Community feedback about failed Cedar Rapids school bond to be reviewed Monday

CEDAR RAPIDS — Results of a survey that asked for community feedback on facility needs in the Cedar Rapids Community School District — issued after a bond referendum failed last fall — will be presented Monday to the school board.

More than 9,000 residents, educators and parents responded to the survey last month that asked about support for the $220 million general obligation bond referendum, which district voters rejected last November, among other things.

The survey is one of several measures the district is taking to engage the community as it pursues a new facility plan to turn aging buildings into modern learning environments.

The meeting is open to the public at 5:30 p.m. Monday the Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids. It also will be livestreamed at youtube.com/@EngageCRschools.

The survey was conducted by School Perceptions, a research firm the district is working with that has experience helping over 900 school districts navigate strategic and bond referendum planning.

Questions on the survey included: Did you support the bond? If you voted no, why? And what college and career readiness classes and programs are most important to you?

Another question asked what advice respondents would give about Harrison Elementary School. Last year, the school board voted to close the historic northwest Cedar Rapids school and combine attendance zones with Madison Elementary School, with a new school built on the Harrison site by fall 2025.

Since then, the decision — which was mired in controversy from the start — has been put on hold.

The survey also asked residents if they would support renewing the Physical Plant & Equipment Levy expected to be on the ballot this September.

The Physical Plant & Equipment Levy — or PPEL — is an existing school capital projects fund used for the purchase and improvement of grounds, construction and remodeling of buildings and major equipment purchases, including technology. It must be renewed by voters every 10 years.

If approved, the extension would not raise the existing PPEL tax rate. However, it still wouldn’t create enough revenue for the district to build new schools, though it is important for maintaining buildings, according to school officials.

More than 70 percent of schools in the district were built before 1970. On average, Cedar Rapids school buildings are over 68 years old, and major systems such as heating, ventilation, electrical, plumbing, roofs and windows have exceeded their service life and are failing, according to district officials.

Updates also are needed to address federal disability regulations to improve access to classrooms, restrooms and other building areas.

A new facility master plan could include closing buildings to reduce operating costs and eliminate future maintenance expenses. It also could include renovating existing schools and building new ones.

Expanding college and career education has been a focus of Cedar Rapids school leaders for the last year — and is part of the district’s strategic plan — to better prepare students for high-wage, high-skill and in-demand careers after high school. This requires the infrastructure needed to house these programs.

The district is preparing to launch freshman academies at Jefferson, Kennedy and Washington high schools for the 2025-26 school year. An academy has a college and career theme and prepares students for postsecondary options and careers.

The following year — the 2026-27 school year — the district will launch upper academies for sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Larson Construction was hired last month to consult through the design, construction and completion of renovations at three of the district’s high schools that will support college and career academies and pathways.

Earlier this year, the Cedar Rapids school board approved an $850,000 agreement with Shive-Hattery, an architectural and engineering firm based in Cedar Rapids, to help guide planning to take a bond referendum to voters possibly in November 2025.

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Under the agreement, Shive-Hattery and other consultants are reviewing existing research on the district’s infrastructure, engaging the community, lending assistance in the bond campaign and creating conceptual plans of the school projects.

The agreement between Shive-Hattery and the district also includes MA+ Architecture, a firm based in Oklahoma that provides professional services in interior design, master planning, bond planning and furniture selection for schools and other organizations.

The surveys were mailed to about 88,000 registered voters in the Cedar Rapids Community School District. A second survey is expected to be sent to residents early in 2025 to continue to get feedback as a new facility plan is created.

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