Strategists: Superintendent scandal complicates $265M bond approval
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With the community still shaken by Superintendent Ian Roberts' ICE arrest and resignation, Des Moines Public Schools' $265 million bond referendum faces an even bigger obstacle to pass next month, political strategists from both parties tell Axios.
Why it matters: The vote will determine the district's ability to follow a five-year "Reimagining Education" plan, which includes "signature" career-pathway schools, preschool expansion and facility upgrades for its 30,000 students.
State of play: The bond is a scaled-back version of an earlier $500 million, 10-year concept.
- Volunteers submitted more than 9,000 signatures to place the measure on next month's ballot.
- It requires at least 60% of the vote to pass.
Friction point: Questions about Roberts' citizenship have raised concerns about how district or state officials perform background checks on school employees and prompted a Justice Department investigation into the district's "race-based employment practices."
What they're saying: The matter is a distraction that will be tough to overcome before next month, Democratic strategist Jerry Crawford tells Axios.
- "Bond issues aren't easy to win to begin with," Crawford said.
Zoom in: Republican strategist David Roederer tells Axios that the board needs to regain the public's trust, and asking voters to approve the referendum now makes "the hill harder to climb."
The other side: The superintendent incident and the referendum are separate issues that voters will be able to tell apart, Democratic strategist Jeff Link tells Axios.
- Amber Graeber, DMPS parent and Yes for Des Moines Schools volunteer, tells Axios the bond push is bigger than the Roberts story and that her group will continue to advocate for the referendum.
- "All kids, regardless of ZIP code, deserve 21st-century buildings, resources and programming," Graeber said.
What's next: Ballots for the Nov. 4 election will start being sent out on Oct. 15.
- Absentee requests must be received by Oct. 20.