Grace King

On the Fourth of July, Ruby Caceres celebrated the birthday of her new country alongside her husband and son and other family members who also have made their way to the U.S. over the years.

This voter guide includes information about who is running for re-election to Cedar Rapids and Iowa City school boards. The Gazette will be speaking with candidates about their campaigns and priorities in future stories.

A new weeklong summer learning program called Freedom School at the African American Museum of Iowa aims to immerse middle school students in history, civic responsibility and leadership this month.

The move by the Trump administration will withhold $8 million in 21st Century grants from Iowa. The grants fund after-school and summer school programs that serve more than 10,000 Iowa kids. No immediate changes are being made to current grant contracts, but if the funding is not reinstated by next fiscal year, it would be ‘devastating.’

Some educators say tuition increases at Eastern Iowa private schools are possible because of Education Savings Accounts, taxpayer-funded financial assistance to attend a private K-12 school. But even with ESAs, families could be paying thousands out of pocket for tuition at a private school in Iowa.

Healthy Kids Iowa, announced by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May, uses federal funding to expand the summer meal sites program that the state ran last year. Instead of one box for the whole summer, qualifying families are being given one box per child, per month in June, July and August.

Get to know the Gazette’s K-12 education reporter

Iowa City schools Superintendent Matt Degner’s next three-year contract was unanimously approved Tuesday by the school board, extending the end of his contract to June 30, 2028.

The Iowa City school board voted 5-1 Tuesday to approve the next round of facilities projects, a $104.6 million investment in the construction of field houses and fine arts additions, and improvements to athletic fields, performance spaces and playgrounds.

Renderings of the future elementary schools that will replace Hoover and Van Buren reflect the months spent talking to stakeholders about the design.

A one-year state pilot program is encouraging school food service programs to purchase and serve more ingredients and products sourced from local farmers and small businesses.

More students are expected to learn at the Iowa City Community School District’s new Center for Innovation next school year where they will get hands-on, real-world experiences. The facility also will provide space for school board meetings, and Kirkwood classes for students and adult learners.

Kids will play, learn and grow at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor’s newest facility — named the Busse Unit — that opened Wednesday in the Wellington Heights neighborhood in southeast Cedar Rapids.

The Freshman Academy at Washington High School that is “soft launching” this fall will give incoming ninth-graders a “Washington Warrior hug” as they transition to high school, said Breanna Oxley, future teacher at the Academy.

Metro High School is sending six students and five teachers to Prague, Czech Republic in August as a part of a new state-funded pilot program to provide students career-connected learning opportunities throughout the summer.