Photos above: Improvements would be made at Dallas Center-Grimes schools if voters approve a $88 million bond referendum on Tuesday, including new science and CTE high school classrooms and inclusive playgrounds for the district’s elementary schools. Renderings by OPN Architects

Last spring, Dallas Center-Grimes school and community leaders completed a master plan of needs for the school district, whose K-12 enrollment grew 37% between the 2014-15 and 2024-25 school years. Growth is expected to continue in the district, which last year had 3,546 students.  

The district’s master plan of project needs will be paid for by sales tax revenue from Secure an Advanced Vision for Education, or SAVE, and property taxes if 60% of voters approve an $88 million bond referendum on Tuesday.

A majority of revenue from the bond issue — $64.6 million — will be spent at Dallas Center-Grimes High School, adding space for career and technical education classrooms, updating science laboratories, relocating and expanding the library, renovating the auditorium and adding space for administrative offices.

The remainder of the bond issue would be used to:

• Upgrade athletic facilities.
• Renovate Dallas Center-Grimes Middle School, including updating the gymnasium, reroofing the building and tuckpointing the brick exterior and upgrading mechanical systems. The cost of the improvements is estimated at $8 million.
• Make improvements at the district’s four elementary schools including adding inclusive playgrounds.
• Construct a district operations facility.

The district, on its website, indicates that property taxes will not increase if the bond referendum is approved.  Currently, the district’s debt service levy is at the maximum rate of $4.05 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. “We will continue the current rate by extending our current debt,” the district said.

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