Last week, just before a law went into effect that would have made it illegal, the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) sold the old Garfield school building to a private developer. The developer bought the school in a sweetheart deal for less than half its assessed value, even though Isaac Newton Christian Academy was willing to pay more than twice as much in cash!

I watched the video of the June 24 School Board special meeting, and I learned some things. I learned that the school district sees students choosing other educational opportunities as a threat and, I learned that the school district is more concerned with lost revenue due to students attending private schools or open enrolling out of the district than they are about why families are choosing to leave.

At the meeting, CRCSD Chief Financial Officer Karla Hogan provided the district’s justification for excluding Isaac Newton from consideration. The issue is Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs). Established by the Iowa Legislature last year., ESAs allow parents who opt out of the public school to receive around $7500 per year toward private school tuition. The program is being phased in, and in the 2025-26 school year all private school students in Iowa will qualify.

Hogan shared the numbers:

In the Fall of 2023, 843 CRCSD students are receiving ESA representing a diversion of $6.5 million dollars from our district’s budget. In an October 2023 count, in total, 2,006 CRCSD students attended non-public school costing the district over $15 million. Additionally, we lose 1,672 due to open enrollment totaling just over $13 million.

She stressed that increased enrollment is critical to the financial stability of the district:

Losing a kindergartner in the 24-25 school year who never returns to the district, diverts $122,224 from our district over the thirteen year school span of that student.

Finally, Hogan painted Isaac Newton Christian Academy as the bad guy:

Last year, a loss of $1.5 million from our general fund was attributed to the 196 students choosing Isaac Newton Christian Academy. Considering the potential for Garfield to double its student count, our financial losses could also double.

Perhaps Hogan can be forgiven for her dispassionate presentation of the numbers; after all she is the CFO. But she could be dispassionate because no one challenged her. She was addressing the School Board, and not one single board member challenged her. Their unanimous vote proves it.

The issue is not the numbers; the issue is the characterization of families who seek opportunities by choosing to enroll their children in private school or open enroll them in another school district as somehow taking something from the CRCSD. If you decide to send your kindergartner to a private school, you, the parent, are taking over $122,224 away from the school district — as if it were the district’s money!

The district acts as if it is somehow entitled to an ever-increasing budget and should never have to make cuts. Instead, Hogan instilled fear in the board by suggesting that Isaac Newton could double its enrollment if it were allowed to purchase Garfield school. Therefore, it must be stopped because it is already taking $1.5 million from the district, which could turn into $3 million.

I am not anti-public school. All eight of my children attended CRCSD schools. However, there were also times when my wife and I felt it was best to home-school or send some of our kids to private school. We tried every year to make the best choice for each child.

The CRCSD needs to face reality. Even without ESAs, thousands of students in the district attend private schools or enroll in other school districts. That does not even take into account the number of kids being homeschooled. It seems that a growing number of families are finding the CRCSD wanting.

The CRCSD has responded to this crisis by preventing Isaac Newton from expanding at the Garfield site. Newsflash: while this is a temporary setback, Isaac Newton (and other private schools in town) has a waiting list, and they will grow. If not at Garfield, then somewhere else. Calvary Chapel is opening a new school, and there will likely be other private schools in Cedar Rapids in the future. This pent up demand for private schooling will likely result in a decrease in CRCSD enrollment numbers.-

Educational Savings Accounts are not the problem. Parents were making sacrifices to send their kids to private schools long before ESAs. ESAs have just made private school accessible to more families. It is time for the Cedar Rapids Community School District to do some soul-searching. It is time to ask the crucial question:

How can we improve Cedar Rapids public schools so they are the first choice for families?

David Chung is a Gazette editorial fellow. david.chung@thegazette.com

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