WATERLOO SCHOOLS TO HOLD SEVEN TOWN HALL MEETINGS PRIOR TO ELECTION
Waterloo, Iowa – September 13, 2024 – The Waterloo Community School District (WCSD) and the Waterloo Schools Board of Education will hold seven town hall meetings to educate residents on a November 5 ballot measure regarding the district’s proposed high school project.
WCSD Town Hall Schedule
- Wednesday, September 18 from 5 to 6:30 pm at George Washington Carver Academy, 1505 Logan Ave, Waterloo
- Tuesday, September 24 from 5 to 6:30 pm at Bunger Middle School, 157 S Roosevelt Road, Evansdale
- Thursday, October 3 from 5 to 6:30 pm at Waterloo Career Center, 1348 Katoski Drive, Waterloo
- Monday, October 7 from 5 to 6:30 pm at Hoover Middle School, 630 Hillcrest Road, Waterloo
- Thursday, October 17 from 6:30 to 8 pm at Antioch Baptist Church, 426 Sumner Street, Waterloo
- Monday, October 21 from 6:30 to 8 pm at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 4031 Lafayette Road, Evansdale
- Monday, October 28 from 6:30 to 8 pm at Hope City Church, 118 High Street, Waterloo
Earlier this summer, after months of collaboration with district leadership and INVISION Architecture of Waterloo, the Board of Education voted 5-2 in favor of moving forward with issuing bonds for the high school project. The project, which is set to be funded using the existing 1% statewide local option sales tax, would not raise property taxes to construct the $165M campus.
Although the state authorizes the board to use these funds for construction projects, the public has the right to submit a petition to call for a public vote on the expenditure, which was officially received. On August 26, 2024, the WCSD Board of Education voted 7-0 to call an election on the issuance of the bonds.
On November 5, 2024, residents in the WCSD have the opportunity to vote on whether or not to use sales tax to build the campus. Authorizing the use of the 1% local option sales tax ensures that property taxes will not be raised to pay for the $165M project.
The proposed project aims to build a comprehensive high school campus to serve the district’s 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students. The new facility would be placed on the same campus as the Waterloo Career Center and is expected to provide state-of-the-art educational resources and infrastructure. If constructed, it would be the only high school campus in the State of Iowa that offers on-site career and technical education to every student.
For more information about the project, visit WaterlooSchools.org/bridging-futures.
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