ETCSD to discuss referendum options
By Vanessa Lenz
SLN Staff
The East Troy Community School District Board of Education has rescheduled a special meeting for Wednesday, Jan. 2, to discuss a referendum for school improvements throughout the district.
The meeting was initially slated for Dec. 20 and moved to Jan. 3 due to inclement weather.
District Administrator Christopher Hibner said the meeting was then switched to Jan. 2.
“This allows us to have all five board members present and provides the board to utilize Jan. 10 if needed outside of the regular board meeting dates,” Hibner said.
The board is considering asking voters to back a proposed referendum on April 2, but has not agreed on question specifics.
During the Nov. 6 election, East Troy Community School District residents struck down by 413 votes a proposed $17.2 million referendum, which would have provided several upgrades throughout the district that school officials said are needed in the immediate future.
Key items included in the referendum were $9.5 million for construction of a community auditorium, $340,000 in safety and security upgrades throughout the district, $2.1 million for a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) addition at East Troy High School and $1.4 million for renovation of the traditional technical education rooms at ETHS among other items.
Matt Wolfert of Bray Associates Architects presented the board on Dec. 17 with a variety of referendum options stemming from the district’s $41 million long-range facilities master plan developed by its 28-member ad-hoc Facilities Advisory Committee last summer.
The facilities committee initially recommended the board pursue one question for a referendum of about $25.6 million for nine upgrades throughout the district, including the conversion of Prairie View Elementary School into a pre-K-5 building. At the time, the board opted for a plan it said would meet its “most urgent needs” at the high school while attempting to mitigate the tax impact.
The board is expected to consider a new question Wednesday utilizing proposed upgrades in the master plan.
One option, supported by board members Dawn Buchholtz and Martha Bresler, almost replicates the question presented in November, with a change in where upgrades to STEM areas would be at the high school.
Buchholtz and Bresler have said they believed the plan failed because of poor marketing.
Another preliminary referendum option includes keeping Doubek Elementary School long-term.
Doubek, which currently houses pre-K-first grade students, has about $904,000 in maintenance needs, according to district officials.
This option was presented by School Board President Brian Wexler, who shared concerns about coming back with the same question.
The board also plans to prioritize the items in the district’s master plan and bring the list on Wednesday.
The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the East Troy High School library, 3128 Graydon Ave. Public comment will be accepted from 7-8 p.m. with the board’s discussion to follow.
The board needs to make a decision by Jan. 20 to get a question on the ballot
