CR School Board Approves Facilities Plan

The Cedar Rapids School board approved a plan that calls for eight elementary schools to be closed over the next two decades. The unanimous vote came after 90 minutes of public comment, the majority of which was spent asking board members to delay the vote.

A group of parents and concerned citizens claimed they had over 600 signatures on a petition that urged members to delay any vote for 90 days. Multiple parents who went out and collected signatures say they didn't speak with anyone who agreed with the district's plan to close the schools.

But after the public comments were over, each board member voted for the plan. They said that it was a difficult decision, but declining enrollment and aging buildings gave them no choice but to act.

As part of the plan, eight schools would be closed or 'repurposed'. They include Garfield, Grant Wood, Kenwood, Madison, Nixon, Taylor, Truman, and Van Buren. The plan also calls for the construction of 10 new elementary buildings and the renovation of four more schools.

[via Gazette]