A plan to rebuild or renovate 13 elementary schools in the Cedar Rapids Community School District and close eight others is pushing ahead, but it’s coming at a much higher cost than the school district initially anticipated.

When the school board approved the Facilities Master Plan two years ago, it estimated the overall cost would be around $224 million. Now the district said it’ll cost around $309 million, which is attributed mainly to inflation and rising construction costs.

The price to maintain current schools would go up too, so superintendent Noreen Bush said the district will still save money by rebuilding and repurposing schools.

“It will still cost us more to have a large inventory of older buildings that need a lot of attention versus a fewer amount of buildings that are future facilities,” Bush said.

The state SAVE funding, which is funded through a state sales tax that voters have already approved, will help pay for the Facilities Master Plan.