By Sam Parsons
The school districts of Knoxville, Keota, PCM, and Pekin are headed back to the drawing board as bond referendums were rejected by voters in the general election on Tuesday.
In the state of Iowa, bond referendums need support from at least 60% of voters to successfully pass. All four bond referendums fell short of that threshold.
The Knoxville school district’s proposed $15.3 million general obligation bond referendum was intended for the construction of a new school in the Veterans District for grades 2-5 to replace Northstar Elementary. The bond referendum received only 45.2% “yes” votes.
Voters within the Keota school district considered a $6.4 million bond referendum for facility improvements, including addressing issues with heating, plumbing, and safety systems. The measure received only 53% support from voters.
Residents within the PCM school district voted on a $14.2 million bond referendum that intended to fund projects that included remodeling, repairs, and improvements to various classroom and career and technical education spaces, in addition to the construction of a multipurpose performance gymnasium, support spaces, and site improvements. The referendum was supported by only 48.5% of voters.
The Pekin CSD’s bond referendum of $9.2 million, which pledged to address safety upgrades and aging infrastructure, in addition to providing classroom improvements, was also rejected by voters. It received only 51% “yes” votes.
