Cedar Rapids schools to reduce 27 full-time district positions

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Community School District is reducing 27 full time positions from its district offices to ensure long-term financial sustainability.

The 11 percent decrease in payroll, effective June 30, will result in about $1.66 million in savings, according to a news release from the district Tuesday.

The reduction in staff at the Educational Leadership and Support Center administration building is a step in a previously announced effort to reduce staff across the district. In March, school officials announced a plan to reduce school-based staff by 6 percent, saving $7.5 million that will be reinvested into student supports.

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“This isn’t about cuts — it’s about keeping our focus where it belongs: in classrooms, with students, and with the staff who serve them every day,” Superintendent Tawana Grover said in a statement.

The 6 percent reduction of school-based staff is about 222 employees, split between approximately 77 teaching positions and 145 campus support staff roles.

About 63 percent of reductions at the Educational Leadership and Support Center were achieved through attrition and unfilled vacancies, helping minimize the number of layoffs. Affected employees will be supported through the transition, and many may have opportunities to apply for existing or future vacancies across the district.

“Our objective was to responsibly address the budget deficit while building a staffing model that aligns with current enrollment and stretches limited resources to where they’re needed most — supporting schools, classrooms, and student outcomes,” said Chief Financial Officer Karla Hogan.

Over the past 20 years, enrollment in the Cedar Rapids district has declined by more than 3,000 students, while staffing levels remained largely unchanged. Combined with the expiration of federal pandemic relief funds and a decrease in state funding, the district faced a $12 million structural deficit entering the 2024-25 school year.

No student programs have been eliminated as a part of staffing reductions.

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