Should Cedar Falls Spend $70 Million on a New High School?

Should Cedar Falls High School be replaced?

Some in town think so, and they're looking at a $73 million price tag to build a new school.

Cedar Falls School District's facility planning committee, made up of parents, educators and community members, recommended the plan to the School Board Monday, the Cedar Falls-Waterloo Courier reported.

The recommendation came after months of consideration, including tours of the school and discussion of possibly renovating the existing building at a cost of $56 million as an alternative to replacing it altogether.

The current facility is over 50 years old and was originally built for around 600 students, Director of Secondary Education Dan Conrad told KWWL. Today, there are around 1,100 students enrolled. The school has had over $7.8 million in renovations over the last 10 years.

Several other Cedar Falls Schools throughout the district have been renovated and expanded recently to deal with aging buildings and growing enrollment.

The school board will now consider the recommendation, and will likely vote in January on whether to move forward. However, the plan must then be approved by the public; a bond referendum would be needed to pay for the new school. Such a referendum would likely increase the property tax rate by $2.70 per $1,000 taxable valuation for the next 20 years. This year, that would translate to an extra $274 for homes assessed at $200,000.

What do you think? Would you vote for the bond referendum? Tell us why or why not in the comments.