Support students and our schools

The new year will provide many opportunities for the Cedar Rapids Community School District as we strive to live up to our promise of 'Excellence for All.” Our community has experienced the birth of a strong entrepreneurial spirit, shifts in population and neighborhoods, a re-imagining of what is possible by working together within the Creative Corridor - including what's possible in support of our schools - and the realization that our low socio-economic and minority populations have grown. At the state level, we've seen implementation of the Iowa Core and a new statewide assessment which will help measure those standards, negligible state funding growth, and an opportunity for highly skilled teachers to take the lead in supporting the professional growth of their peers. And at the national level, 'No Child Left Behind” is gone and the 'Every Student Succeeds Act” is the new law of the land, giving local school districts more opportunity to identify and implement solutions that help their students succeed.

Our school board, along with our superintendent and his team, looks forward to working with parents, staff, students, business partners, other locally-elected officials, and other stakeholders to address some of the district's most pressing issues. Providing 'Excellence for All” in the Cedar Rapids schools will require adequate staffing, continued training in best practices, and community support and involvement to address the individual challenges many of our students face each day. These include physical or learning disabilities, the trauma of immigrating here from war-torn countries, mental health needs, challenging home environments (i.e. poverty, abuse, lack of parental involvement, etc.), or racial/ethnic disparities. We look forward collaborating with a wide variety of community stakeholders in the local 'Safe, Equitable, Thriving Communities Initiative” to be a voice from our schools and the students, parents, and staff they represent as we seek ways to make our community a safer, more equitable place where everyone can flourish. We also will be asking the community to help us as our district looks inward to address challenges faced by our African American students and to identify opportunities to help them succeed at higher levels.

We are excited to continue our efforts to bring education choices to students, opening opportunities for their individual interests and talents while giving all a solid foundation based on the Iowa Core standards. Our district is recognized as a leader nationally and statewide with Iowa Big, Johnson STEAM Academy, the Jefferson and Roosevelt Options Programs, Metro STEAM Academy option, Advanced Placement, collaborations with Built By Pros, and next fall, the Kenwood Leadership Academy. There are more opportunities on the horizon and we will continue to seek input from community stakeholders.

Lastly, as we work to provide 'Excellence for All,” we must ensure our schools are adequately funded. We're not talking about extravagances; we're talking about keeping class sizes optimal, providing the professional supports needed (and often required) for students facing hurdles in their lives, having teachers and staff who are the best practitioners possible, continuing to challenge our most talented students, and providing technology and 21st century learning environments that will help us continue to be leaders in developing tomorrow's citizens, community and business leaders, and the economic engine we all count on. To achieve this, we'll need your voice to be heard by our local legislators and the governor this session in support of strong public education.

Thanks to all of you who support our schools through your taxes, donations to our Foundation and other charitable organizations supporting our youth, public/private partnerships with the local business community, and to those who volunteer thousands of hours each year in our schools.

' John Laverty is president of the Cedar Rapids School Board. More information: www.cr.k12.ia.us