DES MOINES, Iowa — Des Moines Public Schools has been holding information sessions to inform the community about its Reimagine Education Plan, a $265 million bond referendum on the ballot in November.

Tascha Brown, the district’s director of Career and Technical Education and Postsecondary Readiness, said that if the referendum doesn’t pass buildings and schools will close.

“If we’re not able to fund this plan, we are really going to be challenged with space. We are probably going to have to take a look at the original ten year plan that had more buildings than just the three and the administrative offices to look at, and we won’t have additional spaces to put those students in. They’ll be going to schools that are likely already over capacitated and very crowded,” Brown said.

Brown said that retaining high quality staff could also be challenging without the referendum’s funding.

“I’m also really concerned about the impacts that this could have on staffing. Everything is so competitive these days. We want to retain our phenomenal staff and our teachers and we want them to be coming to work every day and doing the magic that they do with students and spaces that they feel good about,” Brown said.

The referendum is expected to cost the average homeowner in Des Moines an extra $198.41 per year in property taxes.

To learn more about the Reimagine Education plan, visit the DMPS website.