High School Project Work Continues Despite Superintendent Mike Wells' Resignation

Ever since Cedar Falls Superintendent Mike Wells' sudden resignation Feb. 27, the high school project has no longer been the most controversial item on the school board's agenda.

But Monday night it moved back to forefront when the board once again took it up during a work session.

The board is considering whether to renovate Cedar Falls High School, at a cost of around $52 million, or completely rebuild it, for $73 million.

On Monday the board heard from Kent Pilcher of the Iowa Construction Advocate Team (ICAT), a partnership between Estes Construction and the Iowa Association of School Boards.

Board member Dave Williams emphasized no decisions have been made.

“This is about the process, not about the conclusions," he said.

Pilcher laid out a possible timeline for that process.

That tentative timeline would include coming up with a team, engaging with community groups and coming to a final decision, all over the next four months or so. Then there would be about three months for a campaign to win over voters before a public referendum. A bond referendum will be needed to pay for the project.

The project has been championed by Wells, who decided to resign effective June 30 after it became clear the board would not renew his employment contract.

“How is it affected with an outgoing superintendent?” school board member Jim Brown asked.

Pilcher replied that long term projects like this, which can take years from conception to completion, can't necessarily be paused during leadership transitions.

"Regardless of whether or not there was a change in the superintendency, the timeline and the process would be the same," said Adrian Talbot, the school district's human resources director, to sum up Pilcher's position.

If the board decides to work with ICAT, the organization will assist with the process from now until any potential construction is completed. Pilcher said their services would cost, "less than $10,000."

However, they will work with the board through April for free, and then the board can decide if they are finding ICAT's services valuable.

In other business, the board also discussed the search for a new superintendent. They identified what qualities they would like to see in Wells' replacement and laid out a timeline for hiring that person.

Read more: Cedar Falls School Board Could be Interviewing New Superintendent Candidates by End of May

The board has published several PDFs of background information on the high school issue to the school district's website:

• Section 1 - Current Situation   download
• Section 2 - High School Renovation   download
• Section 3 - Construction of a New High School   download
• Section 4 - Partnership Opportunities   download
• Section 5 - City Development/Enrollment Projections   download
• Section 6 - District Facility Committee   download
• Section 7 - Bond Referendum Process/Timelines   download
• Section 8 - School Board Consensus Process   download

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