October 30, 2024 – West Bend, Wi – The West Bend School District referendum deserves a “NO” vote when you go to the polls. This referendum is asking for $165 million (including interest) in order to build a new Jackson Elementary and update the remaining 5 schools (6 if you count East and West high schools separately).
While closing Decorah and Fair Park Elementaries, the Rolfs Early Childhood Center, and the Education Service Center (ESC) makes good fiscal sense, a good portion of the referendum will involve re-configuring the high school(s) in order to make room for the administration office as well as the alternative school, which currently is in the ESC.
McLane Elementary, Green Tree Elementary, and Silverbrook Intermediate School will also need re-configurations in order to fit in the preschool classes (and their “en suite” bathrooms) currently in the Rolfs building. If the district wanted to save a huge amount of money when “right sizing,” why not combine the two high schools into one?
Deferred maintenance is a large part of the proposed referendum, such as repairing masonry at a couple schools. In addition, virtually all the remaining 5 schools are slated for security upgrades such as improving entrances.
Why weren’t these entrances hardened a few years ago, when WBSD received $275,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Justice (as a result of the Parkland, FL shootings)?
WBSD received more grant money than any other school in Washington County and even more than Arrowhead High School (from a 2021 Daily News article). A good portion of this money was used in training teachers, but I’m sure most parents and residents would have preferred that the majority of the money was spent in hardening entrances, especially the high school(s) which has had buzzers at East and West entrances and nothing more technical.
Building a new Jackson Elementary has been voted down in the past. Jackson is another example of deferred maintenance; however, the planned square footage in the current referendum is 22,000 square feet larger than the proposed building 5 years ago, when enrollment is drastically decreasing!
The 2019 referendum that was soundly defeated was $75 million (with interest), but the 2024 referendum is $165 million (with interest). This is a ridiculous “ask” in this time of unprecedented inflation, with utilities increasing their rates as well.
Vote “NO” on the West Bend School District referendum!
John Heger
West Bend, WI
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