim Pillack of the Waterloo Police Department. He said Cole was shot in the back His condition wasn't immediately available, but Pillack said the injury was serious. The burglary started shortly before 5 a.m. when the intruders one armed with a handgun entered the apartment. "It appears everyone was asleep when this incident started," said Pillack.

Other residents were inside at the time. Cole awoke and found the burglars, Pillack said. More than one shot was fired, and the teen was struck by a bullet. The assailants fled, Pillack said. Contact Jeff Reinitz at (319) 291-1578 or Jeff.rantewcfcourier.com.

By JEFF REINITZ Courier Staff Writer WATERLOO A Waterloo teenager was shot when he confronted gunmen who broke in to his home this morning. Police are looking for the attackers. Paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue took Derrick L. Cole, 15, of 125 Western Apt. 2, to Covenant Medical Center, said By EMILY CHRISTENSEN Courier Staff Writer CEDAR FALLS Despite some one-year dips in proficiency percentages on standardized tests, Cedar Falls school administrators say students are still doing better than expected when looking at statewide statistics and five-year trends that track achievement across grade levels.

Overall, the percentage of students proficient on reading and math portions of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development was at or above standards set by the state and federal governments. However, test results in certain subgroups, specifically those students with individualized education programs, were markedly lower. "We are constantly looking at those gaps to see where we can decrease them," said Dan Conrad, the district's director of secondary education. "As far as No Child Left Behind goes, that is one subgroup that everyone across the nation is concerned about. There is talk that when they reauthorize No Child Left Behind they may do things to ease some of those expectations." Cindi McDonald, the district's director of elementary education, said they hope to address some of these issues when a new coordinator of student services is hired later this spring.

McDonald praised progress in reducing the gap between students who receive a free or reduced lunch and the general population. For instance, of the fourth-grade students who received a free or reduced lunch, 85.3 percent were proficient in math compared to 93.9 percent of the general population. The statewide expectation in fourth grade is that at least 74.7 percent of the students are proficient. Students are considered proficient in Iowa when their scores on the tests are at the 41st percentile or above nationwide. The district did see decreases at several grade levels in both reading and math from the of 2006 to 2007, though still well above the state requirements.

For all fourth-graders proficiency dropped 4 percent in reading, to 87.5 percent, and .9 percent in math, to 90.9 Tax breaks approved for business expansions percent. In all elementary students, from third through sixth grade, the number proficient in reading ranged from 81 percent to 87.5 percent. In math, between 81.4 and 91 percent of students test proficient. In middle school, the number of students testing proficient ranged from 77.2 percent to 83 percent in reading and from 82 percent to 88.1 percent in math. Eighth-graders saw a 6 percent decrease in proficiency in reading between 2006 and 2007 and a 2.1 percent decrease in math proficiency.

In eleventh grade the proficiency percentage leveled out at 83.8 percent in reading and dropped 2.5 percent, to 82.9 percent, in math. However, many districts across Iowa are looking more closely at cohort groups which would compare proficiency marks for the same set of students. In that instance, the proficiency rate dropped by less than 1 percent in reading comprehension for the same set of fourth-graders when compared to their test scores from 2007. Based on the preliminary numbers, Conrad said, it is quite possible both Holmes Junior High and the high school could be placed on the state watch or needs improvement list. Both schools were cited last year for failing to make adequate yearly progress in reading for special needs students.

Conrad said he is already looking closely at how the transition from elementary school to junior high and junior high to high school is affecting student achievement. In most all cases the district saw a noticeable drop in standardized test scores in seventh and 10th grades. Contact Emily Chrtetensen at (31 9) 291 -1570 or emily.rJiristenservvd(X)urier.com. Q. We hear all the time that property values have gone down, and now I read in The Courier the state equalization will raise the valuation of residential property 7 percent and commercial property 9 percent.

How can the state justify this? The equalization order issued last fall was for the value of properties as of Jan. 1,2007, and was to reflect market conditions at that point. Residents who felt the order pushed their home assessment above the market value had a chance to appeal the increase. Few did. Local Realtors have said repeatedly that the Cedar Valley has not felt the effects of the real estate downturn being suffered in many other U.S.

markets. to build a new office building including room for a future expansion in the new Country Club Business Center. The industrial supply company, which has operated a customer service call center in the Waterloo area for 16 years, would move to the new building from its current location in the Tower Park office complex at Kimball Avenue and San Marnan, a mile to the east. The development agreement grants the company 6.5 years of complete property tax rebates in return for a minimum $5 million in new taxable property value. The tax breaks are calculated to repay the company for the cost of buying the land from the developers.

Grainger has approximately 226 employees and will work to add 64 to 90 more workers over the next three years. Contact Tim Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or tjm.jarnfeonvrcfcourief.com. By TIM JAMISON Courier Staff Writer WATERLOO Two new office projects have received property tax breaks in return for their investments downtown and in the Country Club Business Center. Waterloo City Council members voted 5-0 Monday to approve an agreement with the Healthcare Quality Association on Accreditation for redevelopment of the Walker Building at 112-116 E. Fourth St.

An unrelated site plan and development agreement for the proposed $5 million WW. Grainger Inc. office building in a new development on the southeast corner of San Mar-nan Drive and Ansborough Avenue also received unanimous support, although council members Carolyn Cole and Bob Greenwood were absent. HQAA is a medical equipment accreditation company that is spending more than $1.3 million to renovate the Walker Building and create 47 jobs over three years. The company will receive 100 percent property tax rebates on the value of the building exceeding the current $263,700 assessed value.

The agreement gives the company first right of refusal on any parking spaces that become available in the East Fifth Street parking ramp; the ramp is now fully leased. HQAA is a nonprofit spinoff of the Waterloo-based VGM Group. VGM Group president Jim Walsh, also Waterloo city attorney, is a principal in JSA Development, which owns the Walker Building. Last year, the Iowa Department of Economic Development board awarded HQAA and JSA some $200,000 in state Community Economic Betterment Account financing and enterprise zone tax credits for the project. Half the CEBA money is a grant and half is a no-interest loan, provided the job creation goals are met.

WW. Grainger Inc. is planning Q. When buying a half-gallon bag of milk from Kwik Star it says on the bag 5 cents go to schools. How much of the nickel does the Waterloo Schools take in per year from people giving them those tops? A.

It varies by building, but a sampling of Waterloo Schools indicates that those that collect the tops earn about $50-100 a year, said district spokeswoman Sharon Miller. East side urban renewal plan passes first test with expanded TIF district By TIM JAMISON Courier Staff Writer is slated to be rebuilt from Donald Street south to U.S. Highway 218. Nearly $15 million in federal funds are earmarked for that project to date. The expanded urban renewal district includes Logan Plaza, LongfeUow Elementary and Logan Middle schools, the Walnut Court neighborhood and the former Chamberlain Manufacturing Corp.

site. Contact Vm Jamison at (319) 291-1577 or UmJamiscfl6vcfcourto.com. ty Planning and Development Director Don Temeyer, noting there were more than 400 vacant lots in the urban renewal area. The expansion, if approved on future ordinance readings, would allow the city to spend money on demolition of blighted buildings, new infrastructure and public improvements, and provide incentives for developers. It would be repaid through property taxes generated from increased property values and construction in the district Wird 4 Councilman Quentin Hart, who represents a large portion of the neighborhoods affected by the plan, said he has heard almost universal praise for the effort.

"I think this shows that we do have a plan to move this area ahead in the future," Hart said. "We're going to be kxking for developers to get involved and move this area forward." The TIF district expansion is being driven by the reconstruction of U.S. Highway 63, which the demolition of one house, but the plan itself does not dictate specific buildings be torn down. Council members voted unanimously to approve the first of three required readings for the expansion, which pushes the tax increment financing district boundaries south to the Cedar River, encompassing hundreds of city blocks in neighborhoods on both sides of U.S. Highway 63 and East Fourth Street.

"This is to encourage infill development," said Communi WATERLOO A plan to expand a special tax incentive district along the U.S. Highway 63 corridor through the city's east side cruised to approval. There were no objections during the Waterkx) City Councils public hearing Monday on the proposal to increase the current Logan Plaza urban renewal area. Resident Lawrence Wheeler asked to be on record opposing What is the win-loss record of Steve Alford in New Mexico? Alford takes a 24-8 record into the Lobos' NIT Tournament opener against California on Wednesday..