- District
- 2022 Referendum


-
Middle School Community Tour
Community Feedback
Interested in providing feedback? Please complete this survey.
Questions? Email info@fortschools.org
Community Member Comments from 2/8/2022 Middle School Tour
"The middle school tour was very informative. I thought they may try and tell/show us why a new middle school was needed, and that definitely wasn't the case. They obviously went into reasons why they would like a new middle, and talked about how they are working with the city to plan for the city's expansion over the next 20-30 years and how they can fix some of the issues that are currently over by the high school (primarily traffic related). They also showed us how the classrooms are currently set up, and explained approximately how many students are in each room every single day. They did this to give us an understanding of how these classrooms were used 40-50 years ago, how they were used 15-20 years ago, and then transitioned into how most middle schools are being used today. They talked about wanting a space that can be flexible as far as education and community involvement goes considering that technology and teaching practices can rapidly change. The one thing that completely caught me off guard was the lack of public restrooms on the lower level where most people congregate. Unless you go to the athletic locker rooms, there is only 1 bathroom per gender on that floor, and they consist of maybe 2 toilets, and a couple of urinals for the men. Now if you compare that with the high school, you have at least 10 toilets per bathroom in the commons area, and a couple smaller bathrooms further down the other hallways. Towards the end of the tour, I specifically asked how much it would cost to renovate the current building to have it set up how they would like it. The construction contractors said that it would cost approximately 70% of what building a new middle school would cost, and it could possibly cost almost the same as building a new middle school depending on what issues they run across during the remodel." - Eric Stroup
“I appreciate the district conducting the middle school tour for the community to really get to know the building. I have been at the middle school many times, but never looked at it in terms of how the building has instructional limitations, learning environment challenges and safety concerns. It was an open forum that encouraged asking questions and dialogue. Great job to the district for creating opportunities for the community to get involved.” -Robynn Selle.
“I hadn't been in that building for many, many years. It was very helpful for me to see the building and to hear the reasons for the proposed referendum. I would encourage community members to take a tour to gain a better understanding of the needs for the proposed changes.” -Luke Bocher
Strategic Facilities Recommendation
Since 2019 the School District of Fort Atkinson has been actively engaged in a strategic facilities study and community committee. To learn more about the process and the committee, please visit our Strategic Facilities Planning page on our website. Most recently, an update was given to the Board of Education on the recommendation from the Facilities Advisory Committee. In addition, the Board was given an update on Phase 1 of the recommendation which is currently being implemented without causing an increase to taxpayers by leveraging energy savings and the annual operating budget.
In addition to the facilities study, the sunset of $3 million from the 2020 operational referendum is quickly approaching in June of 2023. During this time, the district has made an effort to control property tax increases, reallocate existing funds, and improve programs and services. However, like most districts, the School District of Fort Atkinson will again need to turn to the voters as the 2020 referendum expires.
To view the Facilities Advisory Committee’s recommendation to the Board of Education, please watch this section of the Board Meeting from October.
- Secure entrances in elementary buildings and FAHS
- New Middle School
- On the high school site
- Raze existing, restore property & hold for future use
- Potential community connections
- Cost of maintenance versus replacement
- Lifespan for necessary systems
- Accessibility/equity of services
- Evolution of programming/instructional model
Community Survey - November 2021
Thank you to the 998 community members who participated in our November 2021 Community Survey! A summary of the results will be shared at the December 13th Board of Education meeting. Please find the presentation here.
As a reminder, this community survey asked all voters to participate in the survey to evaluate the District’s needs, consider possible solutions and contribute feedback. The feedback will be used by the Fort Atkinson School Board in its planning efforts to further strengthen our District.
-
Facility Needs Background Information
In 2019, the district commissioned a facilities study that focused on its buildings and mechanical systems. The study included a review of major building components, such as boilers, air handlers, electrical systems, plumbing, windows, and roofs. A facilities advisory committee was created consisting of close to 30 community members, district leadership, and the School Board to evaluate facility needs and identify priorities for the community's consideration. The FAC met eight times in 2020-21 and spent hundreds of hours reviewing the district’s facility needs and considered eight possible options, including maintenance-only upgrades.
Although the district has an annual maintenance budget, grants, donations, and sponsorships have been used to offset the expenses of smaller projects, the costs for larger facilities-related items across the district exceed the ability to address them within the scope of the annual budget. To address the cost of many of the items outlined in the facilities plan and take advantage of historically low-interest rates, the district would need permission from the community in the form of a facilities referendum.
The Board of Education, with input from the facilities advisory committee, is considering solutions to high-priority challenges and opportunities, using a phased approach to address the items included in the long-range master plan.
Overall, SDFA facilities are well maintained and smaller projects have consistently been addressed due to investments made from the annual operating budget, the 2006 referendum for geothermal in four (4) buildings, and utilization of reserve funds. Phase 1 work is currently in progress and Phase 2 of the strategic facilities plan is currently under consideration.
Phase 1 - School Board approved in April 2021 and includes:
- Upgrades to lighting, boilers, HVAC equipment, plumbing, pool equipment, clocks, and addresses urgent maintenance items outlined in the facilities study.
- Work is being completed without an increase to taxpayers through leveraging energy savings and the annual operating budget.
Phase 2 - New Middle School, secure entrances at ALL district buildings, and urgent maintenance at elementary schools:
- The facilities needs study indicated more than $10 million would need to be spent on maintenance at the current middle school over the next 10-plus years just to keep it open.
- Current middle school was originally built in 1911 and serves approximately 650 students.
- Current middle school lacks collaboration spaces, flexible areas, and small group spaces. Schools today need a variety of learning environments to best support our students' needs.
The District is considering building a new middle school on property it owns that is between the current high school and MATC. This would result in cost-savings to taxpayers as we would not be purchasing new land, and a sharing of specialty educational facilities (tech ed, autos, theater, etc.). The land where the current middle school is located would be returned to a natural state and would remain in district ownership.
In addition, shared resources, facilities, and teachers between the high school and middle school would be extremely beneficial for our students. This campus approach would also open doors to extended community partnerships to help improve teaching and learning within our schools, and our community.
Schools today need the flexibility to provide a variety of learning environments while maintaining supervision to hands-on work areas, small group instruction, and large-group collaboration areas. These spaces also help prepare students for the real-life environments they will experience beyond graduation and in the workforce.
Besides safety and security upgrades at every building, each of the four elementary schools would have urgent needs addressed, such as ADA accessibility, along with exterior repairs such as persistent roof leaks and rusted doors and frames.
-
Operational Referendum Background Information
Since 1994, Wisconsin school districts have been funded by a combination of state aid and local property taxes.
Each school district in Wisconsin has a revenue limit created by the state budget. This limit caps the amount of money a district can receive through state aid and local property taxes.
A district’s revenue limit is directly linked to two things: enrollment and state-approved adjustments. As a result of recent gradually declining enrollment in the School District of Fort Atkinson and minimal state adjustments, the revenue limit has not kept pace with increasing inflationary costs and imposed unfunded mandates.
In Wisconsin, school boards can present an operational referendum to voters in the community. If passed, an operational referendum allows the district to raise its revenue limit authority. In Fort Atkinson, we are grateful to be operating under referendums approved by voters in 2006, 2011, 2014, 2016, and 2020. The 2020 referendum was for a total of $5.25 million, of which $3 million expires in June of 2023. During this time, the district has made an effort to control property tax increases, reallocate existing funds, and improve programs and services. However, like many districts, the School District of Fort Atkinson will again need to turn to the voters as the 2020 referendum expires.
Until Wisconsin school funding methods change, the use of operating referendums will continue to be necessary to avoid drastic cuts in programs and services. For example, in the 2021-23 State Biennial Budget there is no revenue limit or per-pupil aid increases granted to public schools during these two years.
The board continues working to balance the tradition of the district against constantly changing financial times and strategic improvements to meet the needs of our students and the desires of our community. An operational referendum is one choice the community could make so that cuts in programming would not need to be made.