By Vanessa Lenz
SLN Staff
While many voters will be hitting the polls Nov. 6 to have a say in the race for president and U.S. Senate, East Troy residents will also be making a big local decision.
In addition to the highly contested national and statewide battles, the Nov. 6 ballot will include a referendum question for all the residents living in the East Troy Community School District’s boundaries.
The wording of the referendum is as follows:
“Shall the East Troy Community School District, Walworth and Waukesha counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $17.2 million for the public purpose of safety and security improvements at district buildings; constructing auditorium, classroom and kitchen/cafeteria/office additions to and remodeling, renovation and improvement projects at the high school and all athletic sites; and acquiring furnishing fixtures and equipment?”
A “yes” vote would allow the district to make improvements officials say are necessary in the immediate future.
Likewise, a vote against it would preclude the district from levying the tax to support the improvement projects.
“The goal of the referendum is to transform East Troy High School into a facility that supports quality education now and into the future. This solution will also address safety and security throughout the entire district, and ultimately allow us to begin addressing our master plan needs,” said the district in a press release.
The biggest portions of the project include the construction of an estimated $9.5 million district-wide auditorium with 600 seats, $2.1 million in upgrades to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) areas and $1.4 million in improvements to technology education areas.
District Administrator Dr. Christopher Hibner said facility considerations have been looked at through the lens of 21st Century learning techniques. For example, STEM classrooms provide extra lab space for students to put what they have learned into practice, he said.
The renovation of the technical education rooms will transform them into spaces that support welding, woods, autos, CAD drafting, information technology, such as networking and software engineers, and other activities that better align with current career pathways.
School board president Brian Wexler has said additions like the auditorium will make East Troy schools more attractive to parents who live in the district and have chosen to use the state’s open enrollment laws to have their children attend school in neighboring districts, resulting in a decrease in state aid for East Troy.
Business manager Kathy Zwirgzdas said pursuing a referendum in the current economic situation does have its advantages.
The time is now to move forward on a referendum with interest rates at historical lows and construction bids still competitive, according to Zwirgzdas.
She said the district’s previous planning efforts, which has included paying off some of its debt early, has put it in a position where about $15 million in facility work could be done with little or no impact on the debt levy taxes.
With a total project cost of $17.2 million, the estimated tax impact per $150,000 of property value would total an extra $20 per year on the debt service portion of taxes, according to Zwirgzdas. The estimated debt service impact on a $200,000 is a $26 increase.
The regular school budget (without the referendum) is expected to increase about $70 on a $150,000 home. Residents who own a $150,000 home will see an average combined increase of $90 more in property taxes a year.
The difference between the referendum passing and failing would be about $1.67 per month for a resident with a $150,000 home.
The road to referendum
After much debate, the East Troy Community School District Board voted via supermajority this August to put the referendum question to popular vote.
The district has taken steps to address its growing number of facility needs and assemble a long-range plan the past few years, including getting community feedback through a survey conducted last year and other supplementary studies.
This summer, a cross-section of 27 residents was tasked with prioritizing the district’s laundry list of facilities upgrades.
The Nov. 6 referendum question is the first phase of the district’s $41 million master plan, which was developed by this group known as the ad-hoc Facilities Committee. The school board has unanimously approved the master plan.
While 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, 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.
Board member Steve Lambrects, who supported an $18 million project to convert Prairie View Elementary School into a pre-K-5 building, was the only board member to not vote in favor of the $17.2 million referendum question.
The majority of the board said it wasn’t comfortable moving forward with plans to renovate Prairie View without knowing the future of Chester Byrnes and Doubek elementary schools.
“The advisory committee, working with an architect, determined that Doubek Elementary School has about $904,000 in maintenance needs,” district officials said. “The board plans to address these needs during a later phase of the district’s facilities master plan and after holding another referendum.”
In the meantime, major maintenance areas will not be addressed at Doubek unless absolutely needed, the district said.
Doubek currently houses pre-K-first grade students.
Following its districtwide facilities study, the school board opted to close Chester Byrnes in fall of 2010 due to a lengthy and costly list of repairs needed. Currently, the site is home to the district’s administration offices.
Additional information about the referendum, including a list of frequently asked questions can be found on the district’s website at www.easttroy.k12.wi.us.
East Troy referendum costs
Items to be included in the upcoming districtwide referendum are currently estimated at:
• $340,000 in safety and security upgrades through secured entrances throughout the schools and additional cameras in some areas. Funds will also address transportation congestion at Prairie View parking areas
• $2.1 million for a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) addition at the southeast corner of the existing high school
• $9.5 million for construction of a community auditorium
• $28,400 for the addition of windows to the existing library
• $122,500 to remodel the front entrance of the high school for security purposes, including securing the main entrance by renovating the current office’s reception area and updating or relocating the second set of vestibule doors at the high school
• $150,000 to remodel the main restrooms northeast of the main entrance at the high school to bring them up to ADA code
• $754,750 to renovate and expand the current high school cafeteria/kitchen to improve food storage, preparation and delivery
• $1.4 million for renovation of the traditional technical education rooms to become modern spaces
• $500,000 in athletic capital improvements, including lighting the soccer field
