Caitlin Yamada

WHITING, Iowa — The Whiting Community Schools wants to remain an independent district, but steady enrollment losses and declining state aid has school leaders worried about losing grades 7–12 or the entire K–12 system.

To combat that, the small Monona County district has started a fundraising campaign to help cover day-to-day expenses, while it seeks to increase enrollment and, therefore, more funding.

The Whiting Strong Campaign is looking to raise $550,000 over the next five years.

Whiting Superintendent Marty Fonley said the school board is trying to be proactive with the fundraising campaign to avoid a closure or significant decrease in services offered.

“Historically, Whiting has been rumored to be closing for 1,000 years, right? And that’s just not who Whiting is,

See Full Page