How should CR school district proceed?

The reopening of Taylor Elementary School on Tuesday stirred pride and joy in the neighborhood and the Cedar Rapids Community School District. As it should.

The repair and improvement of the flood-damaged school made many parents, students and neighbors happy after district officials had initially debated whether to close the school. Students enrolled at more than 90 percent of pre-flood levels.

Most of the neighbors see the school as a critical anchor in the neighborhood's stability and post-flood rebirth. It's a good-news story that most people can embrace.

What's less clear is what the district should do about its other flooded facilities - the Educational Service Center (administrative offices now located in temporary structures), the ESC annex for building and grounds maintenance and carpenter/paint shop, and the warehouse.

These buildings house bureaucratic and operations cogs for the district. It's a good bet those facilities rank a lot lower on most residents' priority or awareness lists than classrooms where kids and teachers carry out the school's primary mission: Student learning.

Yet the ESC provides important services to the district's 24 elementary, six middle and four high schools - important enough to conduct a series of three open houses to relay information and gather public input on how to proceed. The next one is Thursday.

The initial open house in June drew 303 comments that largely seemed inconclusive. Fewer than one in four support a single location for all administrative offices. Fewer than one in five support a new facility but only one in seven favored repairing and reusing the existing facilities. The most telling statistic: 97 percent wanted more information about costs and options and who pays for what.

Thursday's open house is supposed to provide more of that information, more focus on the pluses and minuses of several options.

And if the public voice is clear enough, the option of sharing or co-locating some facilities with the city - which also is collecting public feedback on what to do with its damaged public buildings - could be revived.

Dave Benson, new superintendent, told us there's been no active discussion about co-location after initial talks stalled. “But if the community tells us co-location is important, we'll take that into consideration,” Benson said.

The school board could vote on a final plan by November. Don't pass up your opportunity to influence the outcome. You can start by attending Thursday's open house.

Open House

n Topic: What to do with flood-damaged Cedar Rapids school district buildings

n When: 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday

n Where: Kennedy High School

n More information: www.cr.k12.ia.us, click on “Back and Better Get-Togethers” logo.