If the November 5 referendum is not approved, Decorah, Fair Park, Rolfs, and the ESC will still close.  

The timeline for closure will be adjusted so that Fair Park and Decorah close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. 

The district would then close the ESC which hosts district office operations and alternative learning programs as well as Rolfs, which provides a portion of the district’s early learning program. The anticipated date of these closures would be at the end of the 2027-2028 school year. 

For the closed buildings, the district is exploring reuse opportunities which may include leasing or sale of the properties. Before this can take place, the district will pursue an appraisal of the buildings, then review legal, environmental, and market considerations to determine the most viable and responsible approach to repurposing or selling the properties.

If the referendum does not pass, the district will also face significant challenges in addressing more than $200 million in identified capital maintenance needs. Key projects, such as secure entry sequences, HVAC system replacements, and ADA compliance improvements, would be delayed. Operational budgets would need to cover emergency repairs, further straining limited resources. Key contingency actions include:

• Budget Adjustments: Non-essential capital improvements will most likely be frozen and the district would reassess its priorities, focusing only on the most urgent repairs.

• Operational Changes: Academic programs and extracurricular activities may be adjusted to reflect budgetary constraints, with long-term maintenance remaining a high priority​​. Additionally, a long-term maintenance plan for the current Jackson Elementary School will be developed. 

The district is committed to maintaining transparency and engaging the community. Residents will have opportunities to provide input on the future use of closed properties. Also, the district will explore using limited reserves to address the most pressing capital needs, though these funds may not cover all necessary expenses .

In moving from 10 to six buildings in the proposed first phase, will the district capture opportunities for operational efficiency?
Yes, by closing four of our oldest buildings and making improvements to others, the district will realize significant capital maintenance cost avoidance. With less square footage to maintain, we expect these changes will result in a reduction of energy and ongoing maintenance cost. 

Also, more than $51 million in capital maintenance needs will be avoided. 

What will happen to the buildings if they are closed?
Once there is a definitive plan for closure, the board will discuss the future of the buildings. Options for their consideration may include rental or sale. 

Why can't the residents of Jackson pay for their own school?

The Village of Jackson and areas of the Town of Jackson are part of the West Bend School District attendance area, just like municipalities such as Newburg, Barton, Trenton, City of West Bend, etc. The tax revenues from properties in Jackson help fund the budget of the entire school district. For example, facility improvements to Green Tree Elementary in West Bend made with the district’s operating budget are partially funded by Jackson taxpayers even though students who live in Jackson don’t go to school at Green Tree. 

Students who attend Jackson Elementary also attend Silverbrook Intermediate, Badger Middle, and West or East High Schools in the City of West Bend. The West Bend School District is committed to having a school in Jackson, a growing community that supports all the schools of the West Bend School District.  

When will these projects be completed if it passes? 

If the referendum passes, we will launch the design process, which will take some time. Once the design is complete, the projects will be publicly bid and following that, construction will begin. We anticipate projects in McLane, Green Tree, and Silverbrook to be complete by fall 2026. The new Jackson Elementary school is estimated to be complete in fall 2027 and the changes to the high schools building are targeted for completion by the fall 2028. 

How do we know that the project will stay on budget?

By state law, the school district cannot legally exceed the referendum-approved project cost for the work included in the facilities referendum ballot question. Therefore, the district must complete the projects funded by the referendum within the voter approved budget. 

There was a private task force that developed ideas for the school district to address capital improvements after the failed 2019 referendum. Does the proposed November 2024 referendum now reflect their suggestions? 

The proposed first phase for our long-range facilities plan, which was developed after gaining feedback from our community conversation and community survey, includes components similar to the recommendation from the West Bend School District Private Task Force made in October 2019. 

1. The district sought feedback regarding closing Decorah, Fair Park, Rolfs Education Center, and the Education Service Center, as well as constructing a replacement school in Jackson, remodeling Green Tree and McLane to include early learning classrooms, and reconfiguring Silverbrook into a K-5 school to serve more elementary students. 

The Private Task Force’s October 2019 presentation suggested closing Decorah, Fair Park, Rolfs Education Center, the Education Service Center, the maintenance building in West Bend, and Jackson Elementary. It also recommended the district consider building a large elementary school on the south side of West Bend to house about 800 students, the relocated ESC district staff, and the maintenance department (no specific site was identified or known to be available for purchase). 

2. The taskforce presentation also provided recommendations for other targeted facility improvement and operational considerations. Since the report in 2019, the district has been able to implement several strategies that are similar to their suggestions: 

• Safety improvements across the district have included: new exterior doors installed at high schools and Decorah, increased interior/exterior camera coverage across buildings, and the addition of a door alerting system for exterior doors at all schools.

• Energy/operational efficiency has been increased by installation of LED lighting retrofits in high school hallways and exterior lamping at the high schools and Badger. Mclane, Silverbrook and Badger will receive internal LED retrofits summer/fall of 2024. All of the installation was completed by district staff and utilizes Focus on Energy grants when available. 

• In 2024-2025, to increase energy/operational efficiency, HVAC control system upgrades will be made at McLane and continued work at the high schools. 

• Other operational efficiencies include outsourcing some cleaning services in the elementary buildings, Silverbrook, Badger, the ESC, and Rolfs. The district has studied outsourcing some IT services but there was no cost savings.

• Some modernization and collaboration was achieved through the remodeled high school library (completed in 2020) from the capital improvements budget and the remodeling of the high school courtyard through donations. 

• There has been expanded collaboration with Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC). The Advanced Construction classes are held at MPTC in conjunction with Kewaskum High School, an EMT class and a firefighting class were developed with MPTC and surrounding fire departments, and an additional nursing class is under exploration for future implementation with MPTC. 

What is a referendum?

A referendum is when the school board asks the voting members of its community if they will support the school board adding a certain amount to the mill rate (the rate that each property owner is taxed per $100,000 of property value) for a certain amount of time. This approval is requested as a question on a ballot of an election. If approved, the school district can borrow funds to complete capital improvements on its buildings. 

School districts request this because under current Wisconsin law, there is a limit on the annual amount of revenue that each school district can raise through the combination of state aid (defined as equalization, integration, and special adjustment aids) and the local property tax levy. In fact, the State of Wisconsin applies a revenue limit formula to each public school district.

What is the tax rate/mill rate? 

School districts tax the properties in their attendance area with a mill rate, this is the rate that each property owner is taxed per $100,000 of property value. The West Bend School District proactively paid off prior referenda debt ahead of schedule and finished taxing for debt in 2023. Taxing for repayment of the 2009 and 2012 referenda was completed in 14 years for the 2009 referendum (original estimate was 20 years), and 11 years for the 2012 referendum (original estimate was 20 years). Therefore, the mill rate has decreased significantly in the last two years. As a result of our proactive debt repayment, moving forward now would allow the district to address many existing facility needs while keeping the mill rate lower than it was in 2023.

My property is getting assessed. What does that mean for my school taxes?

If you are being reassessed, it means the local assessor is adjusting the assessed values of the properties in your municipality to reflect current market conditions. The process is intended to bring the assessment in-line with the Fair Market or Equalized value of your property and is necessary to ensure fair distribution of tax burden. 

Reassessment does not change the tax revenue the school district collects, but it can shift the amount you personally contribute. If your new assessment increases more than others in the municipality, your share of the taxes may go up. Conversely, if your assessment decreases or increases less than others, your share will go down.

For additional information, contact your local municipality/assessor or go to Department of Revenue (“DOR”) 2024 Guide for Property Owners: https://www.revenue.wi.gov/DOR%20Publications/pb060.pdf.

If a referendum is successful, how long will taxpayers pay more on their property taxes?

School districts in Wisconsin cannot legally spread out debt payments for borrowed funds for more than 20 years. However, debt can be paid back quicker than 20 years, which can help reduce the overall interest costs to the taxpayers. 

Is the West Bend School District still taxing for debt from previous referendums? 

No, the final property tax levy that included funds for the debt from the 2009 and 2012 referendums was in 2023. The final payment will be made in 2026 and all the funds for it are in a savings account. Paying off the debt has helped to decrease the mill rate significantly. 

Why can’t maintenance needs be paid for out of the district’s annual operating budget? 

The district has an annual operating budget of $2.4 million to manage capital maintenance needs for all buildings and grounds around the district. This cannot fully cover all needs, including the deferred maintenance projects that have occurred due to the budget. All of the identified needs, combined for maintenance, capacity and modern learning environments exceeds what the district can pay from its existing maintenance budget. Although the buildings are well taken care of, the annual maintenance budget cannot cover everything and affects the district’s ability to reinvest in school facilities as they continue to age. 

In recent years, the state’s budget has imposed tight restrictions with limited new funding on school district revenue. The key to understanding the district budget lies in the fact that available revenue and funding determines how much can be spent. We must fit all operational expenditures within the revenue limit authority determined by the state’s funding formula. With limited exceptions, only referendum-approved expenditures allow a school district to spend above or outside of the calculated revenue limit authority. 

What is the COST of waiting? 

Due to naturally rising construction costs and inflation, postposing aspects of this plan will result in higher costs while facility needs remain unresolved. 

Over the years, has the West Bend School District neglected its buildings?

No. Our district annually makes a financial commitment to routine preventive, restorative, and replacement maintenance. Nonetheless, just as you experience at your home, our buildings and the systems that comprise them age and experience normal wear and tear that comes with near constant use throughout the year. However, the size, scale, and number of students, staff and community members that use our buildings every single day is significantly different than in a regular home. As noted in our facility assessment, eight of 10 district buildings have significant sections that are more than 50 years old. Portions of the Jackson and McLane buildings are now close to 100 years old. 

Can the community use any of the facilities? 

A large number of community groups use our facilities. In fact, between July 1, 2022 and April 14, 2024 the district hosted 4,586 community events that used district facilities for a total of 21,212 hours. 

What is the district doing to address current and future maintenance needs?

Planning when to replace or improve major capital items helps ensure the district stays on budget and avoids costly emergency repairs. While the district does well with regular and ongoing preventive maintenance with a budget of $2.4 million annually, the size and scope of the facilities and grounds means much of the maintenance must be deferred. In a typical year, the requests for maintenance far exceed the amount of the available budget. 

Wisconsin schools operate under a state-imposed revenue limit, restricting the financial support they can receive. The state uses a funding formula to calculate the revenue limit, which was created more than 30 years ago and is outdated. The bulk of funding is from two sources: state aid and local property taxes. The state legislature determines in its biennial budgets the amount per student it will give schools (that is the state aid and is based on enrollment) and the rest, within the revenue limit, is from local property taxes. The revenue limit prevents schools from financing large capital maintenance within their operating budget. Therefore, they must ask residents of their district to approve them going over the revenue limit, i.e. a referendum. 

An important part of long-range facilities assessment and planning is factoring in a comprehensive population and enrollment analysis. In fall 2022, the West Bend School District received a detailed enrollment and population report from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Applied Population Laboratory called “Planning for the Schools of Tomorrow.” 

The report uses past enrollment, current and projected births, and overall trends in population and housing to make projections on future student enrollment. Highlights include: 

• The report examines current and projected births and overall trends in population and housing to make projections on future student enrollment.

• From 2004 to 2011, the number of births in the West Bend School District attendance area decreased from a high of 667 in 2007 to 595 in 2011. 

• The decline continued, with 540 births in 2017; 534 in 2018; 553 in 2019; and 474 in 2020. 

• From 2010-2020, the number of people in the municipalities within the West Bend School District attendance area ages 0-19 decreased by an estimated 1,831, and people age 65 and over increased by 2,573 residents.

• There was an average of 90 new single-family homes built in the West Bend attendance area from 2011-2020. 

• Turnover in ownership of homes in an older community also declined during this period, with householders aging in place.

Please review this analysis of the report. 

• The district currently maintains more than 1.2 million sq ft of facilities over 228 acres. More than $200 million in capital maintenance, basic building system, and safety and security improvement needs have been identified throughout the district.

• To make data-driven decisions, the district launched a comprehensive facilities assessment of all school district buildings and sites in 2023 as part of its continuous improvement process.

This objective information allowed the district to make informed, fiscally responsible, and strategic long-range facility decisions.

• Many of the district’s facilities are aging and outdated; more than $200 million in capital maintenance and basic building system needs have been identified throughout the district.The district currently maintains more than 1.2 million sq ft of facilities over 228 acres.

• To address these facility needs, the district held community conversations to assist with creating a strategic and fiscally responsible phase one proposal that includes rightsizing (closing buildings) to meet our facilities goals, avoid spending millions on capital maintenance needs in aging facilities, and reduce long-term operating costs.
  
  

• Closing four (4) buildings will allow us to avoid more than $51 million in identified capital maintenance costs while also adjusting our footprint to better match current and projected enrollment.

• Rightsizing is a way to ensure current and future enrollment aligns with the amount of space available. Since enrollment continues to decline in West Bend, closing buildings is a way to meet this need. 

• Rightsizing/closure considerations:

Aging facilities with aging building operating systems

Significant district-wide capital maintenance needs

Enrollment projected to continue to decline

Operational efficiency through building closures

Educational program opportunities and impacts

• Enrollment has declined by more than 1,000 students since 2014 and is projected to continue to decrease for at least three more years. As a result, our buildings now have significantly more capacity than needed.

• Capacity findings indicate: 

All schools are under capacity

There a shortage of common space and student support space throughout the district

• The district considered numerous scenarios and  factors as we evaluated potential rightsizing options. Based on feedback regarding overall priorities gathered from Community Conversations held in February 2024, the District explored the following:

Closing multiple buildings

Building a new school in Jackson (Multiple grade level configurations evaluated: K-5, K-6, K-8)

Moving 5th grade back to elementary school/converting to K-5 model

Bringing early learning into two elementary schools

Reconfiguring Badger (currently grades 7-8) to grades 6-8

• Closing multiple buildings allows the district to avoid more than $51 million in identified capital maintenance costs while adjusting our district footprint to align with enrollment (current and projected) and reduce annual operational costs.

• The facilities assessment also found that despite excess capacity, many buildings lack student support spaces and special education classrooms are not designed for current programs. Many classrooms at East/West High School are also significantly undersized.

• EUA findings indicate: 

Minimal Layers of Security

Pickup and Drop-Off Concerns

Shared Gym/ Cafeteria/ Auditoriums

Special Ed Spaces Not Designed for Use

Undersized Classrooms

Outdated Furniture 

Lack of Natural Light 

Lack of Breakout Space

Outdated Library Spaces