Rock Island County schools hope that the third time will be the charm.
School boards are meeting this week to get a penny sales tax back on the ballot.
Voters twice rejected the plan in earlier votes.
Clinton, Iowa, schools recently unveiled its new $20-million middle school. The project became a reality with a penny sales tax.
Aging schools in Rock Island County are surrounded by counties with the tax. It could generate $13 million yearly for school improvements in Rock Island County.
"When you want to choose Iowa versus Illinois, we want to make the Illinois Quad Cities attractive to people coming in," said Dr. Jay Morrow, United Township superintendent.
While districts like Galesburg move ahead with plans to replace an aging grade school, Rock Island County schools can only watch and wait.
That's why school boards are pushing for a third vote to happen on April 7, 2015.
"It's something that makes sense for the county," said Dr. David Moyer, Moline superintendent. "We're certainly hoping that this time around, people will think a little bit differently about doing it."
Depending on location in Rock Island County, the sales tax rate could run from 7.75% to more than 10%.
But without it, school districts worry that the burden on property taxes will continue to grow. That could make other communities more attractive for young parents with kids.
"There's obviously much more that goes into a school than curb appeal," said Dr. Morrow. "But this is a major ingredient for doing what's best for our kids."
It's a pitch to improve Rock Island County schools, one penny at a time.