Almost 60 students from Cedar River Academy being reassigned to other schools to address staffing shortages

CEDAR RAPIDS — Almost 60 students at Cedar River Academy — an elementary school in Cedar Rapids — will be reassigned to other district schools next month to address staffing shortages and “ensure a quality education for all students.”

Cedar River Academy, 720 Seventh Ave SW, Cedar Rapids, has faced ongoing staffing challenges, limiting the district’s ability to effectively support all students, according to a news release from the district Thursday.

Despite implementing various strategies since the beginning of the school year, including deploying central office staff to the school, these efforts have not achieved the long-term stability required for student success, the release states.

To address this, 57 students from Cedar River Academy will be reassigned to 10 elementary schools across the district beginning Dec. 2, where they will receive the resources and support necessary to thrive, according to the release.

Students were assigned to their new schools based on many factors, including school and classroom capacity, siblings and special programming, district spokeswoman Heather Butterfield said.

Families impacted by the move were notified Thursday, and transportation will be provided.

Students riding the bus will be picked up at their usual time and taken to Cedar River Academy where they will then be transported to their new school. At the end of the day, they will be transported back to Cedar River Academy before taking the bus home. This could lengthen their school day between 13 to 70 minutes depending on the bus route and school they are being transported to, Butterfield said.

“This decision was not made lightly,” Superintendent Tawana Grover said in the news release. “Our goal is to ensure every student has access to quality education and a safe and secure environment where they can achieve their full potential. We’re committed to moving forward strategically, ensuring we maximize available resources and space to serve our students effectively.”

The move also is part of a broader district effort to realign resources to better use available space in the district.

Cedar River Academy is a magnet school in the Cedar Rapids Community School District with a theme of sustainability. There were about 300 students enrolled in the school.

Magnet schools offer theme-based learning — including in science, technology, engineering, arts and math; or leadership and entrepreneurship, for instance. There are six magnet schools in the Cedar Rapids district for students K-12.

Students who live outside of the magnet schools’ attendance zones may enter the magnet school lottery to attend the school of their choice.

The lottery is a computer generated, random process to select and accept students who live outside of magnet attendance boundaries. Students who live in the magnet resident zone do not need to enter the lottery to enroll.

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