FACILITY PLANNING
At Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District, we recognize that our school district facilities are important community assets that need to be maintained for the health and safety of our students, staff, and community members.
Understanding that a school district is a direct reflection of the community it serves, the School Board and leadership team of Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District is committed to a facility planning strategy that reflects the priorities of the taxpayers and meets the needs of our students, staff, and communities.
To ensure future facility decisions make sense for students, are fiscally responsible, and have community support, our commitment to the residents of Gladbrook-Reinbeck will include expanded communication that will include:
Facility Master Planning Website
Town Hall Meetings (see below)
Community-Wide Survey
Listening Sessions
The School Board will provide valuable insights into the critical building infrastructure needs and improvement opportunities within our school buildings. Information shared and gathered at these community meetings will assist the District in its current Facility Planning work.
We will continue to share this information on this website, district emails, and social media.
The commitment to our community during this process is transparency and collaboration. Visit this website often for updates and continued communication.
IN THE NEWS!
COMMUNITY MEETINGS!
Gladbrook-Reinbeck CSD holds two community meetings on June 17 and 19 about the Phase One SAVE funding projects:
A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Through collaboration and consensus-building, the community task force identified the most critical improvements needed and developed a long-term facility master plan. The task force’s work culminated in two additional meetings (six hours total) with the school board to collaborate on the plan’s details. The final consensus plan was completed in Gladbrook, reflecting a unified vision shared by the communities of Reinbeck and Gladbrook.
A significant consensus was gained at the conclusion of the process, with all but one or two individuals having slightly different thoughts on specific details of the plan. This near-unanimous agreement underscores the effectiveness of the inclusive and transparent engagement process.
The simple version of the long-term plan developed by the community task force and school board includes:
Phase One:
Complete the infrastructure updates and additions to the elementary school, including a secure entryway using SAVE funding provided by the State of Iowa, which does not impact local property tax rates.
When: Phase One SAVE resolution adoption - June 2024
Funding: SAVE funding and cash-on-hand
Approximate Cost: $8.5 million
Tax Impact: $0
PHASE ONE CONCEPTUAL FLOOR & SITE PLANS
CLICK TO VIEW ▼
Phase Two:
Build new academic/classroom spaces at the middle/high school, addressing most of the task force’s priorities and eliminating the need for the existing 1921 building structure. During the transition, the original gym and auditorium will remain available. This phase requires a bond referendum for funding.
When: 2024 or 2025
Funding: Bond referendum
Approximate Cost: $15 million
Tax Impact: Projected $12/month impact on average
Phase Three:
Remove the older 1921 building structure and replace the practice gym and performance spaces. Add additional cafeteria/student commons space and larger group instructional space.
When: 2029-2032
Funding: Bond referendum
Approximate Cost: $18.9 million
Tax Impact: To be determined
The entire project will take approximately 10 years to complete, adhering to Iowa school financing laws and keeping the project affordable for taxpayers.
FACILITY TASK FORCE
Community voice and input regarding Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District facility planning. This citizen committee will meet 5 times between mid-February and April.
About the Community Facility Task Force!
This Facility Task Force will explore, brainstorm, and evaluate potential long-term, flexible, and fiscally responsible solutions as they relate to developing a long-term District facility master plan. This examination will include the physical, functional, and educational needs of the District. All community members were welcomed to be part of the Task Force and were notified by postcard, the Sun Courier, social media, and district emails. Thank you to all who are participating!
While the School Board will have many factors to consider, the Board is particularly interested in the broad and diverse perspective and input of community members.
FACILITY TASK FORCE HIGHLIGHTS
Meeting #1: February 22, 2024
Participants had group discussions about the previous referendum, participated in small groups highlighting good things about the district and what they worry about, and reviewed data from the previous listening sessions and community survey.
Meeting #2: February 29, 2024
The Task Force focused on potential elementary school upgrades. They had a tour of the elementary school with Facility Director Shane Hawkins and Superintendent Caleb Bonjour, reviewed engineer reports, reviewed a preliminary plan, and offered feedback to the school board on potential SAVE projects.
Meeting #3: March 7, 2024
Facility Task Force meeting #3 welcomed North Tama Superintendent David Hill, who outlined the process of the referendum that passed in North Tama in November 2023. Subjects included how scope items were chosen, lessons learned from their earlier failed referendum, and the importance of the community being involved in the planning process. The meeting concluded with an examination of demographics in the Gladbrook-Reinbeck district such as open enrollment, teacher retention, and area tax rates.
Meeting #4: March 27, 2024
The task force focused on the secondary school for this meeting. They reviewed engineering reports, got a tour from building and ground director Shane Hawkins, and discussed the pros/cons of repairing or replacing the 1921 school.
Meeting #5: April 3, 2024
The Task Force talked about trust in the district and how the community engagement approach from the previous referendum has changed, agreed to continue to explore three potential facility options (repairing the 1921 building, building a new high school in phases ala North Tama, and building a K-12 campus on the current elementary school site), and decided to eliminate one option because of costs (building a new high school at a neutral site).
Meeting #6: April 11, 2024
The district's financial advisor, Matthew Gillespie, spoke about the district's finances and how school financing works. The group discussed using SAVE money to make updates at the elementary school. The Task Force went over the format for the next two meetings with the school board to help in developing a long term facility plan.
Meeting #7: April 24, 2024 - Task Force and School Board Workshopping
The task force and the school board began workshopping together on a long term facility plan for the district. The meeting reminded the board up on what the task force had learned so far, reviewed community survey data, and examined how district priorities would be addressed in the two remaining long term plans – the PK-12 one campus option, or the two campus option (renovating the elementary school and building a new middle school and high school on the current high school site). Also discussed was the approximate costs of each plan and how long each would take to complete.
Meeting #8: May 23, 2024 - Task Force and School Board Workshopping
The Gladbrook-Reinbeck school board and the Facility Task Force agreed on a long term plan for improving district facilities. There was unanimous approval from the 25 people present to use $8.5 million in SAVE money to improve and expand the elementary school, and 24 people voted to approve a long term plan that rebuilds the intermediate and high schools on the current high school site.
SURVEY RESULTS REPORT
SitelogIQ presented the results of the community survey to the school board.
February 6, 2024 - Survey Results School Board Presentation
SitelogIQ presented the results of the community survey to the school board.
COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSIONS
Join us for (2) listening sessions as Gladbrook-Reinbeck School District gathers community feedback on short-term facility master planning.
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JANUARY 31
6:30 p.m.
G-R Junior/High School
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FEBRUARY 1
6:30 p.m.
Gladbrook Theatre
LISTENING SESSION HIGHLIGHTS
Meeting #1: January 31, 2024 - Listening Session
These meetings gathered community opinions on potentially using SAVE to address facility needs at the elementary school.
Meeting #2: February 1, 2024 - Listening Session
These meetings gathered community opinions on potentially using SAVE to address facility needs at the elementary school.
TOWN HALL MEETINGS
Join us for our informational meetings to learn about critical building infrastructure needs and improvement opportunities within our school buildings.
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December 11
5:30 p.m.
G-R Junior/High School
⓶
December 14
6:30 p.m.
Gladbrook Theatre
⓷
December 20
6:30 p.m.
Gladbrook Theatre
⓸
December 21
5:30 p.m.
G-R Elementary School
TOWN HALL HIGHLIGHTS
Meeting #1: December 11, 2023
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent Caleb Bonjour led a community Town Hall meeting on Monday, December 11, 2023 in the high school cafeteria.
17 people attended and learned about the history of educational buildings in the District since the 1800’s.
Attendees also learned about engineer’s findings of the district’s facilities including HVAC, electrical systems, ADA accessibility, and safe/secure entrances.
Meeting #2: December 14, 2023
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent Caleb Bonjour led a community Town Hall meeting on Thursday, December 14, 2023 in the Gladbrook theatre.
18 people attended and learned about the history of educational buildings in the District since the 1800’s.
Attendees also learned about engineer’s findings of the district’s facilities including HVAC, electrical systems, ADA accessibility, and safe/secure entrances.
Meeting #3: December 20, 2023
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent Caleb Bonjour led a community Town Hall meeting on Thursday, December 14, 2023 in the Gladbrook theatre.
Attendees learned about the history of educational buildings in the District since the 1800’s.
Attendees also learned about engineer’s findings of the district’s facilities including HVAC, electrical systems, ADA accessibility, and safe/secure entrances.
Meeting #4: December 21, 2023
Gladbrook-Reinbeck Superintendent Caleb Bonjour led a community Town Hall meeting on Thursday, December 21, 2023 in the high school cafeteria.
16 attendees learned about the history of educational buildings in the District since the 1800’s.
Attendees also learned about engineer’s findings of the district’s facilities including HVAC, electrical systems, ADA accessibility, and safe/secure entrances.