This fall the heaters were turned on in the AGWSR school building. The decades-old system emitted enough steam and heat to set off the fire alarm. “Here in the cafeteria there was steam coming straight out of our system,” said Superintendent Erik Smith. The HVAC system was one of the projects that would have been covered by a $14.45 million bond referendum. Voters in the counties rejected the measure in the Nov. 5 general election. It was the same story in East Marshall County and several others in central Iowa, according to an investigation by KCCI Investigates. Only a handful of county voters gave the green light to major projects costing millions of dollars. Most districts will work with existing facilities and perhaps try again. Leaders in AGWSR and East Marshall say they will pursue the bonds a second time. East Marshall and AGWSR face similar situations. These are rural districts with multiple campus locations in different cities. Outdated facilities and declining enrollment are plaguing both districts. It's a challenge to provide a 21st-century education in a 20th-century building, said Superintendent Tony Ryan. “Technology has changed, and if you're in a classroom now, the infrastructure that was needed in 1923 or 1922 is phenomenally different,” Ryan said. In East Marshall, all of the buildings date from the 1920s. Over time, school leaders added additional wings to accommodate the district's more than 500 students, including: Laurel Elementary School, which houses grades PreK-3, was built in 1920 and renovated in 1991, 2000 and 2016. Gilman's middle school for students in fourth through eighth grades was built in 1922 and expanded in 1958 and 1983. Le Grand High School, home to ninth through 12th grades, is the newest building, dating to 1923, with additions in 1978 and 2008. “Our buildings are aging, we realize that,” Ryan said, “and we're trying to “To be forward-looking with our designs.” in our planning.” School leaders assessed the facilities in a 2020 report. This was followed by the choice of the bond referendum as a funding option for a Handful that were available to public schools. Plans continued to receive public input through tours and meetings. A community survey in May 2024 found that outdated facilities were a top priority. In the survey, 76 percent of those surveyed even said that they would agree with the closure of a school. In November, county leaders asked voters to hold a referendum on a $13.5 million bond issue. There are partial leaks in the weight room, among other projects. The ballot measure required approval from 60% of voters in parts of four counties the district covers — Marshall, Jasper, Tama and Poweshiek. Voters rejected the bond referendum 53% to 37%. But school leaders say it's still a positive sign. “We feel very fortunate and confident that there is support to make a difference to the improvements,” Ryan said. “That's the message we took away from a yes vote of 53 percent.” The school board has not yet officially decided on a bond referendum in 2025, but leaders say the goal is to pass it again attempt. State law allows voting once a year. In Marshalltown County, voters approved a $57 million bond issue to renovate Miller Middle School, a 100-year-old building. The vote was 68 percent in favor and 32 percent against. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, school security and bus fencing may be too intangible for voters. “Sometimes it’s a little harder to sell a project when you can’t see it,” Ryan said. East Marshall leaders want to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, Ryan said. Iowa's school funding formula is based on allocations from the state general fund and local property taxes. “We are largely farms, and our farming community has always been very supportive of East Marshall and very proud of East Marshall,” he said. In the AGWSR school district, 650 students learn in buildings from the 1950s. These facilities are located in Ackley, Geneva, Wellsburg and Steamboat Rock. Voters here also rejected a $14.45 million bond referendum that would have included projects such as modernizing science and consumer science classrooms, upgrading HVAC and building bus barns. The margin was razor-thin – 59.2% voted “yes” and 40.8% voted “no”. “A few votes short of our goal,” Smith said. “Of course it’s a bummer.” In AGWSR, the high school was built in 1955 and expanded in 1976, 1995, 2014, 2022 and 2023. The Wellsburg Attendance Center, built in 1954, received expansions in 1959, 2002 and 2016. The narrow defeat took place on November 5, Smith recounts. He met the deadline in three of the four counties — Butler, Franklin, Grundy and Hardin — that make up the district. There were three “yes” votes in Hardin County. “It was kind of crazy and I was pretty excited,” Smith said, “until I started doing the math in my head.” The three new votes weren't enough. The AGWSR board also plans to put the matter back before voters. “Hopefully we can better understand why we had the no votes that we had and make those changes and share the information that we need to share to make sure people really understand it,” Smith said. Both districts can cope with it. “We will continue to talk about it, continue to be transparent with our public and work very hard toward the goal of taking care of our students and staff,” Ryan said.
This fall the heaters were turned on in the AGWSR school building. The decades-old system emitted enough steam and heat to set off the fire alarm.
“Steam came right out of our system here in the cafeteria,” said Superintendent Erik Smith.
The HVAC system was one of the projects that would have been covered by a $14.45 million bond referendum. Voters in the counties rejected the measure in the Nov. 5 general election.
It was the same story in East Marshall County and several others in central Iowa, according to an investigation by KCCI Investigates. Only a handful of county voters gave the green light to major projects costing millions of dollars. Most districts will work with existing facilities and perhaps try again. Leaders in AGWSR and East Marshall say they will pursue the bonds a second time.
East Marshall and AGWSR face similar situations. These are rural districts with multiple campus locations in different cities.
Outdated facilities and declining enrollment are plaguing both districts. “It is a challenge to provide a 21st century education in a 20th century building,” said Superintendent Tony Ryan.
“Technology has changed, and if you're in a classroom today, the infrastructure that was needed in 1923 or 1922 is phenomenally different,” Ryan said.
In East Marshall, all of the buildings date from the 1920s.
Over time, school leaders added additional wings to accommodate the district's more than 500 students, including:
- Laurel Elementary School, which houses grades PreK-3, was built in 1920 and renovated in 1991, 2000 and 2016.
- Gilman's middle school for students in fourth through eighth grades was built in 1922 and expanded in 1958 and 1983.
- The High School in Le Grand, home to grades 9 through 12Th The most recent version dates back to 1923 and was added in 1978 and 2008.
“Our buildings are aging, we recognize that,” Ryan said, “and we try to be forward-thinking with our designs and planning.”
School leaders evaluated the facilities in a 2020 report. That was followed by choosing the bond referendum as a funding option for a handful available to public schools.
Plans were made to receive public input through tours and meetings. A community survey in May 2024 found that outdated facilities were a top priority. In the survey, 76 percent of those surveyed even said that they would agree to a possible school closure.
In November, county leaders asked voters to hold a referendum on $13.5 million in bonds.
The money would help, among other things, to expand the elementary school, install air conditioning and partially repair leaks in the weight room.
The ballot measure required approval from 60% of voters in parts of four counties the district encompasses — Marshall, Jasper, Tama and Poweshiek. Voters rejected the bond referendum 53% to 37%. But school leaders say it's still a positive sign.
“We feel very fortunate and confident that there is support to make a difference to the improvements,” Ryan said. “That is the message we took away from a yes vote of 53 percent.”
The school board has not yet officially decided on a bond referendum in 2025, but officials say the goal is to try again. State law allows voting once a year.
In Marshalltown County, voters approved a $57 million bond issue to renovate Miller Middle School, a 100-year-old building. The vote was 68 percent in favor and 32 percent against.
HVAC systems, school security and bus fencing may be too intangible for voters. “Sometimes it’s a little harder to sell a project when you can’t see it,” Ryan said.
East Marshall leaders want to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, Ryan said. Iowa's school funding formula is based on allocations from the state general fund and local property taxes. “We are mostly rural farms and our farming community has always been very supportive of East Marshall and very proud of East Marshall,” he said.
In the AGWSR school district, 650 students learn in buildings from the 1950s. These facilities are located in Ackley, Geneva, Wellsburg and Steamboat Rock.
Voters here also rejected a $14.45 million bond referendum that would have included projects such as modernizing science and consumer science classrooms, updating heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and building bus barns .
The margin was razor-thin – 59.2% voted “yes” and 40.8% voted “no”.
“A few votes short of our goal,” Smith said. “Of course it’s a bummer.”
In AGWSR, the high school was built in 1955 and expanded in 1976, 1995, 2014, 2022 and 2023. Built in 1954, the Wellsburg Attendance Center received expansions in 1959, 2002 and 2016.
After the narrow defeat on November 5, Smith called for a recount. He met the deadline in three of the four counties — Butler, Franklin, Grundy and Hardin — that make up the district.
There were three “yes” votes in Hardin County. “It was kind of crazy and I was pretty excited,” Smith said, “until I started doing the math in my head.”
The three new votes were not enough.
The AGWSR board also plans to put the matter back before voters. “Hopefully we can better understand why we had the no votes that we had and make those changes and share the information that we need to share to make sure people really understand,” Smith said.
Both districts are coping.
“We will continue to talk about it, continue to be transparent with our public and work very hard toward the goal of taking care of our students and staff,” Ryan said.