|
MAUSTON, WI – August 20, 2020. At its regular board meeting on Monday night, the School District of Mauston Board of Education unanimously approved a referendum resolution, which is the official action taken to place a referendum question on the November 3, 2020, General Election ballot.
The question asks voters for approval to invest $54.8 million in district-wide facility and educational improvements, which if successful, will result in an estimated mill rate increase of up to $0.09 cents per $1,000 of equalized property value.
Beginning in the 2021-22 school year, the debt portion of the school property tax bill will drop. This is similar to a homeowner about to pay off the mortgage on a home. As a result, the reduction in the loan payment allows the community to make a significant investment in Mauston schools with a minimal tax impact.
“The reduction in the District’s debt service provides us a unique window of opportunity to re-invest in our school buildings,” said School Board President R.J. Rogers. “The referendum plan for capital maintenance, safety and security, a new West Side Elementary, and expansion of our Tech Ed and iLead learning spaces are all positive improvements for Mauston students and for our community.”
District Administrator Joel Heesch agreed, “While we considered suspending our facilities planning efforts during the current pandemic, we are also aware that the educational needs are not going away. I believe it is a good time to move forward with improvements that will benefit Mauston students and the community for decades to come.”
Proposed Solutions
The proposed referendum plan focuses on three key areas of improvement:
- Safety, Security and Traffic Flow
- District-Wide Infrastructure, Capital Maintenance and Energy Efficiency Improvements
- Educational Environment Improvements
The $54.8 referendum solution includes:
- Update the Tech Ed classrooms and renovate/expand iLead Charter classrooms at Mauston High School
- Improve site safety, traffic flow, and site drainage at main campus
- Priority updates at Olson Middle School
- Addition and remodeling at Grayside Elementary School
- Building a new West Side Elementary School, including the Mauston Montessori School
- Priority capital maintenance at Lyndon Station Elementary
How the Plan was Developed
For more than a year, the District has been assessing the current state of the School District of Mauston buildings and sites. A facilities study was completed by Plunkett Raysich Architects in the fall of 2019 and these results were communicated to the public at three information sessions in the winter of 2020.
This spring, the District conducted a community-wide survey to gather public feedback on potential improvement options. The District presented the preliminary survey results to the community at the July 6 school board meeting. Survey results indicate the majority of respondents would support the district exploring a referendum for infrastructure and educational improvements up to $54.8 million.
The School Board’s decision was guided by the facility study and a thorough community engagement process, reflecting staff and community input. The referendum question will be on the November 3, 2020 ballot.
Learn More
Informational meetings are planned for interested families and community members this fall. Specific dates, times and locations for these meetings will be announced in the coming weeks. Questions can be emailed to referendum@maustonschools.org or directed to the District Office at 608-847-5451.
| 
