When the referendum in 2020 failed, voters told us through a community-wide survey that they wanted us to take a closer look, reconsider, and bring a revised referendum forward. A Vision Team was assembled that included school board members, school staff, community members and students. The Vision Team studied both the needs of the School District as well as the concerns of the community and developed a recommendation on what Phase II should include. The School Board then analyzed the recommendation and ultimately committed to the referendum for August 2nd.

The Vision Team identified a number of District needs and community concerns. Further details of these items will come in future communications, but in summary these included:

• MAPS has seen a 35% decline in enrollment over the last 15 years - over 620 kids.

• State funding is directly tied to enrollment and MAPS has lost over $5 million annually as a result of decreased enrollment.

• We are operating and maintaining considerably more space than is needed at both the Middle/High School and Blesch Intermediate School as a result of declining enrollment.

• Central Elementary is over-crowded and has significant building infrastructure needs.

• Blesch Intermediate has significant building infrastructure needs and has design issues that challenge its use for younger students.

• Many educational and operational efficiencies could be realized with a single K-12 campus.

• There are many good jobs available in manufacturing, building trades and other areas of our community that need qualified applicants to fill.

• The Industrial and Tech Ed (CTE) area of the high school is over 50 years old and even though the world has changed considerably, this area has not been updated since the school opened in 1969.

• The Lecture Hall at the High School is a very large space that is essentially unused because it does not fit the instructional delivery and programming used in schools today.

• Several athletic areas need to be addressed, including:

  • Blesch Field needs to be reconditioned and the stadium complex has structural concerns that are costly to address.

  • The track and tennis courts have not had significant work done since the mid-1990s and have deteriorated to the point of potential safety concerns.

  • Additional recreational and gym space is needed for both student and adult programs.

  • The current gym floor and bleachers at the high school are original and over 50 years old. The bleachers are not ADA accessible and spare parts are no longer available; and there are safety concerns from floor splintering if the gym floor was sanded and refinished again.

Being fiscally responsible means that the school district needs to invest tax payer money where we see the greatest returns. This means investing in areas that benefit student achievement and growth, and also benefit the community as a whole. The school board recognizes that the referendum is a big investment for the community, however, the board also sees potential for a great return on that investment.

The biggest fiscal issue the Board identified is being able to continue balancing the budget without adversely affecting student programming and learning. The Board projected that the school district can not continue to operate as we have in the past and remain financially sound. The projects in this referendum can set our community on the right path for years to come, benefiting students, staff, and the community as a whole.

Two things have been working against us for a long time:

1. We have declining enrollment and revenue. Enrollment has declined 35% over the last 15 years (over 620 students) and because the State provides the school district with funds based on enrollment, we receive approximately $5 million less than if our enrollment had stayed the same.

2. Although we have far fewer students, with the exception of closing Lincoln School 10 years ago, we have the same amount of space to maintain. Our buildings are older, and like our homes, require significant investment to maintain the infrastructure and building systems, as well as keep them relevant for today's education.

In short, we have fewer students, less money, but close to the same amount of space that continues to cost more to maintain and operate. We need to rightsize our district - make the most efficient use of our space and reduce our operating costs.

School / Year Built / Age / Size / Current Usage / Current Grades Served

• Middle/High School / 1969 / 53 years / 183,000 SF / 49% of capacity / 7-12

• Blesch Intermediate / 1952 / 70 years (and 1992 addition 30 years old) / 120,000 SF / 45% of capacity / 3-6

• Central Elementary / 1952 / 70 years / 28,000 SF / 150% of capacity / K-2

Over the last 10 years we have invested in required maintenance projects at our newest and largest building - the Middle/High School. This investment has come through the generous commitment of the community, first with the sinking fund and most recently, the Phase I referendum last year.

Due to the Middle/High School only being at 49% capacity, we have considerable space for additional students. Moving 4th, 5th, and 6th grades to this school will bring the capacity to approximately 80% which is ideal for flexibility and allowing for potential growth.

• 4th and 5th graders would occupy their own space on the first floor of the south (middle school) wing. Because safety is our number one concern, this area would be independent of the rest of the building with locked doors requiring a key fob for entry.

• 6th graders would be integrated with the 7th and 8th graders in a true middle school manner and would occupy the second floor on the south end of the building.

• High school students would occupy both the first and second floor on the north end of the building, as well as the CTE wing.

Central Elementary School is overcrowded and has many issues from an infrastructure, design, and layout standpoint. Tearing down Central and adding on to the south end of the current middle school provides many benefits educationally and operationally.

• Appropriate space and environment can be created for elementary students in grades kindergarten - 3rd grade. Space would also be added to accommodate Pre-kindergarten and early childhood students.

• The new elementary addition would be connected directly to the 4th and 5th grade wing allowing for a truly integrated elementary school environment.

• 4th and 5th graders would eat lunch and have Phy. Ed., Music and Art classes in the new elementary addition.

There are many things that affect the school district budget every year, but maintenance and operations are an important part of it. Currently, the school district pays over double what other districts in our area pay per student for maintenance and operations, partially because we have a lot of extra space and our buildings and systems are aging beyond their life expectancy.

• In conjunction with the sinking fund and Phase I referendum the projects, completing what is proposed in this referendum will provide the following financial benefits:

• All new, energy efficient heating and ventilation systems

• All new energy efficient building envelope items like windows and doors

• All LED lighting in the buildings, providing tremendous utility savings

• Savings from routine operational costs such as regular maintenance, cleaning, mowing, plowing, building insurance, etc.

• Cost avoidance of large projects due to major building systems being new or recently replaced/upgraded

The referendum projects will reduce our square footage by 25%, create one consolidated K-12 campus, and is projected to save the district $500,000 per year in operations and maintenance costs.

The current playground is located in the location that the new elementary school addition will be located and thus will need to be relocated. A “new” playground will be provided for our elementary students, however, it is our intent to move any of the existing equipment that is newer and meets current safety guidelines/standards to the new location. In addition, there will be a separate additional (although smaller) playground added for our pre-kindergarten students that will have age appropriate equipment.

We are currently working on plans that would allow the building to remain. We have been in contact with developers that have an interest in potentially converting the building into much needed housing. These developers are experienced in converting many old schools into apartments that reflect the history of the building and community. This would also allow the Blesch Theater to likely remain for community use. While these plans cannot be finalized until we know if the referendum passes or not, there is definitely interest in working with us and the community on something appropriate.

There are a few options available for Blesch Field. While the stadium has some significant structural issues, there are options we are pursuing that would allow continued use of the field space for recreational purposes, including football. Again, these options cannot be finalized until we see what the outcome of the referendum is, but we know how important this space is for many people and are working to preserve it for continued use.

We are not anticipating any school district cost associated with these options since we are working with other organizations. This allows those costs to be absorbed into the project outside of the school district.

The original Blesch building was built in 1952 and is 70 years old. This portion of the building is comprised of primarily classrooms and also contains much of the mechanical, plumbing, and electrical infrastructure. The addition to Blesch was built in 1992 and is 30 years old. This area, as you state, also contains classrooms as well as the library, school offices, and cafeteria. Although the addition to Blesch is newer than the original structure, much of the equipment contained in the addition (i.e. heating and ventilation equipment) is at or very close to its useful life and should be scheduled for replacement or upgrade.

The additional, and perhaps more important concern with Blesch is that it is significantly under-utilized at approximately 45%. Although there are far fewer students in this school, the cost to operate the school (heating, electrical, other utilities, cleaning, and maintenance) remains the same as if it were full. This increases the cost of operation considerably on a per-student basis. The majority of funding for the district comes from the State on a per-student basis and therefore the operation of Blesch School has a negative impact on our budget every year.

The diagrams of the schools are concept renderings provided by architects that have been involved in helping the school district assess the needs we have for space and developing options through the direction of the School Board and the Vision Team. The design and engineering of the elementary addition and the other work that is being proposed in the referendum will be completed after we understand if the referendum passes or not. We will establish design teams that include engineering and architectural professionals as well as teachers, administrators, and community members to help guide the design process. After the design process has been completed, engineers and architects will complete drawings that will be bid on by contractors who are interested in the projects. We are very early in the process, but the drawings seen in the referendum information are meant to be a visual help in understanding what these spaces could potentially look like.

First, it is correct that all our students could fit in the Jr./Sr. High School and Blesch School. In fact, there is actually more space than needed in those two buildings. There are concerns with this, however, primarily due to the long-term costs involved in using those two buildings. In the space analysis of our buildings, we found that the Jr./Sr. High School is only about 49% capacity. We know that using the building at about 80% is best, allowing for flexibility and some potential growth needs in the future. This means additional students could be using this building. Moving 4th, 5th, and 6th grade to the Jr./Sr. High School brings us to approximately 80% capacity.

We then focused on the PK-3rd graders and the most appropriate space for their education. While Blesch is large enough for these students, it is actually more space than needed by about 30%-35%. The additional size costs more per student to use because we continue to pay for maintenance, utilities, and upkeep on space that it not needed. The biggest problem, however, that we found in our analysis is that the building was designed originally to be a high school and later used as a middle school. Unfortunately, the design for older students is often not suitable for our youngest and smallest students. For instance, bathroom fixtures like toilets, sinks, and drinking fountains are all larger and mounted higher than typical elementary school standards, as well as safety features like stair handrails, etc. There is a significant cost associated with making these modifications. In addition, due to the age of the building there are considerable costs associated with updating the building systems (e.g. heating and ventilating, lighting, secure entryway, etc.) When all these updates are considered, the cost of building a new elementary wing is close to the same but offers many additional benefits for students. For more on Blesch, CLICK HERE for a recently published community email.

Additional information regarding specific count on classroom spaces and enrollment numbers coming soon.

The health, safety, and security of our students is our number one priority, and yes, the referendum addresses several of these important areas:

1. A new secure entryway is being complete at the Jr./Sr. HS this summer as part of the previous referendum for Phase I.

2. The addition of the new elementary wing addresses several important items, including:

   1. Will provide a new elementary secure entryway that is not currently present at Central or Blesch

   2. Will provide a formal safe and manageable parent drop-off/pick-up area

   3. Will provide a formal safe and manageable bus drop-off/pick-up area separate from the parent area

   4. Eliminates exposure to deteriorating asbestos tile in Central Elementary

3. Separation of 4th and 5th graders from older students with doors requiring a key fob for entry in the current middle school wing

4. New ventilation systems are being installed in the Jr./Sr. HS and the new elementary additional would also have modern ventilation equipment that provides filtered fresh air to current building standards.

5. Several of the athletic related projects are driven, in part, by safety concerns, including the tennis courts, track, and replacement of the current HS gym floor

The average impact for a home in Menominee is $13 per month for Question #1 and $8 per month for Question #2. A tax calculator is provided on the school district referendum website that will allow voters to answer a few questions about their home and it will provide a specific estimate of the impact.