Cedar Rapids schools propose combined $445 million bond referendums over six years

CEDAR RAPIDS — A $220 million bond referendum that would fund a land purchase, construction of a new middle school and renovations to existing buildings could go to voters in the Cedar Rapids Community School District in November.

This would be one of two bond referendums proposed to go to voters that would ensure all buildings in the district are new or recently renovated by 2037, said Jon Galbraith, Cedar Rapids schools’ operations director.

A second bond referendum of $225 million could go to voters in November 2029 to build a new middle school to replace Taft and renovate McKinley STEAM Academy.

“This is our opportunity to do something together. This is not about our own personal agenda. This is about the future of our city, about the future of our kids, and I hope that we can look at today as a fresh start and understand the value all of us bring to elevate the pathways, passions and plans for our students,” Superintendent Tawana Grover said during a school board meeting Monday evening.

Grover said improving the district’s facilities could be a part of “reestablishing our competitive edge” as its schools continue to see a decline in enrollment.

“We want to make sure when our city is going out attracting industry to our community, that they can look to our school district and say we are preparing the future workforce,” Grover said.

“We have school districts all around us investing in their facilities,” Grover said. “We want people to say, ‘They have new buildings over here in Cedar Rapids, too. We want our kids to stay over here.’”

Wilson, Roosevelt and Harding middle schools would be closed under the initial plan, and the hope is the buildings would be repurposed into some other use by developers, Galbraith said.

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If the bond referendums aren’t approved by voters, Galbraith said the district would continue to face challenges including disproportionate access and opportunities for students, increased upkeep costs for aging buildings and rising construction costs.

One of the main goals of the district’s plan is to reduce the number of middle schools from six to four and provide more equitable services to all students. This would create a feeder system from middle school to high school, and it would reduce operational and maintenance costs for the district.

The plan varies from an initial proposal made to the Cedar Rapids school board in August 2022 that called for a $312 million bond referendum to fund a seven- to 10-year plan to improve secondary schools.

If the bond were approved by voters, the district’s property tax levy would increase $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. Property owners in the district currently pay a levy rate of $14.73 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. For a homeowner with a $200,000 home, the property tax bill is $1,603 per year, or $134 a month. For the owner of a $150,000 home, the property taxes is $1,202 annually, or $100 a month.

Galbraith said ballot language will be presented to the school board for its approval at a special meeting Aug. 7. After that, community groups like a “yes committee” to garner support will be able to take a petition to voters to get the question on the ballot.

At least 25 percent of the number of registered voters in the district voting in the last election of school officials must sign a petition, according to Iowa Code. This would require about 4,900 signatures needed to qualify.

School board member Dexter Merschbrock voiced concern about schools moving out of the "heart of the city“ to the suburbs. It could make the district ”more competitive“ with school districts like Linn-Mar and College Community, but those districts can’t compete with Cedar Rapids schools ”in the center of town,“ Merschbrock said.

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School board member Jen Neumann said she agreed with Merschbrock’s concerns, asking for density reports around McKinley and Wilson middle schools.

“These are really hard decisions to make, and it’s tough to make everybody happy,” Neumann said. “I think an aquatic center is important” — as envisioned in the earlier facilities plan, but now in the second phase of this plan --“but I think that can be better done with a partnership with the city and community.”

Grover said the schools are planned for locations where population data indicates future residents will live.

“Every neighborhood is going to see improvement in their schools,” said Cindy Garlock, school board vice president. “It’s been a long time since we asked our community for financial help. We can’t wait any longer. Our kids deserve the best we can give them and they deserve it now.”

Phase 1: new middle school, turf football fields

The land needed to build a new middle school on the north side of the district has not yet been presented to the board. Other proposed projects in Phase 1 would include:

Phase 1 also calls for $20 million in SAVE and $45 million in PPEL funds, allocated to build two new 600-student elementary schools at the Erskine and Grant sites and to renovate Hiawatha Elementary School.

SAVE — or Secure an Advanced Vision for Education — and PPEL — the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy — are capital projects funds for the purchase and improvement of grounds, purchase, construction and remodeling of buildings and major equipment purchases, including technology. SAVE is funded by an existing sales tax allocated by the state to school districts based on enrollment. PPEL is funded by property taxes.

The Cedar Rapids district’s PPEL expires in 2025, which means the plan also requires the district to take it to voters next year in hopes of extending it for another 10 years.

Phase 2: Five new elementaries

Under the $225 million bond in 2029, Taft Middle School would be replaced with a 1,200-student building and McKinley would be renovated. Phase 2 also includes projects funded with $189 million in SAVE and $129 million in PPEL. Projects are:

Creating a stronger feeder system

As a part of the facility master plan, the district is arranging its schools into three areas. Within each area, the elementary schools feed in to the same middle schools, which feed in to the same high school.

Area 1 includes Washington High School, Franklin seventh and eighth grade center, McKinley Sixth Grade Academy, and Trailside, Erskine, Wright and Grant elementary schools and Johnson STEAM Academy.

Area 2 includes Jefferson High School, Taft Middle School, Cleveland, West Willow and Maple Grove elementary schools and Hoover Community School. Also included is the Truman Early Learning Center preschool program.

Area 3 includes Kennedy High School, a new middle school at a new site on the northwest side of the city and Harrison, Hiawatha, Viola Gibson and Pierce elementary schools. Also included is City View High School, Metro High School and Polk Alternative.

Cedar Rapids school board facilities master plan presentation by Gazetteonline on Scribd

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