BACKGROUND | Community Survey Results • Over the past year, the District has been working closely with the City of Horicon, the Horicon Chamber of Commerce and other local businesses to determine how we can better position our community for the future. • One of the priorities identified through this partnership was the need to update our school facilities. • Portions of Van Brunt Elementary are nearly 100 years old and the Junior/Senior High School has sections that are over 50 years old. • As such, many of the major building systems are beyond their service life, resulting in inefficiencies and ongoing costly repairs. • To help develop a plan, a Citizens Advisory Committee was formed. • This committee, made up of business leaders, parents, district staff and community members, met numerous times to develop options to present to the community and School Board. HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
BACKGROUND | Community Survey Results To help the committee and District determine how to proceed with school facilities, two surveys were presented to the community. Survey 1 – Community Joint Survey • Joint effort between the city, Chamber, major companies, and school. Improvement throughout the city will benefit each other. o • Total number of responses: 1,249 • 77 responses to survey stated they would consider moving to Horicon if certain things occurred. • Gap Analysis largest gap: School facilities and student character and conduct HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
BACKGROUND | Community Survey Results Survey 2 – School Facility District-wide Survey • Conducted in November/December 2017 • 607 responses (19% participation rate) • 77% of all respondents supported the District in exploring options to update or replace Van Brunt Elementary School • 75% of all respondents stated they would advise the School Board to pursue a referendum to update our schools • 60% of respondents stated they would support the option to build a elementary school at the Junior / Senior High School campus. • 55% of respondents ranked updating the Junior / Senior High S chool’s building infrastructure as a high priority HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
BACKGROUND | Board Recommendation Upon careful evaluation of the Comprehensive Facility Review conducted by Bray Architects, the two community surveys, and the Citizens Advisory Committee recommendation, the School Board approved the placing of two questions on the April 3 rd ballot: Question 1: Elementary School Addition to Junior/Senior High School | $22,920,000 Question 2: Junior/Senior High School Infrastructure Updates | $3,600,000 HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
QUESTION #1 | As it will Appear on the Ballot Shall the School District of Horicon, Dodge County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $22,920,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and improvement program to create a consolidated campus and consisting of: the construction of a new Elementary School addition and site improvements at the Junior/Senior High School; the construction of an addition for a High School cafeteria and secure entrance and renovations and safety and security upgrades at the Junior/Senior High School; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment? Yes No HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
QUESTION #2 | As it will Appear on the Ballot Shall the School District of Horicon, Dodge County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $3,600,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school improvement program consisting of: building infrastructure and capital maintenance improvements at the Junior/Senior High School; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment? Yes No HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE NEED
THE NEED | Van Brunt Elementary A Comprehensive Facility Review of Van Brunt Elementary was completed by Bray Architects. The review identified a list of safety and security, infrastructure and building system needs, as well as educational and site deficiencies. Key findings included: • Major building systems, including the plumbing, heating/ventilation and electrical, are past their service life and need to be replaced. • Air supply to most rooms does not meet current code, and sections of the building are poorly insulted. • The school requires significant updates to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) code compliance. • Because of the large number of load-bearing walls, remodeling options are significantly limited. HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE NEED | Van Brunt Elementary • In addition the infrastructure needs, the building is larger than what is needed to serve current and projected student enrollment. Approximately 50% of the space is not being utilized effectively. o • The school is more expensive to heat and operate due to its age. • Educationally, the school lacks flexible learning and collaboration spaces. • The District shares staff between schools. This requires staff to travel back and forth between schools, sometimes multiple times in one day, which reduces the amount of time spent working with students. HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE NEED | Junior / Senior High School • In addition to addressing the needs at the elementary school, the following are some of the most pressing needs at the Junior / Senior High School: 50+ year old heating/ventilation and plumbing systems are in need of replacement. o Windows, ceiling tile and flooring from the original 1964 construction are in need of o replacement. Roofs are in need of replacement. o Electrical systems need improvements. o Plumbing as well bathroom and locker rooms need improvements. o HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE SOLUTION
THE SOLUTION | Question #1 Elementary School Addition to Junior/Senior High School • Kindergarten – 5 th Grade addition to east side of Horicon Junior/Senior High School • Kitchen addition to prepare and serve food to both the elementary and junior/senior high school students • 6 th Grade relocated to existing Junior/Senior High School classrooms • Junior/Senior High School improvements including safety and security upgrades as well as remodeling to accommodate the district office • Site improvements including creation of separate parent and bus drop off/pick up areas and construction of an elementary playground HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE SOLUTION | Question #2 Junior/Senior High School Infrastructure Updates • Replace three oldest roof sections • Plumbing upgrades including additional valves and remodeling of the bathrooms and locker room showers • Heating/ventilation system upgrades including: Replacement of original (50+ year old) air handling equipment and classroom unit ventilators o Addition of air conditioning to main computer/data/IT closet o Replace 1960s pneumatic controls system with digital/computer based controls o • Electrical improvements replacing the main service, original panelboards, the clock system and the emergency generator • Corridor upgrades including flooring, ceiling and lighting replacement HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE SOLUTION | Proposed Site Plan HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE SOLUTION | Proposed Floor Plan Existing New Construction Renovation HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE SOLUTION | Van Brunt Elementary Plans If the referendum question(s) is approved, the District will: Look to repurpose the building by selling to another company – apartments or condos. 1. 2. Maintain the gym for City Recreation, school activities and YMCA classes. 3. Sell the land to the east for housing development. HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
THE COST
THE COST | Financial Background • In 2018, the District will pay off a large portion of the debt that funded past building projects and as a result, the debt portion of the school tax levy will drop. Using a homeowner’s analogy, we are about to pay off our home mortgage. o • This reduction of loan payments will reduce the tax impact of any new referendum-approved spending. • The School Board believes this is a good time to consider investing in our schools because of our healthy financial situation and historically low interest rates. • The District cannot afford to pay for major building projects out of the annual operating budget. • If the public chooses to address these needs, the primary way to obtain funding is through a referendum. HORICON SCHOOL DISTRICT FACILITIES REFERENDUM VOTE APRIL 3 RD
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