PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER A yard sign in Reinbeck reminds voters in the G-R Community School District to vote last November as part of the general election. Ultimately, the district’s bond referendum that year fell short of the required 60% supermajority just as it did in 2022. The district is currently working to place a bond referendum on this November’s city/school election ballot.

REINBECK — The Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District recently began circulating a $17.3 million school bond petition.

Last November, the district’s $16.5 million bond request failed — falling short of the requisite 60% supermajority by garnering roughly 50% of the vote with 1,235 voting in favor and 1,203 voting against. The bond would have been used to build an addition at the secondary building — to replace the deteriorating 1921 section that continues to be utilized by students — plus make necessary infrastructure improvements.

Prior to the November 2024 election, a $23.6 million bond referendum failed to pass in September of 2022.

In a social media post last Wednesday, Aug. 20, the district officially announced its plans for the upcoming November election.

“Gladbrook-Reinbeck CSD is moving forward with the next step in our facility planning. To place the $17.3 million bond referendum on the November 4, 2025 ballot, we must first collect enough signatures from eligible voters in our district,” the post stated before explaining the petition’s ask — to build, furnish, and equip a classroom addition to the secondary school and complete remodeling and site improvements.

“Once enough signatures are collected, the Board can call for the election, and you’ll have your say in November,” the district further wrote.

According to Tama County Elections Administrator Jenna Cremeans, school bond petitions must contain signatures of 100 eligible electors or a number equal to 30% of the people who voted in the last regular school election.

“There were 705 people who voted in the 2023 city-school election for Gladbrook-Reinbeck School District so their petition will need 212 signatures to successfully call for an election,” Cremeans said in an email.

The deadline for Iowa municipalities and school districts to place public measures on the Tuesday, Nov. 4 election ballot is Friday, Sept. 19 at noon.

Funding improvements, running into fire

During the regular June meeting of the G-R Board of Education, the district’s three-phase, 10-year facility plan was addressed. According to past Sun Courier reporting, the recently-completed Phase I used SAVE funding to update the elementary school.

Passing a bond referendum is part of Phase II.

“The costs for (the) Phase II project would be [$]16.8 million,” the June 19 school board meeting minutes state. “This is up from the [$]16.4 million which in consideration of the tariffs and increased cost of building materials [is] considered reasonable. There are lots of moving parts in the next steps for the facility.”

Following the district’s petition announcement on Aug. 20, the newspaper reached out to Superintendent Caleb Bonjour via email for comment.

“As a district, we’ve spent a great deal of time listening, reflecting, and adjusting our approach based on community input following previous bond attempts,” Bonjour said. “The current proposal represents what we believe is a fiscally responsible plan that addresses critical infrastructure and learning environment needs for our students and staff — needs that will only grow more urgent and more costly the longer they go unaddressed.”

Bonjour was also asked to comment on the possibility of a school bond appearing on the ballot alongside a City of Reinbeck public measure to fund a new emergency services building. Such a measure would also require a 60% supermajority.

“Regarding the possibility of our bond appearing alongside the City of Reinbeck’s fire station proposal, I understand how some may view that as a challenge. But ultimately, both efforts reflect a shared desire to invest in the future of our communities. While each measure stands on its own, both aim to serve and protect the people who live here — just in different ways,” Bonjour said.

Last October, the Reinbeck Fire Department held a town hall to address its fundraising campaign for construction of a $3.9 million Reinbeck Fire, Rescue, and Emergency Services building on a city-owned lot located north of Highway 175 on the eastern edge of town.

“This has been a project we’ve been talking about for a lot of years and we just want to move forward with it,” Fire Chief Chris Heasley said at the time. During the presentation, members of the fire department indicated their plans included running a bond vote in November 2025 for $3 million.

The newspaper reached out to Chief Heasley on Friday, Aug. 25 for an update on the fire station campaign but as of press time had not heard back.

During the July meeting of the Reinbeck City Council, the Outstanding Obligations Disclosure Statement for Report Year 2025 was reviewed. Such a report declares all outstanding obligations as of June 30, 2025. The city currently has two outstanding debts, per the meeting minutes: a revenue bond for the sewer plant with a $503,000 balance and a revenue bond for the new well with a balance of $34,000.

Fire station bond or no fire station bond, Superintendent Bonjour urged voters in the G-R school district to carefully consider their vote this fall should the district’s petition garner enough signatures.

“I encourage all voters to stay informed, ask questions, and consider not just what’s being proposed, but also the broader implications of their vote. Every decision creates a ripple effect, and while those impacts vary, they matter deeply to the future of our towns and our schools.”