From busing to building, Cedar Rapids schools’ operations director says ‘it’s for the kids’

CEDAR RAPIDS — Jon Galbraith’s favorite day on the job is the first day of school, when he gets to see students “ooo” and “aah” at improvements at their school — big or little, such as a new cafeteria floor.

Galbraith, 37, operations director for the Cedar Rapids Community School District, said it’s a reminder for him as someone who works in the Educational Leadership and Support Center — the district’s headquarters that students seldom frequent — “why we do what we do.”

“It’s for the kids,” he said.

As operations director, Galbraith oversees facility planning, the transportation of nearly 5,000 students to and from school every day, building and grounds and custodial departments, which handles new construction, ongoing maintenance, daily cleaning and safety and security of each school.

In every aspect of a school district, relationships matter, Galbraith said. A bus driver or custodian can “completely change a kid’s day” with a smile or a high-five, he said.

Galbraith has been in the spotlight lately as Cedar Rapids school district leaders consider making improvements to their schools — and contemplate asking voters to approve a $312 million bond issue for its secondary schools.

One of the main goals of the district’s facilities master plan is to reduce the number of schools in order to provide more equitable services to students and reduce operational and maintenance costs for the district.

Construction ‘in my blood’

Galbraith was promoted to operations director last year after seven years of working for the Cedar Rapids district. He was paid $124,512.39 for the 2022 fiscal year, the district said in a legal notice.

Galbraith initially went to Wartburg College in Waverly to study education, but realized it wasn’t the career path for him. He transferred his sophomore year to the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls to study construction management, which was “in my blood,” Galbraith said.

Galbraith’s grandfather started Galbraith Plumbing and Heating in the mid-1900s, even installing plumbing and heating to Coolidge Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, which was demolished in 2021 under a facility plan. Galbraith Plumbing and Heating was purchased by Brecke Mechanical Contractors in 1964.

While at UNI, Galbraith began to work for Larson Construction Company in Independence, a job he continued after graduation. He applied for an open job in the Cedar Rapids district as a construction project specialist, but because he “didn’t have any interview experience,” he hadn’t expected to land it. He was later promoted to building and grounds manager in 2018.

“It’s eye opening the effects our operations department has and how much of what we do goes unseen,” Galbraith said.

The temperature of a classroom, for instance, goes unnoticed unless it’s too hot or too cold. “What we do goes unseen a lot of times, but it is important and will make a difference in a kid’s life.”

Galbraith said there were a lot of “Band-Aid” fixes done decades ago to schools. He sometimes looks at a fix made and thinks, “Why did they do it that way?”

“It’s because they didn’t have the money,” he said.

Schools keep up with repairs through the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, a capital projects fund for grounds, purchase, construction and remodeling of buildings, major equipment purchases such as technology and rental of land and equipment. It is funded by property taxes and collected by the school district.

A lot of school improvement and maintenance work is done in-house by the district’s own electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters and food and nutrition technicians. “There’s not a lot we can’t handle,” Galbraith said.

Facility planning never ends

Galbraith lead a couple community meetings in April at Harrison and Madison elementary schools to inform the public about the facilities plan, answer questions and gather feedback from the public.

“There’s a lot of passionate people in Cedar Rapids who care about our kids,” Galbraith said. “Even though sometimes our viewpoints don’t align, they’re still passionate about kids and that’s never a bad thing.”

Last month, the school board voted to demolish Harrison Elementary and build a new school there, replacing Harrison and Madison and combining their attendance zones.

A 2018 facilities master plan included building 10 elementary schools and renovating three over the next 15 to 20 years in the Cedar Rapids district. This process included the closure and repurposing of eight schools.

As part of this plan, the Cedar Rapids district also built and opened West Willow Elementary School in August 2021, which replaced Coolidge Elementary. Maple Grove Elementary opened in August 2022 to replace Jackson Elementary. Currently under construction is Trailside Elementary School, 2630 B Ave. NE, which will replace Arthur and Garfield elementary schools and open fall 2024.

Another plan to make improvements to the district’s middle and high schools is under consideration by the school board. The plan hinges on voters approving the bond issue.

In January, the school board tasked Galbraith to lead a cost analysis of whether to demolish Wilson Middle School and build a new school in its place — which is what was initially proposed — or renovate the existing building. Galbraith said he is working with OPN Architects on the cost analysis.

The school board also asked Galbraith and his team to dig deeper in to how repurposing McKinley STEAM Academy under the facility plan — currently a middle school — could affect the students it serves and its surrounding community. Galbraith did not have any information about whether or not a study was being conducted yet.

“It’s time to get our students in learning environments where they can be most successful,“ he said.

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