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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Iowa City school district moves forward with Junior Achievement partnership
Dream Accelerator construction could be completed by Spring 2026
Apr. 9, 2025 6:18 pm, Updated: Apr. 10, 2025 8:27 am
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IOWA CITY — The Iowa City school district will spend $2.1 million over the next year to partner with Junior Achievement on creation of an immersive career exploration program that educators say will help students chart a course for their high school education and beyond.
The Iowa City school board voted 5-2 Tuesday in favor of signing a letter of intent to move forward with the new partnership.
The first phase is expected to cost around $2.1 million over the current fiscal year and into the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Those funds would pay for construction for Junior Achievement’s Dream Accelerator — an immersive program where students will be able to explore careers and develop a plan to pursue a meaningful career and future — as well as other curriculum.
The district has not formally allocated funds to the project. Both parties will review the letter of intent and look to draft a formal agreement later this spring.
The 3,500-square-foot Dream Accelerator would be housed in the district’s Center for Innovation, located at 301 ACT Dr. in Iowa City. The building, previously known as the Tyler Building, was purchased by the Iowa City district in 2022 for $8.7 million from ACT with Physical Plant and Equipment Levy funds.
Funding for construction costs would come from the district’s Secure an Advanced Vision for Education, a capital projects fund of statewide sales tax revenue allocated by the state of Iowa to school districts based on certified enrollment.
Iowa City schools would pay for Junior Achievement curriculum costs from the district’s general fund.
The Dream Accelerator, which would be the second in the nation, could be ready to use as early as spring 2026. Initially, the space would be used by ninth grade students.
The Center for Innovation also would be used for other Junior Achievement programming throughout the year. Those programs include BizTown — a learning experience that allows elementary students to operate banks, manage restaurants, write checks and vote for mayor — and Finance Park.
Finance Park is a curriculum that explores personal finance concepts. Students engage with volunteers and put into practice what they’ve learned by developing a personal budget.
Under the letter of intent approved Tuesday, Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa will invest an estimated $1.2 million in staffing and programming support. It also will bring $1.5 million in asset and software intellectual property design to the district.
Junior Achievement is a nonprofit with more than 100 area offices across the nation — including Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa — dedicated to equipping students with the knowledge and skills they need to plan for their futures. Junior Achievement has programs in core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy.
Board members disagree about Dream Accelerator space
High School students would spend seven class periods discussing topics related to career readiness before experiencing the Dream Accelerator. Those seven class periods would be part of Earth and Space Sciences, a class required for graduation and taken mainly by nine grade students.
After participating in the Dream Accelerator, data from each student’s experience would be given to school guidance counselors so they can work with students to plan for the rest of their high school career and future educational or work opportunities.
Nate Klein, vice president of education for Junior Achievement of Eastern Iowa, said it would likely take about 28 days to get the 1,000-1,100 ninth grade students through the Dream Accelerator experience.
School board members in favor of the project said it will give students additional work-based learning opportunities and career readiness skills that have been outlined in the state’s Iowa Schools Performance profile.
“The amount of funds sounds huge — $2 million — but it's somehow almost miraculous that the administrator team has figured out how to devote capital improvement funds to meeting this need that touches upon what we have to do that the state has said is as important as teaching kids to read, and then general fund expenses are relatively minor,” said board member Lisa Williams.
Superintendent Matt Degner said transportation costs alone — busing all of the ninth-graders to the Center for Innovation — would cost about $5,000.
Board members Jayne Finch and Mitch Lingo were the only two nay votes, citing concerns about the Dream Accelerator’s effectiveness. The first Dream Accelerator — located outside Denver, Colorado — has been operational for less than two years. Klein said because of that, there isn’t significant data on student experience or other metrics.
“I love a lot of the programs and ideas that were being floated around in Junior Achievement. I just don't feel that the Dream Accelerator is it,” Lingo said “… But what we are essentially going to be funding is a pilot program, $2 million pilot program. And that is just a bit questionable at best.”
Finch agreed with Lingo and said while she likes the Junior Achievement curriculum as a whole, the Dream Accelerator might not be the best use of district resources.
“We have to decide what's a need, what's a want, and what our choice is going to be, because in public school districts, there is only a finite amount of funds, and so saying yes to something, unfortunately means that we might have to say no to something,” said Finch.
Board members said they heard concerns from the public about Degner’s role in the decision as he sits on the Junior Achievement board. Degner is not a voting member of the board.
“I think it's valuable that our leadership team is always represented with our local partners and local community groups … it allows our district to be a good community member and form positive relationships and to have reciprocal relationships that bring the best of our resources in our local communities,” said Degner.
Other Center for Innovation programming
This year, the Center for Innovation is being used by the district’s online learning program, the teacher leadership program, special education team, technology, and professional development, Degner said.
Several student experiences also are being hosted this school year at the Center for Innovation, including Junior Achievement’s BizTown art shows and a college and career fair.
The Center for Innovation also will be used for future partnerships with Kirkwood Community College. The district hopes to use the space to offer adult education classes and other opportunities to earn a 2-year degree for district students and other community members.
Conversations around the Kirkwood partnership are ongoing, but the district hopes to have educational opportunities available for the 2025-26 school year.
Grace King of The Gazette contributed to this report.
Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com
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