The Daily Iowan
• The district transferred $10 million in loans from the employee healthcare fund to its general fund to cover teacher payroll without approval from the board, and by March the district was forced to cut $7.5 million from their budget. • Director Jayne Finch resigned, citing board dysfunction and concerns over the district’s financial recovery. • Amy Kortemeyer is serving as the interim superintendent while the district searches for a permanent replacement. • Nathan Kelley has taken over as president of the Iowa City Education Association. • A seven-member committee of community finance experts began to review the district’s finances in August as a way to provide the district with financial oversight.
ICCSD navigates leadership shifts as school begins The district enters the school year facing financial challenges.
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ust days before the new school year, students, parents, grandparents, coaches, and teachers filled the Iowa City High School commons as they conversed, ate pancakes, and donated to athletics. Aug. 22 marked the second annual City High Pancake Breakfast hosted by the Iowa City High Booster Club the Saturday before classes began.
School spirit was at an all-time high with attendees of all ages decked out in red, black, and Little Hawk logos across their clothing. Despite the upbeat atmosphere of the event, attendees were generally uninformed about the financial pitfalls that Iowa City High, as well as other schools in the Iowa City Community School District, faced. The district’s financial crisis came into public view earlier this year after the district announced in January it had overspent its budget and was facing cash-flow issues. The district transferred $10 million in loans
• The district is balancing financial recovery with changes in its leadership and administration.
IC Farmers Market discontinues tokens
The city’s weekly farmers market is adapting as payment technology changes, attributing $30,000 in financial risk to its $5 token program.
area. Customers can choose a variety of spice levels, from mild to super hot, so both spice lovers and those who prefer something less intense can find something on the menu. The smash burgers offer a unique variety, with big flavor and a crisp taste. The Chicago Fire Double Smash burger has been a favorite for their regular customers. Agaci, who is originally from Albania, said he has found a happy life in America. “In Albania, everyone thinks of America as the place where dreams come true,” he said. “Since living in America, that statement has become a reality.”
The Iowa City Farmers Market removed its red $5 token program on Aug. 29 after the Dubuque Farmers Market discontinued its program after reports of counterfeits. While existing tokens will be accepted through the end of the 2026 season, farmers market Recreation Program Supervisor Bill Lane said the availability and use of payment technology is changing the way residents participate in the weekly shop. The $5 token program was popular, with around 9,000 people making 21,000 transactions in the last two years, he said. Lane has not personally seen a counterfeit token, but stressed the negative effect they may cause since the market does not make money from the tokens. He valued the market’s weekly red token exchanges at $9,000. Credit card fees rise to the forefront once the tokens are eliminated as a means of payment. Each season, he said, the market absorbs around $10,000 in credit card fees. The farmers market outgrew its initial need for the $5 tokens, he said. They were instituted approximately 10 years ago to help vendors participate in the market when electronic payment options were uncommon and unaffordable. Now, most vendors accept credit and debit cards, reducing the need for the tokens. Lane said the farmers market has around $30,000 worth of tokens out in the public. The tokens no longer justified the fi nancial risk and liability of continuing them in the modern age. Despite the removal of red $5 tokens, the $1 tokens will remain usable, as only electronic benefits transfer users can purchase them. Lane was happy to keep the $1 token program because it is so helpful to those in the Iowa City community who need it. “The EBT token program allows us to continue
Hot chicken, smash burger spot finds home in IC Frank’s Hot Chicken Smash Burgers is already turning up the heat.
For some customers, one visit to Frank’s Hot Chicken Smash Burgers is only the start of their quest through the restaurant’s menu. “The customer tries one item on the menu, comes back for the second item, then keeps coming back to try more of our food,” Dritan Agaci, co-owner and manager of Frank’s Hot Chicken Smash Burgers on South First Avenue, said. The restaurant, which opened June 29, brings spicystyle hot chicken and smash burgers to the Iowa City