Coparent And I Cannot Agree On School District.

Location: IOWA

I am moving to a city about 25 minutes away from where my ex resides this Monday. My son went to an elementary school this last year in a district that neither of us live in now. We have joint legal
custody, and I have primary physical custody. It’s right under 50/50. This is in a temporary order through mediation, and our trial is in January. However, I need to get our oldest signed up for school ASAP.

Everything I reach out to him about, he makes so difficult. It’s hard to have a discussion with him without him bickering about every detail and coming to a mutual agreement. We talk on a coparenting app, and he constantly messages me about any little issue and sends paragraphs just trying to argue. I have been doing majority if not all of the transportation the past year because he lost his license for drinking and driving. He just got his license back a few weeks ago. In addition to me being the primary physical parent, my son is signed up for extracurricular activities in the city of my district i’m moving to already. He also has several friends already in the district who he plays with, who would go to the same elementary school. I am very familiar with the district and the specific elementary, and personally know some of the staff. He does not have any of these in his dad’s district. The only “benefit” dad can state about his district is that his girlfriend of less than a year’s mom, is a teacher at the district.

Also to add, he is not on the deed or any kind of lease for the house he lives in, in the district he is proposing. It is his girlfriend and her exes house. He has went from stating he lived in another county when he filed through court in January, then has an “apartment” in another city since March, now this girlfriends home is his “permanent home” and he wants them in that district. How could he even enroll his children without that being his legal address??

My question is, I would just like a judge to make the decision for us instead of arguing back and forth because I know he won’t agree on anything with me. What would I need to file and request? I proposed to him either my district, or at least a district between our locations. He will not come to any mutual agreement, only exactly what he wants and he won’t negotiate and has done this through the whole custody battle. I’ve negotiated several times in the best interest of our kids, but he never budges just to argue. I’m exhausted with it, and I’ve done enough extra driving to help, and get nothing in return. I would rather have a judge make the call at this point. What good points should I include based on what I have posted above? Any and all advice is appreciated! Thank you!