The Cedar Rapids Community School District finished up their second Community Coalition meeting on Jan. 8, 2025 at the ELSC to address the multi million dollar budget deficit for the upcoming school years. The shortfall is a result of multiple problems including improperly sized staffing with enrollment declines, improperly adjusted facility inefficiencies that didn’t match enrollment and deficit spending in categorical funds including; English Language Learning, Special Education and Homeschool. Another underlying issue has been decreased enrollment since 2017.
The Coalition was created to hear the voices of people throughout the district including community members, staff and teachers.
“I think that there seems to be some really great big ideas coming from staff so I certainly hope that those ideas are heard by the people in the room,” A counselor at Franklin Middle school, and member of the Coalition, Kristi Mann said. “I also echo some concerns from our community members that we want to be sure that we are hearing the voices of the wide array of constituents that we have in the cedar rapids area.”
One solution discussed between breakout groups was school consolidation, which divides schools into four distinct sections to help save some of the $10-12 million in the deficit. This includes; Pre Kindergarten-4th, 5th-6th, 7th-8th, and 9th to 12th grade separations.
“I think the district is faced with some difficult challenges, and I think that consolidation offers a realistic solution to those challenges,” Mann said. “I think if it’s done correctly and with care there could be a lot of potential benefits going into it.”
Some groups suggested the combination of 5th-8th grade, but were confronted with issues of maturity levels between the grades.
“I would have some concerns with the 5 to 8 model,” Mann Said. “I think you heard from another coalition member that the difference right now between a 6th grader and an 8th grader is already developmentally quite large.”
Others voiced their concerns about what would happen if their school was consolidated or closed down.
“There are severe potential effects if my school Cleveland Elementary school closes down, I have no way of knowing what my next job will be, and I don’t know where all the kids would go, so it does cross my mind and it makes me want to stay informed,” Rita McCord, an instructional coach at Cleveland Elementary School said.
The coalition meets again Wednesday, January 14th at the ELSC to discuss more issues and provide further input on future decisions.
