Q. What are we voting on? A. On April 3rd, the voters of the Peshtigo School District will have the opportunity to vote on two referendum questions. The first question will approve $29,960,000 for the purpose of constructing and equipping a new Middle/High School on District-owned land, including a two-station gymnasium and completing site improvements. The second question would authorize $950,000 to construct and equipping an additional gym station onto the new Middle/High School. Q. How was the referendum developed? A. This referendum process has been different than the past. The process was spearheaded by a group of community members. Following the attempted referenda in 2015 and 2016, the community members of the Peshtigo School District asked to try something different; they asked to take charge of the process. In early 2017, the Peshtigo Middle/High School Citizens Building Committee was independently formed. The Committee consists of a diverse cross-section of 10 District residents, with the objective of evaluating all viable options to provide the Peshtigo Board of Education with a solution that is fiscally responsible, a reflection of all District communities, and best positions the District for future prosperity. Over the past 12 months, the Committee has: Identified their focus on a Middle/High School solution Created project drivers to guide their assessment Evaluated the infrastructure and educational functionality of the existing Middle/High School building Toured other school facilities to draw inspiration and gather feedback Identified and prioritized needs of the building Evaluated and refined options, cost and associated tax impact Created a community-wide survey Presented a recommendation to the Peshtigo Board of Education based on survey feedback The community-wide survey results indicated that the community supports building a new school. Dedicated to preparing a recommendation based on survey feedback, the Committee presented their two-question referendum recommendation to the Board of Education on January 10th, 2018. On January 15th, 2018, the Board voted 7-0 to move ahead with the proposed plan. The Committee and the community (based on survey feedback) believe this plan provides the best long-term, strategic solution for the Peshtigo School District. If you have questions about the Peshtigo Middle/High School Citizens Building Committee process, please contact: Clarence Coble, Committee Co-Chair, at 715.587.1305; Jeff Hartwig, Committee Co-Chair, at 715.923.7005; or Jim Koronkiewicz, Committee Treasurer, at 715.582.5223 or jsk@bpmpaper.com.
Q. What is included in each question? Q. Why two questions? A. The Citizens Building Committee recommended that the Board of Education adopt two questions for an April 3, 2018, referendum. Survey results indicated that the community supports building a new school, but is looking for a more cost-effective option. The Citizens Building Committee worked to reduce the scope of work in the Middle/High School without sacrificing academic spaces. As a result, the $29,960,000 solution only includes a two-station gym. The existing school has one regulation-size gym and a multipurpose space used as a school cafeteria and for a variety of athletic purposes. The Citizens Building Committee wanted to give the community an opportunity to support additional gym space. Q. What if Question 1 passes and Question 2 does not? A. The Peshtigo Board of Education has the authority to decide how to proceed after the referendum. Although the Board believes that both questions are important. If voters authorize the District to move forward with Question 1 and not Questions 2, the Board of Education will do that. Q. What if Question 2 passes and Question 1 does not? A. Should Question 2 pass and Question 1 does not, the District will not move forward with Question 2. Q. What did the community-wide survey results indicate? A. The community-wide was sent out to all District residents in the Fall of 2017, the response rate was 17%, the ample sample size makes the results statistically valid. The survey results revealed: 77% of all residents are satisfied or very satisfied with the Peshtigo School District. 56% of all residents said they would support a referendum to build a new Middle/High School. 69% of all residents, when asked how to proceed with the Middle/High School, recommended the District refine the referendum plan based on survey feedback and ask for support through another referendum.
Q. Why build new? A. The Committee weighed the pros and cons of renovating the existing school and building new. They were open to supporting whichever option the community favored. Through the survey process, a majority of the community supported building a new school, providing a long-term strategic solution. Q. When will the projects be complete? A. Pending a successful referendum, design will start immediately. The project will be competitively bid in January of 2019. The District will break ground in the Spring and construction will continue through the Summer of 2020.The 2020-2021 school year will start with a new school! Q. What will happen to the current building if the referendum passes? A. The current building will be placed for sale and reasonable offers will be considered. If there is no reasonable offer the existing building will be taken down, then turned into District green space.
Q. How many options did the Citizens Committee consider? A. The Citizens Committee was devoted to exploring all viable options. Several options were reviewed, the options included: 1. Building a new Middle/High School on District owned land behind the Elementary School (to include 3-station gym and auditorium). 2. Renovate and expand the current Middle/High School. 3. Build a freestanding gymnasium and music facility on the District owned land, renovate the current facility. 4. Build new freestanding 7-8 grade Middle School. 5. Build an addition onto the existing Elementary School, to house 7-8 grades. 6. Upgrade infrastructure in existing Middle/High School. 7. Renovate and expand the current Middle/High School based on survey feedback. 8. Build a new Middle/High School based on survey feedback (reduce scope of work including a 2-station gym and no auditorium). Q. Is this the same solution as the last referendum? A. Although the proposed solution includes building a new Middle/High School, this referendum is different than the past attempts because it is under $30 million and it does not include an auditorium. Additionally, this solution was spear-headed by the Peshtigo Middle/High School Citizens Building Committee and every District resident had an opportunity to voice their opinion through a community-wide survey. Q. How much money needs to be invested at the existing school? A. A Facility Assessment determined much of the infrastructure is original to the building, has exceed its useful life (some systems are over 80 years old!) and does not compile with today s code standards. All of the infrastructure work would have to be completed in order to keep the building functional. These improvements include: HVAC, electrical and plumbing system replacements, window replacement, creation of a secure entrance, reconstruction of interior stairwells and miscellaneous upgrades to address ADA code compliance. This investment totals $18.6 million and does not address the instructional deficiencies, site constraints or pedestrian safety concerns. Q. Why not expand at existing site? A. There are several contributing factors that challenge the expansion of the existing Middle/High School. Structurally the building has several load bearing walls that limit addition and renovation options. Current classroom spaces do not meet the needs of today s teaching and learning methods. Additions onto the building would have to be located within the existing parking lots, significantly reducing already congested parking with no viable options to relocate parking. Options for parking relocation would include acquisition and demolition of residential properties pending the willingness of homeowners to sell. The site is land challenged. Green Street is a public street with two-way access in front of the Middle/High School entrance. Emery Avenue limits expansion to the east. The Peshtigo Historical Cemetery property lines run adjacent to the school s property lines on the south and southwest. Trout Creek, FEMA flood plain zones and DNR wetland prohibit expansion to the north.
Q. What were the key findings in the Facility Study? A. The comprehensive Facility Study identified several building infrastructure and academic needs. To read the entire review, please visit the referendum page on the District s website. Key findings of the report include: Some classrooms are small and lack natural light, as well as the flexibility for small group instruction. The main entrance should be modified to better monitor and control visitor access to improve safety. Many major building systems, including the plumbing, heating/ventilation, temperature control, and electrical have exceeded their service life and need to be replaced. Due to their age, classroom floors, lighting, ceilings, and casework are in need of replacement. Air supply to classrooms does not meet current code, and the building is poorly insulated. The kitchen and cafeteria are too small, resulting in congestion issues, students spending extended time in serving lines and no commons gathering space for large groups. Significant updates are needed to address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) code compliance issues. The gym is too small to meet physical education, co curricular, and community programming. The site size and location limit expansion options and creates pedestrian safety challenges. Q. How many classrooms are in the proposed new Middle/High School? A. The proposed design of the new Middle/High School has 21 general classrooms. Most importantly, the classrooms will be adequately sized at approximately 900 sqft. per classroom. The existing building has some classrooms that are significantly undersized and impede on the use of collaborative teaching techniques. There is a current math classroom that is 574 sqft. and a 385 sqft room that has been converted from a book room to a special education classroom. Q. The proposed building is larger, will this cost the District more to operate? A. The proposed building design is approximately 17,000 sqft. larger than the existing Middle/High School. However, the modern systems in the new building will be more energy efficient reducing the operating cost per square foot of building. Q. Where is the auditorium? A. The proposed plan does not include an auditorium however the building is master planned to add an auditorium in the future. Results from the community-wide survey indicated only 32% of residents supported building an auditorium. Q. What was the visioning session? A. All community members were invited to a referendum visioning session. On February 7th, 13 community members attended. This was an interactive workshop and the results guided the preliminary concept creation. Top ranked themes included: natural light, possibility of future expansion, technology rich, flexibly furniture, flexible spaces and collaboration. Q, Why is the proposed library smaller than the existing space? A. Traditionally libraries were designed to be the central hub for collaboration in schools. Today schools are designing collaboration zones throughout the building reducing the space needed in the traditional library. Additionally, the building is designed to maximize space, the library will be open to the commons below allowing students to utilize both spaces and other collaboration spaces throughout the building.
Q. If the referendum questions pass, how will it affect my taxes? A. The impact is calculated in the chart below. To calculate your exact impact, a tax impact calculator can be found on the Districts website: www.peshtigo.k12.wi.us/referendum Q. What is a mill rate? A. The District s mill rate has a direct impact on the school portion of each taxpayer s annual property tax bill and is determined by dividing the tax levy by the equalized valuation. The tax levy is the total amount of money that is being requested for the District s operations, with a limit set through the state s revenue limit formula. Equalized value is the fair market dollar value of the property within District boundaries. The District s goal has always been to provide the highest quality education possible while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. Mill rate is represented per 1,000 of property value; to translate the mill rate into tax impact, multiple the mill rate x 1,000/property value. For example, Question 1 of the referendum is estimated to increase the District s mill rate by $.1.83 over the 2017-2018 mill rate. If your home is valued at $100,000 your taxes are estimated to increase by $183/year Q. Why is the debt amortized for 20 years? A. Wisconsin State Statute limits the District to a maximum of 20 years for General Obligation Debt. However, there is no penalty to pay the debt off early. Q. Why can t the district address needs with its maintenance budget? The District s maintenance budget cannot cover the investments that the district currently needs. The District can do minor repairs, upgrades, or improvements through their annual maintenance budget, but large projects can only be completed with a large bond issue amortized over 20 years through a referendum. This is common among most Districts across the state. Q. I don t have kids in the District, what is in it for me? A. Communities with updated public schools are more attractive by increasing home values and promoting economic growth. Strong school system benefits local businesses by ensuring students are acquiring skills that can make them successful in the job market. Q. How do technical and vocational education related classes impact our local economy? A. Technical and vocational education facilities will give students opportunities to gain hands-on skills and prepare them to be careerready for the local workforce. A stronger workforce=a stronger economy. According to workforce data compiled by NWTC, technical jobs are projected to have the most significant job growth in Marinette County.
Q. How does the District control open enrollment? A. The Peshtigo School District has a policy to accept open enrollment students if they fit within the existing classroom capacity. If a grade level is at capacity, open enrollment students are not accepted. No new staff have been hired due to incoming open enrollment students. Q. Would a new building be needed if the District did not accept open enrollment? A. Yes. The driving force behind the need for a new school is condition of the existing facility. Q. Where can I get more information about the referendum? A. There are several options for residents to get more information; Visit the District s website: peshtigo@k12.wi.us/referendum Call the District Office: 715.582.3677 Ask the Committee: Clarence Coble, Committee Co-Chair, at 715.587.1305; Jeff Hartwig, Committee Co-Chair, at 715.923.7005; or Jim Koronkiewicz, Committee Treasurer, at 715.582.5223 or jsk@bpmpaper.com. Follow the District on Facebook Watch for future mailings Attend an Open House: Thursday, March 22 nd, 6-7:30PM, MS/HS Q. Where can I get information about voting? A. Visit MYVOTE.WI.GOV to: Find out where you vote Update your voter registration Request an absentee ballot Review your voting history Find your local municipal clerk and more