Wisconsin Heights holds public information meeting on referendum

The following informational article was written by the Wisconsin Heights School District for the Star News. The article was fact-checked and meets submission guidelines.   The Wisconsin Heights School District hosted a public information meeting on Wednesday,  September 23, to share information about the upcoming school facilities referendum on the November 3 ballot. District Administrator Jordan Sinz, along with Jim Wede, Performance Services, the design-build construction firm helping with the facilities plan, answered questions asked by approximately 40 attendees.   Faced with significant facility needs and declining revenue, the District is taking a $27 million plan to voters on November 3 that calls for consolidating the District into one campus by building an elementary addition on the current high school and middle school site. The plan also calls for upgrading and replacing aging infrastructure at the middle and high schools. The new mechanical systems and building control systems will provide indoor air quality standards at CDC recommended levels to help mitigate airborne virus spread.   “One question we received at the virtual meeting was about the design of the new elementary wing,” said Sinz.  “The new wing will have ample educational, cafeteria, and gym space for current and projected enrollment,” he explained. “There will be a separate, secured entrance, and the elementary students will not have shared building space with the middle or high school students.”   “We work with the staff and Board to complete a plan that best meets the needs of the District,” said Wede.  If the voters approve the capital referendum, merging the schools to a single campus saves annual operational money, according to Sinz.   “This District operates with a voter-approved operating referendum, and we are very fortunate that over the long-term we the community provides the operating funds for the day-to-day operation of the schools. Those operating funds help keep programs and staffing and offer quality education to students,” said Sinz.  “The ballot question requests voter approval to borrow money to make long-term repairs and improvements. The District can’t afford to pay for the big-ticket improvements such as new roofs and heating and ventilating with annual operating funds without cuts to programming,” he said.  “We haven’t had a facility upgrade since 1994. Both elementary schools need significant facilities repairs and maintenance. It would cost nearly as much to repair those two buildings as to build the wing. Plus, with the wing, we have modern facilities and the savings from operating fewer buildings,” said Sinz.   “If the voters approve the referendum, we will save an estimated $600,000 in annual operational costs by having fewer schools,” he explained.     The public may find more detailed information on the District’s website at  https://www.wisheights.k12.wi.us/november-3-referendum-information or by attending the next virtual public information meeting on October 20, 2020, at 6 p.m.