PLEASANT HILL, Iowa — Voters in the Southeast Polk Community School District are deciding on a $51 million bond referendum that the district said is vital for its growing enrollment.

The proposed bond would help fund three major projects. The first, and largest, is building a new elementary school.

Superintendent Dr. Dirk Halupnik said that over the last five years, enrollment has increased by 7% and he’s projecting 500 more students in the next four years. Halupnik said a majority of these students will be in elementary school.

“The elementary’s are all getting pretty full so I think building a new elementary school is a good idea,” said Lori Hanson, a district voter and substitute teacher for Southeast Polk.

In 2020, voters approved a $92 million bond referendum for the Southeast Polk Community School District that included building a new elementary school. The referendum passed, but the district said it was unable to construct a new building because of the pandemic and inflation.

The 2020 bond allowed the district to purchase different plots of land, and one of these purchases will be the spot for the new elementary school if the 2025 bond referendum passes.

“As we continue to grow, and that has just been a constant rate of growth, that planning ahead is something that we just have to do. None of the costs get cheaper overtime and we continue to add students,” said Halupnik.

The second project the district is hoping to fund is upgrading all elementary school playgrounds. The district wants to replace their aging equipment with safe and accessible play areas.

These spaces will be utilized by students during the school day, but community members and families can use them after school hours.

The final project the district wants to fund is renovating the Junior High School by relocating the main office to the building’s entrance and by expanding the commons area.

Halupnik said the district structured the bond so that there is no increase to property taxes. The district’s current tax rate is $15.42 per $1,000 of taxable property, and it will remain this rate if the bond passes.

Construction for all three projects would start immediately if the required 60% of votes is met. Playground upgrades will be completed by 2026, renovations to the Junior High School will be done by 2027, and the district’s ninth elementary school will be open by the 2028-29 school year.

For more information on this bond referendum, click here.

District residents in Pleasant Hill, Altoona, Mitchellville, and Runnells will vote on the referendum on Election Day, Tuesday, November 4.

To find your polling location, click here.