116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Here’s what’s included in C.R. school’s proposed $117 million school bond referendum
The plan shaped by more than a year of community feedback would result in long term savings in the district by modernizing four schools
Oct. 23, 2025 11:33 am
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
CEDAR RAPIDS — A $117 million school bond referendum — created with more than a year of community input — is headed to voters in the Cedar Rapids school district Nov. 4.
The plan would fund facility improvements at four schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District, including safety and accessibility upgrades and creating classrooms for 21st Century learners, school leaders say.
It would cost homeowners with a $200,000 home about $90 a year in taxes, if approved.
“It is truly a community-based bond plan,” said Chad Schumacher, director of operations for the Cedar Rapids district. “Over hours and hours and hours of conversation and gathering feedback, we came up with these four projects. We heard from the community we wanted to invest in the buildings we have and reinvest in those buildings because they’re important to the fabric of Cedar Rapids.”
At a community forum Wednesday evening hosted by The Gazette, school leaders and a representative from Believe in CR Schools answered audience questions about the school bond referendum.
Believe in CR Schools is a committee that includes community leaders, local businesses and private citizens who are advocating people vote “yes” on the referendum.
“If you’re a ‘yes’ vote, please make sure you vote. Your vote is important,” said Ron Corbett, a member of Believe in CR Schools and vice president of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance.
Corbett said through his conversations with community members, he’s heard from some people that they are voting “no” on the bond referendum because of a “gripe” with the school district.
“Let’s not punish our kids because of a historical gripe or a current grievance,” Corbett said. “We still have issues with our school buildings. We have to fix up McKinley, Roosevelt and Wilson one way or another. Most people don’t argue about the basics of the plan.”
What’s included in 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.
“Wilson and Roosevelt sometimes struggle to get a full show choir or athletic teams and finding coaches to support those,” Schumacher said. “By bringing those schools together, we would be able to have viable programs for those students. It would create a modern learning environment for middle school with state of the art programs that help students thrive.”
“We just cut ribbon on our new Med Lab at McKinley,” Schumacher continued. “We want to create opportunities like that throughout the whole building in science and art where students can thrive and partner with UnityPoint, Mercy Hospital and others, so students can see what it would be like to work in health care and other career fields.”
Construction — funded by capital project funds — already is underway at Washington and Jefferson high schools to build space for the Freshman Academy at each school. The bond would fund similar construction at Kennedy High where ninth-graders would have their own entrance and wing of the building, among other projects.
In Freshman Academies, students will get more structured support as they transition to high school and learn about career opportunities and how they can explore their career interests through elective courses.
“We want our students to graduate with more than a diploma,” said Superintendent Tawana Grover. “We want them to be prepared for their next steps in life. Students can earn college credit, earn industry certification and participate in internships and apprenticeships with the goal of having unique experiences that ignite their interests and passions.”
Long term savings, if approved
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, Schumacher said. This means the district would see a return on investment of almost $24 million if the $117 million bond is approved.
“Right now, these buildings are taking up a disproportionate share of the maintenance budget because they’re old. Even some of the other buildings that aren’t on the ballot — they kind of are. By investing in these buildings (on the bond referendum), it’s freeing up maintenance money to be spent on other facilities,” Corbett said.
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. If approved, the bond would increase the property tax levy to $14.72 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.
The current property tax levy for fiscal 2026 — which began July 1 — is $13.64 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.
In Iowa, school bond issues — basically, loans that schools take out typically for 10, 15 or 20 years — require a supermajority of 60 percent approval to pass. In passing bond issues, voters in the district agree to repay the loan, with interest, through their property taxes.
Why are school bond referendums important for facility planning?
Iowa public schools have three funding mechanisms to support facilities:
- The Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL), a voter-approved capital projects fund used in the Cedar Rapids district to maintain the district’s 31 existing facilities.
- Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE), a capital projects fund funded by statewide sales taxes allocated to school districts based on certified enrollment.
- School bond referendums.
In 2017, the Cedar Rapids district developed a plan to address the needs of aging and outdated elementary schools using SAVE funds. Since then, the district has built three new elementary schools to replace older buildings and currently is renovating and building three more.
How the bond plan was shaped by community feedback
The scaled-back proposal follows a failed $220 million Cedar Rapids district bond referendum two years ago in November 2023.
A survey from the school district in the spring of 2024 received responses from more than 9,000 people — about 15 percent of those receiving the survey — indicated support for the district creating a new plan and exploring another vote.
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 $211 million bond 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.
Rising number of endorsements from local businesses, nonprofits and community leaders
The bond referendum has received wide-ranging support from labor, civic, education partners and local elected officials in the Cedar Rapids community.
A new wave of endorsements last week includes a dozen nonprofits — many that serve kids and families in the community — including Foundation 2 Crisis Services, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa, the Boys and Girls Club of the Corridor, Matthew 25, the Catherine McAuley Center, Waypoint and Kids First Law Center.
A full list of endorsements can be found online at believeincrschools.com/endorsements.
“Any business today will tell you they need workers — from the highly skilled laborers to the technology companies driving futuristic changes in medicine, engineering and aeronautics,” said John Tursi, executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Corridor. “Those workers live in our community and attend our public schools. Let’s give those kids the schools they deserve so Cedar Rapids can be looked at as a major driving force in economic development. It all starts with us voting ‘yes’ to give our kids what they need to succeed.”
What happens to the land the C.R. district purchased for a new middle school?
The Cedar Rapids district purchased almost 51 acres of land for $7.5 million off Highway 100 in northeast Cedar Rapids as the location of a future middle school.
The land was purchased with PPEL funds and was unanimously approved by the Cedar Rapids school board in January.
There are no immediate plans to build a school on this site.
Corbett said throughout the campaign for the school bond referendum, he has received questions from residents about this land.
“It’s land. It’s not like the value of property is going to go down,” Corbett said. “It’s not like the school district wasted the money, flushed it down the toilet. They have this land for future growth. They always have the ability to sell the land. It’s not like the money is gone. Instead of it being in an investment account, it’s parked in land right now.”
Some voters remain unsure
Some people who attended the forum Wednesday remain undecided on how they will vote on the school bond referendum or plan to vote “no.”
Alexandra Leitaker said she and her husband John Leitaker attended the forum to learn more about the referendum because they are newer to Cedar Rapids — having moved here in 2018 — and don’t have any children.
Alexandra plans to vote “yes” for the referendum, but John is unsure. He said the plan is “too vague” and a “huge amount of money.” He added that he doesn’t see the need for the security enhancements proposed because Cedar Rapids is a “safe place.”
Bernie Hayes said he attended the bond forum to learn more about the facility plans it would fund. He also is leaning toward voting “no.” He questions the decisions school officials have made financially, including the sale of Arthur and Garfield elementary school buildings last year “under market value” and said there is low morale among district teachers and staff.
“From my vantage point, I don’t know what you’re doing. I don’t get it. It’s confusing,” Hayes said.
Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters