Wellman

In just a few weeks, voters will flock to the polls. Those who live within the Mid-Prairie Community School District, including Kalona, Wellman, West Chester and portions of Washington, Iowa and Johnson counties, will have a chance to vote on the district’s proposed $19 million bond.

The district has been preparing for the bond for quite some time, beginning the planning process in 2023.

The proposed project includes a new events entrance, additional classrooms for fine arts and special education, a 500-seat auditorium and more.

The district recently released estimated costs for each part of the project. General education classrooms and new special education classrooms are projected to cost around $1 million each, with $4.4 million for fine arts classrooms, $3 million for activities commons with restrooms and concessions, and $8.6 million for the auditorium. Bond and legal fees are projected to cost around $600,000.

The district hired OPN Architects of Cedar Rapids to design the expansion.

Mid-Prairie superintendent Brian Stone said a key part of the proposal is keeping it tax neutral.

“The biggest piece clearly is the tax neutral. It just kind of lines up with the work that our FAC members have been doing from the beginning.”

The district has stressed that the proposed bond would not raise taxes. To pass, it needs at least 60% voter approval.

As the district planned the proposal, keeping taxes from increasing was a priority. According to the district, paying off debt from its 2023 bond earlier than expected frees up its legal borrowing capacity.

Stone told The News that the district worked to spend its $8.7 million general obligation bond from 2023 carefully by “kind of keeping our strings tight.”

Before this school year began, Stone said the district had taken a similarly diligent approach to the 2026 bond proposal.

“We’ve just been very diligent through the whole process to get so that we’re just really getting what we need for our students and our staff.”

Before the district could officially place the bond on the ballot, it needed enough petition signatures, a goal it reached in August.

During a school board meeting before the school year began, the board was told approximately 771 signatures were needed. Petition organizers initially collected 811 signatures from eligible voters through door-to-door efforts. The final tally rose to 881.

Throughout the summer, students helped collect signatures by going door to door, with the effort led by choir teacher and director Collette McClellen.

During a Rotary meeting, board president Randy Billups and vice president Jake Snider explained the district’s plans for the proposed bond.

Snider told the group that continuing to dream big makes sense if the district can move forward without raising taxes.

“We’ve just got to keep dreaming big, and if we can do it without raising taxes, it makes sense to keep moving forward.”

In 2023, Mid-Prairie voters approved an $8.7 million bond with 70% support. That bond funded parking and bus drop-off improvements at both West and East elementary schools, a new multipurpose activities center next to the high school that was completed in April, and additional classrooms and a new playground at West Elementary.

The polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who are unsure where to vote should check with their county auditor.