Will Rubel For DCG School Board

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Will Rubel For DCG School Board

I’m running because our schools should be shaped by us—the people who live here—not by outside groups or what’s trending online. 📘 Who Am I? This needs to stop!

I’ve lived in Grimes home for the past 25 years., am person of faith, married to a DCG educator, a father to two DCG graduates, and a veteran with over 28 years of public service. I have a degree in accounting from Drake University, and passed the CPA exam in 1992, and completed my MBA in 2001. I spent many years working in governmental accounting. Over the course of my career, I’ve also served a

s a human resources officer, logistician, grants officer, federal contracting officer, executive officer, training officer, software developer, and cloud engineer.

👉 You can view my full professional background on LinkedIn:
🔗 linkedin.com/in/will-rubel-03205b2a

📘 Fun fact about me:

I am the proud grandfather of two identical twins, one of whom was on the Stephen Colbert show and Stephen did a special skit, with comedian Tim Meadows, just for her about why she farts every day.

🔗 Watch the clip: www.tiktok.com//video/7379811022372080939

📘 Why Am I Running? n 2023, I was invited to attended our school board candidate forum—simply as a concerned community member—hoping to learn more about those running for office. What I witnessed that night was eye-opening and raised serious concerns for me —politics and partisan rhetoric was being injected into a race that should focus on our schools and kids. That experience compelled me to start attending nearly every school board meeting—not just to observe, but to better understand how things work and where we can improve. What I observed is our school board is doing okay, and I’ve told Ryan Carpenter that I thought he has done a good job of resolving some tough issues over the past two years. However, I’ve also seen some problems – specifically, parents calling the news media and gossiping on-line about issues before they talked to their district and at-large board members to help them resolve the issues. We need to do a better job of working with parents, so:

every parent knows who their district board member is,

feels comfortable talking to them about their concerns,

feels they are being heard and treated with respect,

and receives timely responses and feedback. In addition, if school board members are not responsive and respectful of parents concerns, parents need to let the board know, so this can be addressed. The second issue I’m running on is - we have some serious structural issues with some of our facilities - specifically the high school - which need to be fixed now. Once fixed, I want to work with other board members and administration to update our construction management policies, so this doesn’t happen in the future.

03/30/2026

📣 Come join us tonight at this month’s school board meeting.
There are some important trends and decisions in this packet that deserve attention—and community voices matter.

📢 What’s in the Packet:

𝐄𝐧𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 (𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐩)
$31.8M proposed tax levy
58% Management Fund increase
Facilities projects (HVAC, playgrounds)
Routine financial and board business

📉 Enrollment Trend (This is important):

We’re not just seeing a small fluctuation… there is a clear downward trend:

📊 March 2025
• Total Students: 3,561
• Monthly Change: −3

📊 March 2026
• Total Students: 3,501
• Monthly Change: −9

👉 Year-over-Year Change: −60 students

👉 Monthly decline is increasing (−3 → −9)

⚠️ This matters because:

Elementary enrollment is driving the decline
Funding follows students
Today’s elementary drop = tomorrow’s middle & high school impact
Growth depends on ~1,400 near-term housing units

But the demographer also warned:

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬

👉 This is where accuracy slips in real time:

If homes are delayed → students arrive later
If buyers skew older → fewer kids per home

The key disconnect (this is the takeaway):

On paper: “Hundreds of lots / strong development”
In reality:
~6–10 actual new-home buyers/month (as of February 2026)
~1–4 students/month (estimated based on past projections)

👉 That gap is exactly where the demographer’s projections can drift

🧠 Why this matters:

The district appears to be planning for future growth—but enrollment is declining today.

👉 The key questions citizens can ask are:

How do the demographer's projection models adjust for changes in affordability—such as higher interest rates, increasing inflation, increasing unemployment rates and increasing debt burdens—that may affect who can actually move into new housing? (The demographer's answers about their models and algorithms may surprise you.)

In an increasingly competitive environment with school choice and vouchers, what is the district’s strategy to actively attract and retain families like private schools are doing, and who is primarily responsible for doing it?

📅 School Board Meeting
March 30th, 2026 – 5:30pm

💬 Strong communities ask strong questions.

03/02/2026

✅ Citizen Question Checklist — March 2 School Board Meeting

For anyone planning to attend or follow the March 2 meeting, here’s a helpful checklist of thoughtful questions residents can ask. These questions are based on recent budget information, enrollment trends, and tax data. They’re intended to support transparency, clarity, and strong long-term decision-making for our community.

📅 School Board Meeting — March 2, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM
📍 Administration Center

---

💰 Budget, Taxes & Financial Planning

Recent budget documents show:

• **Total property tax levy**

FY2026: **$29.15M**
FY2027: **$31.79M**
Increase: **~9%**

• **Management Fund levy**

FY2026: **$3.75M**
FY2027: **$5.93M**
Increase: **~58%** (a large year-to-year change - needs to be explained)

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫:

* What specific factors are driving the overall 9% tax levy increase?
* What costs are causing the 58% Management Fund increase (insurance, risk reserves, legal costs, early retirement, etc.)?
* Is the Management Fund increase expected to be temporary or ongoing?
* Could existing fund balances be used to reduce the tax impact?
* What reserve level does the district consider financially safe long-term?
* How sensitive is the budget to changes in interest rates, insurance costs, or enrollment?

---

📈 Enrollment, School Choice & Growth Assumptions

Recent data across multiple years shows:

• **Enrollment trend**

FY2025: **~3,501**
FY2026: **3,446.3**
FY2027: **3,404.7** (projected)
Change FY26→FY27: **−41.6 students**

At the same time:

• **ESA (school voucher) students**

FY2026: **76**
FY2027: **155** (projected)
Change: **+79 students**

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠:

> Public enrollment has declined from FY2025 levels while private/voucher participation is rising rapidly.

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

* What factors are driving the recent enrollment decline from FY2024 to FY2027?
* How are ESA programs affecting projections and long-term planning?
* How accurate have past enrollment forecasts been?
* What assumptions are being used when considering housing growth and future student numbers?
* What plans exist if enrollment growth is slower than expected or continues to decline?

---

Strong schools depend on informed communities. Asking thoughtful questions helps everyone better understand decisions and long-term impacts.

If you’re attending, thank you for being engaged and involved.

02/23/2026

✅ Citizen Question Checklist — Feb 23 School Board Meeting

For anyone planning to attend or follow tonight’s meeting, here’s a helpful checklist of thoughtful questions residents can ask. These are based on key topics in the board packet and are meant to support transparency, understanding, and good decision-making.

💰 Budget Guarantee
* How could this decision affect property taxes this year or in future years?
* What spending adjustments were considered instead of using the budget guarantee?
* Is this expected to be a one-time action or part of a multi-year plan?
* How does enrollment change affect long-term financial planning?

🤝 Partnerships & External Agreements
* What measurable outcomes demonstrate success for these programs?
* What is the cost per student served?
* How do past results compare to district-run programs or alternatives,?
* How often are partnerships evaluated for effectiveness?

📈 Enrollment & Housing
* What are the multi-year enrollment trends?
* How accurate have past enrollment projections been?
* What assumptions are being used when considering housing growth?
* What plans exist if enrollment declines continue?

👩‍💼 New Positions & Contracts
* What is the total cost over time (salary, benefits, tools)?
* What specific responsibilities and deliverables are expected?
* How will success be measured?
* What skills and qualifications are required for this role (for example: SQL(most critical skill), data visualization tools, statistical analysis training, skills and experience(to avoid analytical biases), or programming with tools like Python/Pandas, NumPy, or R)?
* Were alternative solutions considered?

📅 School Board Meeting — Feb 23
⏰ 5:30 PM
📍 Administration Center

01/26/2026

📘 School Board Meeting Tonight – 5:30pm�📍 Grimes Administration Center – Board Room⁣
⁣
Ahead of tonight’s school board meeting, here’s a brief community update based on a review of the board packet:⁣
⁣
🔎 Enrollment & planning:�District enrollment is down 37 students year-over-year, while staffing remains generally flat. This is not a crisis — just an early indicator that supports steady, long-term planning.⁣
⁣
📋 Routine business:�The remainder of the agenda consists of standard, routine school district items (contracts, reports, policies, and approvals) that are typical for a regular board meeting.⁣
⁣
\👉 Community members who care about our schools and responsible planning are encouraged to attend tonight’s meeting.

01/16/2026

As AI becomes a bigger part of our lives, educators are still grappling with how to utilize the technology. One central Iowa school district is choosing to embrace it. Story 🔗 in comments.

12/17/2025

📣 Dallas Center–Grimes Community School District
📅 School Board Meeting / Board Workshop Tonight
🕔 December 17, 2025 at 5:00 PM

Join us for tonight’s DCG School Board meeting and workshop as we discuss important topics impacting our students, staff, and community:

Your engagement matters—thank you for staying involved and supporting DCG! ❤️🤍🖤

12/08/2025

📣 Dallas Center–Grimes Community School District
📅 Teacher Quality Meeting Today
🕠 December 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM

Join us this afternoon for DCG’s Teacher Quality Meeting Update, where we’ll be discussing the Strong Instructional Framework.

As the district reviews potential vendors, it’s a good time to remember the policies that help prevent conflicts of interest and keep our process transparent:

Policy 401.02 requires employees to share any outside employment with the superintendent, who then reviews it for potential conflicts.

Policy 409.02 requires superintendent approval if outside work occurs during regular contract hours.

And if a situation might create a conflict, Policy 401.02 simply asks that employees step back from related decisions.

These policies aren’t aimed at any specific person—they’re general safeguards that help ensure decision-making stays open, fair, and focused on what’s best for students.

Transparency protects everyone.

11/24/2025

📣 Dallas Center–Grimes Community School District
📅 School Board Meeting Tonight
🕠 November 24, 2025 at 5:45 PM

Join us for tonight’s DCG School Board meeting. We’ll be covering several important topics that impact our students, staff, and community:

🔹 Decrease of 35.90 students in the actual enrollment
🔹 TIF (Tax Increment Financing) project from the City of Dallas Center
🔹 2025–2026 Dallas Center-Grimes High School Course Guide

Your engagement matters—thank you for staying involved and supporting DCG! ❤️🤍🖤

11/05/2025

🙏 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮.

To everyone who knocked doors, shared a flyer, offered a kind word, or cast a vote — I am deeply grateful for your trust, energy, and effort.

While the results didn’t go the way we hoped, I remain proud of the vision we ran on: 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐈 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐂𝐆’𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

This campaign wasn’t just about winning—it was about starting a real conversation on how to solve our 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐆𝐈 in the years ahead.

Congratulations to Julie on her victory.

This isn’t goodbye—it’s “𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.” I’ll keep listening, learning, monitoring and working alongside everyone who cares about our kids and our community’s future.

With humility and hope,
– Will Rubel

11/04/2025

🚨 It’s Election Day! 🚨
Let’s show up for our schools, our teachers, and our community.
Your vote matters — especially in local elections.

Learn more about me and why I'm running at: https://www.rubel-for-dcg.com

🗳️ Vote Will Rubel for DCG School Board

11/04/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭/𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭!!!

I truly appreciate everyone who’s taken the time to get involved in this election. I also want to be clear that I’m running as an independent voice — open to support from both Democrats and Republicans alike.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥, 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞.

11/03/2025

🚨 Tomorrow is Election Day! 🚨
It’s been an honor connecting with so many of you across Dallas Center and Grimes.

If you believe in:
* Supporting our teachers
* Preparing our students for success
* Strengthening our community
* Reducing our property taxes, and
* Developing AI policies and strategies

Then I’d be honored to earn your vote tomorrow for Dallas Center–Grimes School Board (At-Large Seat).

🗳️ Vote Tuesday, Nov 4th!
Every single vote matters — your voice can help shape our district’s future.
Tell your friends, bring a neighbor, and let’s make a difference together.

Thank you all for your support, conversations, and encouragement.
Let’s finish strong. 💪

Find your polling place by going to the Iowa Secretary of State's website - here: https://apps.sos.iowa.gov/elections/voterreg/pollingplace/search.aspx

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Grimes, IA
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https://rubel-for-dcg.com/

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