Swisher: School Officials Exploring $90M-Plus Plan To Add New Elementaries, New High School and Other Fixes

A new project being discussed could appease both sides of a contentious debate about whether to build a third high school in population-booming North Liberty or add new elementary schools on Iowa City's south and east sides to alleviate over crowding.

Iowa City School Board member Sarah Swisher laid out the rough draft of a wide-ranging (and expensive) 10-year plan being discussed by school district officials, while making the rounds with parent-teacher groups at two elementary schools on Iowa City's east side on Tuesday.

The laundry list of projects in the rough draft could tip the scales at $90 million to $110 million, Swisher said.

A special school board work session has been called for Thursday night to discuss funding options for building projects. The district is also seeking bids, which are due Nov. 6, for a strategic plan to grow the district over the next 10 to 20 years. The firm will have to deliver the plan by February 1, 2013.

School board members will likely hear about and discuss the 10-year rough draft plan on Thursday and at Tuesday's regular schools board meeting. A funding direction should be the only thing voted on, perhaps as soon as Tuesday, Swisher said. Swisher is touting a newly introduced funding option called Tax Anticipation Revenue Bonds or TARB, in which the district borrows from future tax revenue.

Here are the details of the rough draft of the 10-year building plan, as presented by Swisher:

• Build a new elementary of the east side of Iowa City, perhaps in the Windsor Ridge/St. Patrick's Church area; build a new elementary on the south side of Iowa City, perhaps off Sand Road; and expand Penn Elementary in North Liberty.
• Update older building, including elementaries Longfellow, Horace Mann and Coralville Central, so they are American with Disabilities Act compliant and have air conditioning.
• Build a third high school.

Read more: Iowa City School Board Members Call Talk of $90M Plan 'Premature'

A version of this plan was presented during a facilities committee meeting in August, Swisher and Dan Shaw said.

Shaw, an active parent at Longfellow Elementary, said that is also roughly the same proposed plan he was asked for input on about three weeks ago, although that version also mentioned an expansion of North Central Junior High and another elementary school in the North Liberty.

"These plans are coalescing fairly quickly," he said.

Shaw was on hand at Longfellow when Swisher dropped by on Tuesday. Longfellow has been in the middle of the debate about facilities, with overcrowding issues last year and a 100-year-old building that lacks air conditioning and elevators.

Timeline

Swisher said she also spoke to the parents group at Horace Mann Elementary with David Dude, director of operations, and Becky Furlong, assistant superintendent.

Swisher said the timeline in the rough draft is to gett started on elementary construction (new and upgrades) as soon as next summer. Architectural designs for the third high school could start in 2017 with completion towards the end of the 10-year plan.

"It's exciting because, there's never been a bond referendum for a school district," Swisher said. "But, I think we could support this as a community. The interest rate is really good right now."

It's not clear yet how parents in the north Coralville-North Liberty will feel about the new high school pushed out 10 years or other details of the rough draft.

To the Voters

While Swisher and Shaw express optimism about the rough draft plan, it will ultimately have to go before voters, perhaps in a special election in December or February, which are the next available voting dates.

The school board can approve using the TARB funding on their own because it would not ask for new money from the public. But, the public needs to vote to approve the district's Revenue Purpose Statement, which essentially says how the tax money will be used (for example, this suggested 10-year plan.) A traditional bond ask is also an option, although the bond would require a vote.

Read more about the funding discussion:

Renae McKay attended the Longfellow meeting on Tuesday. She said parents were excited, but had some skepticism of the plans. For example, where will the money come from to cover staff for all of the proposed new buildings?

"I think it makes sense to borrow against future guaranteed income. That seems to be a creative angle from the district," McKay said. "I also support funding maintenance and upgrades of older facilities at an equal priority with building new schools. This is something that was promised when the SILO tax was up for a vote. Everyone likes equity."