Cedar Rapids schools superintendent sets priorities for year

CEDAR RAPIDS — Tawana Lannin — who will continue as superintendent of the Cedar Rapids Community School District on a rolling contract — has set three priorities she plans to deliver on amid the launch of new programs and the closure and consolidation of schools next fall.

Cedar Rapids school board President Jen Neumann last month announced Lannin would continue leading the district with no changes to a contract the school board unanimously approved last year.

The contract sets the superintendent’s salary at $314,150, plus benefits, for the next year and states that the district will contribute to a tax-sheltered annuity program in an amount equal to 14.6% of the superintendent’s salary.

Since joining the district as superintendent in April 2023, Lannin, 51, has focused on increasing academic outcomes, creating safer learning environments and deepening community engagement.

During that time, she’s faced scrutiny, but Neumann said it’s made Lannin a stronger leader.

“She’s learned our community needs time to process big ideas and to help shape those ideas,” Neumann said. “Not every leader has that level of awareness. It’s something I’ve really appreciated about her.”

Under Lannin’s leadership, the district has launched Freshman Academies, building additions at Jefferson and Washington high schools designed for ninth graders. The academies are a “school within a school” offering more focused support for students as they transition from eighth grade to high school.

Next year, upper academies will expand college and career readiness curriculum beginning with 10th graders.

This year, the Cedar Rapids school board approved a plan to address a multimillion dollar deficit driven by declining student enrollment, rising inflation and state funding increases that school leaders say fail to keep pace with inflation.

The plan — created with the community — cuts costs by closing five elementary schools and creating intermediate schools for fifth and sixth graders. It will be implemented next fall.

“It’s time to put reconfiguration in place,” Neumann told The Gazette. “Having stability and steadiness in leadership is really important. We are among the first, especially in larger districts, to make these really big changes.”

Priorities

Lannin last month presented her priorities as superintendent for the 2026-27 school year. Listing publicly her priorities provides accountability in a year when the district is working to “deliver on a huge promise” of redesigning the school district, she said.

Lannin’s priorities this year are to:

Lead the successful implementation of Year 1 of the district’s new strategic plan, Destination Excellence.Establish and implement a comprehensive culture and climate strategy that engages staff, students and families and measures the extent to which they experience “care, clarity and communication” across the district.Develop and implement a system for monitoring and communicating strategic plan metrics and organizational performance.

“We’re changing boundaries, school configurations and retiring some of our legacy schools,” Lannin said. “Our community came alongside us in this process and now how are we going to deliver? For me, the transparency demonstrates the commitment out loud for what we are collectively working on.

“We’ve made meaningful progress, but we don’t confuse that progress with being finished. There’s still a lot of work in front of us, and we continue to invite families to be a part of it.”

As superintendent, Lannin oversees one of the largest school districts in Iowa and an annual budget of about $315 million. She reports to the elected members of the Cedar Rapids school board.

There are 32 schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District with about 15,700 students. The district’s minority enrollment is 40%. Also, 39% of its students are economically disadvantaged, according to U.S. News & World Report. The district has about 3,100 employees.