Teachers are a vital part of society, and without them, society would collapse. Recently, the Linn-Mar school district has been struggling to make ends meet and now has to cut 50 positions, leaving 19 teachers and 31 classified staff without jobs. These layoffs are a part of Linn-Mar’s budget cuts of 2.5 million dollars. Although the complete reason has yet to be disclosed, some have come up with their own conclusions as to why they think the cuts are happening.
One potential reason for cuts is Linn-Mar’s declining student enrollment. Since the pandemic, the district is losing students to other schools more than they are gaining them. State-funding to districts is given based on how many students they serve, so if enrollment is down, funding is as well.
Another rumor is that Linn-Mar is cutting teachers to have more money for things like a new performance center. While it definitely looks bad from the outside looking in, this is simply not true. Schools have funding silos for certain things, so for example, the money they use for a new performance center cannot be used to pay salaries and vice versa. Christie VanWey, Marion Independent School District’s Business Manager, said, “Each bucket of money comes from a specific source and can only be spent on the specific thing…the main bucket of money that schools have is the general fund, and that’s where salaries are paid for.” For example, the high school uses the same system. “There’s the geo-bond, penny sales tax, and PPEL, which is where the money to maintain and upgrade our facilities comes from.”
The situation Linn-Mar is going through does pose questions about whether or not Marion is going through the same. VanWey said, “We are in a very healthy financial situation and have been for several years…we continue to monitor our finances to ensure we don’t end up in that situation. But this has also been good for Marion. It provides teachers in a teacher shortage.”
While the focus is on Linn-Mar, it is important to note that they are not the only district going through budget cuts in Iowa. In Iowa City, the school board president has had to make three rounds of budget cuts. The most recent included 5.5 million in cuts, along with the closing of one of their elementary schools for reasons similar to Linn-Mar’s such as declining enrollment and inflation of needed school supplies and equipment. Schools all around Iowa and the world will continue to cut staff and close schools.
Ultimately, Linn-Mar is one of many schools needing help to pay its staff. These budget cuts are a state or even nationwide problem. The nation needs to think of more creative and innovative ways to solve this problem like applying for grants or rebates and incentive programs. If not, 50 staff members losing their jobs or 5.5 million dollars in cuts is just the beginning.
