coming into the district from the state, Graham said. For Benson, running the district means balancing two spending principles: historic and zero-based. Operational costs, such as utilities, are based on known "historic spending patterns," whereas staffing and programming are zero-based. Those costs are under the microscope when administrators begin to seek efficiencies. "We try every year to look very closely at our zero-based budget side to see where we can become more efficient," he said. Maske, whose purview centers on the district's 21 elementary schools as well as early learning programs and middle school professional development, doesn't hesitate to justify those personnel expenditures. "We believe that a highly trained staff member is a valuable resource for our students," she said. "They are a valuable, valuable resource, and we want to make sure that we are providing the best instruction we can for all of our students." DECISIONS In this March 2012 file photo, dozens of signs surround Polk Elementary School in Cedar Rapids hoping to save it from closure. (Dallas Houtz, The Gazette) Though that may be the intent, many community members took issue with leaders' methods when they delivered the directive to close Monroe and Polk -- the latter of which had among the district's highest rates of students receiving free and reduced price meals and a passionate outcry of citizens trying to stave off its demise. Graham, though he did not make the final decision, defends the action. "That was a very responsible thing for the district to