Voters will have their choice to pass a $40 million bond measure for the Pella Community School District.

The Pella School Board formally approved submitting nearly 850 signatures to the Marion County Auditor’s Office for placement on the November 2nd city and school election ballot. Superintendent Greg Ebeling says growth in population locally, the rapid development of additional housing, and natural growth in enrollment have created space issues in the district’s elementary schools, and the vast majority of the upcoming measure would address those.

If approved, the Pella Community School District would begin construction on a new early childhood facility attached to Madison Elementary next spring, and develop a plan to create a learning walkway to connect Pella Middle School and Jefferson Intermediate School. Ebeling says they need capacity to handle 200 students per class in the early learning levels — they are averaging that number for the first time in grades 7-12.