Voters in the Ames School District overwhelming approve a $110 million bond issue Tuesday, passing the measure with an 85 percent margin. $105 million dollars will be used to build a new high school, while the remaining dollars will add classrooms to three elementary school buildings. Superintendent Tim Taylor says the wide margin of victory is a testament to public support for education in Ames. He says the district's architect will soon begin a series of conversations to determine specifics in the new high school building. Taylor says they hope to break ground on the new high school building in the fall, with construction to start next spring. The district wants to open the new building open in 2022.
In addition to the new high school building, the Ames School District will use $5 million from the bond issue to add new classrooms to Edwards, Fellows, and Meeker elementary schools. The additional classroom space became necessary with an unexpected enrollment increase of nearly 300 kids in the current school year.
Voters in the Gilbert School District also approved bond issue Tuesday on an 85- to 15-percent margin. The $14 million plan would see each school in the district undergo renovations. The work includes four new classrooms in the middle school and renovations to the district's baseball and softball fields.