Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS) is headed for a fiscal cliff. If the district doesn’t receive any new sources of funding, Interim Superintendent Matt Smith said hundreds of people could be laid off.
That’s one of the reasons why DMPS has put a bond measure on the ballot this fall. Voters will decide whether the district can receive $265 million to fund building renovations. The bond would add around $200 a year to property tax bills for the average homeowner in the district for the next 20 years.
But community members are aware that some of the district’s funding woes are happening because of open enrollment. Thousands of students have transferred out of DMPS into neighboring suburban districts, taking state funding with them.
“We want our students to stay here and be their best selves here, but we've got to do something different if we want to change that narrative,” said Kristin Rourk, DMPS director of early childhood programs.
At public meetings in October, administrators explained the changes they would make to schools and how the bond would free up resources that could go towards staffing and programming.
For administrators like Rourk, education isn’t just about walking across the stage with a diploma. It’s also about preparing students for lifelong careers with social mobility.
That shift means there will be broad changes across the K-12 spectrum. Classrooms would change from traditional lecture styles to more flexible, hands-on experiential training. Bus routes would change as the district reorganizes school feeder patterns.
DMPS Director of Food Nutrition Services Amanda Grimm said planning for these changes brought in people from all different parts of the school system. Acknowledging the national news surrounding former Superintendent Ian Roberts’ ICE arrest, Grimm said many more people have a stake in the plan.
“This plan is bigger than one man. This plan was built by our community and community input,” Grimm said. “That's what we want to focus on, how important it is for those 30,000 students, because that's what we live and die for.”
What’s part of the new education plan?
Dubbed the “Reimagining Education” plan, DMPS hopes to boost student engagement by catering to specific interests.
For high school students, the district wants to create interest-based “signature” schools, where students can gain workforce-ready certifications for careers they want to enter. Some schools will focus on STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — classes, while others will focus on performing arts.
An additional “Diploma Plus” marker on a student’s diploma means the student completed coursework that earns them a workforce-ready certification. For example, the “Seal of Biliteracy” is a nationally recognized award for students who become proficient in two or more languages before high school graduation.
For younger students, administrators want to create more full-day preschool programs. Sixth grade will be moved back to elementary schools to ease the transition to middle school.
Regardless of the bond’s outcome, schools currently slated to close will still shut down to save on operational costs.
Parents want to know more
Throughout the month, dozens of parents tuned into virtual meetings and sat in classrooms to hear more about the district’s five-year plan. Families peppered district administrators with questions about the school bond that they will see on their ballots.
Parents wondered if school bus routes are going to align with their work schedules, and they asked if the bond will free up enough money from other funding streams to fill staffing gaps at DMPS.
Overall, they tried to imagine how their own kids will navigate a changed school system.
“It's important for our students that we keep up our buildings, but also that we are providing a modern environment, one that really is going to serve the 21st century. And right now, we have 20th century buildings,” said parent Jennie Balcom.
But other parents are worried that even with all the changes, the plan might not reverse years of declining enrollment. Some are concerned that teacher shortages are going to contribute to long waitlists and overcrowding of certain programs.
“I personally hope to see the school bond pass,” said parent Amanda Monfils. “I'm hoping that it'll lead to better retention of employees and to see better academic scores.”
The bond will appear on the ballot for residents as they vote for city council and school board directors. It must earn 60% of the vote in order to pass.
