DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines Public School District is currently collecting signatures to place a $265 million bond referendum on the November ballot.

Reimagine Education is the district’s five-year plan to improve student outcomes through different initiatives:

Signature Schools

Signature Schools are commonly referred to as magnet schools. According to the district, signature schools will allow students to focus on specialized programs, including career and technical education (CTE), STEM, health sciences, arts, and Montessori learning.

Expanding Diploma+

The district wants to expand the Diploma+ program that was rolled out during the 2025-2026 school year. Under this program, high school students can make their diplomas more impressive. There are currently 11 pathways students can take, including completing 24 college credits, a seal of biliteracy, a certificate/credential, military intent, and more.

Preschool Access

DMPS wants to continue providing increased access to preschool. During the 2025-2026 school year, the district is providing transportation to help families access preschool, which will help expand daycare options for working families.

Sixth Grade Transformation

The district is planning to expand the number of elementary schools that offer sixth grade. Including the elementary schools that added sixth grade during the 2025-2026 school year, there are five elementary schools in the district that offer sixth grade now.

Enhanced Facilities

DMPS is upgrading athletic facilities and increasing access to extracurricular activities to increase school engagement in athletics, arts, and clubs.

This comes after the district first proposed a $500 million bond referendum to reimagine education. This was a 10-year plan originally, but community input changed the district’s direction.

Associate Superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools, Matthew Smith, said the main concern the district received about the original plan was the timeline. Parents were apparently concerned their children wouldn’t have access to the new developments under a 10-year plan.

As a result, the plan was revised earlier this summer into a $265 million five-year plan.

Some of the reimagining education projects that the district announced are currently in the works. For example, Montessori education expanded to another district school this school year, new athletic fields and tracks are already in the works at several schools, sixth grade is growing in elementary schools, and more.

Despite this, Smith said the multi-million dollar bond referendum is still needed to further the district’s goals.

“The bond is necessary because we don’t have the resources, financial resources, to expand programming and provide more access for programming across the district with just the state dollars. So, we don’t have that kind of money to build and do that kind of programming for students,” he said.

According to the districts, over the last seven years, there has been an enrollment decline of 2,200 students, which leaders say equates to a loss of $16 million in state funding.

As a result, the district’s goal for reimagining education is to keep students in the district and attract new students.

Smith said, “The programming that we’re actually looking to put in place and looking to expand for students to get access all across our district will not only retain students, but also attract new students for Des Moines public schools.”

He said all students will have access to every district resource.

“Families are going to get access to this with their kids, whether it’s within their region or across the district,” he said. “We will transport them to get them there. It’s so important for them to know that it’s accessible within the next five years.”

Smith said the time is now for the community to support and pass this bond referendum because the last bond was approved in 1989.

“It’s been 1989 since the last time we’ve actually passed a bond in Des Moines, and right now, we know that we need to be more efficient with our resources,” he said.

The petition requires 7,434 signatures by September 19th for the school board to adopt a resolution for the November 4th ballot. Smith said the district’s goal is to receive at least 9,000 signatures.

Volunteers for the campaign are at school drop-off and pick-up locations collecting signatures. As of August 22nd, the district collected 3,750 signatures.

The district estimated that the average Des Moines homeowner would pay $198.41 more per year in property taxes. This estimate is based on an average home value of $210,000.