Here's the latest on Appleton Area School District's plans for referendum this fall
APPLETON — The Appleton Area School District is trekking along with its plan to bring a referendum to voters in November, after the pandemic paused its last effort.
At a meeting Monday night, Chief Financial Officer Greg Hartjes updated the school board on the initial focus groups the district held to learn more about the appetite for a referendum that could weigh in around $100 million, and what needs the money would address.
The referendum would help fund four capital projects:
Build a new elementary school to help with overcrowding: $30 million
Add capacity to the middle schools for sixth graders and update science, technology, engineering and math areas: $32 million
Remodel vacated space at elementary schools: $11 million
Build additions at the three high schools: $25 million
Those costs were based on the initial referendum plans in 2020, and they may end up being higher with the increased construction costs due to the pandemic.
The feedback from focus groups in the first week of January was "very positive," Hartjes said. The consensus was: Yes, there is still a need for facility improvements and the estimated cost to taxpayers is reasonable.
Another round of focus group meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at East High School.
Meetings are open for the public to listen, but the focus group consists of about 60 parents, staff and other community members representing each school who were asked to participate in the conversations.
Hartjes told The Post-Crescent the total amount sought in the referendum is hard to pinpoint because it depends on numbers that are changing, such as property value across the district and how much equalization aid will come from the state, but it could be in the ballpark of $100 million and cost taxpayers $30 to $40 a year on $100,000 of property for 20 years.
The focus group meetings earlier this month included discussion about reducing class sizes for kindergarten, first and second grades. During the school board meeting, Hartjes said the plan would bring class sizes down from about 25 students per teacher to 20.
During the next round of focus group meetings, Hartjes said, they will talk about moving sixth grade to the middle school level and increasing STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — offerings for all grade levels.
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After that meeting, a survey will be drafted and sent out to the 44,000 households in the district to gather more input before making a final decision about putting the referendum to a vote.
Building a new elementary school and additions at each high school haven't been main points of focus group discussions because those ideas already received strong positive feedback, Hartjes said.
But when a survey is sent to residents in the coming months, there will be questions about those projects.
The hope is still to have the referendum on the November 2022 ballot, Hartjes said. With that timeline, students could be in any new spaces by fall 2024.
If the district has to wait for an April 2023 vote, it wouldn't be able to open any new buildings until 2025.
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton school district continues to pursue November 2022 referendum
