In the consolidation, Pleasant Hill gained the tax property of Iowa Power and Light’s generating plant. This gave the district the tax base it needed. In the year before the consolidation, Pleasant Hill's tax mileage rate was the fourth highest among the 58 school districts in Polk County at 42.92. Lower Agency’s rate was 0.14 that year. In 1944-45 after consolidation, Pleasant Hill’s mileage rate dropped to 1.71
Pleasant Hill students enjoyed their new school and the district taxpayers enjoyed low taxes after years of sacrifice for education. However, other districts had an eye on Pleasant Hill's mileage rate, and the next 15 years held the toughest battles for the district.
On November 15, 1943, a Monday evening, a fire started in the furnace room of the school house.It might have been an overheating of the furnace that started the fire. There were no reports of an explosion but the fire spread quickly through the air vents. The whole building was soon engulfed.
