The Iowa City school board will vote next month on whether or not to close Hills Elementary School — one of several recommendations made by school leaders as they prepare to trim $7.5 million in district expenses over the next two years.
Closing Hills Elementary School, 301 Main St. in the town of Hills, would save the school district around $1.66 million, according to board documents. The more than 100 students currently enrolled at Hills Elementary would be redistricted to different elementary schools — likely Alexander and Weber elementary schools, Superintendent Matt Degner said during a school board meeting Tuesday.
Matt Degner, Iowa City Community School District superintendent, speaks during an assembly at Hills Elementary School in Hills on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
“I do believe our kids will be successful in another schools in the district. We have great facilities and great staff that are creating those great stories you heard at the microphone tonight,” Degner said, referring to the dozens of people who advocated for the school during public comment.
Speakers included Hill Mayor Tim Kemp, parents and residents. The boardroom was packed with around 50 people.
If Hills closes, teachers and staff would have the option of being reassigned to another school within the district, and students would still have access to all the services they get now at Hills, including preschool.
School officials cited budget constraints and overall declining enrollment in the district as the reason to consider closing Hills, the smallest elementary school in the district.
The recommendations made to reduce the district’s budget — including closing Hills Elementary — are expected to be voted on by the school board at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, March 26, at 6 p.m. at the Educational Services Center, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City.
Some school board members indicated support in closing the elementary school, which has the highest cost per student and lowest enrollment of schools in the district.
Iowa City school board member Lisa Williams
School board member Lisa Williams said she would make the decision to close an elementary school over other budget reduction proposals like letting teachers go. “I’m not willing to fire people when there are other places we can make cuts,” she said.
“We are operationally inefficient in several areas, and we have to fix that. Otherwise, we have to cut our people, and we have to cut our programs. To me, operational efficiency is going to be what I focus on.” Williams said.
“Yes, we’re focusing on Hills tonight, but we are going to have to look at retiring more schools potentially next year,” Williams said.
Degner said there are no recommendations to close any of the district’s other elementary schools at this time.
School board member JP Claussen said if Hills closes, those students will still be “at the best school district in the state of Iowa.”
“They will have a great education experience. I know what that means personally, and I know what happens when you lose it. This is not easy. I’m not even saying I’ve decided … We’ve always known (Hills) was operationally inefficient, and we put a lot of money into that school. What I hope to see is we take all of these obstacles and turn them into opportunities,” Claussen said.
Iowa City School Board member JP Claussen
Enrollment at Iowa City elementary schools next year is projected to be 70 percent of the district’s capacity. This leaves about 3,000 open spots for elementary students in the Iowa City Community School District.
A large portion of the projected decline in enrollment at Iowa City elementary schools can be attributed to the plan to move sixth-graders from the district’s elementary schools to its middle schools this fall, a change approved by the school board in February 2022.
A Flourish chart
The anticipated enrollment next year at Hills for PK-5th grade is 126 students, with a building capacity of 200 students. The cost per student is projected to be just over $7,000, about $1,000 more than the district’s average anticipated cost per elementary student next year.
For the 2021-22 school year, 70 percent of Hills Elementary students were bused to the school from areas north of Hills, the southern portion of Iowa City and unincorporated parts of Johnson County. Only about 45 students who attend Hills live in the town.
About 30 percent of Hills’ students are English Language Learners whose first language is not English.
District officials did explore other options for Hills, including the feasibility of transferring students to Hills from other elementary schools, according to board documents. They found this doesn’t make fiscal sense because while it would decrease the cost per pupil at Hills, it would increase transportation costs and per pupil spending at the reassigned students’ home-school.
The Iowa City Community School District is not unique in needing to reduce costs. Earlier this month, Des Moines Public school officials announced the need to cut at least $14 million in expenses from their budget. Last year, the Cedar Rapids Community School District trimmed $2 million from its general fund budget.
Like many school districts in Iowa, Iowa City schools has faced declining enrollment since the pandemic began in the spring of 2020. During the 2019-2020 school year, the district had an enrollment of about 14,500 students. This dropped to 14,200 students during the 2020-21 school year, and rebounded up to 14,440 students this year.
Other recommendations to reduce the district’s expenses include adjusting the district’s Weighted Resource Allocation Model, which is used to control class sizes based on rates of students who face barriers in their education.
This would result in a reduction of seven full time educators, a $630,000 cost savings.
In an interview with The Gazette earlier this month, deputy Superintendent Chase Ramey said reductions in teaching staff would be made through attrition — whether that’s retirements or educators leaving the school district for other opportunities.
Another cost-saving measure is reducing an additional five teachers through normal attrition, a $450,000 cost savings.
Finally, school officials proposed increasing employee insurance contributions, which would create an additional $770,000 in cost savings. Certified staff would pay $50 a month with a single plan, and classified staff would pay $40 a month for a single plan.
www.thegazette.com
Closing Hills Elementary School, 301 Main St. in the town of Hills, would save the school district around $1.66 million, according to board documents. The more than 100 students currently enrolled at Hills Elementary would be redistricted to different elementary schools — likely Alexander and Weber elementary schools, Superintendent Matt Degner said during a school board meeting Tuesday.
Matt Degner, Iowa City Community School District superintendent, speaks during an assembly at Hills Elementary School in Hills on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
“I do believe our kids will be successful in another schools in the district. We have great facilities and great staff that are creating those great stories you heard at the microphone tonight,” Degner said, referring to the dozens of people who advocated for the school during public comment.
Speakers included Hill Mayor Tim Kemp, parents and residents. The boardroom was packed with around 50 people.
If Hills closes, teachers and staff would have the option of being reassigned to another school within the district, and students would still have access to all the services they get now at Hills, including preschool.
School officials cited budget constraints and overall declining enrollment in the district as the reason to consider closing Hills, the smallest elementary school in the district.
The recommendations made to reduce the district’s budget — including closing Hills Elementary — are expected to be voted on by the school board at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, March 26, at 6 p.m. at the Educational Services Center, 1725 N. Dodge St., Iowa City.
School board indicates support in closing Hills
Some school board members indicated support in closing the elementary school, which has the highest cost per student and lowest enrollment of schools in the district.
Iowa City school board member Lisa Williams
School board member Lisa Williams said she would make the decision to close an elementary school over other budget reduction proposals like letting teachers go. “I’m not willing to fire people when there are other places we can make cuts,” she said.
“We are operationally inefficient in several areas, and we have to fix that. Otherwise, we have to cut our people, and we have to cut our programs. To me, operational efficiency is going to be what I focus on.” Williams said.
“Yes, we’re focusing on Hills tonight, but we are going to have to look at retiring more schools potentially next year,” Williams said.
Degner said there are no recommendations to close any of the district’s other elementary schools at this time.
School board member JP Claussen said if Hills closes, those students will still be “at the best school district in the state of Iowa.”
“They will have a great education experience. I know what that means personally, and I know what happens when you lose it. This is not easy. I’m not even saying I’ve decided … We’ve always known (Hills) was operationally inefficient, and we put a lot of money into that school. What I hope to see is we take all of these obstacles and turn them into opportunities,” Claussen said.
Iowa City School Board member JP Claussen
Why close Hills?
Enrollment at Iowa City elementary schools next year is projected to be 70 percent of the district’s capacity. This leaves about 3,000 open spots for elementary students in the Iowa City Community School District.
A large portion of the projected decline in enrollment at Iowa City elementary schools can be attributed to the plan to move sixth-graders from the district’s elementary schools to its middle schools this fall, a change approved by the school board in February 2022.
A Flourish chartThe anticipated enrollment next year at Hills for PK-5th grade is 126 students, with a building capacity of 200 students. The cost per student is projected to be just over $7,000, about $1,000 more than the district’s average anticipated cost per elementary student next year.
For the 2021-22 school year, 70 percent of Hills Elementary students were bused to the school from areas north of Hills, the southern portion of Iowa City and unincorporated parts of Johnson County. Only about 45 students who attend Hills live in the town.
About 30 percent of Hills’ students are English Language Learners whose first language is not English.
District officials did explore other options for Hills, including the feasibility of transferring students to Hills from other elementary schools, according to board documents. They found this doesn’t make fiscal sense because while it would decrease the cost per pupil at Hills, it would increase transportation costs and per pupil spending at the reassigned students’ home-school.
The Iowa City Community School District is not unique in needing to reduce costs. Earlier this month, Des Moines Public school officials announced the need to cut at least $14 million in expenses from their budget. Last year, the Cedar Rapids Community School District trimmed $2 million from its general fund budget.
Like many school districts in Iowa, Iowa City schools has faced declining enrollment since the pandemic began in the spring of 2020. During the 2019-2020 school year, the district had an enrollment of about 14,500 students. This dropped to 14,200 students during the 2020-21 school year, and rebounded up to 14,440 students this year.
Other cost-saving recommendations
Other recommendations to reduce the district’s expenses include adjusting the district’s Weighted Resource Allocation Model, which is used to control class sizes based on rates of students who face barriers in their education.
This would result in a reduction of seven full time educators, a $630,000 cost savings.
In an interview with The Gazette earlier this month, deputy Superintendent Chase Ramey said reductions in teaching staff would be made through attrition — whether that’s retirements or educators leaving the school district for other opportunities.
Another cost-saving measure is reducing an additional five teachers through normal attrition, a $450,000 cost savings.
Finally, school officials proposed increasing employee insurance contributions, which would create an additional $770,000 in cost savings. Certified staff would pay $50 a month with a single plan, and classified staff would pay $40 a month for a single plan.
Iowa City school board to consider closing Hills Elementary amid budget constraints
School officials make recommendations on how to trim $7.5 million in expenses from the budget over the next two years
www.thegazette.com
