Multimillion Cedar Rapids schools bond referendum could go to voters this November

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids school board is considering taking a multimillion school bond referendum to fund improvements to middle and high schools — including a new focus on career and technical education — to voters as early as November.

The initial proposal made to the Cedar Rapids school board in August 2022 called for a $312 million bond referendum to fund a seven- to 10-year plan to improve secondary schools. Superintendent Tawana Grover will provide an update on the plan Monday and give an opportunity for the board to discuss it at 5:30 p.m. at the Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Rd. NW, according to the agenda.

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School board member Jen Neumann said she would “absolutely support” voting to move forward with scheduling a bond referendum in November. She said the plan would differ slightly from the initial proposal, and believes the board will “ultimately land on something that’s a better fit for our community” while keeping the integrity of the original plan.

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.

A stronger feeder system “will help kids learn better,” and Neumann believes in steps that would “help strengthen that,” she said.

Besides reducing the number of middle schools from six to four, the initial plan also envisioned building an aquatic center to replace the three pools in the high schools.

If the full $312 million bond referendum were approved by voters — although that now may be changed — the district’s property tax levy would increase $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. For example, under that scenario, the owner of a house assessed at $200,000 would see a tax increase of about $23 a month or $280 a year for 20 years, according to board documents. A referendum requires 60 percent approval to pass.

'Make haste’ for November election

A new Iowa law prevents school districts from taking bond referendums to voters in special elections in March or September, as had been the common practice. The change means the district can take a referendum to voters only in a November general election, which this year also will ask voters to decide local elections — including for school board seats.

“If they want focused turnout, they should make haste and get it on the ballot for November 2023,” said Linn County Auditor Joel Miller, whose office runs elections held in the county.

Further complicating a vote is the upcoming presidential election in November 2024, which will drive up the voter turnout “dramatically,” Miller said. By that time, a school bond referendum also could be on the back of or even a second page of the 2024 ballot, which could mean a “tremendous drop off” of votes on the issue, he said.

“I don’t like what I believed happened before with schools choosing the voters by picking the time they have a special election. But I also think they’re going to have a tough time getting the word out if they wait for a presidential or even gubernatorial year,” Miller said. “It’s going to be hard breaking through unless there’s very focused reporting on it. It will be hard to compete for air space and print space.”

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. This would require about 4,900 signatures for the petition to be filed with the Cedar Rapids school board by a legal voter of the district.

A call for an election can be done at the same meeting where the board receives the petition. If the district plans to take a bond referendum to voters this November, notice and language of the measure is due to the county auditor by noon Sept. 22 — 46 days before city and school elections, said Ashley Hunt, spokeswoman for the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.

Under the new state law, the district would have to individually notify every voter within its jurisdiction of the upcoming referendum vote. And if the referendum failed, the board would be precluded from going back to voters again for a year.

‘Invest in neighborhood schools’

School board member Dexter Merschbrock said he would not support moving forward this year with a bond referendum based on plans that have been presented so far.

“I am confident that the residents of the district will support major investments, but they need to be the right projects that serve everybody and help achieve the goals of our school system,” Merschbrock said.

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Merschbrock specifically opposes a part of the initial plan that would close McKinley STEAM Academy as a middle school in downtown, 620 10th St. SE. The board also was considering demolishing Wilson Middle School, 2301 J St. SW, and building a new school on its site or closing the school altogether.

The result is the same, Merschbrock said: “Neighborhood schools in the core of the city close down, and $100 million proposed to build a new middle school north of Hiawatha,” Merschbrock said.

Merschbrock said the board needs to “start over,” especially after a task force process “broke down” in a decision in April to close Harrison Elementary School, a concept that deviated from two recommendations made by a volunteer focus group. The plan passed the board in a 6-1 vote, with Merschbrock opposing.

“The plan closes elementary and middle schools in the core neighborhoods in town and raises taxes on the people who live there, all to build new schools for suburban neighborhoods that don’t even exist yet. We should keep our neighborhood schools open and invest in making them better,” he said.

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“If the board chooses to delay until the November 2024 election, we can start a new process that includes holding board meetings at schools in every quadrant of the city and in Hiawatha,” Merschbrock said. “That would allow the board to hear what needs actually exist in all our buildings instead of the plan turning in to a wish list for the small group of insiders who control the process.”

School board President David Tominsky, in a statement, said the board was “looking forward” to hearing from Grover and her team on an update on the facilities master plan, and that the Monday session provides “the opportunity to discuss the plan and the process going forward.”

“It has been 23 years since Cedar Rapids Schools put a bond on the ballot and we do not make these decisions lightly. Our focus is to make sure we have future ready schools and that our students are performing at the highest level while being good fiscal stewards,” he said. “We are excited to see how this plan fulfills our initial promise of community schools by engaging with partners and investing in our kids, staff, and city.”

‘Yes Committee’ optimistic

The last ask of voters for a Cedar Rapids school bond was in 2000 for $46 million, which passed.

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Scott Drzycimski, who is leading a “yes committee” to rally support from voters for the referendum, said he believes there is a “decent” amount of time before the November election to gather signatures in support of holding the vote. The “yes committee” — which is looking for members — is a grassroots effort to educate residents about the plan and encourage them to vote on the issue.

Drzycimski, who also has been a part of the facility master plan committee, said there will be some changes to projects initially proposed. “Creating a career-ready workforce through our high schools is an exciting point likely to come up with the school board,” he said.

A new plan likely will take into account concerns from school board and community members about closing McKinley, demolishing or closing Wilson, building an aquatic center and opening a new middle school on the north side of town, Drzycimski said.

The board is “trying to solve as many of those issues as possible to make sure it’s an equitable plan that brings benefit to every family in the district and every taxpayer and homeowner who pays the bills,” he said. “They’re taking the heart of the facility master plan committee’s work and to heart the questions and concerns that came from it.”

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