Massive Budget Cuts Hit Waterloo Schools—Which Jobs Are on the Line?

Massive Budget Cuts Hit Waterloo Schools: What Parents and Staff Need to Know

The upcoming school year is going to be a very scary time for staff at Waterloo Schools.

Earlier this year, officials from the Waterloo School District announced that there would probably be some staff cuts in the near future.

Lingering Effects of the Pandemic on Education

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Five years ago, schools all across the country began to shut down due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Students had to adjust and the systems that were put in place to educate them had to shift too.

Due to virtual pandemic learning, students became even more reliant on screens, and they began to lag behind considerably in math and reading. Even though it's been half a decade since the world shut down, kids are still trying to keep up, according to reports.

Why Are Waterloo Schools Cutting Staff and Programs?

School districts like Waterloo Schools and others in the state are dealing with additional financial struggle.

Part of this is due to the fact that the federal funding these districts received during COVID-19 is running low, and because state funding is being reduced, according to a report from KWWL.

Just this month, we finally got an idea of what jobs will be cut and how much money the district is trying to save.

KWWL put together a stellar report on these school cuts.

Waterloo School Budget Cuts Breakdown

According to this report, the Waterloo Schools Superintendent Dr. Jared Smith plans to make $10 million in cuts over the next school year.

Then for the 2026-2027 school year, there will be another $6 million in budget cuts.

2025-2026 School Year Waterloo Budget Cuts Breakdown

Waterloo School Budget Cuts Breakdown

Staff Reductions and Salary Adjustments

• Reduce 18 Custodian/Maintenance Positions – $1,050,000
• Reduce 20 Employees (Certified and Classified) – $1,000,000
• Eliminate 11 Teacher Librarians – $825,000
• Reduce 4 Middle School Teachers – $320,000
• Reduce 3 High School Teachers – $240,000
• Reduce 4 Family Support Workers – $240,000
• Salary Freeze for All Administrators – $225,000
• Eliminate Executive Director of CTE – $200,000
• Eliminate Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging – $160,000
• Eliminate Director of Athletics – $150,000
• Eliminate Director of Preschool – $150,000
• Reduce 1 Administrator – $150,000

Education and Student Support Adjustments

• Eliminate Secondary Building Substitutes – $150,000
• Reduce Teacher Quality/Professional Development Budget – $400,000
• Budget Savings from Early Retirement Incentive – $150,000
• Eliminate Extra Contract Days for Instructional Coaches – $300,000
• Reducing Nursing Contract Budget – $300,000
• Reduce Credit Recovery/Performance-Based Diploma Academy Budgets – $420,000
• Reduce Elementary and Middle School Summer School Budget – $500,000

Program and Service Eliminations

• Eliminate Transportation of Private School Students – $600,000
• Eliminate Really Great Reading – $80,000
• Eliminate Sparkwheel Program from Middle Schools – $40,000
• Eliminate Lost Island Trip for 5th Grade Students – $35,000
• Eliminate Beginning of Year Staff T-Shirts – $20,000

Administrative and Operational Restructuring

• Restructure Technology Department (Admin Building) – $65,000
• Restructure School and Community Relations Department (Admin Building) – $50,000
• Restructure Human Resources Department (Admin Building) – $35,000
• Restructure Teaching and Learning Department (Admin Building) – $35,000

Facility and Resource Adjustments

• Close Expo Building – $100,000
• Longer Curriculum Adoption Cycles – $500,000
• Move Technology Purchases from General Fund to PPEL Fund – $500,000

Travel and Stipend Reductions

• Reduce Budget for Out-of-District Travel – $100,000
• Reduce Middle School Sports Out-Of-District Travel – $75,000
• Eliminate Administrator Trip to SAI Conference – $40,000
• Reduce Cell Phone Stipend for Administration & Support Personnel By Half – $50,000

Technology and Student Resources

• Reduce Number of Student Chromebooks for Grades K-1 – $35,000
• Reduce Pre-K Teacher Discretionary Spending – $60,000

After-School and Extracurricular Cuts

• Reduce Elementary After School Programming – $20,000

What’s Next for Waterloo Schools?

64 jobs will be cut at Waterloo Schools for next year, and it seems like there will be some more in the following year.

It appears that some of the jobs mentioned are open unfilled positions while other staff members are "voluntarily leaving through attrition," according to reports.

We will keep you updated as more information is released regarding these cuts.

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