The Waterloo Community School District Board of Education is scheduled to meet at 5:00 p.m. on August 10 at the Education Service Center. The packet includes proposed action on a unified high school football program, financing tied to the One High School Project, the sale of the former Expo School property, student-support agreements, school resource officers, and a broad second reading of board policy changes.
Key Items on the Agenda
The superintendent recommends combining the district's football programs under the Waterloo United Titans name beginning with the 2027-28 school year. The packet says planning followed guidance issued by the Iowa High School Athletic Association in December 2025.
District leadership reports consulting building administrators, athletic directors, head coaches and state athletic officials. Beginning in June 2026, the district also sought community input through four public town halls, social media communication and feedback surveys.
$250,000 Robotics and STEM Donation
The board is scheduled to consider accepting a $250,000 donation from the R.J. McElroy Trust for "Expanding STEM Access Through Waterloo FIRST Robotics." Board Policy 701.9 requires board approval of donations exceeding $2,500.
The funding is intended to expand student participation in robotics and STEM learning opportunities across the district. Formal acceptance also requires the district to complete a Donee Agreement and comply with the Trust's grant requirements.
The superintendent recommends accepting a $155,000 offer from Victor Rottinghaus for the former Expo School site at 1410 Independence Avenue in Waterloo. A public hearing on the proposed sale or disposal of the property was previously held November 10, 2025, and the Board Facility Committee has reviewed the current offer and recommends approval.
A project financing overview included in the packet describes the prospective purchaser's redevelopment concept as an early-stage, phased mixed-use project that could include residential and veteran housing, community services, workforce development, medical partnerships, commercial space and other uses. That document identifies a 75-day due-diligence period and a target closing of September 30, 2026, while emphasizing that the final development program depends on due diligence, financing, engineering, architectural work and municipal approvals.
One High School Project Financing
A major portion of the agenda concerns financing associated with the district's One High School Project.
Approximately $77.78 Million in Bond Anticipation Notes
The board is scheduled to consider separate resolutions involving approximately:
- $71,670,000 in School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue Bond Anticipation Project Notes, Series 2026A.
- $6,110,000 in taxable School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue Bond Anticipation Project Notes, Series 2026B.
For each series, the agenda includes a resolution fixing the date of sale and approving an official statement, along with a resolution establishing sale parameters and delegating authority to accept and award the sale.
The packet says the district intends to issue approximately $75 million to $80 million in Bond Anticipation Notes and dedicate projected SAVE surplus through June 30, 2032, toward the One High School Project. The notes are expected to be retired through a future SAVE bond issuance around 2031.
Supporting resolution documents contemplate notes dated September 28, 2026, with a sale on or about September 2, 2026. The proposed Series 2026A parameters establish a maximum principal amount of $71.67 million and maximum true interest cost of 4.090092%; the Series 2026B documents establish a maximum principal amount of $6.11 million and maximum true interest cost of 5.294854%.
Existing SAVE Bond Changes
The board is also scheduled to consider an amendment related to previously approved advance funding and redemption of the district's 2018 and 2020 SAVE bonds.
The packet says recent changes in Iowa law reduced SAVE revenue available to support existing bonds, pushing the district's projected debt-service coverage ratio below the preferred 1.25x level. The district says maintaining its current "A" bond rating is important because additional financing will be needed for the One High School Project.
The district's previously approved strategy calls for available cash reserves and projected FY2027 SAVE surplus to support:
- Redemption of the remaining $6.027 million of the 2018 SAVE bonds on January 1, 2027.
- Advance funding of $2.930 million of the 2020 SAVE bonds for redemption on July 1, 2029.
The board previously approved the required escrow resolutions on July 13. The August 10 agenda item is presented as an amendment to correct transaction dates, setting the 2020 bond escrow date at August 10, 2026, and the 2018 bond escrow date at October 16, 2026, without otherwise changing the previously approved transactions.
Student Services and Community Partnerships
Several agreements are scheduled for consideration, including mental-health, youth-support and school resource officer services.
Up to $450,000 for School-Based Mental Health Services
Under the consent agenda, the superintendent recommends a 2026-27 contract with SuccessLink for school-based mental-health services at a maximum district cost of $450,000. The agreement runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
SuccessLink would provide approximately 7.8 full-time-equivalent licensed mental-health counselors. District funding would cover qualifying services for uninsured or underinsured students and services not reimbursable through third-party insurance, with the district serving as the payor of last resort.
Clinical activities described in the agreement include participation in student-support and IEP meetings, psychoeducational groups, staff consultation, behavior and service planning, crisis consultation when available, community referrals and other school-based mental-health support.
Up to $100,000 for Success Street
Another proposed SuccessLink agreement would provide coordination of Success Street during the 2026-27 school year for a maximum district cost of $100,000.
The program is designed to bring community services into schools through a multidisciplinary network. Services identified in the packet include medical referrals, mental-health services, substance-abuse prevention, pregnancy and parenting programs, advocacy services and legal assistance.
Together for Youth
The consent agenda also includes a proposed memorandum of understanding with SuccessLink related to Together for Youth. SuccessLink received CAPP grant funding through the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and would provide pregnancy-prevention and risk-reduction education to adolescents, parents and caregivers, and adults who work with youth at no cost under the described partnership.
School Resource Officers
Four-Year Waterloo Police Agreement
The superintendent recommends a new four-year school resource officer agreement with the City of Waterloo covering the 2026-27 through 2029-30 school years.
The agreement provides for six police officers assigned primarily to district middle schools, high schools and the alternative school, with additional elementary-level services. Proposed annual district costs are:
- 2026-27: $406,293
- 2027-28: $426,608
- 2028-29: $447,938
- 2029-30: $470,335
The agreement states that school resource officers address public law and its application and are not responsible for enforcing school policies. The district would also provide office space, instructional materials and specified training and would pay certain additional costs associated with after-hours school activities.
Evansdale SRO Agreement
A separate proposed agreement with the City of Evansdale would assign one police officer to Evansdale schools, primarily at Bunger Middle School, during the 2026-27 school year.
The agreement calls for 32 hours per week of officer service and a district cost of $40,617, payable in two installments of $20,308.50 on November 1, 2026, and April 1, 2027.
Teacher Recruitment and Mentorship
The board is scheduled to consider a memorandum of understanding with the University of Northern Iowa for a Teacher Mentorship Coordinator covering July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
The coordinator would be a full-time district employee whose work is divided equally between district-level teacher mentorship and coordination with UNI's teacher-preparation program. UNI would contribute 50% of the base salary, up to $40,844.50, while the district would pay the remaining 50% of base salary and all FICA/Medicare, benefits and retirement costs.
The partnership is intended to strengthen mentoring for beginning educators while improving connections between UNI's teacher-preparation program and Waterloo classrooms.
Policy / Governance Items
Second Reading of Policy Changes
A large package of board policy revisions returns for second reading after being presented for first reading on July 13, 2026. The superintendent recommends adoption of the policies presented and deletion of several existing policies.
The package spans employee rules, student matters, financial administration and district operations. Among the policies scheduled for consideration are:
- 203.0 — Board Member Conflict of Interest
- 401.03 — Nepotism
- 501.03 — Compulsory Attendance Ages
- 501.09 — Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy
- 501.14 and 501.15 — Open Enrollment Transfer Procedures
- 502.04 — Student Complaints and Grievances
- 520.0 — Law Enforcement — Student Contact
- 704.02 — Debt Management
- 705.01 — Purchasing — Bidding
- 705.04 — Expenditures for a Public Purpose
- 713.0 — Responsible Technology Use and Social Networking
- 804.02 — District Emergency Operations Plan
Policies recommended for deletion include Participation in Community Life, Support and Assistance for Teachers, two pension-annuity policies, Personal Business Unrelated to School, the State-Enacted Open Enrollment Program, Research Projects and Surveys, and Use of District Cell Phones.
Other Consent Agenda Items
The consent agenda includes routine and administrative matters along with several of the agreements described above. Items scheduled for consideration include:
- Minutes from prior regular and special board meetings.
- Personnel appointments and adjustments.
- Bills due and payable and bills paid between board meetings.
- The Together for Youth MOU.
- The SuccessLink school-based mental-health services contract.
- The SuccessLink Success Street agreement.
- The Evansdale and Waterloo school resource officer agreements.
- The UNI Teacher Mentorship Coordinator MOU.
- Denial of open-enrollment applications presented in the packet.
The personnel attachment includes appointments, assignment changes, leaves, resignations and retirements. The open-enrollment report identifies two applications recommended for denial.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The agenda brings together several decisions with long-term implications for district operations and finances. The proposed Waterloo United football consolidation would establish a unified program beginning in 2027-28 after months of planning and community outreach, while the bond resolutions would advance a much larger financing strategy for the One High School Project.
Other consequential items include the proposed $155,000 sale of the former Expo School property, nearly $550,000 in maximum SuccessLink costs across the mental-health and Success Street agreements, multi-year school resource officer arrangements, and a substantial package of policy revisions reaching from student attendance and law-enforcement contact to employee rules, purchasing and emergency operations.
