Iowa City school board adopts only part of facilities timeline

IOWA CITY – The Iowa City school board Tuesday night approved only part of a plan that will determine when $258 million worth of construction projects will occur.

It delayed acting on the full plan because of lingering questions and a desire by school board members to form a consensus.

The board voted 7-0 to adopt the first year of a 10-year facilities plan approved last summer. Board members set a Dec. 10 deadline to vote on the rest of it.

Board members Chris Lynch, Tuyet Dorau and Patti Fields had too many questions to be “yes” votes for the full 10 years Tuesday night. Jeff McGinness also sought more time, saying a divided vote could undermine the up-to $120 million bond issue the district may ask voters to approve in a few years to help pay for the projects.

Despite the vote, there appeared to be majority support from the board on what is the second draft of a timeline for the 10-year plan. Board member Marla Swesey said it addresses needs at all of the district's schools and builds new ones to accommodate growing enrollment.

“You're never going to have a plan that everybody is going to say, ‘It's perfect,'” she said. “But I want everyone on board.”

The facilities plan calls for a new high school, three new elementary schools and renovations to existing schools.

Several dozen community members were in attendance, and more than 15 people spoke. Their points could mostly be divided into two categories.

Some parents were asking that work to their children's school be done sooner than what is in the timeline before the board. As summarized by Mann Elementary parent Ryan Maas, “Accelerate, accelerate, accelerate.”

Lynch, the school board member, said he wanted district administrators to provide details on moving up work on a new North Liberty elementary school and Mann Elementary.

Superintendent Stephen Murley said that may require sending a bond issue to voters in 2015 instead of 2017, as is tentatively planned now. He said before the bond vote, the district needs to increase trust from the community, and getting projects underway belt would help.

That's related to the other main call from the public Tuesday night: Keep Hoover Elementary open. Its closure was part of the facilities plan approved by the school board this summer, but Hoover parents and neighbors have kept up their fight for its future, including with a petition submitted to the board Tuesday night.

“There isn't much rationale – I've heard, at least – for closing Hoover,” Hoover parent Michael Tilley said.

District administrators have said building new schools without closing what they consider less efficient ones would require cuts elsewhere.

School board members spent very little time talking about Hoover and gave no indication they would change its fate.