Turnout in the March special election remained extremely low across the participating districts.

Across the 12 contests, just 6,336 votes were cast out of 136,901 registered voters — a turnout of only 4.6 percent.

Individual district turnout varied significantly. The highest turnout occurred in Sibley-Ocheyedan CSD, where 34.8 percent of registered voters participated in the PPEL renewal election. The lowest turnout occurred in Maquoketa CSD, where just 2.1 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

Even in districts where turnout was higher than expected — such as South Winneshiek and Decorah CSDs — participation remained well below the levels seen during recent bond elections, where turnout reached 48.6 percent and 73 percent respectively.

While nearly all measures passed, the extremely low turnout means that long-term tax decisions affecting multiple school districts were determined by only a small fraction of eligible voters.

With a bond measure and associated property tax increase fresh on the minds of voters in the South Winneshiek CSD, it is easy to see why voters may have been hesitant to approve another tax increase so soon after the bond measure that significantly raised the district’s property tax rate.

The district sought to increase its voted PPEL from $0.67 to $1.34 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. The proposal came just months after voters approved a $13 million general obligation bond in November 2025 to renovate and expand South Winneshiek High School. That bond approval will increase the district’s property tax rate by $2.70 per $1,000 of taxable valuation, raising the school tax rate from $12.33 to $15.03 in FY2027.

The overall construction project is estimated to cost $23.5 million, funded through the $13 million bond, district cash reserves, and from the district’s portion of their Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) one-cent sales tax for infrastructure and PPEL revenue.

District officials stated the proposed PPEL increase was intended to cover ongoing infrastructure needs such as transportation replacement, technology upgrades, maintenance, and facility improvements, particularly because a large portion of future SAVE revenue will be committed to the high school project through previously approved revenue bonds.

District communications also suggested the increase might not raise the overall tax rate further because the school board could reduce the management fund levy, which is currently $1.34 per $1,000 of taxable valuation. However, that reduction was not guaranteed and would have required future board action.

With the PPEL increase rejected by voters, the district retains full authority to adjust the management fund levy in future budgets. At the same time, substantial infrastructure resources have already been committed to the high school project, which may limit flexibility to address routine capital needs without relying more heavily on existing property tax levies. Because Iowa law does not restrict the frequency of PPEL elections, the district will more than likely return to voters with the same question or a modified proposal in a future election this year.