Referendum 2023

Different iterations of the WAPS school board have debated how to address our aging facilities over the past decade.

In 2018, the community supported a $9.42 million referendum that addressed our most dire safety, security and accessibility needs. At the time, it was identified as Phase 1 in a larger plan. 

Phase 2 started in the summer of 2021 and included 17 months of collaborating with community members, teachers, district staff, engineers, architects and consultants. 

The recommendation of the 2021-22 WAPS Community Task Force was to invest in and improve the current fleet of school buildings, and that recommendation became the Master Facilities Plan approved by the school board in 2022. The projects identified in this referendum align with the recommendations of the task force, and also make sure the district has the spaces needed to carry out the educational goals identified in the recently approved strategic plan.

If Question 1 passes, the estimated tax impact is $15 a month on an average residential home valued at $200,000. If Question 2 passes, the same home will see an additional $6 a month in property taxes. Both questions passing would result in $21 a month increase in property taxes. A tax calculator from Ehlers, our independent financial consultant, is available at this link.

Construction prices always increase faster than general inflationfrom a historical perspective, there is never a less expensive time to build than today, and our needs aren’t going away. This is a fiscally responsible investment in our children and our schools. The only way public school districts can fund large capital projects is through asking the voters to support a bond referendum. 

A scientific survey conducted by Morris Leatherman indicated that 82 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that “Our community receives a good value for its investment in local public schools,” and 70 percent agreed that the district and school board “have spent tax money effectively and efficiently.” 

The school board took into consideration the financial reality many of our local families face when considering the referendum scope, and it reduced the number of projects from the original proposal in order to keep the investment more affordable for our tax payers.
 

In the summer of 2021, the school board convened the WAPS Community Task Force to evaluate current data, engage in discussions about 21st century learning environments, and recommend to the board how WAPS can adapt and evolve to better serve its students, families and community.

The group, which included district staff and community members, met 10 times over the course of four months and vetted 12 different options — new construction, consolidating buildings, changing grade-level configurations and various combinations — before reaching consensus on a recommendation to invest in and improve the current fleet of school buildings. 

This recommendation is the basis of the district’s Master Facilities Plan, which was approved by the board in the summer of 2022.

This issue has been studied for the last several years, including by the recent WAPS Community Task Force. While this option has some support, it was deemed not a good choice for WAPS for the following reasons: 

• Construction of a new elementary school is likely to cost considerably more than remodeling the current elementary buildings.
• To be feasible, it would require closing all three of our existing elementary schools and constructing one larger school.
• The ideal site for a new elementary school would require between 17 and 19 acres. There is no available land of that size in a suitable location in the city limits.
• Therefore, an adequate site for a new elementary school within the city limits would need to include major upheaval in the community by purchasing and razing currently occupied homes or small businesses.
• There may be land available outside of Winona, but access to utilities in these areas is limited, and it would require busing children out of the city. 
• This option would also result in an elementary school in excess of 700 students. The WAPS Community Task Force advised that Winona values smaller elementary schools.
• The scientific survey conducted by Morris Leatherman indicated little public support for a new elementary school. Only 8 percent of respondents said they wanted to build a new school instead of remodeling the current elementary buildings, and that number dropped by more than half when they were told of the cost and other difficulties of new construction.

With these things in mind, the Community Task Force came to a consensus that new construction would have very little chance of passing a public vote and reinvesting in the current elementary schools would result in less upheaval, would provide the district with personalized and updated learning spaces in a fiscally responsible manner.

This was one of the many options considered by the WAPS Community Task Force. There were two main reasons the task force did not put forth this plan: 

• The task force felt that the community would not support any plan that involved closing a school
• Expanding Jefferson would result in a school of approximately 600 students, which the task force felt was larger than what the community would support.
• Even with it’s larger site, expanding Jefferson to hold 600 students and provide adequate site amenities would be challenging.
   

The options considered by the WAPS Community Task Force included:

• Close Jefferson, W-K and Goodview and build one new elementary school.
• Close W-K and build a new elementary school, keep Goodview and Jefferson open with renovations/additions.
• Grade-level buildings (for example, Grades PK-K at Goodview, 1-2 at Jefferson and 3-4 at W-K) with renovations/additions at all three.
• Move the fourth grade to the middle school.
• Grades 4-6 at the middle school, Grades 7-12 at the high school.
• Return Grade 5 to the elementary school.
• Keep W-K as a district building but not as an elementary school with EC-Grade 3 at the other two elementary buildings.
• Keep W-K as a district building but not as an elementary school with grade-level buildings at Jefferson and W-K.
• Build a new high school. Move Grades K-5 to the middle school and Grades 6-8 to the current high school building. Close the elementary schools.
• Close the elementary schools and put Grades K-6 at the middle school and 7-12 at the high school. 
• Place Grades EC-K at Goodview or Jefferson, Grades 1-6 at the middle school and 7-12 at the high school.
   

The small additions to Jefferson and W-K elementary schools will bring all student activity out of the basement and on to the first and second floors. Both additions will include a new cafeteria space, which will allow art classes to be moved from the basement to the space currently reserved for the cafeteria. The main office at both buildings will be relocated to this area and an accessible entrance will be built, which will allow all students, regardless of mobility issues, to enter and exit the building in the same manner as their classmates. The second floor of the addition will include additional spaces for student support reflecting the changes in student needs and education over the last 100 years. Both W-K and Jefferson currently utilize storage areas or other less-than-ideal spaces for 1-on-1 student support, such as Title services or Minnesota Reading Corp instruction. 

Each elementary school is around 80% capacity according to a 2021 capacity analysis conducted by Wold. The task force also felt that investing in the current elementary schools would make the buildings more attractive to prospective parents and could draw more families back into the district. Being at 80% capacity will help to future proof our elementaries to handle changes in enrollment going forward.

In November of 2021, the school board approved using special levy authority to begin the process to install geothermal dehumidification systems at Jefferson and W-K to address a critical health and safety concern for students and staff and expand the possibilities of the use of the buildings. Because these projects fit specific health and safety criteria, the board prioritized making these improvements without delay. The qualification of the projects as being for health and safety meant the board could sell bonds without voter approval and did not need to include the projects in the referendum.