Mukwonago voters to decide on $89.1 million schools referendum in November

After Mukwonago Area School District voters rejected a $102.3 million facilities referendum that would have primarily funded building a new middle school in April, the district has proposed another referendum to build that school, although at a reduced cost.

Mukwonago Area School District voters will decide in November on a $89.1 million referendum that would build a new Park View Middle School while incorporating a section of the existing school into the design.

Here's what to know about the referendum.

What's different about this referendum compared to April's?

The project voters rejected in April would have built a new sixth- through eighth-grade middle school and demolished the current building. It would have also renovated the district's elementary schools to create more space for 4-year-old kindergarten programs, moved sixth-graders from the elementary schools to the middle school and reconfigured Big Bend Elementary School's parking lot and dropoff areas.

Now, the district has reduced the scope of the project by eliminating the portions of the plan supporting the elementary schools and revising the plan for the middle school by incorporating the 1993 section of the existing Park View Middle School into the new building and renovating it, according to a district news release.

The revised plan also addresses issues with small classrooms, undersized and outdated technical education spaces, as well as antiquated gym spaces.

Additionally, it would ensure "a kitchen and cafeteria area that can properly feed the district's middle school students," the district's news release said. The school's kitchen and cafeteria are congested with long serving lines, according to the district's website.

The plan also would:

• provide an enhanced, secure entrance for the school

• improve pickup/dropoff areas to improve traffic flow and address safety concerns

• move sixth-graders to the middle school from elementary schools

The revised plan calls for creating a school that has the capacity and space to serve 1,200 students in grades six through eight; classrooms and labs for science, technology, engineering and math courses; a flexible space for student performances; a gym and fitness area for students and community use; and practice fields and track, the district's website said.

Why does the district want to build a new middle school?

A districtwide facility study and analysis found the most pressing needs at the middle school. Park View Middle School was originally built as a high school in 1956, and has not been updated much since then.

The building has numerous challenges such as plumbing, heating/ventilation and electrical systems, roof sections, classroom flooring, lighting, ceilings and casework that need replacing; exterior brick requiring maintenance; inefficient windows; small classrooms; narrow and congested hallways; an inefficient building layout; small and outdated technical/hands-education areas, gym and choir and band areas that are too small.

What is the estimated tax impact of the referendum?

If the referendum passes, taxpayers would pay an additional 24 cents per $1,000 of fair market value. The owner of a home with a fair market value of $400,000 would pay an additional $96 annually in school taxes. The district's 2023-24 school tax rate was $6.20 per $1,000.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mukwonago voters to decide on $89.1 million schools referendum