Bond FAQ

Who can vote?

  • Any registered voter within the Boone Community School District can vote.

Where will I vote?

  • The polling place on election day will be at the Boone County Fairgrounds Community Building.

When can I vote?

  • Registered voters have three options. 

    • 1. Vote by absentee ballot.

    • 2. Vote early by voting absentee in the Auditor's Office.

    • 3. Vote on March 2, 2021 (7:00 am - 8:00 pm) 

How can I vote absentee?

  • There are several ways to vote absentee:

    • To vote absentee by mail you must complete a request form. You may contact the Auditor’s Office to request that a form be sent to you. Once completed, please return the form to the Boone County Auditor, 201 State St, Boone, Iowa 50036.

    • To be sent an absentee ballot by mail, the Auditor’s Office must receive your Absentee Ballot Request form by 5 pm on the Friday 11 days before the Election 

    • In-person absentee voting is available in the Auditor’s Office during regular business hours (8 am - 4:30 pm). The deadline for in-person absentee is 5 pm on the Monday before the election.

Absentee ballots returned by mail to the Auditor’s Office must be postmarked on or before the Monday immediately preceding the Election to be counted. Instructions on how to vote your absentee ballot will be included with your ballot.

What will be on the ballot?

  • There will actually be two items on the ballot. 

    • 1. Board of Education Vacancy

    • Bond Referendum

       

 Bond referendum on the ballot:

Shall the Board of Directors of the Boone Community School District in the County of Boone, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $23,000,000 to provide funds to construct, furnish and equip a new elementary school building and to improve the site?

Will this be an additional elementary school?

  • No, this elementary school will replace Page and Lincoln.

What is an early childhood center?

  • An early childhood center is an educational term that indicates a daycare and preschool are present in an elementary school.

What will happen to Page and Lincoln?

  • Ultimately, this is a board decision. However, the District has had parties interested in purchasing at least one of the properties. If one or both of the properties cannot be sold, the district will determine the best use of the property.

If the bond referendum passes, when will the new school open?

  • If the bond referendum passes on March 2nd, the target date for opening will be August 2023.

What grade levels will be served in the new elementary school?

  • Initially, the new elementary school will house the same grade levels that Page and Lincoln currently serve. Page and Lincoln currently serve pre-school, Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten and 1st grade. Daycare will also be included, as it is currently offered to our families. However, a new facility would provide the flexibility necessary to expand current programming such as daycare to provide new programming as the needs of the District occur.

What if the enrollment increases? Will the new elementary school be built for expansion?

  • Yes. The plan for the new elementary school is to replace Page and Lincoln, but the common areas such as the gymnasium, commons/cafeteria, and library areas will be built to accommodate increased enrollment, should there be a need for an addition to the building at a later date.

Is there a certain percentage required for the bond to pass or is it a simple majority?

  • A super-majority vote of greater than 60% is needed for any bond referendum.

Will students be bussed to the new school?

  • Yes. Just as we provide transportation to other schools, we will also provide transportation to the new elementary school. Bus stops and routes will be developed during the design phase, prior to the opening of the new elementary school.

If our taxes are not going up, how are you getting the 23 million to build the new facility?

  • The bond referendum is essentially asking the community for permission to borrow the 23 million to build the new facility. The District will then utilize its debt service levy to pay off these bonds. Since the District has already maximized the debt service levy, there will be no increase in taxes.

How will this influence our taxes?

  • This will not increase your school taxes. The debt service levy is the financial avenue in which schools pay off bonds. The District has maximized this levy to its fullest extent, meaning the District could not raise this levy any higher, even if that was the desire of the District. 

Is this a new elementary school for Boone kids?

  • Yes. The new elementary school would replace Page and Lincoln elementary schools that currently serve Boone students, as well as students that choose to open enroll into the district or attend preschool with us. Therefore, the same is true for students that would attend the new elementary school. Students from other school districts may enroll into Boone Community Schools through the open enrollment process. In addition, students wishing to attend preschool in Boone, do not need to open enroll. They must simply register with the school district.

How can we build as a community when all the schools are on the same side of the town?

  • The District explored a number of land options throughout the community. Unfortunately, land options are often limited for building school facilities. Please know that there were a multitude of factors considered in this process and that the final land acquisition was determined to be the best location for the City and the District.

The new location sits directly on top of Pea's Creek, with the Ledges only 2 miles downstream. What type of water run-off mitigation will be put in place during construction and where will the parking lot & gutter run-off be directed when the project is finished?

  • Water run-off mitigation during construction: The District is required by the Iowa DNR and City Ordinances to provide a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. The specific details and measures outlined in the plan will be used to reduce the pollutants in storm water discharge associated with construction projects. Such measures may include silt fences, earth dikes, drainage swales, sediment traps, subsurface drains, storm drain inlet protection, and temporary or permanent sediment basins. These measures will be implemented and maintained for the duration of construction.

  •  Parking Lot and gutter run-off: While the details of this have not been fully determined, as part of the property acquisition the District has agreed to provide on-site storm water management strategies to collect run-off from parking lot and gutters. Post construction water will be directed and collected by means of strategies such as detention basins, bioswales, and surface absorption to limit the quantity of off-site run-off.

Will there be more than just the entrance off Hancock Drive or will that be the only way in and out?

  • There are several factors that would influence the decision for quantity and location of driveway entrances. These factors include but are not limited to community growth, traffic flow, enrollment, etc. Such factors will be considered during the design process and in conjunction with the City to determine the best approach to provide access to and from the property. The goal of this collaboration will be to minimize traffic issues and maximize traffic flow.