New website explains bond issue

WILLIAMSBURG — The Williamsburg Community School District has launched a website designed to share information with the public about the general obligation bond issue, with projects that focus on "Learning for Life."

  Buy Photo

The website, williamsburgbond2025.com/, focuses on several areas, including why the project is important to the school district, the path the district took to identify the project scope and cost, the areas of the school that will receive the most attention, the cost of the project and finally, how local residents can learn more about the projects.

The district is proposing a $7.945 million project on the November ballot. Areas targeted for improvement include industrial technology, agriculture education, family and consumer science, and special education.

A 6,200 square foot addition to the existing ag ed and industrial tech shop will include a high bay space that will provide expanded opportunities for students to build, to learn more about skilled trades, and to work directly with machinery. The renovation of the existing classroom and shop area will more than double the size of the agriculture education classroom, and expand the area available for welding.

Improvements to the ventilation and dust collection system are also necessary.

Improvements to the family and consumer science department include a 2,800 square foot addition to the front of the junior/senior high school building and a classroom that blends residential and commercial food prep equipment.

The project would also expand the entry to Messer Auditorium, which would allow students to directly implement the skills they learn in Family and Consumer Science to prepare for and host events with real patrons, a type of experience that is critical for schools today.

Initial concepts include offering senior citizen dining in the expanded entry and cafe area on a regular basis, prepared and served by students taking those courses. The expanded entry to Messer Auditorium would also improve the entry to the auditorium itself, enhancing the experience for guests attending concerts, musicals and other events hosted at school.

In addition to these improvements, the existing family and consumer science area would be transformed to serve special education students who are preparing for life skills as part of their junior high and high school experience.

The classroom's current layout makes it a natural fit to improve the services the district is providing to students without requiring the district to as a neighboring school to provide that support.

Last November's bond issue proposal totaled $22.3 million, but following that unsuccessful election and two surveys from the public in January and May, the district has focused the improvements on the junior/senior high school, and reduced the asking price significantly, down to $7.945 million, or about $1.07 for each $1,000 of taxable valuation.

The website provides examples of the property tax investment for residential, commercial and agricultural property.

For more information on the tax impact these projects may have on your property, check out the website or reach out directly to the schools' superintendent, Chad Garber (319-461-7484 or 319-668-1059 or chadgarber@williamsburg.k12.ia.us).

The district is scheduled to visit with several local organizations in the lead-up to the election and has three open houses at the junior/senior high school scheduled. The dates and times for those open houses can be found on the website, williamsburgbond2025.com.