The committee had four primary goals:
- Lower the Cost: Develop a plan at a lower total cost and tax impact than the last bond
referendum. - Better Prepare Students for the Future: Updated and consolidated facilities will provide a
higher-quality educational experience across our schools and make student opportunities more
equitable. The District can also more efficiently use staff across fewer buildings. - Be Good Stewards of Our Resources: Implementing the plan below would save the District
nearly $130 million over the next 20 years. As a result, the District can reallocate building
maintenance money to better serve our students. - Honor Our History: Preserve and maintain the historic buildings in the core of Cedar Rapids
while providing innovative and modern school for our students.
Specifically, the plan would:
- Renovate Wilson Middle School into an elementary school to serve students currently at Grant
and Cedar River Academy (CRA). Wilson students will attend Roosevelt Middle School. - Renovate and expand McKinley Middle School to serve students currently attending McKinley and Franklin middle schools. The Franklin building would serve Metro High School students.
- Build a new middle school on the northeast side of Cedar Rapids to replace Harding Middle School. Harding would be demolished and made into greenspace.
- Build an addition at Kennedy High School for freshman students to better prepare them for the transition into high school and careers in our region (similar to programming at Washington and Jefferson high schools).
- Expand Kennedy’s cafeteria.
Estimated cost: $210.6 million
