Gazette Daily News Podcast: April 20 and 21, 2024

– Cedar Rapids police respond to hoax threat at Harding Middle School

– EPA again will allow summer sales of higher ethanol blend

– Linn-Mar’s declining enrollment contributing to $2.5 million budget cuts

Episode Transcript

Coming up, a 13-year-old is arrested after a Cedar Rapids middle school received a hoax threat

And later, summertime sales of E15 gas are being allowed once again

Plus, Linn-Mar Community School District is making $2.5 million in budget cuts this year. Stay tuned for where the cuts are being made.

Welcome to the weekend edition of the Gazette Daily News Podcast. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

On Friday, Cedar Rapids police and Harding Middle School received calls about a possible shooting at the school. The school went into soft lock down while police investigated the call. Police determined the call was a “swatting” call, which is a hoax report of a serious crime which results in an emergency response. Police investigated the source of the call and arrested a 13-year-old boy. The teenager faces charges of making false reports to law enforcement and third-degree harassment. The name of the juvenile has not been released. All students and staff were safe.

For the third summer in a row, regulations will be waived to allow summertime sales of E15 gas. E15 is a higher blend of ethanol than typically used. In a Friday announcement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said E15 is about 25 cents cheaper per gallon than E10, which is a common fuel that blends gasoline with 10 percent ethanol. Summertime sales of E15 are typically prohibited in two-thirds of the country due to air pollution concerns. The Biden administration cited the war in Ukraine and uncertainty in the Middle East as justification for waiving the rule. The ban would have taken effect June 1. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said in a statement quote, “While today’s announcement is welcome news, the Biden Administration should have never allowed this decision to get to the point of needing yet another emergency waiver... We continue to need a permanent federal solution that allows every driver, every day, in every state to save money with E15, and I will continue to work with the Governor and our delegation in Washington to push that plan forward.” end quote.

After facing pressure from Midwestern governors, including Iowa’s Gov. Kim Reynolds, the Biden administration agreed in February to allow year-round sales of E15 in eight Midwestern states. Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin are home to much of the nation’s ethanol production. In fact, about half of Iowa’s corn crop goes towards producing ethanol. The year-round rule takes effect in 2025, giving refiners time to prepare.

Next, there are three major factors challenging Linn-Mar Community School District’s fiscal year 2025 budget: declining enrollment, historic underfunding of state per-pupil aid and the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds. This year, the district is making $2.5 million in budget cuts and reducing 50 staff members. This includes 19 teachers and 31 classified staff members, like paraprofessionals, business managers and bus drivers. Other cost saving measures include reducing individual school building budgets and using early separation agreements with central office staff. This includes one of the district’s two associate superintendents.

There is a 2.5 percent increase in state supplemental aid next year. That’s the amount of funding taxpayers provide per-pupil. But Superintendent Amy Kortemeyer said that amount is inadequate taking inflation into account. Linn-Mar saw a decrease in 118 students this school year. Kortemeyer said about 54 of those students are using state-funded tuition assistance for private school. Public school districts receive about $1,200 for every student within their district using state-funded, private school tuition assistance or Education Saving Accounts. While the funding is helpful, Linn-Mar’s chief finance officer Jon Galbraith said the funds are restricted to certain uses.

Linn-Mar’s planned general fund expenditures budget is proposed to be $105.5 million. That’s an increase of $2 million from the current fiscal year. The general fund is the largest fund for a school district. About 80% is used to pay salaries and benefits for teachers and staff. The district’s overall expenditures are decreasing by $4.6 million to $148.9 million this fiscal year. This is partly because some of the district’s capital improvement projects will wrap up or come close to it in the current fiscal year. Those projects include tennis courts being built at Oak Ridge Middle School in Marion and a new administration building for district leaders. The move will create more space at Linn-Mar High School. A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. at the Learning Resource Center in Marion. The school board is expected to vote on the proposed budget afterwards.

Find a link to each of today’s featured stories in this episode’s description or at thegazette.com.

Now let’s take a look at the weather in Cedar Rapids. Saturday will be partly cloudy with a high of 52 degrees and a low of 30 degrees. Sunday will be sunny. Expect a high of 62 degrees and a low of 33 degrees. Monday will be partly cloudy. Anticipate a high of 62 degrees and a low of 33 degrees.

Thank you for listening to the Gazette Daily News Podcast. Stay updated with the latest Eastern Iowa news at thegazette.com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com