A yard sign in support of Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s $17.3 million bond referendum pictured in front of Reinbeck Country Foods in Reinbeck on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 4. Behind the sign, another sign in support of the state-bound Rebel volleyball team is also visible. The bond passed by a mere 16 votes, garnering some 60.86% support. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

REINBECK – On its third try in four years, the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District has finally passed a school bond referendum.

A mere 16 votes coupled with an unprecedented turnout in Grundy County pushed the district’s $17.3 million general obligation bond referendum into the required 60% supermajority territory during the Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 city-school election.

“My initial response would be … speechless,” G-R Superintendent Caleb Bonjour told the newspaper late Tuesday evening by text message shortly after he learned from the Grundy County Auditor’s Office that the bond had passed by 16 votes according to unofficial results.

“I am just proud of the work that has been done and the conversations that have been started,” he added. “The bond may have passed but we have a lot of work left to do to keep building the strength of our WHOLE school district. I keep reminding myself that this work is a marathon and not a sprint. As a district we have to keep running the race and ensuring that everyone is a part of the effort!”

Last November (2024), the district’s $16.5 million bond request failed, falling short of a supermajority by garnering roughly 50% of the vote with 1,235 voting in favor and 1,203 voting against. In September 2022, a $23.6 million bond referendum failed to pass as well.

Election officials assist voters at Reinbeck Memorial Building this past Tuesday afternoon during the 2025 city-school election. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Unofficial results show the 2025 bond passed this past Tuesday with 60.86% support – 1,177 voting in favor and 757 voting against.

In Grundy County (including Reinbeck), 927 votes were cast in favor of the bond’s public measure with only 83 against, equating to nearly 91.8% approval. The opposite could be said for voters in Tama County where support for the bond appeared less than enthusiastic with 198 (~23.2%) voting in favor and 654 (~76.8%) voting against.

In Gladbrook specifically, 89.7% of voters (462 votes) came out against the bond with 53 votes cast in support. Lincoln split more evenly with 128 voting ‘yes’ and 129 voting ‘no’.

In Black Hawk County, 49 votes were cast in favor and eight against. In Marshall County, three votes were cast in favor with 12 against.

As election day neared, tension reached a fever pitch across the district, particularly on social media where a war of sorts played out between those in favor and those against the bond. A good portion of the opposition percolated in Tama County, specifically in Gladbrook. In the summer of 2022, the entire Gladbrook campus was demolished leaving no local school infrastructure in the community. In the years since, the district has brought back public preschool classes in Gladbrook in partnership with Crayon Corner Learning Center.

A large banner in favor of the 2025 Gladbrook-Reinbeck school bond referendum visible this past Tuesday afternoon along Highway 175 in Reinbeck. The community was saturated in yard signs in support of the bond, while in nearby Gladbrook, yard signs against the bond seemed to dominate. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

On Saturday, Nov. 1 – three days before the election – G-R school board president Donovan Devore answered a series of questions posed on the public Facebook group ‘Gladbrook For Sale/Community Info/Events,’ including, “What upcoming plans are there for where [Gladbrook] campus stood to save taxpayers from recurring maintenance on land parcel?”

“This is a tricky question to answer,” Devore responded. “We have been holding onto it for ‘what if’ scenarios. Currently the only maintenance is for mowing and snow removal. This parcel has been offered to the City of Gladbrook. We have discussed, there are some on the board who desire to sell it, there are some who do not. My stance has been to hold onto it for the time being. Why – if something happens and we would need the option to create something quickly. I’d like that option to be there. However with the questioning we are receiving this will have to come back up for discussion.”

According to the district, with the bond’s passage, the following will be addressed at the junior high/high school building in Reinbeck:

-Build a secure-entry classroom addition to improve safety and replace outdated learning spaces

-Address ADA-compliance and accessibility issues

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

-Complete HVAC system upgrades for safety, comfort and efficiency

-Improve electrical systems to support learning technology

-Replace deteriorating infrastructure from the 1921 building

-Create flexible, functional academic spaces to support student learning and future programming

The bond will be repaid over a series of 20 years. The tax impact will be an estimated increase of $2.70 per year on every $1,000 of taxable property value. Per the district, for a home assessed at $150,000, the estimated tax impact would be $14.92 per month; for agricultural land, the estimated tax impact would be $0.34 per acre per month.

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

In the wake of unofficial results posting Tuesday evening, the district’s 2025 Referendum website was updated with the following statement from Superintendent Bonjour: “We are truly grateful for our community’s support of this important project. The improvements approved in this referendum will address essential facility needs – such as ADA accessibility, HVAC and electrical upgrades, and secure learning spaces – while ensuring our schools remain safe, efficient, and supportive for all students. This is an incredible step forward for our district.”

The website further stated, “The district extends its sincere thanks to all residents who took time to learn about the plan, attend meetings, ask questions, and participate in the voting process. The success of this referendum reflects a shared commitment to investing in our students, our schools, and the future of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck community. Next steps include continued collaboration with the district’s project partner to finalize design and construction timelines. The district will continue to keep the community informed as work progresses.”

The Tama County Board of Supervisors (Tama County is the controlling county for G-R school elections) will canvass election results on Wednesday, Nov. 12, at 9 a.m. at the Tama County Administration Building in Toledo; a final canvass is set to be completed by Tama County on Monday, Nov. 17.

Public Measure TY unofficial results

“Shall the Board of Directors of the Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District in the Counties of Tama, Marshall, Black Hawk, and Grundy, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $17,300,000 to provide funds to build, furnish, and equip a classroom addition to the Junior High / High School building, with related remodeling and improvements, and site improvements?”

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

TAMA COUNTY

YES 198

NO 654

GRUNDY COUNTY

YES 927

NO 83

BLACK HAWK COUNTY

YES 49

NO 8

MARSHALL COUNTY

YES 3

NO 12

TOTAL: 1,934

TOTAL YES: 1,177 (60.86%)

TOTAL NO: 757 (39.14%)

PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER