Bond fails in Bettendorf special election
Bettendorf school leaders will go back to the drawing board for improvements to Bettendorf High School and Bettendorf Middle School.
The district’s $69 million general obligation bond failed in Tuesday’s special election. The no votes totaled 1,636 to 1,143 yes votes.
The Bettendorf School Board approved the bond back on its Jan. 19 meeting. It proposed a property tax increase of up to $2.70 to help fund needed infrastructure improvements at both schools.
A district committee of community members, parents and staff recently completed a 10-year facility master plan, including a phased modernization of the Bettendorf Middle School, and facility improvements at Bettendorf High School, Herbert Hoover Elementary, and Paul Norton Elementary. Bettendorf Middle School and Bettendorf High School were identified as the facilities with the greatest need.
Bettendorf Middle School was identified as having the most need because of its aging 1960s infrastructure. The facility modernization plan includes additions to the school to address the need for larger classrooms to meet current learning environment standards. It also includes demolition of the original 1960s building and its extremely outdated infrastructure and utilities.
Bettendorf High School facility improvements include a renovation of the original fine arts classrooms, built in 1972, to support ADA compliance and current classroom standards. The plan adds activity and athletic facilities to help meet the needs of students, athletes, and the community. In addition, the plan develops needed classroom areas for career and technical education opportunities to help better prepare students for their futures.
The $69.25-million bond issue would have helped fund the Bettendorf Middle School and Bettendorf High School projects to be completed in the next five years. The plan also included the district using future SAVE (one cent sales tax) and PPEL (Physical Plant & Equipment Levy) reserves to fund 32.8% of the total costs of projects, and 20.7% of the high and middle school projects, a district release said.
