CRCSD needs to trust and elevate its own educators

I left the Cedar Rapids Community School District in 2021 after years of watching the burden on teachers and students grow heavier, while leadership decisions moved further from the realities of the classroom.

Faced with declining enrollment, the district and school board responded with widespread staff cuts, larger class sizes, and heavier workloads. These choices created unsustainable working conditions that ultimately hurt both educators and students.

This is the reason I applied and accepted a position in a neighboring district where I was offered fewer course preparations, better pay, and stronger administrative respect for teachers. The contrast was immediate; educators were trusted, supported, and valued for their expertise and often hired into administrative and instructional roles within the district.

On the contrary, while employed in CRCSD, I witnessed some of the district’s most highly qualified and dedicated educators, personally invested in Cedar Rapids schools as former students or parents, be repeatedly overlooked for leadership opportunities. Instead, those positions often went to external hires from across or outside the state. When hired, many of these administrators brought along friends or colleagues unfamiliar with the district or its culture to join the ranks of the administrative staff. These individuals frequently viewed Cedar Rapids not as a community to serve, but as a steppingstone in their careers.

This hiring approach by the school board has dismissed the value of local expertise, eroded trust, and weakened the foundation of a district once known for its talented, community-rooted educators.

The district’s problems are not the fault of teachers but of district and school board leadership. Without transparency, accountability, and respect for its own educators, CRCSD will continue to lose bond votes, teachers, and, ultimately, undermine learning and long-term student success.

I echo state Sen. Molly Donahue’s demand for the remaining board members, who did not face re-election, this year to resign. I also encourage the newly elected board members to look at this past practice of external hiring and instead, look within the district to hire future leaders.

Believe me when I say that within the walls of Cedar Rapids Schools are some of the most talented and dedicated educators I have been privileged to work with and believe the investment in CRCSD educators will pay off for the students and members of the community going forward.

When we invest in leaders from within our own community, we begin to rebuild trust, because these are the people who know and love Cedar Rapids schools and genuinely believe in the district’s potential. They don’t need to be told to “believe” in a bond vote or the schools, because they already do.

Melissa Feilmeier-Marzen lives in Robins.