The Cedar Rapids Community School District is looking to refresh our strategic plan, leading the district on a course of the next seven years. This new path forward will build a sustainable enrollment plan in response to short and long term trends. This plan will right-size our school district to align our facilities.
Message from the Board of Education
Dear CRCSD Community,
I want to clearly communicate the Board of Education’s direction and the critical role your voice plays in this process.
The Cedar Rapids Community School District is at a pivotal moment. Our need to adjust budgets for the future by $10-12 million annually is the focus of the Board of Education. We know that this work is weighing on the minds of more than 3,000 amazing individuals who come to work each day in support of our district’s students. I want to start there – by recognizing that every message, news article, and even the rumors our district staff hears, hits with a heavy force.
Your School Board members are committed to a process that is transparent and visible to our staff, our families and our community.
The Board has directed district administration to gather a holistic range of options for consideration, specifically focusing on solutions to create a sustainable financial structure and optimize our facilities to support staff as they educate our students.
No decisions have been made yet. While ultimately the Board will need to approve the plan, we are asking district staff, families and taxpayers to provide critical and knowledgeable input to help craft the plan.
At the request of the Board, the administration will be actively collecting input from internal and external stakeholders to create and refine the options that will ultimately form our plan. Your insights on perceptions of strategic priorities, desired programming, and opportunities for facility optimization are essential to shaping our success. We urge you to participate to ensure your perspective is a driving force in our district’s future.
We are committed to a transparent process. Thank you for engaging in this important work to shape the successful, fiscally sound future of CRCSD.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Neumann
CRCSD School Board President
Development of CRCSD Strategic Plan
We are asking for stakeholder engagement and input. Our planned outcomes is to collect insights on perceptions of strategic priorities and planning considerations from stakeholders in context of enrollment and financial realities. Our plan is to survey internal and external stakeholders perceptions of designed programming, opportunities for rightsizing, and reductions.
Timeline:
- Board Presentation (12/5)
- All Staff Meetings (12/9)
- Administrators (ELT) (12/10)
- Community Coalition Meeting (12/11)
- Students- Virtual lunch and learn (TBD)
- Launch perception survey
Plan Development
Prioritize initiatives based on stakeholders feedback and wants/needs. Refine strategic priorities based on stakeholder feedback to draft 5-7 year strategic plan. | Timeline: January-February 2026
Stakeholder Feedback
Gather feedback on recommendations for strategic plan | Timeline: March-April 2026
Finalize Plan
Finalized five to seven year strategic plan goes to the Board of Education for consideration | Timeline: April 27, 2026, Board Meeting