Here's what voters need to know about the Menasha school district's Nov. 8 referendum

Voters in the Menasha Joint School District will see a referendum question on the Nov. 8 ballot about middle school building needs.

The question will ask voters whether they want to allow the school district to borrow money to build a new school on the Maplewood Middle School campus for grades five through eight and demolish the existing building after the new school is built.

This referendum is the second part of the district's three-part plan to address building needs. The first phase occurred in 2015 with a Menasha High School renovation. If all goes to plan, the district anticipates the third phase, which will address needs at the elementary level, to take place in the next five to 10 years.

Here's what voters need to know about the referendum:

More:Menasha school district residents will vote on $99.7 million referendum in November

What will the question on the ballot say?

The question will read:

Shall the Menasha Joint School District, Winnebago, Calumet and Outagamie Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $99,700,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and facility improvement project consisting of: the construction of a new Maplewood School on the existing site and removal of the current building; site improvements; and acquisition of furnishing, fixtures and equipment?

What does voting “Yes” mean?

Voting “Yes” means you're OK with the district borrowing the necessary money and building a new school on the Maplewood campus.

What does voting “No” mean?

Voting “No” means you don't want the district to borrow the money and build the new school.

What is the total cost of the referendum?

The project costs $99.7 million. That includes construction of a new school, demolition of the existing Maplewood building, site work, a geothermal heating and cooling system, furniture, fixtures, professional services, required permitting fees and contingency.

How would the referendum affect my taxes?

Approving the referendum wouldn't increase the school portion of property taxes for Menasha school district taxpayers. Although the district would be adding debt, it's paying off existing debt earlier than expected to make up for it.

More:New debt from the Menasha school referendum could account for half of the school tax rate by 2025

Which students would attend the new school?

The new school would house grades 5 through 8, which is about 1,000 students. The district has described the new school as two schools in one building — one for students in fifth and sixth grades and another for seventh and eighth grades. There would be shared amenities such a gym and commons area, but there would be separate academic wings for the two groups.

Why is there a need for a new school?

Classrooms in the existing Maplewood school are small and many of them don't have any windows or natural light sources. The building also can't support flexible learning environments often used in today's teaching.

As previously reported by The Post-Crescent, Superintendent Chris VanderHeyden said this plan helps the district educate students more efficiently. State funding has decreased as a result of declining enrollment, so the district needs to educate more efficiently.

One way is to operate with fewer elementary schools, VanderHeyden said. Moving fifth grade to the Maplewood site helps with that, as did closing Nicolet Elementary at the end of last school year.

What would happen to the current Maplewood Middle School?

The current school would be demolished. Since the new school would be built on the land that sits behind the current school, the land housing the current school would be turned into additional parking and athletic fields.

If it passes, what's the project timeline?

If voters give the OK, the design phase would start shortly after. From there, the project would go to bid, with the hopes of starting construction in February 2024. Construction would wrap up in August 2025, in time for the 2025-26 school year.

Demolition of the current school would take place from July to September 2025.

Are there designs available for the potential new school?

The district has said it won't invest resources into having specific architectural designs made until it has approval from voters.

Where can I go to get more information?

This information and more is available on www.mjsd.k12.wi.us/referendum.

How can I find my polling place?

Go to myvote.wi.gov and click on "Find My Polling Place" near the top left. Type in your address and hit the search button. The website should show the name and address of your polling place, its hours on Election Day and a map of where it is.

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: Menasha schools referendum: Here's what voters need to know