Fairfield school district to attempt another bond for middle school

FAIRFIELD – The Fairfield Community School District is once again asking the public to support a bond measure for a new middle school.

The vote on the bond will be Nov. 4, coinciding with elections for the city council and school board. Just like last year, the bond will be about the same amount, $39.5 million, but with one significant change. Instead of planning for a new building to house grades 4-8, the new plan is to house one fewer grade, so just grades 5-8.

Superintendent Zach Wigle said that the total project cost will be lower than last year, at about $50 million. The last bond vote in 2024 just barely failed, receiving 58 percent support when it needed 60 percent. Wigle said that one of the pieces of feedback the district got from the last bond vote was to leave fourth grade out of the middle school.

“We surveyed our community and we had just shy of 500 responses from different parts of the community and that was one of the things that that we heard was, ‘Hey, we don't love having fourth grade in that space to start with, and it seems really expensive,’” Wigle said. “Is there a way to lower the costs? So we tried to listen as best as we could, but also still continue to do what we believe is the best step moving forward for our kids.”

Fairfield Middle School was built in the 1960s, and Wigle said that some shortcuts were taken at the time that are coming back to bite the district. He said the major problems involve water seeping into classrooms.

The tax implications of the bond are the same as last year, Wigle said, with an increase of $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable valuation on property taxes.

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com