Polk families get information on other elementary schools

CEDAR RAPIDS - The mood among parents, students and teachers gathered outside Polk Elementary School was mixed Tuesday night.

The warm, clear weather made it the perfect evening for a schoolyard buffet picnic, as local families were invited to learn more about their choices for school next year.

But that didn't change the harsh reality that parents do need to choose a new school for their children, as Polk is scheduled to be closed at the end of this academic year.

Affected students are eligible to attend one of nine schools next year, and the Cedar Rapids district arranged for faculty from all of them to be present for the Polk Families Picnic, along with representatives from the PTA, Big Brothers Big Sisters and other local organizations to help with the transition.

So far about 60 of the 200 affected students have indicated where they will be attending next year, said Mary Ellen Maske, the district administrator for primary education. About 20 of those have indicated they will attend Taylor Elementary, with 20 more attending Arthur Elementary and the remainder scattered across other schools.

Taylor was a popular option during the picnic, particularly for families who wished to continue with a modified year-round calendar.

It was Taylor's use of that calendar - the only school in the district to do so besides Polk - that sold parent Donald Brown, who will send all four of his children across town to Taylor.

“We want to maintain a consistent environment for them,” he said.

Parent Stephanie McKiernan likes the year-round school calendar but is worried that Polk's closing shows a lack of district support for the concept. She said she doesn't want to have her children go through the drama of enrolling in another program that will get shut down.

So she's sending them to Arthur Elementary because it's the closest to the neighborhood.

“I don't want to have to drive across town 30 minutes to get my kids at school,” she said.

Other parents such as Bridgett Cardenas have not made a decision yet. Cardenas indicated that the disappointment over Polk's closing, as well as the speed of the decision, has made the process difficult.

“I'm still not sure where we're going to go,” she said. “It feels like no matter where we go, we're downgrading.”

The inevitability of the school's closing weighed heavy on the picnic, but some are starting to look ahead to the long-term future of the neighborhood. Sue Nading took the opportunity to collect contact information from her fellow parents so they could stay in touch once Polk shuts its doors.

“I'm glad they had this,” Nading said. “I wish they had it sooner.”