Borcherding demanded transparency about administrator pay hikes

At a time when class sizes are increasing and many public schoolteachers make only $50,000 a year, is it appropriate for an administrator making over $145,000 to receive a raise in excess of $18,000 a year? Is this reasonable when teachers received a raise of only 3%-barely enough to cover increases in cost of living? These are precisely the questions Cedar Rapids school board members faced on Sept. 22, 2025. Only two voted “No” to excessive administrative salary increases. Jennifer Borcherding was one.

Her vote showed courage and integrity, and that’s just one reason I’ve endorsed her for Cedar Rapids school board. She is the only person in the District 3 race with a record of demanding transparency, even at the risk of angering fellow board members and Cedar Rapids power brokers.

If you’ve ever worked on a team, you know how hard it is to disagree with teammates. It’s even harder to hold them accountable, but this wasn’t the first time Jennifer Borcherding stood for transparency. On July 25, 2025, The Gazette reported on emails between Jennifer Borcherding and the board president, detailing Borcherding’s concerns that large increases planned for administrators seemed to be obscured from public view. Borcherding demanded transparency, sending a letter to the board president urging the salaries of the eight individuals slated for up to 22% raises to be reported separately.

School budgeting won’t get any easier. We need school board members with guts and integrity. That’s Jennifer Borcherding.

State Sen. Liz Bennett

Cedar Rapids