A referendum to replace Park View Middle School and update some of the elementary schools failed to win voter support in April. We acknowledge and respect the community's decision. We now need to decide how to address the needs at the middle school.
We have reached out to community members to better understand why the referendum was not supported. The primary concerns we heard were cost and tax impact. The district does not believe putting more money into the existing middle school is a good use of tax dollars. Therefore, we revised the plan to replace the building at a lower cost.
Revised Plan
The District revised plan to replace Park View Middle School at a lower cost includes:
- Capacity to serve 1,200 students
- Space to serve 6th-8th grade students
- Classrooms/labs for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses
- A flexible space for student performances
- A gymnasium and fitness area for students and community use
- Practice fields and track
The cost of the plan was reduced to $89.1 million by:
- Keeping/renovating the 1993 section of the existing middle school building
- Reducing the scope of the track project
- Removing the 4-year-old kindergarten renovation projects
- Removing the Big Bend Elementary School drive and parking lot project
The tax impact of the plan was reduced to $24 for every $100,000 of property value by:
- Borrowing $13.2 million less
- Factoring in the downward trend in interest rates for public bonds/loans
- Prepaying referendum debt for Mukwonago High School, putting us on pace to have it paid off seven years ahead of schedule
Community Survey
Beginning at the end of May, we will conduct a new survey to receive your input on our revised plan. A survey will be mailed to all district homes with instructions on how to complete the survey. Each survey will have a code which can be used once. To obtain additional surveys for other adults in your household, please call the District Office at 262.363.6300. Please complete the survey by June 24. Results will be reported at a school board meeting and available on the district website later this summer.
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