Green Mountain-Garwin’s 1925 building in Garwin pictured this past summer. A $12.3 million bond referendum to replace the building, which mostly houses secondary classrooms, was approved by voters this past Tuesday with 66% approval, fueled by strong turnout in Garwin where 163 votes were cast in favor of the bond which passed by 62 votes overall. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Area voters have made their voices heard regarding two general obligation bond issues as unofficial results from the Nov. 5 general election showing Green Mountain-Garwin’s $12.3 million referendum passed with 66% approval, while Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s $16.5 million bond request failed, falling short of the required 60% supermajority.

GMG

Sixty-six percent of voters approved the $12.3 million GMG CSD bond issue.

The district requested voters to approve a $12.3 million bond to build, furnish and equip a classroom addition to the middle school and high school in Garwin. The project will include parking, maintenance on the existing school building and life safety and ADA improvements.

Two hundred ninety Marshall County voters approved, and 161 were opposed, for a total of 451 ballots. In Tama, 535 ballots were cast with 364 voters in favor and 171 against, for a total of 986 ballots.

A campaign sign located along Hwy 175 in Reinbeck reminds voters in the G-R Community School District to vote on Nov. 5. The district’s bond referendum on Tuesday failed by 232 votes – garnering roughly 50% of the vote share and shy of a supermajority 60% required for school bond passage in Iowa. This was the district’s second attempt at a bond to fund much-needed improvements at the deteriorating 1921 secondary building in Reinbeck. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

The addition will replace the deteriorating 1925 building which houses mostly classroom space.

Gladbrook-Reinbeck

Residents in the Gladbrook-Reinbeck CSD were almost evenly split on the $16.5 million bond request.

The bond would have been used to build an addition at the secondary building plus make necessary improvements and remodeling.

When the unofficial results for all four of the voting counties — Marshall, Black Hawk, Grundy and Tama — came in, Superintendent Caleb Bonjour said he could be better. However, with a majority of voters in favor, the plan is to try again.

While there were no official campaign signs made for the GMG bond vote, there were plenty of campaign signs against the G-R bond placed throughout the town of Gladbrook which is one half of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District. This simple 'VOTE NO' sign was located at the intersection of King and Johnston streets in Gladbrook near the Memorial Building which acted as a polling site. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

“We will definitely go again,” he said. “That is our goal as a district.”

Only 8 ballots were cast in Marshall County with zero approvals, and 8 oppositions. In Grundy, 1,212 ballots were cast — 939 in favor and 273 against; Tama, 1,114 ballots, 240 voters approved and 874 were against; and Black Hawk, 104 ballots with 56 in favor and 48 against.

With all four counties combined, the bond issue received 1,235 in favor and 1,203 against, equating to roughly 50 percent of the vote.

This was the district’s second attempt at a bond to fund much-needed improvements at the deteriorating 1921 secondary building in Reinbeck. In September of 2022, the district put to voters a two-question, $23.6 million public measure to fund facilities improvements using G.O. bonds. That measure failed by more than 60%.

Bonjour’s full statement to the newspaper following this past Tuesday’s election is printed below.

A handmade sign against the G-R bond referendum photographed in Gladbrook in late October. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

While we’re incredibly disappointed that the bond for Phase 2 of our facility plan did not pass, we respect our community’s decision and value the feedback we received during this process. We understand that many community members had concerns about the impact on tax rates, the timeline of our multi-phase plan, and the scope of the proposed upgrades. We appreciate these insights and will work to address them as we reassess our approach.

Despite this outcome, our facility needs remain urgent, as our aging infrastructure increasingly struggles to meet essential health, safety, and accessibility standards. We are committed to working collaboratively to refine our plans, with the goal of proposing a revised bond in 2025 that better aligns with our community’s priorities. To that end, we will engage in a series of community forums and surveys to identify specific concerns, answer questions, and gather feedback that will guide our updated proposal. While we will explore cost-saving measures and potential adjustments to the project scope, it’s important to note that escalating construction costs alone will likely increase the project’s overall expense, even if we reduce the scope. Additionally, we will provide a detailed breakdown of new project costs and potential tax impacts to ensure transparency.

In the meantime, the board is considering immediate options, such as increasing our voted PPEL, to address the most pressing facility needs. However, without comprehensive facility upgrades, we may face limitations in serving our students effectively. For example, continued use of outdated infrastructure could impact our ability to maintain insurance coverage, meet safety standards, and provide accessible spaces for all students.

While consolidation remains a last resort, it’s important to understand that if it becomes necessary, tax rates would likely increase beyond the rate proposed in this year’s bond. We want our community to remain informed and engaged as we consider every possible path forward.

Our district is strong and growing, with steady enrollment, evolving programs, and educators dedicated to student success. Gladbrook-Reinbeck students continue to accomplish phenomenal feats in and out of the classroom, making it truly a GReat time to be a Rebel. We look forward to partnering with our community to find a solution that aligns with everyone’s vision for the future of our students, schools, and communities.

Another sign against the G-R bond referendum in Gladbrook. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER