116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Cedar Rapids schools’ proposed $117 million bond one step closer to voters
Cedar Rapids school board unanimously approves petition language for proposed bond that would fund renovations to four district schools
May. 12, 2025 9:58 pm, Updated: May. 13, 2025 2:42 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
CEDAR RAPIDS — A $117 million bond referendum is one step closer to going to voters in the Cedar Rapids Community School District after the school board Monday unanimously approved petition language.
The next step will be gathering thousands of signatures from eligible voters to place the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot.
To take a school bond referendum to voters, 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.
“I want to thank the community for showing up to meetings, responding to surveys, telling us what they think matters and being candid with us, and allowing us to shape something that I believe our community will get behind” school board member Jen Neumann said. “Being able to modernize these facilities while preserving historic structures at the same time is a gift to the future of this community.”
The plan was drafted after more than a year of input from the community. Conversations with hundreds of residents and leaders in faith communities, neighborhoods and businesses helped shape the proposal.
Cedar Rapids school leaders in August 2024 began meeting with a Future Ready Facilities Task Force — made up of more than 80 community members, business leaders and school staff — to develop a new facility plan.
After an initial plan proposed in February received mixed feedback through surveys and polls, school officials modified it to better fit what the community said it wanted and felt it could afford.
What’s the plan?
The plan includes renovations to four schools in the Cedar Rapids district:
- $25 million to renovate Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, a middle school in northwest Cedar Rapids, to address school safety and operational efficiency issues and to accommodate students from Wilson Middle School, which would become an elementary school;
- $45 million to renovate McKinley STEAM Academy, a middle school in southeast Cedar Rapids;
- $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;
- And $12 million for renovations at Kennedy High School to address crowding in the cafeteria and common areas and adapt space for new freshman programming.
The plan — if approved by voters — 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.
In Iowa, school bond issues — basically, loans that schools take out typically for 10, 15 or 20 years — require a supermajority of 60 percent voter approval to pass. In passing bond issues, voters in the district agree to repay the loan, with interest, through their property taxes.
Poll shows narrow path to victory
A poll commissioned by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance indicates 61.8 percent of voters now say they are likely to vote in favor of the bond. This is an improvement from 55 percent found earlier this year when the amount under consideration was much larger, at $211 million.
When given more information about the bond referendum — such as how it is expected to save taxpayers millions annually in reduced maintenance costs and improve school security — almost 68 percent of people polled said they were likely to vote yes for the $117 million referendum.
But with 60 percent approval needed to pass, that’s still a very narrow path to victory, leaders at the Economic Alliance said.
Ron Corbett, vice president of economic development at the Economic Alliance, said people are anxious about the economy right now.
“There are economic headwinds that may be a little stronger today than they were a couple months ago, but there’s a strong, compelling case that people are willing to overlook the anxiety they may feel because they see the strong needs the school district has. The business community is going to get behind this. … We believe in Cedar Rapids schools. My gut tells me on Nov. 4, the citizens will, too.”
Bond would ‘positively impact’ students
Students at Grant Elementary would be positively impacted if the bond is approved by voters, said Kim Knapp, a kindergarten teacher at the southwest Cedar Rapids school who spoke during public comment.
Knapp said the 64-year-old building is inadequate for the needs of students and staff. There isn’t space for therapists to come into the school and counsel students. The school’s speech pathologist uses a former food storage closet as a classroom. Multiple teachers are sharing classrooms.
“Today at Grant, there was no hot water,” Knapp said Monday. Because it was a teacher work day, “Thankfully, there was no school. What if it isn’t fixed by tomorrow? … Sometimes, the heating or air conditioning doesn’t work.”
There is at least one spot in the roof that leaks “every time we get a heavy rain,” Knapp said. Multiple toilets in the building are unusable. Sometimes, there are three students to one locker. There’s no elevator to the basement, where there are three classrooms and the gym.
“The time to invest in the future of our students is long overdue,” Knapp said.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters