(SBA) — A sewage backup at Sergeant Bluff-Luton Primary School forced the district to cancel classes at all its schools Friday, Oct. 2, bringing renewed attention to the aging building’s infrastructure just a month before voters decide whether to approve a $38 million replacement project.
The district announced the closure Thursday evening, explaining that its schools operate as an interconnected system and that closing all buildings followed its established approach to similar disruptions. Facilities employees and specialists worked to address the backup and sanitize affected areas. In a subsequent update, Superintendent Chad Janzen said the immediate sewer issue had been resolved and the affected spaces cleaned and inspected. All district schools are scheduled to resume normal operations Monday, Oct. 5. Scheduled high school extracurricular activities were allowed to continue during the closure.
In an Oct. 2 statement posted on the district’s website, Janzen described a drainage problem beneath the primary school that he said leaves the building vulnerable to additional backups. Sewage entered the school’s red and green wings, which are served by a sewer line approximately 500 feet long. According to Janzen, the line drops only 3 feet over that distance, compared with the 5-foot drop he said is needed for proper drainage. He attributed the problem to the building’s age and design, saying the insufficient slope prevents wastewater from flowing reliably.
Janzen said the line has backed up before, although this was the first incident severe enough to require a school closure. While crews addressed the immediate blockage and cleanup, he said the underlying drainage limitation remains. In his assessment, the location of the main line beneath the aging facility and its insufficient slope leave no practical engineering repair or quick fix. He identified the incident as another reason the district considers replacing the primary building a priority.
The current school, built in 1959, has other maintenance and security concerns, according to district leaders. In an Oct. 2 report by KTIV, Janzen described nonfunctioning boiler-room floor drains that could allow water from a broken pipe to accumulate near electrical equipment. He also identified moisture entering through gymnasium walls and causing paint to peel. At the entrance, he said, visitors who are admitted through the locked exterior door can enter the building without first passing through a school office, a limitation he contrasted with the controlled entry arrangements used in newer schools.
The Nov. 3 ballot question asks voters to authorize up to $38 million in general obligation bonds to build, furnish and equip a new primary school and retire the existing building. According to the district’s project information, approximately $35 million would go toward the new school, with another $3 million allocated to retiring the current facility. The proposed primary school would connect to the existing elementary school, allowing the buildings to share kitchen and art spaces and nursing services.
District officials say continued repairs have not eliminated the larger problems. According to the district’s referendum materials, more than $520,000 has been spent on major repairs to the primary school since 2021. The district estimates renovating the existing building would cost $32 million, compared with $38 million for replacement and retirement of the old school. Both approaches would require borrowing, district officials say, and they maintain that new construction would offer better value through reduced maintenance, improved efficiency and spaces designed for current educational needs.
That comparison also involves a difference in taxpayers’ costs. Janzen told KTIV that renovating instead of replacing the school would save the average taxpayer approximately $60 annually. For the replacement proposal, the district’s current referendum website lists an estimated tax levy of $2.07. Its homeowner examples show an estimated monthly increase of $13.80 for a home assessed at $200,000 and $20.70 for a home assessed at $300,000. Those figures are district estimates; property owners can use the district’s online calculator to review the projected effect on their own residential, commercial or agricultural property.
The district says existing revenue cannot cover a project of this size. Its referendum materials explain that operating revenue primarily supports salaries, educational programs and supplies, while sales-tax revenue through Secure an Advanced Vision for Education, commonly called SAVE, and Physical Plant and Equipment Levy funds help pay for vehicles, technology and facility work. According to the district, it could borrow approximately $5.5 million against available SAVE revenue, substantially less than the proposed replacement cost. The district anticipates a 20-year repayment period for the proposed bond financing.
The proposal follows the unsuccessful November 2025 referendum, which sought $37 million for a new primary school and retirement of the existing building. The district reports that 59.5 percent of voters supported that measure, but it fell short of approval. District officials say community feedback has continued to identify the primary school as the leading facility priority. They attribute the increase to this year’s $38 million proposal to inflation.
Retiring the school would mean demolishing it. According to the district, officials explored whether the YMCA could take over the building, but those discussions did not result in a purchase plan. If voters approve the bond, architectural firm CMBA would proceed with design work. Janzen told KTIV construction could begin around June, with completion anticipated approximately two years after groundbreaking.
The bond question will appear on general election ballots, including absentee ballots issued to district voters, according to the district. Project information, frequently asked questions and the property-tax calculator are available through the 2026 bond referendum link at
www.sblschools.com.
