In 2022, after completing a series of projects, including the new Career & Technical Education building, new performing arts facility, elementary school renovations, and knowing there was additional work to be done, the district convened a community-based facility advisory committee and held multiple public forums to identify the next set of projects. Through a series of meetings that group recommended a two-phase plan to update and replace the district’s outdoor activities complex, including fields, amenities like concessions and restrooms, and parking. That group also saw a need for additional classrooms. That recommendation led to the other part of the plan – renovating the high school science classrooms in phase 1 and reconfiguring and renovating middle school and elementary school classrooms in phase 2.

After phase 1 was complete, the committee was reconvened in February 2025 to validate the next phase of the plan. At that time, the district also distributed a facility survey and held another public forum. Taking into consideration the input from the 320 survey responses and the forum, the committee affirmed that the district’s top priorities were still addressing safety and functional issues at the district’s current football field and track as well as additional classroom space.

The district cannot take on these projects without taking on debt. Districts receive some state funding, but the majority of property tax collected by residents of the district supplements state funding to pay for day-to-day operations, including teacher and staff salaries and benefits, educational and instructional materials, and operational costs of the district.  While generally it is considered wise to save money for a rainy day – or in this case a large expense – school districts are not legally allowed to stockpile large savings accounts. As a protection for taxpayers, they are encouraged by law to operate in such a way that they spend all that they bring in each year. The general fund, where state funding and property tax funds are allocated, is like a checking account for day-to-day expenses.

The district does have access to other funding streams, which was used for phase 1 of the project. The 1-cent sales tax (SAVE) funding mechanism can be used for smaller capital projects on an annual basis. It is not prudent to exhaust these funds on larger projects. The district needs to ensure there are still funds available for unforeseen repairs like replacing/repairing roofs or purchasing new buses. 

That is why districts turn to general obligation bonds to fund larger scale new or improved facility projects. Through a special election,  voters of a district give their approval for the district to levy additional property taxes that will go directly to paying back the bond. The additional taxes cannot be used for anything other than paying down debt. 

If the bond does not pass, our facilities will still have needs and the cost of the work will increase as construction costs go up each year. Because the needs will not go away, specifically at the current football field and track, where the building is not ADA compliant and there are major issues with the systems and structure, the school board would need to consider other ways to fund the needed upgrades, which could potentially increase taxes.

The district is not allowed to bond beyond the amount approved by voters.  Of course, anyone who has ever taken on a construction project no matter how big or small knows that there are always unforeseen costs. In the architecture and construction industry, these are called contingencies. A contingency budget is built into the overall budget. Typically, at this point in the project, this is around 10% of the total project budget. This means that our budget is built to be flexible to accommodate unforeseen situations. Throughout the design process, there will be regular cost estimates, each with more detail that help the design team and district stay aligned with the budget.

Bonds are typically paid off in 20 years. However, there is no penalty for paying down the bond early. The district paid off the last bond in 2026, which was 10 years ahead of schedule. This saved the district around $1.2 million in interest and allows us to take on new debt now to address current needs. The district will always look for ways to save tax payer money, including paying off the bond early.

The concepts the district’s architects have developed at this phase are only what could be. In order to arrive a a cost estimate to take to voters, we know approximate square footage and certain factors like equipment have been accounted for, but the details about the project won’t be designed until after the bond passes.  At that point, our architects will spend time getting to know the community’s collective vision for this project. Final dimensions, exact layout, and general aesthetic both inside and out will be determined at this point in the process. These details will be determined by a core group identified by the school district.

The current football field and track is more than 20 years old and has significant structural and operational issues that present safety concerns and require a significant investment to repair without demonstrably improving experiences. The current bleachers were purchased used from Waukee more than 20 years ago and are around 30 years old. Our bleachers are not code compliant and create safety issues for small children who can easily fall through the spaces between the benches. The restrooms at the existing football field have significant plumbing issues that cause challenges during events and also pose a health hazard. When the community committee evaluated the option to renovate the existing football field and track or build new, they opted to propose a new facility as part of an activities complex, of which the softball and baseball fields with the concessions and bathrooms were just the first step. Replacing the facility will be the completion of the committee’s vision to improve all outdoor activities spaces for a safer experience for students, coaches, visitors and community members.

Moving the seventh and eighth graders accomplishes several goals. First, by moving these grades out of their current location and closer to the high school, we are able to create a true secondary wing separate from the elementary wing. This better aligns with how we staff our administration with a secondary principal and an elementary principal as well as allows us to co-locate grades that are closer in ages. Currently the seventh and eighth graders are at the end of what will be the future elementary wing. This means they must walk through the elementary hallways to access the secondary office as well as the lunchroom, gym, and library. Secondarily, moving these grades out creates space in the elementary wing to better use the space for our preK through 6^th graders by creating several new classrooms and clustering all preK and Kindergarten as well as daycare at the front of the building.

Throughout the state daycare has become a common component of the public school system. By offering daycare we are meeting a community need, which directly impacts our community’s economic viability allowing families with young children to stay in the district. This also creates a connection to our district from a young age. Studies have found that families are more likely to stay in a district if their children attend daycare or preschool in the district because connections are formed with peers and with the larger community.

The proposed projects are the second phase of a long-term plan that began in 2022. They represent the completion of a long-term vision set out by the community facility committee. Therefore, the core of the proposal – renovating and reconfiguring classrooms and replacing the current field and track – has not changed. Based on feedback following the 2025 vote, though, the district made the following changes:

Added an expanded and improved playground for all PreK-6 students

Reduced the home bleacher seating from 1,500 to 1,000

Replaced the turf field with a grass field

Both the Pre-K/K and elementary playgrounds were identified as needs by the community and the committee early in the planning process but fell below the classrooms and fields on the priority list. By reducing the bleacher seating and replacing the turf field with grass, the district was able to add the playground improvements to the project without increasing the overall budget. This addition addresses several needs and will create outdoor learning space for elementary school students. The updated outdoor learning and play area will be located at the site of the current elementary playground and extend into the current track and football field areas. It will be expanded to include accessible play equipment; paved areas for games like basketball, gaga ball, and four square; green space; and a shaded outdoor classroom. It will also include a separate pre-K/K playground, which will be relocated from the current location close to the pick up/drop off area. By consolidating the outdoor play areas, we will address safety issues caused by the current playground layout. As part of the overall site improvements, we will be able to create functional green spaces for exploration and field sports like kickball, football, tag, and other playground games and activities that require more space than the playground currently allows. add back open greenspace for play that was lost when additional parking was created to serve the softball and baseball fields by adding back open greenspace for play that was lost when additional parking was created to serve the softball and baseball fields. This entire outdoor space will be open for community use outside of school and daycare.

In addition to renovating classrooms and updating the library, other improvements to the building include: repairs to address exterior wall and roof issues as well as adding air conditioning to the gym and kitchen. Once this is complete the entire building (except some corridors) will be air conditioned. The wall repairs will fix cracking to avoid more serious problems from water infiltration in the future. This is not a safety issue. There are no structural concerns. The roof repair will address a leak in the elementary school gym.

Once the bond passes, OPN Architects will start the design process, which includes detailed conversations about space needs, adjacencies, and aesthetic preferences. The design for both projects could take place at the same time. Design typically takes 10 to 12 months. Bidding typically takes about a month to complete, construction usually takes 12 to 14 months, so a project that starts in the spring of one year will be ready for students by the fall of the following year.

Due to the nature of school construction, the phasing of projects to minimize disruption is not new to our architects and will likely be something the contractors who bid on the work will have dealt with before. These are conversations that will happen during design. Every precaution will be taken for student safety and to minimize disruption, with as much work taking place during the summer as possible.

In Iowa, projects are publicly bid, so work cannot just be given to a specific contractor. Any local contractor, general or sub-contractor, is able to bid on the project if they are able to meet bidding requirements.  These requirements are typically related to being able to provide performance bonds that cover their contract.  The district hopes that any and all contractors, including local companies,  will review the bid documents to consider supplying bids.

OPN has a great deal of experience working on publicly bid projects, including many new and renovated school buildings. They have relationships with local contractors who are all well-versed in procurement phasing. The budgets for the project have also included contingencies, which are partially in place to protect the district from unforeseen costs.

School facilities are integrally tied to a community’s economic vitality. According to a recent study by real estate search engine Trulia and Harris Interactive, the majority (57 percent) of parents with children under 18 would pay above listing price to live somewhere with ideal schools. As districts around us improve their facilities and the community continues to look to the future, our school facilities will play a critical role in our community’s viability.

You may not have children attending schools in our district, but chances are you attended a school as a youth. You benefited because someone else who may not have had their own children in school understood that there is an interconnectedness to living in a community. We collectively pay for public facilities like schools because it is an investment in our shared wellbeing and in our future generations.