Cedar Rapids schools hire consultant to assess staffing practices

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids school board last week approved a contract with a consultant who will assess staffing practices in the district in an effort to boost student achievement.

The school board approved a contract with the Boston-based District Management Group to perform an equitable staffing analysis and improve operational efficiency and resource allocation across its schools.

Darius Ballard, the district’s chief human resource officer, said the study should ensure equity in learning opportunities for all students.

“The rationale for this type of study is not to decrease the workforce or to save dollars,” Darius said in a school board meeting Thursday. “With an equitable staffing analysis, we’re looking to study what is in our staff’s metaphorical backpack. Our staff continues to explain and describe that their ‘backpacks’ continue to be filled with items with nothing ever being taken out.”

District Management Group will analyze four district high schools — Kennedy, Jefferson, Washington and Metro — the district’s six middle schools and three elementary schools.

The $220,000 contract is being paid for with federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, which will expire in September. The funds wer distributed to schools throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to help with costs.

“We believe this strategy will increase staff efficacy and elevate our students’ plans, pathways and passions — specifically graduating students with more than just a degree,” Ballard said.

The school board unanimously approved the contract but spoke about the importance of involving teachers in the process.

“They are the ones in the classroom. It’s very important we hear their voices,” school board member Nancy Humbles said.

The analysis

Ballard said creating school schedules for 14,500 students and nearly 3,200 teachers and staff is “often done without considering the district’s overall strategy and priorities. The tools available to us have not kept pace with the increasing complexity” of education today.

Ballard said the analysis will help the district ensure taxpayer dollars are “reaching students” and “achieving academic goals.”

The agreement is part of the school district’s strategic plan approved in September 2023 that aims to improve student outcomes and “energize the staff,” among other things.

District Management Group was founded in 2004 to address management challenges in U.S. public schools. Its Cedar Rapids analysis will be conducted between February and June this year, and findings could be implemented by next school year.

The district will have access to the District Management Group’s scheduling software for one year and consulting analysis and support to create and implement strategic and equitable schedules in school, according to the proposal from District Management Group that was in board documents.

As needs change during the year, the software makes it easy to adjust schedules and provide insights to help school officials understand the effectiveness of changes.

“We’re facing challenges in meeting the increasing academic standards and the growing needs of students,” Ballard said.

“To address these challenges, we’ve been hiring more teachers and more staff members such as paraprofessionals and engagement specialists, behavior techs, special education behaviorists and many more positions. Managing a large number of teachers and staff members to maintain programs and services to students is a daunting task for school and district leaders.

“At the building level, we have to schedule these teachers and staff to deliver these services, while at the district level, we must allocate resources, keeping in mind equity, tight budgets and contractual obligations,” Ballard said.

The analysis promises to uncover cost-effective schedules that will make the most of student and teacher time, according to proposal.

At the elementary level, District Management staff will assess how much time is spent in learning core subjects such as reading and math and special subjects (such as art and music), interventions and extra instruction outside typical classroom time for students who need it.

Outcomes

Typical outcomes, the consulting group said, include:

At the middle and high school level, the analysis will seek to “enhance” existing tools and schedules. For example, the analysis could find the district has too many levels of algebra or too many elective classes with small enrollment.

According to the proposal, the analysis will help answer the question: “What classes should be offered, staffed and scheduled?” It will work to ensure students have access to “high-rigor courses” and study if enrollment in high-rigor classes reflects a commitment to equity and opportunity.

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

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