Linn-Mar reduces 50 staff as a part of $2.5 million in budget cuts

19 teachers and 31 classified staff to be let go at the end of school year as Iowa schools struggle to make ends meet

MARION — The Linn-Mar Community School District is reducing 50 staff members — including 19 teachers — for the 2024-25 school year as part of $2.5 million in budget cuts.

The other 31 staff members being cut are classified staff, such as paraprofessionals, office workers, custodians, bus drivers and business managers.

“As a district, we are focused on managing these financial challenges while striving to minimize the impact on our operations and the quality of the educational experience our students receive,” Superintendent Amy Kortemeyer said in an email to The Gazette.

“We do not make these decisions lightly, as each and every staff member serving our schools provides exceptional value to our students and families. However, we must take action to balance our budget and meet our obligation to maintain a healthy financial position.”

School officials expect class sizes to return to what they were before the pandemic, with about 21 to 25 students per class at the elementary level.

During the pandemic, many schools added more teaching staff to decrease class sizes and help students learn, making use of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, which expire Sept. 30.

The educators and staff affected by the reductions have been notified, Kortemeyer said in an email to families Thursday.

‘Underfunding’

The budget cuts are largely a result of “sustained underfunding” in per-pupil of state aid and a decrease in student enrollment, Linn-Mar schools spokesman Kevin Fry said in an email to The Gazette.

The Linn-Mar school board also requires the district maintain a minimum 7 percent solvency ratio, which measures the district’s ability to meet long-term financial obligations by comparing its assets to its liabilities, Fry said.

To address the budget shortfall, district officials gathered cost-saving ideas from staff, offered early separation incentives to teachers and administrators and conducted surveys to gauge staff members’ intentions for next school year, Kortemeyer said.

“We are fortunate to serve a community that supports its local schools and the people behind them,” Kortemeyer said. “We remain committed to balancing our budget and offering the best possible educational experience for our students. We want our staff and community to know that we will persevere through these challenges together.”

Delay in aid

Iowa school districts are “flying blind” as they attempt to create spending plans for fiscal 2025 — which begins July 1 — without knowing how much they will receive in Supplemental State Aid, the money the state allocates to school districts.

Lawmakers have missed their target for setting state funding by about six weeks. Lawmakers have a self-imposed deadline to pass the appropriation for the upcoming fiscal year within 30 days of the governor releasing her proposed version of the state’s overall budget. That deadline was Feb. 9.

The Linn-Mar district isn’t alone in this “dilemma” of needing to cut its budget, Kortemeyer said.

The Iowa City school board is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to close the elementary school in Hills as a part of $7.5 million in budget cuts.

The Iowa City district is in year two of reducing the number of teachers by about 4 percent in response to the federal pandemic aid expiring and Iowa’s per-pupil state aid failing to keep up with rising costs.

So far, reduction in teaching staff has been made through attrition — retirements or educators leaving the school district for other opportunities.

Des Moines Public school officials also announced the need to cut at least $14 million in expenses.

Last year, the Cedar Rapids Community School District trimmed $2 million from its general fund. It’s unknown at this time how much the budget will have to be cut for fiscal 2025.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com