MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Menasha Joint School District is seeking feedback from district residents about a possible $99.7 million fall referendum to replace Maplewood Middle School.
Survey information was recently sent to district residents, with replies due June 6. Anyone in the district who did not get a survey should contact the district office, said Supt. Chris VanderHeyden.
As the district copes aging facilities and declining enrollments, this is the second phase of addressing those issues.
Work at the high school was completed in 2015, and those bonds will be paid off early, allowing the district to borrow for this project without that increasing the tax levy, VanderHeyden said.
This plan calls for two new schools to be built at the Maplewood site, one for grades 5-6, another for grades 7-8. They would be separate schools but with some common, shared facilities. Then, the existing building would be torn down.
The school board will review the survey results in June, likely discuss the plans again in July, with the final approval for the November referendum being considered at an August meeting, he said.
The district has a section of its website dedicated to the facilities planning process. This week, it posted a series of videos from a public information session which explain the project, educational benefits, various options, construction costs, project financing, and other aspects of the project.
After the middle school phase of the facility planning project, the district will look at elementary school needs. That said, the district already has announced it will close the 88-student Nicolet Elementary School at the end of this school year.
Comments