Three new charter schools coming to Cedar Rapids receive grants

Charter schools new to Cedar Rapids are three of 11 charter schools in Iowa each receiving awards of up to $500,000 that can be used to secure school facilities and transportation options, curriculum, technology needs and equipment.

A total of nearly $4 million is being awarded to charter schools through the Iowa Charter Start-Up and Expansion Grant program, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday. Funding is through the American Rescue Plan Act, the federal pandemic relief program.

Empowering Excellence Charter School in Cedar Rapids, which opened to students this year, is one of the grant recipients. Principal Charles Mausser said the grant will be used to “create opportunities for kids” and “amplify” learning.

Enrolled in Empowering Excellence are about 130 students, primarily juniors and seniors in high school working toward their diploma and creating a plan for their next steps. The charter school targets teenagers who are at risk of dropping out of high school and gives them an alternative way of getting their diploma.

The school, located at the Collins Community Credit Union building at 1800 First Ave. NE, offers classes through the online learning platform Edmentum.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity, and we will make great use of that money to provide opportunities for kids,” Mausser said.

Other newly authorized charter schools that will receive the new grants are:

Quest Forward and CIVICA are looking for buildings or property to build schools in Cedar Rapids that will open for the 2025-26 academic year.

Justin Blietz, principal of Quest Forward Academy, said the school hopes to have a location identified within the next month.

The financial award is a “great opportunity” that will help the school purchase one-to-one technology for students and create 21st Century learning spaces with state of the art science and computer labs, Blietz said.

Some funding also will go to the “basics” like classroom furniture, he said.

Charter schools are tuition-free schools that are publicly funded, but independently run under an approved charter with the state. In Iowa, charter schools receive per-pupil aid from the state, just like public schools.

The grants will support new charter schools as they prepare for future operation as well as existing high-performing charter schools to improve or expand their classroom and course offerings, a news release from the Iowa Department of Education said.

“Public charter schools provide yet another school choice for parents and guardians looking for the education that’s best suited for their children’s abilities and needs,” Reynolds said in a statement. “I applaud these industrious charter school administrators, board members and community leaders for expanding educational opportunities for students and families in their local communities.”

Five existing charter schools defined as “high-performing” by the state will receive awards of $200,000 from the Iowa Charter Start-Up and Expansion Grant program that can be used to expand career and technical education programming, increase career pathway opportunities and equip classrooms as their enrollment grows or they expand into additional grades. These schools are:

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said the grants announced by the Republican governor overwhelmingly benefit schools in Iowa’s largest urban areas — Cedar Rapids and Des Moines — and leaves rural schools behind.

“Kim Reynolds is showing once again that her priorities for Iowa’s kids are harmful. While she refuses to feed hungry kids, she’s sending millions of dollars to private schools that can turn kids away for any reason,” Hart said in a statement, referencing the $29 million Reynolds turned down in federal funding for low-income families to spend on food for children over the summer.

“... We need to put this money back in public schools so everyone can have equal access to education and we need to make sure our kids have the food and resources they need to be able to learn,” Hart said.

The National Education Association opposes charter schools because they are privately managed and not held accountable by locally elected school boards and, the association says, divert funding away from traditional public schools. Neither charter schools or traditional public schools can claim to be more successful at raising student achievement, the group says.

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