WATERLOO – The decision whether or not the Waterloo Community School District should merge its two high schools will likely rest with the people.
The district announced Thursday that the petition received from community members was valid and had reached the threshold of 2,342 signatures.
At the Aug. 26 meeting, Superintendent Jared Smith will recommend that the board put the issue to a vote rather than abandon the project. He said he is confident school board members will vote in favor.
Blacksmith
“We still believe strongly that this is what is best for our district, our children and our community,” he said. “In our opinion, there are many community members who are willing to say this is what is best for our children.”
For the project to be accepted, approval from more than 50% of voters is required.
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On July 29, the Board of Education voted 5-2 to move forward with a $165 million project to build a new high school at the current site of Central Middle School on Katoski Drive.
The decision did not require a vote because the project would be funded by revenue from a statewide 1 percent sales tax – not additional property taxes or funds from levies on property, plant and equipment.
However, the community had the opportunity to submit a petition asking the school board to put the measure before voters in a referendum. State law requires signatures equal to 30% of the votes cast in the last school officials election. School officials said there were about 2,400 valid signatures.
If approved by the public, the school is expected to be ready for use by the 2028-29 school year. It would house students in grades 10 through 12 from East and West high schools. Students in grades 8 and 9 would attend the current buildings at East and West high schools. The new school would accommodate approximately 2,000 students.
All decisions regarding the new school would be “put on hold” until after the election, Smith said.
Waterloo Community Schools is about to launch a project that could result in the consolidation of its high schools and the construction of a new building at the Career Center site.
As many as 75 people crowded into the board meeting Monday as officials prepared to hire an architect for the possible merger of East, Expo and West high schools.
While the East and West high schools can continue to be used, Waterloo School Superintendent Jared Smith says the buildings are past their prime and are no longer suitable for today’s high school students.
More than 100 residents gathered at the Waterloo Career Center Thursday evening to learn more about the planned consolidation of East, West and Expo high schools into a single new building.
WATERLOO – Two persistent community members questioned the Board of Education during public hearings on the proposed high school merger…
The combined high school would be one of the largest schools in the state, with a planned enrollment of 1,980 students.
On Thursday, about 35 people gathered in the library of the Dr. Walter Cunningham School for Excellence and gave their opinions on the $165 million plan over the course of two and a half hours.
The school district will soon own more than 28 acres of farmland on the west side of the city.
More than 30 companies and other organizations from the region have expressed positive views about the merger of the high schools in the east and west.
Jared Smith, superintendent of Waterloo schools, answered questions about the high school merger proposal during a Windows on Waterloo session
Expo High School will move permanently into the newly constructed extension when classes begin in the fall, Waterloo Schools announced in a press release.
The Waterloo Board of Education heard staff opinions during a work session on academic achievement and student performance.
Possible changes to school busing and sports were the focus of an education committee work session Tuesday to discuss the impact of a merger of several high schools.
The Board held a work session last week to learn how Waterloo Community Schools staff have implemented programs and processes to improve the climate and culture in their buildings.
During a working session on Thursday, members of the Education Committee were able to take their first look at a representation of the planned consolidated high school.
The vote to actually approve the project will take place on July 29, along with a public hearing on the proposed issuance of $165 million in 1% sales tax bonds.
The Waterloo School Board will vote on whether or not to approve the project to consolidate East and West high schools at the current Central Middle School.
