The Kiel Area School District placed a referendum question on the November 5th ballot in an amount not to exceed $67 million for the purpose of building a middle school addition onto the high school to replace the current middle school building.
|
|
|
|
As appearing on the ballot:
"Shall the Kiel Area School District, Manitowoc, Calumet and Sheboygan Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $67,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and facility improvement project consisting of: construction of an addition and renovations at the current High School to create a combined Middle/High School campus, including the relocation of the Middle School and other programs and departments from the current Middle School building to the combined campus, and safety, security and site improvements; district-wide capital maintenance and building infrastructure improvements; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?"
☐ YES ☐NO
|
|
Aging Middle School Building
- The Facility Assessment identified the Kiel Middle School as the highest priority need due to its age and condition.
- Kiel Middle School (originally built in 1928 and renovated/expanded several times between 1951 and 2013) building organization and classrooms/academic support spaces need to be updated; however, renovation options are limited because of the building layout, and number of load-bearing walls.
- Major building systems have long exceeded life expectancy and require replacement or costly annual maintenance/repairs.
Safety, Security & Accessibility
- Portions of Kiel Middle School lack Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and adequate accessibility for all students, staff, and community members including a lack of sufficient ADA-compliant restrooms and the main entry not being ADA accessible.
- The Kiel Middle School does not have a secure entry sequence and needs to be reconfigured to better monitor/control visitor access.
- Pavement, sidewalks, and exterior stairs on the existing grounds are in need of maintenance/repairs and also create safety concerns.
Educational Space Needs
- Average classroom size is smaller than recommended, with many significantly below the recommended size based on current standards.
- Lack of adequate classroom and learning support spaces creates challenges for student collaboration and small-group instruction and limits project-based learning opportunities.
- Middle school students must travel to the high school for access to advanced courses and programming resources.
|
|
Build a New Middle School attached to the High School
|
|
Tax Impact
If the $67 million referendum is approved, the debt portion of the school district’s tax mill rate is currently estimated to increase by $3.13.
|
|
|