Get the Facts CR

What is Public Measure E?
 
It’s a “Revenue Purpose Statement” that states how the Cedar Rapids School District can spend your money received from the 1 cent statewide sales tax; funds called SAVE (Secure an Advanced Vision for Education).
 
It’s disguised as “property tax relief” only because it’s a sales tax rather than a property tax. (This sales tax is already in place; Public Measure E is not asking for it.)

It allows the School District to bond ahead to 2050! If it does not pass, the current purpose statement stands which allows them to bond ahead to 2030, which they're already doing.

Why vote NO?
 
• It allows the School District an open checkbook without community control of its purse strings. 
 
• It allows the School District to immediately bond ahead for future SAVE funds, totaling $244 million, which will cost taxpayers $155 million interest. [source: Communications Director Akwi, emphasis added]       
 
• It allows the School District to proceed with the Facilities Master Plan of which the original budget was $224 million, but is now $309 million - $85 million over budget without breaking ground!
 
• It allows the School District to proceed with the Facilities Master Plan; a plan that provides the community NO information about what will become of the 8 schools that are slated to close and will force children to leave their neighborhoods to attend far away schools.
 
 
Taylor ~ Truman ~ Madison ~ Van Buren ~ Garfield ~ Kenwood ~ Nixon ~ Grant Wood
 
 
•    It allows the School District to proceed with the Facilities Master Plan; a plan that covers ONLY elementary schools, forcing them to bond for middle and high schools repairs and maintenance.
 
NOTE: Also not accounted for in the Facilities Master Plan are improvements needed to bring up to leadership needs: $71.5 mill, middle schools; $81 mill, high schools; $24.5 million, district buildings.
 
• It guarantees schools will have more students per classroom than the district currently funds by having more students than current benchmarks per grade.  

 What’s the Background?
 
• For over 40 years, voters have been approving PPEL (Physical Plant and Equipment Levy), a property tax levy (now at $1.34 per $1,000 assessed valuation). The purpose we were told:
 
“PPEL funds support the maintenance and upkeep of the District’s 425 acres of grounds and 2.7 million square feet of building space and have been focused on urgently-needed maintenance, with planned equipment purchases and facility repairs; building envelope maintenance and repair (roofing and masonry); and campus parking lots and asphalt for playgrounds.”
 
PPEL funds are also supposed to be spent on: “Projects that provide for safe and secure schools for students and staff, … increased energy conservation efforts.” [sources: Cedar Rapids Community Schools website, emphasis added]
 
• Instead, the School District allowed certain schools to deteriorate and then claim they’re too expensive to repair.
 
• Instead, the School District claims schools can only be safe and secure thru the Facilities Master Plan and your approval of this Public Measure. 
 
• Instead, the School District refuses to even try to pay-as-you-go and, …
 
• Instead, continues to dig us into more debt, more bonds, more interest, more debt …
 
• Instead, the School District cons voters out of every dollar by telling you it’s for our children – it’s not for our children!
 
 
The School District has proven to be irresponsible with your taxes!
 
• Did you know that SAVE money was used for the Taj Mahal on Edgewood? Plus, they bonded for future SAVE to pay for it. And paid over $10 million interest. • Did you know the Facilities Master Plan provides for $13 million of upgrades for Taylor, even though they’re going to “close” it? Actually, repurpose it. For what, they won’t say. • Did you know that the School District already owns land near Morgan Creek for a new school while planning to demolish and rebuild 10 elementary schools?
 
 
Your Vote DOES Count! We need to take control of the spending of OUR taxes!