School board must focus on basic skills

For the recent Cedar Rapids School Board Election The Gazette published what each candidate had as their priorities and concerns. None of them expressed the learning of basic skills despite the fact that thousands of our students are failing to learn these skills.

I believe that the successful teaching of reading, writing and math is the primary goal of our public schools and that school board members should subscribe to this as their first priority as board members. Additional improvements are worthy and also deserve to be supported.

The Cedar Rapids Schools superintendent's office provided to me the local results of the spring 2025 State of Iowa tests (ISASP) given in all our Iowa public schools. The count and percent of third through 11th grade students (not including English Language Learners) who were not proficient in our district are:

ELA (reading-writing): 2,759 (32%).

Math: 3,225 (37%).

ISASP states that students receiving this "priority" level of test results are "failing - needing additional instruction".

Our excellent teachers are working hard and professionally for each student's success but obviously more needs to be done for the third of our students who are failing. I ask our board to see that this is done and also that our parents support this effort.

Ron Moore

Former CRCSD school board president and member

Cedar Rapids