Crowded classrooms: West High staff grapple with vacancies amid budget crisis

Teachers at Iowa City West High School say larger classes and heavier workloads are following staffing reductions in the Iowa City school district, which is carrying out $7.5 million in spending cuts this year. A Spanish teacher reports having about 10 more students per class than last year, not having enough desks, and putting off speaking assessments. With fewer Spanish staff, the school no longer offers a Spanish class for heritage speakers. Those students now take the general Spanish curriculum, and the program's future is uncertain.

An English teacher says some of his classes now exceed 30 students, with one at 33, compared with the mid-20s before. He says this makes individual feedback harder and may stretch grading turnaround from his usual 10 to 14 days to about two and a half weeks. A student in his advanced class said he worries about getting one-on-one help.

The district reduced 23 teaching positions through attrition, is moving the equivalent of 12 to 16 district office staff into school-based roles, and froze executive cabinet salaries for 2026-27. It aims to cut another $32.5 million over four years, which could involve school closures, consolidations and new attendance boundaries. Whether vacancies will be filled is unclear.