Much is at stake in Cedar Rapids school closure debate

After almost 14 years, people still call it the “Taj Mahal.”

The Cedar Rapids Community School District calls it the Education Leadership and Support center — a grand, 170.000 square-foot edifice rising above Edgewood Road NW.

It is home to the district’s administrative offices and houses various support staff. Unless something has changed, the ELSC does not host student programming.

It cost $44.5 million to build, which includes $12.6 million from FEMA and state recovery programs after the flood of 2008 knocked out the districts’ humbler offices. The rest came from a penny sales tax for school infrastructure projects.

It quickly became a symbol of government extravagance.

And it’s a good reminder that bad decisions leave a mark that’s difficult to remove. They erode public trust. They affect unrelated future decisions because a cloud of public skepticism sticks around and casts a shadow.

It’s something to keep in mind as the current district administration and board are considering a plan to close as many as six elementary schools and Truman Rarly Learning Center to save $6 million as part of a cost-cutting effort.

Did I mention just as the ELC opened in 2012 the district was contemplating school closures? Not a good look. In the end, Polk Elementary, a beloved neighborhood school that punched up academically and had strong ties to its community, got the ax. Nine in 10 kids were on free or reduced lunch.

It was a master class in how not to handle closing a school.

People affected by the decision believed their concerns did not matter. And they were right. Some offered a compelling case for keeping Polk open but knew no one was listening. Like so many school boards, it deferred its judgment to the superintendent and followed instead of leading.

Many of the schools on the chopping block this time are neighborhood elementary schools. Some are in older core neighborhoods, which the city has been spending years trying to stabilize and develop. Three are on the Northeast side, one is on the Southeast side and three are on the Northwest side.

The school board will vote on a plan Feb. 9 but is not expected to make a final call on closures until April, and no changes will come before the fall of 2027. The district wisely abandoned a quicker process.

Sometimes, you’ve got to close schools. But people know once you lose a neighborhood school it’s not coming back. And new charter schools will eagerly welcome the children of disgruntled families leaving the district.

So, there is a lot at stake. Just the future of the district and the community.

If this decision is mishandled, it will be a long time before a school bond issue passes in Cedar Rapids. The future vitality of some neighborhoods could hinge on these decisions.

The current regime has done a better job collecting community concerns, so far. The test is whether leaders keep listening and input will matter.

The school board doesn’t have to do what the administration wants. Members are, first and foremost, public servants. Serving the public’s best interest may require the board to assert its authority over the process. That’s why they were elected.

So, they’ve got some big decisions to make inside that Taj Mahal.

(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com