Cedar Rapids’ Harrison Elementary to stay open this fall

CEDAR RAPIDS — Students will continue to learn at Harrison Elementary School this fall after Cedar Rapids school district officials paused a plan to demolish the historic building and build a new school on its site.

At a school board meeting last week, Superintendent Tawana Grover said students at Harrison and Madison Elementary School — where the Harrison students would have attend next year while construction was underway — will stay at their respective schools next year.

“We view this as being in the best interest of students and families as we cannot confidently predict the number of transitions that might be required as it relates to the construction process,” Grover said.

  Buy Photo

School officials initially announced their intentions to pause the plan at a Cedar Rapids’ City Planning Commission meeting in January.

School officials had a request to the planning commission submitted Nov. 2, 2023, to rezone the 5.8-acre site at 1310 11th St. NW from traditional residential single unit to public institutional district to allow for construction of a new school after demolition of the existing structure.

The city panel, however, sent the district back to firm up its plan in an unanimous vote of the six members present to table the district’s request.

“Based on our commitment to listening to feedback and the land not being rezoned at this time, we cannot go through the building process not knowing exactly what we stand,” Grover said a week ago.

Principal Trista Manternach will continue to serve as principal of both Harrison and Madison elementary schools next year — a role she currently holds.

Chad Schumacher, director of Operations for Cedar Rapids schools, said the district still is “dedicated” to putting a school in the Northwest neighborhood, the neighborhood where Harrison Elementary stands.

“We want a school down in the area that got devastated by the 2008 flood. We know it’s vital to that neighborhood for success and revitalization. We have to figure out what that school looks like,” Schumacher said.

The plan to raze Harrison Elementary and build a new school on its site — a decision made by the Cedar Rapids school board almost a year ago — was mired in controversy from the start.

  Buy Photo

Under the plan, Madison Elementary School, 1341 Woodside Dr. NW, would have closed and the attendance zone would be combined with Harrison by fall 2025. No decision had been made about the future of the Madison building or its land.

In October 2023, Save CR Heritage — a nonprofit dedicated to saving historic properties — submitted a petition signed by more than 500 voters in the Cedar Rapids school district. The petition required the school board to place the request to reconsider the Harrison decision on its agenda in accordance with Iowa Code.

Some residents told The Gazette last fall they voted “no” on a proposed $220 million general obligation bond that went to voters in November 2023 because they disagreed with the district’s decision to tear down the historic building.

The bond referendum failed with about 38 percent of voters in the district in favor — far short of the 60 percent needed to pass it.

  Buy Photo

Now, the school district is reassessing its facilities, bringing in architects and other experts to help come up with a “future ready” plan that voters will say yes to. A new bond referendum could possibly be taken to voters in the Cedar Rapids school district in November 2025.

“We heard a lot of feedback about wanting to save an historical building, and we were concerned we made a decision that was rushed, and a decision that would have an impact on our future success of funding our facilities,” Schumacher said.

“We wanted to make sure we heard that community clearly and completely,” Schumacher said. “I hope people hear the genuine, ‘We want to hear what they have to say.’ It’s not a rouse, and hopefully, they understand we have to make some tough decisions. We can’t keep all of our buildings at the status quo they are now and be fiscally responsible.”

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com