Connect with us

Iowa

Iowa City schools consider trimming $8M from budget by nixing positions

Published

on

Iowa City schools consider trimming M from budget by nixing positions


The Iowa City Community School District is finding ways to trim $5-6 million from its budget, primarily by eliminating dozens of positions.

Advertisement

At the ICCSD school board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 24, the district proposed $8 million in budget cuts to reduce spending for fiscal year 2027.

The plan examines adjusting class sizes at the district’s 21 elementary schools and gradually reducing overall staffing through attrition. The plan does not include specific layoffs, though they could be considered if more cuts are needed to fix the budget.

“If there’s something we think where we could go beyond that, I think we know this is probably not a one-year challenge…,” said superintendent Matt Degner. “We know we have our own unique challenge, but we can also anticipate enrollment continuing to be challenging, and the ongoing challenge of funding.”

The district must approve its budget by the end of April.

Advertisement

How does Iowa City CSD plan to cut $8M from its budget?

The district projects $500,000 in administrative savings by moving some administrators into school-based roles and reducing administrative contracts. Executive cabinet members have already agreed to a pay freeze.

The district plans to cut $1.8 million by eliminating 20 positions, reassigning staff to schools, reducing special education roles and moving them into teaching positions, and not filling vacant positions. The district also plans not to renew probationary teacher contracts to save $1 million.

Advertisement

At the district’s high schools and middle schools, 12 teaching positions can be left unfilled through “attrition-based staffing reductions,” saving an estimated $600,000 and $500,000, respectively.

Elementary savings are estimated at $900,000 by reducing 10 classroom positions through natural turnover.

“We have to generate enough attrition or enough people out of the system for those reassignments to help us,” Degner said. “We’re not back-filling the position that they’re leaving. So if they’re reassigned to a building-based role, we’re not back-filling the position there; they would be vacating from a district position.”

Other staffing adjustments, like reducing support staff, substitute positions, stipends, and special education staff, along with suspending administrator conference travel, could save another $950,000.

Advertisement

The district will consider cutting buses that pick up students outside of normal routes, i.e., discretionary busing, eliminating “redundant” software, delaying curriculum purchases, and ending consulting contracts, totaling $2 million in potential savings.

The plan estimates that the district could save $700,000 to $1 million by eliminating discretionary busing.

Degner said they plan to look at the link between attendance and bus transportation before making a decision.

“Maybe they’re not attending if the bus isn’t there,” Degner said Tuesday. “I do think some of that data analysis would be important to consider.” 

Advertisement

The ICCSD’s cash reserve levy for fiscal year 2027 is $30.3 million. The levy maintains cash flow, does not create new spending authority, and allows the district to pay for previously approved expenses.

ICCSD board members ask to look at systematic solutions

ICCSD board director Jennifer Horn-Frasier applauded the district’s urgency of action and its plan to limit spending through the end of fiscal year 2026, though she encourages leadership to look at things more “systemically.” Horn-Frasier referenced educational devices and technology in elementary schools, noting that it’s not only a budget issue but a community concern.

Director Jayne Finch argued pay freezes are a must, though the district must go further by taking “a fresh look at every contract.”

“Students and personnel should not bear the brunt of the mistakes that have been made by central administration,” Finch said.

Advertisement

The Iowa City CSD budget has fluctuated in recent years due to declining enrollment, notable building projects, and closures, as well as limited State Supplemental Aid funding.

In April 2025, the board of directors unanimously approved a $279 million budget, $40 million less than the year prior, due to the closure of Hills Elementary School in 2024 and several completed building projects. Later in 2025, in a 5-1 vote in June, the board greenlit a $104.6M five-year facility master plan.

Former ICCSD Chief Financial Officer, Adam Kurth, who left in November 2025, said last February that the district was in “a reasonably healthy position.”

In January, board members learned about a $10 million interfund loan taken out in August 2025 that was later retroactively approved. The ICCSD says its “expenses outpaced their projections,” and saw a 9 percent average payroll cash increase and a total of $15.7 million in compensation packages, according to board documents.

Advertisement

The district spends about 86 percent of its general fund on salaries and benefits.

Kim Michael-Lee is serving as the district’s CFO until the position is filled in July.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and education reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached atJRish@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @rishjessica_



Source link

Advertisement

Iowa

Chicago Cubs’ Matt Shaw expected to begin rehab assignment with Iowa

Published

on

Chicago Cubs’ Matt Shaw expected to begin rehab assignment with Iowa


play

When the Iowa Cubs return to Principal Park in Des Moines on June 2, the Triple-A team will likely be bringing back a familiar face.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsel told reporters in St. Louis, Mo., on May 29 that super utilityman Matt Shaw would likely join Iowa when the team opens a six-game series against Toledo that Tuesday.

Advertisement

“Matts doing super well,” Counsell said during a pregame meeting with scribes. “The plan kind of remains intact that we think he’s going to be able to start a rehab assignment on Tuesday in Iowa. So, assuming everything progresses like it progresses, he’s going to have basically a full weekend of kind of normal pregame stuff. He should be good to go on Tuesday in Iowa.”

Shaw was placed on the injured list back on May 22 with mild back tightness, retroactive to May 20. He was replaced on the big-league roster by prized Cubs prospect Pedro Ramrirez, who tore apart opposing pitching during his first stint in Triple-A in 2026.

Shaw, 24, was hitting .242 (23-for-95) with six doubles, three home runs, three stolen bases and a .291 on base percentage to go along with a .400 slugging percentage in 42 games with Chicago this season. He’s bounced around the field this season and provided an important option off the bench for the Cubs.

Advertisement

Shaw remains one of the organization’s top young players. The Cubs selected in the first round of the 2023 draft. Shaw rapidly rose through the minor leagues and made his big-league debut with Chicago in 2025. After some early-season struggles, Shaw was briefly demoted to Iowa in 2024 before eventually making a return to the big leagues.

While the hitting wasn’t great, the defense was exceptional. Shaw found a home at third base and played so well he became a Gold Glove finalist in 2025.

Iowa starts the series on Tuesday at 6:38 p.m.

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020, 2023 and 2025 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Iowa

Iowa Supreme court affirms eviction order for Short’s Burger & Shine

Published

on

Iowa Supreme court affirms eviction order for Short’s Burger & Shine


Following a years-long legal saga, the Iowa Supreme Court recently upheld a decision to evict Short’s Burger and Shine from its South Clinton Street building.

The May 22 decision, delivered by Chief Justice Susan Christensen, agreed with the Johnson County District Court’s decision to evict the downtown burger restaurant after finding that it did not notify the building’s owner — a trust operated by Midwest One Bank — of its intent to extend the lease.

The decision concludes one part of the Short’s legal saga. The now-closed restaurant is also in litigation for a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit Short’s owner, Kevin Perez filed in 2024 against Midwest One Bank, the trust of late building owner Haywood Belle, Belle’s widow, a bank employee, and the City of Iowa City

Advertisement

Iowa City’s Short’s Burgers and Shine closed in 2024

Short’s closed in early 2024 after the court determined Perez hadn’t renewed the business’s lease on time.

Short’s opened at 18 S. Clinton Street in 2008 with the goal of honoring the legacy and story of former building owner H.D. Short, who shined shoes for 50 years, beginning in 1920. The original ownership group included Perez, Dan Ouverson, and former Hawkeye and NFL player Nate Kaeding, who now runs the Gold Cap Hospitality ownership group.

Eviction proceedings started when Short’s temporarily closed in April 2022 “to fix poor building conditions” without notifying Midwest One Bank, the executor of Belle’s trust.

The closure breached a part of the lease agreement that said the restaurant would default on its lease if it “failed to engage” in normal business for more than 15 consecutive business days, the court found. The renovations also violated a provision that forbade structural changes or improvements without prior written approval.

Advertisement

Midwest One Bank sent notice on May 10, 2022, that Short’s would default on its lease if it did not reopen for regular business and cease renovations within 10 days, according to court documents. Shorts responded, claiming it could not reopen for business until renovations were complete because the gas could not be turned back on until repairs were finished.

Midwest One Bank “terminated” the lease and started eviction proceedings in May 2022. Shorts was allowed to continue operating and occupying the building while the case was litigated.

Midwest One Bank filed two eviction claims and delivered notice that Short’s needed to vacate the building by the end of the lease on April 30. Short’s did not vacate, and Midwest One Bank pursued a third eviction claim, accusing the owners of failing to provide notice of renewal.

Advertisement

Short’s argued that because they continued renovations, disputed eviction, and secured insurance, it was evidence of their intent to renew.

The restaurant owners also argued that pending eviction proceedings prevented them from renewal. The court argued that Short’s simply did not declare intent to renew for “whatever reason.”

“Mere forgetfulness does not entitle a party to equitable relief,” the decision reads.

Liam Halawith covers Johnson County local government and public safety for the Press-Citizen. Reach him by email at lhalawith@registermedia.com. Follow him on X at @liam_halawith.   

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Iowa

Fired Iowa nurse aide wins jobless benefits after numerous resident-care complaints

Published

on

Fired Iowa nurse aide wins jobless benefits after numerous resident-care complaints


WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH) – An Iowa nursing home worker fired after being accused of repeatedly neglecting residents’ needs is entitled to unemployment benefits, a judge has ruled.

State records indicate certified nurse aide Abigail Kromah worked for Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center in West Des Moines from May 2024 through December 2025, when she was fired. She subsequently applied for unemployment benefits, which led to a recent hearing before an administrative law judge.

The hearing records indicate Kromah testified that when she was fired on Dec. 19, 2025, the employer informed her that the discharge was due to “numerous resident complaints” regarding the care she had been providing.

According to the judge’s findings in the case, Kromah had received multiple disciplinary warnings related to resident care. In August 2024, she allegedly received verbal and written warnings for failing to answer residents’ call-lights in a timely manner, failing to properly assist residents with their personal care, and for complaining about the residents in common areas of the workplace.

Advertisement

Her employer testified Kromah was also given warnings for refusing work instructions from the nursing staff, and for telling a resident who needed to be toileted to go the bathroom in their briefs.

In August 2025, it was alleged that Kromah failed to check on a resident throughout the entire night. During that shift, a nurse had neglected to unclamp a feeding tube, which caused the tube to leak. When another nurse checked on the resident at 5 a.m., the resident was “drenched in feeding solution from head to toe,” according to the judge’s findings.

‘I can’t live this way… She’s horrible.’

Days later, the home alleged, a resident of the facility entered the hallway in his wheelchair at about 6 a.m., loudly complaining, “I can’t do this anymore,” and, “I can’t live this way.” The man allegedly refused to go back to his room, explaining that Kromah was there and “she’s horrible.”

The man reportedly stated had had switched on his call-light to have his urinal emptied, but Kromah never came to assist him, which meant the urinal overflowed and spilled on him. When Kromah eventually came to the room, the man allegedly said, she changed him into dry clothing but did not clean him.

The home alleged Kromah was given additional warnings in October 2025 for reportedly failing to answer residents’ call lights and failing to complete her rounds every two hours. One resident of the home had allegedly became so frustrated by the lack of response to his call-light that he contacted the police on one occasion, according to the judge’s findings.

Advertisement

State inspection reports indicate Pine Acres Rehabilitation and Care Center was cited for insufficient staff in January 2026, with one resident complaining the issue with call-lights had been a longstanding problem. According to the inspectors, the man said that on one occasion, he couldn’t get help to clear his airway and was afraid he was going to die unless he managed to clear it himself, which he did.

In ruling that Kromah was entitled to jobless benefits, Administrative Law Judge Michael Lunn noted that while she had clearly been warned about deficiencies in resident care, she appeared to have been fired for a separate issue — attendance — for which she had received no such warnings.

A discharge for misconduct cannot be based on past acts such as the resident-care issues, Lunn ruled, but must instead be based on a current act. With no current act of disqualifying misconduct, Lunn stated, Kromah was entitled to collect unemployment benefits.

Iowa Capital Dispatch was unable to locate Kromah to seek comment for this article.

Copyright 2026 IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH. All rights reserved.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending