Frequently Asked Questions

Was the community involved in this process?

Yes. The Board of Education and administration strive to engage with our residents to ensure they have an understanding of the district’s needs and an opportunity to provide valuable feedback and input. Community meetings, information videos, and a survey are some of the ways we have connected with and will continue to engage with district residents in the coming weeks and months.

A thorough review of the district’s facility needs and possible solutions came about after more than a year of examining the issue. This process included a team of community members and staff members, and partnerships with Emergent Architecture and BlueStone Engineering. You can view the facility report here.

These parties worked in concert with the district to help it establish a facilities master plan that will guide future development and improvements, and identified the biggest challenges that WCSD faces when it comes to providing students with a 21st century learning environment.

Will the community vote on the proposed solution to the district's needs?

Yes. Registered voters who reside in the Williamsburg Community School District will consider a general obligation bond issue on Tuesday, November 5, 2024. These funds generated by the district's debt levy would be used to cover a portion of the proposed improvements, while statewide sales tax revenue (known as SAVE) that Williamsburg CSD receives will also be relied upon. The bond issue must be approved by 60% of voters.

What happens if you complete Phase I of improvements, but Phase II, which is funded by general obligation bonds, does not pass?

In order to meet the needs identified through the facilities assessment process which includes Phase II, the district will most likely need property tax revenue.

State law has changed in recent years and school districts are now limited to only November dates for bond votes. That means that if the issue does not pass in November 2024, the district will need to consider what prevented voters from support of the project, and then wait for one full year before asking voters to consider the proposal again.

Such a delay in continuing the project from Phase I to Phase II will result in increased costs for the project, and most likely in a decrease in the total scope of the project to account for continually increasing construction costs. 

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Were other solutions considered as part of the facilities review process? 

Emergent Architecture facilitated several conversations about potential solutions. The firm uses a process called Extreme Schemes to help districts identify priorities, discuss potential options, and match district goals with available space, funding, current construction practices, and best practices in teaching and learning, energy efficiency, and other contributing factors. 

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Extreme Schemes concepts that were discussed as part of this process included a stand-alone junior high school, shifting students from the junior high to Mary Welsh Elementary School, building a new auditorium, creating new space for Pre-K through 1st Grade, establishing a Career and Technical Education (CTE) center at an existing location within the district, and repurposing current space to better meet the needs of 21st century education.

Each of these concepts helped our team members think about the short- and long-term needs of the Williamsburg CSD, as well as how different configurations provide benefits and create challenges.

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MORE: Prioritization of Resources and Funding Allocation

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MORE: Does Renovating and Adding Classroom Space Really Impact Teaching and Learning? Yes!

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MORE: Five Acronyms for the November 5 bond referendum

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Is there another way to finance this project other than general obligation bonds?

Schools districts have multiple ways to fund facility improvement projects, with property taxes being one of the primary methods. 

A voted Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) has been used in the past. This levy is approved by voters every 10 years, with the most recent being in 2019 for Williamsburg CSD.

Our last payment on the projects funded by the voted PPEL will be in 2030. These projects include:

• Door security at Mary Welsh Elementary and Williamsburg Jr/Sr High School.

• Improving the entryway at Mary Welsh

• A cafeteria expansion at Mary Welsh

• HVAC improvements at both buildings

• Classroom improvements

• The new field and track expansion

• Additional parking and driveway improvements at Mary Welsh

• A roof project at Williamsburg Jr/Sr High School

• Installation of LED lighting throughout Williamsburg Jr/Sr High School

• New lighting at the football field and softball field

• Accessible entry improvements at the auditorium

• Installation of additional security cameras

• Improvements to the west parking lot at Williamsburg Jr/Sr High School

• Sidewalk installation to Kirkwood Community College

The voted PPEL allows school districts to collect up to $1.34 per $1,000 in taxable property value. This amount is approximately half of what the general obligation bond request will be on November 5. Because of that $1.34 limit, the voted PPEL does not allow the district to accomplish all of its facility needs. 

Districts can also use statewide one-cent sales tax revenue disbursements that is dedicated for school improvements. This comes from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education fund, more commonly referred to as SAVE.

PPEL and SAVE funds cannot be used to fund salaries and benefits. We have used those dollars in the past on facilities projects like the science/music wing and additions at Mary Welsh.  Sales tax revenue doesn't impact property tax, and that's why we're using available sales tax funds in Phase I of the projects.  

Districts can also meet facilities needs through a second and third tier of property tax. — general obligation (GO) bonds. Schools can ask to collect up to $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable value (second tier), or $4.05 per $1,000 (third tier) of taxable value.

WCSD is not asking for the third tier of funding. Instead, we are asking for the second tier that has a ceiling of $2.70. 

GO Bonds are similar to a voted PPEL in terms of what these funds can used for, but in a voted PPEL election, 50% of voters must approve. When we ask for that second tier of funding, voter approval must be at least 60%.

Districts can also receive private donations to help fund facility improvements, and we have been fortunate in Williamsburg to benefit from private contributions to support our buildings and grounds, as well.

The primary source of funding that comes to WCSD is through a combination of property tax and state aid is the district's general fund. For nearly all schools in Iowa, about 80% of the general fund supports “people.” This includes salaries, benefits like IPERS, and health insurance.

That leaves 20% of the general fund for remaining expenses: Maintenance costs, fuel, supplies, energy-related costs, curriculum, etc.  For that reason, many school districts don't use their general fund to finance significant infrastructure projects. 

At WCSD, we are using other means to fund infrastructure projects — both past projects and future work. But the size of our buildings, the age of our buildings, and the changes in teaching and learning throughout the years require us to use several different resources to meet all of our needs

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Why aren’t full designs for the new spaces available? 

In Iowa, capital expenditures that require additional funding above and beyond that of a school district’s regular operating budget require a general obligation (GO) bond. A GO bond needs at least 60% voter approval to pass. 

Without this supermajority vote, there is no financial support for a project and it cannot move forward.

It would therefore be fiscally irresponsible for the district to pay for the professional services of an architectural firm before we know if community members support the proposed solution to our facilities needs. In fact, the architectural design process itself can take 8-10 months which comes at a significant dollar amount that could equal 6-10% of the total project cost.

With this in mind, most school districts limit design efforts until after a GO bond is approved by voters.

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How will an approved bond issue affect property taxes?

The 2025 general obligation property tax levy is $0.87. The maximum amount that the district could levy, if the issue passes, is $2.70. 

At a maximum, property taxes could increase $1.83 per $1,000 of taxable value. However, when you look at WCSD's property tax history, you can see that the district adjusted different levies over the past several years to meet its needs and maintain or even decrease the total property tax rate.

For example, in 2023, when a full $2.70 levy was applied, the district was able to maintain a consistent rate and, compared to the previous year, decrease the overall rate.