CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Lindsey Boleyn has spent her entire teaching career at Wright Elementary and was disappointed to see the school on a possible closure list, but not just for herself.
“I want to keep these neighborhood schools open,” the second-grade teacher, who has been at Wright for 25 years said, before the Cedar Rapids School Board met to discuss possible closures on Jan. 12, 2026.
A standing room only crowd of more than 100 people filled the larger board room before another wall was opened with additional chairs.
Boleyn said she disagreed with the push towards larger schools, especially for students facing socioeconomic and language challenges.
“They’re picking the schools that are the most vulnerable,” she said, citing Cedar River Academy at Taylor Elementary in southwest Cedar Rapids as another example.
Notably, Taylor parents and those from Johnson STEAM Academy in southeast Cedar Rapids, both in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods, appeared absent from the meeting, though both also are on the list for potential closures. Cleveland and Nixon also could potentially close, along with Wright and Pierce Elementary.
A sign in support of neighborhood schools is seen during the School Board meeting. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Numerous parents, teachers and even students attended to show their support for Wright and for Pierce, both in northeast Cedar Rapids.
A Wright second-grader was among 24 people who addressed the School Board during the marathon meeting, which lasted more than five hours.
“My school is small and that is important,” Amara Stevenson told the board. “I know all of my teachers and they know me.”
She noted that her teachers even came to her birthday party. “That’s how much they care.”
Still, the school district is looking to keep open schools at the elementary level that can accommodate a larger number of students, at 500 or so.
School district spokeswoman Heather Butterfield said a decision on what would happen to the closed school buildings would be part of a future discussion.
A bond measure that would have made other changes in the school district failed in November.
Related: State senator calls for resignations of School Board members
Wright Elementary School teacher Jill Ozarowicz stands behind Amara Stevenson as the second-grader addresses the Cedar Rapids School Board. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Parents and teachers were equally passionate about keeping their schools open, citing more delinquency and other issues with busing students, lowered property values for neighborhoods without schools, leading to less money for the district and increased behavioral challenges.
The district is considering closing seven elementary schools to help address more than a $10 million budget deficit, with a goal to decrease the number of school buildings from 31 to 24.
A list of potential budget savings of $6.7 million was presented to the board, in addition to reductions presented last week of more than $10 million, including a touted $6 million in savings for school consolidations.
The board did not vote on any of the budget considerations or closings, and will meet again next Monday, Jan. 19, to further discuss options.
Board members did unanimously approve a resolution calling for the state of Iowa to fully fund public schools and to phase out Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in which taxpayer funding goes to private schools. Decreased enrollment, in part due to those ESAs, has been cited as the main driver of the district’s budget woes.
A petition has been started to promote transparency with the School Board’s budget decisions. Once 500 signatures are gathered, the issue must be placed on the School Board agenda. Anyone living in the Cedar Rapids School District can sign here: https://forms.gle/7QM4mybF8NBEA2uh8
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