Board Reviews Community Survey Results and Administrative Recommendation

A majority of Neenah Joint School District residents support the District pursuing a referendum and prefer the option of building a new high school based on the results of a fall 2019 community survey.

The survey was conducted from Oct. 21-Nov. 17 and was completed by 4,504 residents, which comprises over 20 percent of potential voters. By comparison, 3,657 residents completed a similar survey in the fall of 2018.

Bill Foster from School Perceptions coordinated the survey and presented the data at a Board of Education meeting on Nov. 26. A total of 66 percent of respondents favored pursuing a referendum, including 52 percent of non-parent, non-staff respondents.

Residents were asked to review two potential long-term master pathways. A pathway to build a new high school and renovate the existing high school into schools for grades 5-6 and 7-8 was supported by 62 percent of respondents, while a pathway to build new schools for grades 5-6 and 7-8 was supported by 50 percent of respondents. A total of 22 percent of respondents did not favor either pathway.

When asked about financial support, 64 percent of all respondents were willing to support a $125 million referendum, while 26 percent disapproved and 10 percent were undecided. Of non-parent, non-staff respondents, 48 percent were willing to support $125 million with 39 percent unwilling and 13 percent undecided.

Based on the survey data, District administrators made a recommendation to the Board to pursue a referendum in April 2020. The first phase of the potential referendum would build a new high school, begin updates to the current high school to convert it into an intermediate school for grades 5-6 and a middle school for grades 7-8 and address safety and security needs across the District. Taking fifth graders out of the elementary schools and sixth graders out of Horace Mann Middle School would provide needed space at the elementary level.

Because of the modest support for the $125 million request in the survey, administration recommended to ask residents to support a $114.9 million referendum. The tax impact for $100,000 of property value would be $99 per year, which is significantly less than the $167 impact in last year’s $129.5 million referendum. The resulting mill rate would be below the 2016-17 level. 

As presented in the survey, the District would also borrow $47 million toward the projects and repay the bond from its operating budget. In June 2020, the District will fully fund an employee retirement package that was negotiated in 2002.  Because the retirement benefit is funded, the District is able to reprioritize $4.5 million for capital improvements. Additionally, the $2.8 million already allocated in the annual budget will remain.

The Board of Education will consider the recommendation and discuss it at its next meeting on Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. at the administration building.