More than 1,000 Mount Pleasant Community School District residents provided input on the district’s facility needs through a recent community survey.
The survey, conducted from April 7-20, received 1,022 responses. The MPCSD Board of Education and administration requested feedback as they explore options for modernizing and right-sizing the district’s schools.
“The participation we saw in the survey was impressive for a community of our size and speaks to how important public education is in Mount Pleasant,” Superintendent John Henriksen said. “We want to thank everyone who made their voices heard and for providing valuable insight that will help the district with our planning.”
The district has worked with architects over the past year to conduct comprehensive evaluations of existing facilities and formed a Master Planning Committee to identify solutions. Areas of focus include modernizing schools to support 21st-century learning, adjusting the number of attendance centers to reflect declining enrollment and population, and reducing financial and operational inefficiencies associated with maintaining four elementary schools.
Survey results showed strong awareness of the planning process, with more than 92% of respondents indicating they were familiar with the district and Board of Education’s efforts to address facility needs. Additionally, 64% agreed the district’s most urgent needs must be addressed now.
The survey gathered feedback on potential projects including renovation and new construction at Van Allen Elementary School and Central Campus (former Iowa Wesleyan University). The projects would allow for the closure of multiple elementary schools, reducing the number of elementary attendance centers from four to two.
Approximately 37% of respondents said they would support a general obligation bond referendum in November 2025 to fund the proposed projects.
“We listened, and it is clear that many people understand there are facility challenges our students and staff face, but our community is not yet aligned on how to solve them,” Henriksen said. “We will re-evaluate our next steps and continue engaging with the community.”
A full report of the survey results is available at https://tinyurl.com/mpcsdsurvey.