Will an auditorium project be on the ballot?

The fate of a new auditorium will be known--in part--next week at the Wisconsin Heights School Board meeting. At their January 25 meeting, the board will decide if a $7.5 million auditorium project will appear on the April ballot. A portion of the public is certainly passionately in favor of a new auditorium. The board heard close to 45 minutes of public comment in support of the project. Several references were made by speakers about the board “honoring their promise,” made in the fall, for the April ballot initiative.  School Perceptions, the company that performed the District’s fall survey, provided data to show public feeling on a new auditorium. The takeaway was that those who supported a new auditorium now came out to less than 50 percent of survey takers. A 50 percent threshold in needed to at least indicate a majority of votes will approve the referendum. School Perceptions noted that if those favoring a two to five year project date were added to those wanting one now, the percentage of those in support rose to about 60 percent.  Another point of emphasis was the “tax threshold” of community members. School Perceptions emphasized that this remains the same as when the survey was taken, and prior to the fall referendum. The tax threshold shows how much of a tax increase taxpayers are willing to pay for. School perceptions also noted that, as the survey indicated, support for voters who were not affiliated with the school--no students, no employees--is critical. The board also saw updated plans for the single-campus project. For blueprints on the potential auditorium options and costs, see page 8.