Jacobo running for C.R. school board

CEDAR RAPIDS — Rafael Jacobo, a parent of three Cedar Rapids students and the president of the Franklin Middle School parent-teacher association, is running for a seat on the Cedar Rapids school board.

Jacobo, 35, announced Wednesday he is running for the Disctrict 4 seat on the board, pitting him against incumbent board Vice President Allen Witt, who first was elected in 2011.

He said his experience as an active parent and volunteer in several schools would allow him to bring a 'building-level' perspective to the board. In addition to his position as Franklin PTA president, Jacobo is a past PTA president at Garfield Elementary School.

'I appreciate the big vision that the superintendent puts together … and then how the board works with that to shape that,' Jacobo said. 'It's great to have that vision, but you still need to have perspective from the day-to-day, what actually happens in a building.'

To retain or attract more families in a district with declining enrollment, Jacobo said the district should focus on updating its facilities, some of which were built in the early 1900s. Alternative options for students — such as the Iowa BIG project-based high school, a related curriculum at Roosevelt Middle School and the Johnson STEAM Academy Magnet School — also can help, he said.

School board members should develop a long-term vision for how to address increasing diversity among students, he said.

Jacobo said he was aware of the federal investigation into allegations of racial discrimination against African-American students in the district's discipline practices, but his family's experiences with Cedar Rapids schools had been positive. Jacobo is Latino.

Jacobo's three children attend Arthur Elementary School, Franklin and Washington High School. He works as a business analyst for United Fire Group in Cedar Rapids.

Correction: Due to a reporter's error, a previous version of this article misstated the school attended by one of Rafael Jacobo's children. It is Arthur Elementary School, not Garfield Elementary School.