Government Notes: 2024-25 Cedar Rapids school calendar approved

Students in the Cedar Rapids Community School District will no longer get out of school early on Fridays next school year, according to a new school calendar approved by the Cedar Rapids school board last week.

For nearly a decade, Cedar Rapids schools have shortened the academic day for students one day a week to make time for staff professional learning, but the new school calendar for the 2024-25 school year forgoes half days.

Instead of weekly half-days, the new calendar sprinkles 15 professional learning days throughout the school year on either Mondays or Fridays, including four days before the first day of school in August and three days in January. Students will not have school on these days.

The new calendar, school leaders say, will maximize instructional time, promote the health and well-being of staff and provide staff adequate professional learning opportunities.

The first day of school for students this fall will be Aug. 23, 2024. The last day of school is scheduled for June 3, 2025. Winter break is two weeks starting on Dec. 23, 2024, and resuming Jan. 6, 2025.

Thanksgiving break is Nov. 27-29, and spring break would be March 17-21, 2025.

The school calendar can be found online at crschools.us/calendars.

Cedar Rapids schools to host public meeting on student behavior strategies

The public is invited to a Cedar Rapids school district virtual meeting later this month to hear an update on student behavior strategies as a part of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice.

Community members can submit questions and comment on these behavior strategies beforehand on this Google form docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScRJtKP3n4mYGxQ6d2KjBAJ9nq8A7Hv-JzD8yivrg68l8YSYQ/viewform.

The meeting is Thursday, Jan. 18, and will be streamed on the district’s YouTube page at youtube.com/EngageCRschools.

The district entered into a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice in September 2022 after an investigation found the school district had inappropriately and repeatedly secluded and restrained students with disabilities as early as kindergarten in violation of Title II — which prohibits discrimination based on disability — of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Under a settlement agreement, the district had to limit its use of restraints, revise its restraint procedures and practices and consistently implement those procedures and practices in all schools. All instances of restraint must be reported and evaluated, and counseling and other services must be offered to students who are restrained.

The district stopped the use of seclusion rooms in all school buildings and programs beginning Oct. 10, 2022, as a part of the settlement agreement. Seclusion rooms are used in many Iowa school districts as a last resort if students are at risk of harming themselves or others.

Iowa City offering public art matching grants

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Iowa City’s Public Art Advisory Committee has opened the 2024 matching grant program for visual, audio or performance-based art projects within the Iowa City city limits and freely accessible to the general public.

The 50/50 matching grants are capped at $4,000, which will require documented total project costs of at least $8,000. The minimum grant is $500 for a project costing at least $1,000. All projects must be finished during calendar year 2024.

Art that will be considered for the awards include sculpture, murals, performances, interactive exhibits, video projections, soundscapes, the spoken word and other media. The most competitive projects, the city said, will be those that are functional, ephemeral, in unexpected places or with a participatory element.

Proposals will be accepted through 11:59 p.m. March 15. Grants will be announced in April.

The application and additional information on selection criteria, submission requirements, eligible expenses and other requirements for the program are available at icgov.org/publicart.

For more information, contact Rachel Kilburg Varley at (319) 356-5248 or rkilburg@iowa-city.org.

Marion seeking musicians for Pop-Up Acts in the Artway

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Marion is seeking local musicians willing to perform Friday nights, June through August, at the Pop-up Acts on the Uptown Artway stage.

Those interested in performing may send an email with links to video or audio clips to events@cityofmarion.org. The arts series is sponsored by Iowa Appliance Center.

Cedar Rapids city attorney, city clerk receive pay increases

The Cedar Rapids City Council last week approved pay raises for the city clerk and city attorney following Dec. 19 annual performance evaluations.

City Attorney Vanessa Chavez was granted a 4 percent increase and City Clerk Alissa Van Sloten received a 5 percent pay bump, effective Jan. 1.

In fiscal 2023, Van Sloten was paid $105,182 and Chavez’s pay was $188,415.

Linn County changing some department hours

Linn County's Finance and Budget and Communications Departments, as well as the Board of Supervisors office, are changing their hours.

Darrin Gage, Linn County’s policy and administration director, said numerous county departments already close at 4:30 instead of 5 p.m. weekdays. The departments generally open at 7:30 a.m.

By changing the finance and communications department hours, they will be in line with other departments housed at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center, 935 Second St. SW.

“I don’t think that this will impact the public’s ability to access us,” Supervisor Ben Rogers said last week.

Government Notes is published Mondays and contains updates from area governmental bodies. Gazette reporters Marissa Payne and Grace King contribute.