The Governor’s Strategic Planning Council has abandoned the goal of having just 99 school districts in Iowa. The “Iowa 2010” Council has also decided against recommending specific county consolidation ideas. Council chairman David Oman says the Department of Education needs to work with various education groups to find savings and efficiencies. He says any decision on consolidations would be made by local groups.The 37-member Strategic Planning Council is meeting this afternoon to approve a final draft of recommendations.The Council believes Iowa must attract new people to Iowa — and it has set a goal of at least 310-thousand new residents in the next decade. Oman says Iowa businesses need at least that many people to keep Iowa businesses running at current levels.
