116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
PPEL funds support every student
I’ve worn many hats throughout the years.
I’ve worn the hats of mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, and volunteer. I also currently wear the hat of Cedar Rapids Community School District Board of Education President.
But the hat I’m wearing as I draft this column is the professional hat I wore for 33 years.
I began my teaching career at Wilson Junior High, then taught Science at Taft before dedicating 25 years as a biology teacher at Kennedy High School.
Throughout my career in education, I experienced the critical role that a well-maintained and modernly-equipped learning environment plays in student success. As a science teacher, having up-to-date laboratory equipment and technology was critical to providing relevant learning experiences. Too often, my colleagues and I found ourselves adjusting our lesson plans due to a lack of equipment or lab space. How do we accommodate 30 students in a lab built for 24? How do we shuffle limited lab equipment between classrooms so all students have full access to the scientific process? These constraints sometimes led to my students (and me) voluntarily coming in on a Saturday in order to have those hands-on experiences.
The Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) would help. A first class science education requires modern facilities/spaces and proper equipment. All classrooms and students deserve this.
For 50 years, the Cedar Rapids community has supported PPEL. On Tuesday voters will have the opportunity to renew PPEL at the polls — with no increase property taxes.
This funding is crucial for repairs, updates, and the acquisition of new technology and equipment.
PPEL funds things such as:
- Repairing boilers when they crap out.
- Assessing the health of trees in order to maintain a safe environment for students, staff, visitors, and volunteers. For instance, this many years after the derecho of 2020, we remain vigilant about the condition of trees on our CRCSD properties and must invest in tree repair or removal to maintain a safe environment for our CRCSD community and visitors.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades, alterations, and compliance measures. Alterations include renovations and other changes (think: seating, parking lots, restrooms and drinking fountains, etc) that may affect usability of our facilities. This means ensuring patrons of the arts or athletic spectators have proper access to enjoy the experiences our students and staff create through extracurriculars and academic coursework.
- Kingston Stadium upgrades that increased shower room accessibility.
- A new Washington High School roof.
- School-based health care office at Jefferson High School.
- And so much more.
In fact, PPEL funds directly support every student, every school, every quadrant. As a former teacher, I know the importance of STEM labs, ADA compliance, transportation, technology, and maintaining the basic needs of our students and staff — including warm and safe environments conducive to teaching and learning. I will be proudly wearing the hat of “Voter.”
You can learn more at crschools.us/PPEL.
Cindy Garlock is president of the Cedar Rapids school board.
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