Des Moines schools: 4 things we're watching this year
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Ian Roberts visits Des Moines classrooms after his hiring was announced. Photo: Courtesy of DMPS
Wednesday marks the return of nearly 30,000 students for Des Moines' 2023-24 school year.
Why it matters: It's a big year of firsts for the district as it welcomes a new superintendent and navigates new laws.
- Four things to watch:
New superintendent
What's new: Ian Roberts, whose first day was July 1, leads the Des Moines school district as its first-ever superintendent of color.
- Roberts has a 20+ year career in urban education and before that, competed as an Olympic runner.
What we're watching: How he follows the state's new rules on books and pronouns while supporting students and staff.
Academic achievement
State of play: Standardized test results in Des Moines are regularly lower than state averages.
Reality check: Students deal with more barriers to academic achievement, such as lower socioeconomic statuses.
What we're watching: If intervention bumps scores up.
- The school board regularly monitors test scores and in June, benchmarks for reading and English scores for 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders were not on track.
What's next: School officials are trying to make sure instruction is equal across schools, invest more in teacher training and provide extra materials for students who need help.
School security
Flashback: Local families have recently endured deadly shootings at East High School and an at-risk program downtown.
- The district was also the victim of a cyberattack that took students out of classes for two days in January.
What we're watching: If post-pandemic misbehavior and violence ticks back down.
- DMPS nearly doubled its security budget to $13 million this upcoming school year. District officials invested in cameras, metal detectors, patrol officers and vehicles, as well as training and crisis prevention.
- In 2021, the district eliminated its school resource officer program.
- It's also investing nearly $4 million in cybersecurity.
Enrollment
What's happening: DMPS has struggled with declining enrollment and revenue loss, but it's been exacerbated since 2020 due to new open enrollment laws and families leaving after going 100% virtual in 2020.
What we're watching: If declines continue.
- The state approved more than 3,000 private school scholarships in Polk County.
- It's unclear how many of those students, as well as the state funding that follows them, would have gone to DMPS.