Auditorium expansion on the ballot in Sept. 10 special election

June 20, 2024

A rendering shows what an expanded auditorium could look like at Aldo Leopold Intermediate School.

The Burlington Community School District will ask district residents to vote in a special election Sept. 10 on whether to allow an increase in the Voted Physical Plant and Equipment Levy that will go toward transforming an existing auditorium into a performing arts center.

We’ll be hosting an open house at 5 p.m. Sept. 3 at Aldo Leopold Intermediate School so you can see the existing space and plans for the proposed project, as well as speak with district representatives.

Below are some Q & A’s to help answer questions you may have about what’s on the ballot. If you have a question that is not answered below, please email michaele.niehaus@bcsds.org.

What would this revenue be used for?

The additional PPEL funds would support the expansion of the auditorium at Aldo Leopold Intermediate School to better support our music and performing arts programs district-wide, while freeing up existing VPPEL funds to further bolster security and support facility maintenance throughout the district.

Why a performing arts center?

BCSD currently is without a performing arts center.

The existing spaces at Edward Stone Middle School and Aldo where concerts, plays and musicals are held were built as junior high auditoriums for things like assemblies and therefore lack desired stage size, acoustics, set design room and adequate lighting/seating.

What will the expansion entail?

Planned work would transform Aldo’s auditorium into a performing arts center, with improved stage presence and acoustics, as well as increased seating that will bring the capacity from 503 up to 700, and improved accessibility.

The expansion would be along the current auditorium’s south wall. This would allow for seating to be installed up to about the end of the existing stage, which would be moved back further into the expanded space.

Other features of the expansion project include the addition of a stage craft area, spotlights, a sound booth, and a concession stand.

Why has Aldo been selected as the proposed location for this expansion?

Aldo’s location and layout make it ideal for the expansion as there are no homes immediately behind the school and the basketball hoops in the expansion zone could be easily moved.

Why wasn’t an auditorium included in the high school renovation project?

The addition of an auditorium at the high school had been considered during the planning phase of the BHS SAVE — Secure an Advanced Vision for Education, which allows districts to bond against revenue generated via the penny sales tax — project.

Estimates made in 2022 for such a project were as follows:

$22-23 million for an 800-seat auditorium
$30 million for a 1,100-seat auditorium

This is more than three times the planned cost at Aldo.

What impact will this have on my property tax?

The question on the ballot seeks permission for the district to levy up to an additional 67 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation for a period of six years.

Currently, BCSD’s VPPEL is 67 cents per $1,000 of assessed property valuation. Voter approval would allow the district to increase that levy to no more than $1.34 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation.

To help put this in perspective, this increase would be the equivalent of $30 per year for a $100,000 home. That’s $2.50 per month.

It is important to note that the actual amount levied could be revisited each of those six years and could be lower, but it would not be able to exceed the approved amount.

Also worth noting is that since 2015, BCSD’s total property tax rate has decreased $3.18 per $1,000 valuation — from $15.43 to $12.25.

How does BCSD’s PPEL compare to that of other districts across the state?

85% of Iowa school districts have a Voter-approved Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, and more than one-third of those districts have rates of $1.34 per $1,000 valuation.

If approved, how much revenue is expected to be generated by the PPEL?

The estimated increase in PPEL funds would generate an estimated $5 million. The expansion is estimated to cost between $7.5 and $8.5 million. The remaining funds could come from the district’s reserves.

If approved, what is the timeline for the project?

Work would likely start in two years after plans have been finalized and funding has been secured.

How will the question read on the ballot?

Shall the Board of Directors of the Burlington Community School District, in the County of Des Moines, State of Iowa, for the purpose of purchasing and improving grounds; constructing schoolhouses or buildings and opening roads to schoolhouses or buildings; purchasing of buildings; purchase, lease or lease-purchase of technology and equipment; paying debts contracted for the erection or construction of schoolhouses or buildings, not including interest on bonds; procuring or acquisition of libraries; repairing, remodeling, reconstructing, improving, or expanding the schoolhouses or buildings and additions to existing schoolhouses; expenditures for energy conservation; renting facilities under Iowa Code Chapter 28E; purchasing transportation equipment for transporting students; lease purchase option agreements for school buildings or equipment; purchasing equipment authorized by law; or for any purpose or purposes now or hereafter authorized by law, be authorized for a period of five (5) years, to levy annually, a voter-approved physical plant and equipment property tax not to exceed an additional Sixty-Seven Cents ($0.67) per One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) of the assessed valuation of the taxable property within the school district commencing with the levy for collection in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026, or each year thereafter; it being understood that if this proposition should fail to be approved by the voters, such failure shall not be construed to terminate or restrict authority previously granted by the voters to levy and impose a special tax for any one or more of the foregoing purposes?

Sample Ballot