Campaign for Cedar Rapids schools’ $117M bond gets underway

CEDAR RAPIDS — More than 5,000 signatures from voters are needed to place a $117 million school bond referendum for the Cedar Rapids Community School District on the ballot in November.

Days after petition language was unanimously approved Monday by the Cedar Rapids school board, a committee called BELIEVE in CR Schools — backed by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, business leaders and families — is working to gather those signatures and advocate for voters to say “yes” to the referendum.

The plan, if approved by voters in the school district, would modernize three historic schools in the Cedar Rapids district and renovate aspects of Kennedy High School.

The plan also includes allocating $35 million to renovate Wilson Middle School into an elementary school that would house Cedar River Academy and Grant Elementary, which would be removed from the district’s inventory.

Stephanie Van Hemert, principal of Grant Elementary in southwest Cedar Rapids, said that while she is proud of the building, students need “space to do school the way school needs to happen in 2025.”

“We worked really hard to make the best of the space we have, but we don’t have enough space to think flexibly because every space in our school is used,” Van Hemert said.

Grant Elementary was built in 1961. Schools today serve “more needs than teaching reading, writing and math,” Van Hemert said.

The building doesn’t have space for small group instruction, for students to have confidential meetings with therapists or even room for indoor recess in inclement weather, Van Hemert said.

Van Hemert voiced a love for Grant Elementary, and while closing the school if the bond is approved would be “hard,” it also would be “worth it,” she said.

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Mayor voices support

In her state of the city address Wednesday, Cedar Rapids’ Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell voiced support for the plan.

The proposal is significantly revised from an earlier one presented to the public in February that was almost double the cost. After receiving feedback, school officials worked to create a plan they said the community felt it could afford.

“What I’m most pleased with is that the district clearly listened to parents and made a choice to adjust. I think because of that, I’m optimistic it will be successful,” O’Donnell said in an interview with The Gazette.

“We have some incredible facilities that are ready to be improved upon and made state of the art. This bond will help us do that,” she said.

‘Yes’ committees can be vital

Ballot language is due to the county auditor 46 days before city and school elections. At least 25 percent of the number of registered voters in the school district voting in the last election of school officials must sign the petition, according to Iowa Code.

That’s 5,496 signatures for this referendum.

Yes committees like BELIEVE in CR Schools can be vital in getting taxpayer approval for general obligation bonds — which are backed by property taxes — for Iowa school districts, since districts themselves cannot legally advocate for them.

Laura Zimmermann, a parent and former teacher in the district, spent Thursday handing out clipboards and petition papers to other families to begin collecting those signatures.

Those families were identified by 20 elementary school principals. Zimmermann contacted them asking if they would gather signatures to place the bond on the ballot this fall.

“A lot of them in less than 24 hours responded, ‘Yes, I can help,’” Zimmermann said. ”There are a lot of people willing to step up and say, ‘We need this. We need this for our schools. It’s time to support this bond movement.“

The clipboards and petition papers were provided to Zimmermann by the Economic Alliance.

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Plan shaped by public input

Zimmermann’s children go to Erskine Elementary School and eventually will attend McKinley STEAM Academy, a middle school in the district that would be renovated under the bond plan.

Zimmermann, who sat on a district task force of families, community members and business leaders that helped develop the plan, said school leaders have “taken a thoughtful, strategic approach” in creating a proposed bond referendum.

“Parents like myself, educators, local business leaders and stakeholders from every corner of Cedar Rapids have come together to shape a vision for our district’s future, one that honors our history while embracing innovation,” Zimmermann said.

In Iowa, school districts have three funding sources for capital projects:

“The schools directly impacted by the bond will benefit tremendously, but the positive effects won’t stop there. By freeing up PPEL and SAVE funds, this bond will allow critical improvements to reach many other schools throughout our district,” Zimmermann said during public comment at a school board meeting last week.

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What’s different from the 2023 failed bond?

The scaled-back proposal follows a failed Cedar Rapids district bond referendum in November 2023. About 38 percent of voters in the district were in favor of that measure — far short of the 60 percent needed to pass it.

Zimmermann said she was not involved in advocating for the November 2023 bond. While she did vote “yes” for it at the time, she said she remains confused by and unsure of the plan.

The plan that could go to voters this November, however, is one she said she understands and supports. “I don’t have a question or a doubt,” Zimmermann said.

Jaymie McGrath, with the McGrath Family of Dealerships, who also has children at Erskine Elementary, said projects in the bond proposal are “what the community has said matters to them.”

The current bond proposal is more straightforward than the 2023 plan that failed, McGrath said. “I think that’s a big reason why people were not for it. They have made this proposal clear and simple and that helps people, myself included,” she said.

“It’s been 25 years since the (Cedar Rapids) school district has passed a bond issue,” said Ron Corbett, vice president of economic development at the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. “That doesn’t mean they haven’t had construction. They’ve been able to use SAVE and PPEL, but as many school districts are finding, that only goes so far. Bonds are the only other solution available.”

Strong schools tied to strong economy

Rocki Shepard, president and chief executive officer of New Leader Manufacturing, noted there is a workforce shortage. Strong schools can encourage families to stay in and move to Cedar Rapids and invest in the next generation of workers.

“It’s critical to pass this bond, it’s critical for kids,” said Shepard, who is a member of the Economic Alliance’s board of directors.

“The bigger financial picture is if these kids can get a good education and get employed by companies like mine and others in town, then we can grow. If we grow, the tax base grows, and there’s more money coming into the community,” Shepard said.

“I want to be able to expand my business here. I don’t want to be forced to build a facility someplace else because I can’t hire people,” she said.

Dave Drown, president of GLD Commercial Real Estate in Cedar Rapids, plans to help gather signatures and donate to the campaign.

“As a business community, when we’re trying to attract and retain top talent, it’s important we have the best schools we can possibly have, whether that be public or private,” Drown said.

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What’s the plan?

The plan includes renovations to four schools in the district:

The plan would save the school district $140.8 million in operational costs over the bond’s 20-year life cycle, or $6.48 million a year, Chad Schumacher, the district’s operations director, said. This means the district would see a return on investment of almost $24 million if the $117 million bond is approved.

A $117 million bond issue would cost the owner of a $200,000 home in the Cedar Rapids school district about $7.47 a month, or $89.60 per year, starting in fiscal 2027.

The property tax levy for fiscal 2026 — which begins July 1 — will be $13.64 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, a decrease from the current fiscal year.

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