Cedar Rapids charter school: Innovative or indulgence?

A group of parents and teachers are trying to rally support to open a charter elementary school in downtown Cedar Rapids. The concept behind the school is to offer an arts-based curriculum in proximity to the city's major cultural, financial and governmental institutions in the downtown area. The school also would experiment with different ideas for providing community spaces as well as provide residencies for local artists to give them an opportunity to work closely with students. 

While charter schools are commonplace components of education reform in other states, Iowa's charter school law is comparatively strict, especially compared with neighboring Wisconsin and Minnesota. Charter schools can only be opened by school districts with board approval, and the district must own the building where the school plans to operate. Applications must be submitted with all components ready and in place to open in the following fall semester.

This puts a rather steep set of obstacles in front of the school. Developers hope to submit an application this December and to open for the 2012-2013 school year, but many elements of their application still are not in place. They do not have any funding yet, and the building they hope to use -- The Gazette building at 500 3rd Ave SE -- is not owned by the Cedar Rapids school district.

The district has not been receptive to the proposed school, as the school board recently set policy directing Superintendent Dave Benson not to dedicate resources toward it except when required by law. The school board feels that, given uncertainty in state funding for local school districts as well as Cedar Rapids' declining enrollment, it would be foolish to commit to a new building.

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