Cedar Rapids schools’ operations director Jon Galbraith leaving for job at Linn-Mar

MARION — Jon Galbraith, the operations director for the Cedar Rapids Community School District who has helped lead facility planning and a proposed multimillion dollar bond issue that could go to voters in November — has been hired as the next chief financial and operating officer for the Linn-Mar Community School District.

Galbraith’s last day in the Cedar Rapids school district will be Sept. 22, according to an email to staff from district officials shared with The Gazette. In the interim, Cedar Rapids schools’ chief financial officer Karla Hogan will oversee the operations team.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Jon,“ Superintendent Tawana Grover said in an email to staff. ”We appreciate and thank him for his service to CRCSD and wish him great success in his next chapter.“

As operations director in Cedar Rapids, Galbraith oversees facility planning; the transportation of nearly 5,000 students to and from school every day; building and grounds and custodial departments, which handles new construction; ongoing maintenance; daily cleaning; and safety and security of each school in the district.

Galbraith’s salary at Linn-Mar will be $140,000 a year, an increase from the $134,960 salary he was paid by Cedar Rapids schools in fiscal 2023, according to a legal notice.

The Cedar Rapids district is pursuing a $220 million bond referendum that would fund a land purchase, construction of a new middle school and renovations.

This would be one of two bond referendums proposed to go to Cedar Rapids Community School District voters in the coming years that would ensure all buildings in the district are new or recently renovated by 2037. A second bond referendum of $225 million could go to voters in November 2029 to build a new middle school to replace Taft and renovate McKinley STEAM Academy.

A volunteer committee is collecting signatures to get the first bond referendum on the ballot. About 6,400 signatures are needed by Sept. 22 to get it on the Nov. 7 ballot.

Linn-Mar’s current chief financial and operating officer, David Nicholson, is resigning effective Sept. 8 to pursue other employment, according to board documents.

As chief financial and operating officer for Linn-Mar schools, Galbraith will oversee the buildings and grounds, food service and transportation departments and will advise the superintendent and school board on the financial, budgetary and operational matters of the district, according to a job description.

Galbraith will begin his new role at Linn-Mar on Sept. 25.

“We are excited to welcome Jonathan Galbraith as our new chief financial and operations officer,” Linn-Mar Superintendent Amy Kortemeyer said in an email to The Gazette. “He comes to us with background and expertise that will help to move the school district forward.”

Galbraith did not respond to The Gazette’s request for comment.

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