(Radio Iowa) - Waterloo School board members will vote tonight (Monday) to either withdraw a 165-million-dollar plan to merge the city’s high schools or put it on the November ballot for voter approval.
Waterloo Superintendent Jared Smith says significant updates are needed to address the old buildings and to provide easier access to the district's career center. The merger plan was to be funded with an existing statewide sales tax that didn’t require voter approval when the school board passed it in July, but voters brought a petition to the board two weeks ago asking the plan to be put on the ballot.
Smith says the merger would improve graduation rates because more students would have easier access to the career center. The plan would have all 10th through 12th graders go to one high school that’s currently serving as Central Middle School.