Voters in Iowa’s second largest school district will decide next month on whether to continue a levy for school facility maintenance and equipment.
Cedar Rapids Community Schools Superintendent Tawana Grover says for 50 years, the voter-approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy — or PPEL — has been an important pot of money for the district.
“Within the Cedar Rapids Community School District, we’re taking care of 32 buildings. That’s huge, right?” Grover says. “With the PPEL funding, we’re able to take care of the upkeep of our facilities, to take care of some of the basic needs for our students.”
Last year, voters said no to the district’s bond for new buildings. This special election does not include any projects from that plan. Some of the district’s buildings are over a hundred years old. Since the district has already been putting aside the money for 50 years, Grover says re-upping will -not- impact tax rates.
“I’m not asking the community for one more cent,” she says. “We’re just renewing things, taking care of business the way that they’ve been taken care of for the last 50 years. And we want to keep doing it for the next 50 years to come.”
If renewed, PPEL would provide more than $10-million over ten years for facilities, equipment, security and other improvements.
Today is the first day voters in the district can receive absentee ballots or vote early in-person. Special Election Day is September 10th.
(By Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio)