Harrison Elementary to be renovated, expanded — but funding’s a question mark

CEDAR RAPIDS — Harrison Elementary School will be renovated and added onto — rather than demolished — possibly by fall 2027, although the Cedar Rapids school district does not yet know how the project will be funded.

The decision is a reversal from the board’s initial determination last year to raze the historic school and build a new facility on its site. The board revisited that plan this summer after a survey commissioned by the district showed the decision to close Harrison swayed some voters to oppose a multimillion school bond referendum that failed last fall.

With approval of the new plan by the school board, the district will begin a yearlong design phase of the Harrison project this fall. This design cost will be funded with Secure an Advanced Vision for Education — an existing statewide sales tax allocated to districts based on certified enrollment — and with the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, a property tax approved by voters and collected by the school district.

Construction on Harrison Elementary, 1310 11th St. NW in Cedar Rapids, could begin by late winter 2026.

The cost to renovate and build an addition to Harrison Elementary costs an estimated $1.4 million more than building a new elementary school there. The total cost is about $35.6 million.

Under the plan, Harrison Elementary would combine attendance zones with neighboring Madison Elementary School, 1341 Woodside Dr. NW, Cedar Rapids. Reducing the number of elementary schools in the district is expected to decrease operational costs for the district and address uneven distribution of resources. But the board has not made a decision of the future of Madison.

How construction of Harrison Elementary School will be funded will be a part of a discussion by a facility task force that this month began convening to develop a new facility plan and determine next steps toward a possible bond referendum in November 2025. The task force is examining all infrastructure needs of Cedar Rapids schools including elementary, middle and high schools.

  Buy Photo

Chad Schumacher, operations director for the district, said the task force will look at facility needs and what funding streams can be used for each project. This means Harrison could be funded with SAVE or could be a part of a bond referendum, he said.

“We have a responsibility now to engage with the task force to identify all projects that need to happen and prioritize those needs over the next 15 to 20 years,” Schumacher said. “Then we can start to decide what buckets of money we can use to pay for these projects.”

Two or three proposed facility plans created by the task force could be presented to the school board for consideration between March and May 2025, Schumacher said.

From there, the district would send a survey out to the community to gather more feedback and gauge interest in supporting a plan with a possible school bond referendum in November 2025.

The task force is made up of about 80 community members, business leaders and school staff who will meet monthly to develop a plan in alignment with the district’s goals, Schumacher said.

Robin Randall with Legat Architects said the firm created a feasibility study for Harrison Elementary showing it would provide an equitable education experience for students at the renovated school compared with the elementary schools newly-built in the district.

  Buy Photo

An addition to the school would include space for kindergarten classrooms, a gym, a cafeteria, media center and administrative offices. The average classroom size would be 850 square feet, matching the average size of elementary classrooms in the district.

  Buy Photo

The district adopted a plan in 2018 to address its aging elementary school buildings. That facilities plan included building 10 elementary schools and renovating three over the next 15 to 20 years. The process included closing and repurposing eight schools.

Under the plan, the Cedar Rapids district constructed and opened West Willow Elementary School in August 2021, which replaced Coolidge Elementary. Maple Grove Elementary School was the second school to open under the plan, replacing Jackson Elementary in August 2022. Last week, Trailside Elementary School opened to students, replacing both Arthur and Garfield elementary schools.

Earlier this month, the school board approved a resolution to construct two new elementary school buildings on the Hoover Elementary School and Van Buren Elementary School sites funded by SAVE.

The schools have seen large increases to their student body in recent years and have exceeded suggested enrollment capacity, and temporary walls in classrooms and common areas to create more learning spaces were built.

The district estimates construction cost of the two buildings — not including other costs to outfit the building — to total about $48 million. Officials said they anticipate the cost to be similar to that of the three previous elementary schools built — West Willow, Maple Grove and Trailside — which averaged about $24 million to construct, according to the district.

  Buy Photo

“At our last meeting, we identified Hoover and Van Buren as being very high need. I think it’s appropriate to remind the community that there was a very long span of time when we did not do any bond issues or new construction,” said Cindy Garlock, the school board president.

“We find ourselves now in a situation where we have a lot of needs that are very crucial. It falls on us to figure out how we prioritize those tasks,” Garlock said.

Save CR Heritage — a nonprofit dedicated to saving historic properties that petitioned the school board to reconsider its decision to demolish Harrison — wrote in a letter to the school board that it is supportive of the decision to renovate Harrison.

However, in the letter shared with The Gazette, the group opposed the renovations being tied to a possible 2025 school bond referendum.

“It appears to hold the students of Harrison and Madison hostage in exchange for voter approval of the entire package,” wrote Cindy Hadish, Save CR Heritage board secretary and volunteer.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com