The planning process has included assessing our facilities, working with staff, and engaging the community to determine priorities, needs and potential solutions. Over the last 12 months, the planning process has included:

• February 2023 - Received preliminary facility assessment from independent consultant (Nexus Solutions)

• March 2023 - Reviewed facility assessment with Nexus Solutions and our Buildings, Property, and Transportation (BPT) Committee

• June 2023 - Approved Partnership Development Agreement with Nexus Solutions

• July 2023 - Kicked off comprehensive facility assessment

• August-October 2023 - Nexus met with administration and staff to gather input on current facility challenges

• October 2023 - Completed comprehensive facility assessment and presented report to the BPT Committee and Board of Education

• November 2023 - Presented comprehensive facility assessment report to the Board of Education, prioritized needs, and developed potential solutions

• December 2023 - Conducted a community survey of 400 randomly selected constituents through an independent survey firm (Morris-Leatherman Company)

• January 2024 - Presented community survey results to Board of Education, discussed solutions, and Board adopted the resolution for referendum

The areas assessed included aging infrastructure and focused on defining a fiscally-responsible solution for addressing our needs.

In January 2024, this comprehensive approach helped the Board of Education finalize the details of the operational and capital referendums as part of a long-term plan.

Shall the Richland School District, Richland County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $2,300,000 for the 2024-2025 school year, by $2,400,000 for the 2025-2026 school year, by $2,500,000 for the 2026-2027 school year and by $2,600,000 for the 2027-2028 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of expenses related to ongoing educational programming, to pay compensation, and to sustain District operations?

Shall the Richland School District, Richland County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $27,160,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school facility improvement project consisting of: district-wide safety, security and site improvements and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance updates; remodeling and upgrades to District technical education space; roofing improvements at the High School; district-wide capital maintenance, infrastructure and HVAC improvements, including adding air conditioning to the school buildings where needed; auditorium upgrades; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?

• An OPERATIONAL referendum question asks voters to approve additional funding to maintain things like small class sizes, and retain positions that support students but might otherwise be cut due to budget, and allow us to offer competitive wages. Funds secured are intended to be used within the year they are received.

• A CAPITAL referendum question asks voters to approve the district issuing debt to pay for major building projects, such as maintenance or remodeling. Similar to a home mortgage, a capital referendum is typically financed over an extended period of time, often 20 years. In this referendum, our capital projects focus on improving safety, security, accessibility (ADA), heating, ventilation, air conditioning, windows, roofs, parking lots, and auditorium acoustics.

Like many school districts in Wisconsin, decreasing state aid and rising costs have limited Richland’s ability to fully address facility and operational needs within its annual budget.

• Inflationary pressures affect all sectors, and education is no exception. To retain and attract quality staff, it is crucial that we provide fair and competitive compensation so we can continue providing the best education for our students.

• Richland School District’s current maintenance budget cannot accommodate the costly replacement of outdated infrastructure, including mechanical and electrical systems, plumbing, and roofing.

• Our facility needs have been prioritized based on extensive feedback from the community and staff, resulting in a proactive plan to address them and prevent costly emergency repairs. Waiting even one year to complete the proposed maintenance and remodeling work could increase costs by an estimated 5% or $1,358,000.

• Because of ongoing management of the District’s finances, Richland School District has maintained a stable mill rate over the last three years which has also been lower than most of the surrounding districts.

The Operational Referendum focuses on supporting our day-to-day operations over the next four years. Its primary objective is to attract and retain quality staff, and includes retaining 5.5 critical positions that would otherwise need to be reduced.

The Capital Referendum addresses priority needs in our facilities to create safer, more comfortable, and technologically advanced learning environments. Key components of this plan include improvements to safety, security, and accessibility, updates to learning spaces, and necessary repairs and maintenance throughout our buildings and sites.

Primary School (PS):

• Add air conditioning

• Repair sinking foundation beneath Kindergarten classroom

• Update Gym, Music and Art spaces

• Modify traffic flow for safe bus drop-off and pick-up and expand parking

Intermediate School (IS):

• Add air conditioning

• Update Music, IMC, Special Education, and Cafeteria

• Reconfigure bus and car traffic and add fencing extension

High School (HS):

• Upgrade auditorium lighting, audio, video, and stage

• Expand and update CTE spaces and infrastructure, including Agriculture, Welding, Construction and Auto labs

Districtwide:

• Upgrade safety and security systems (emergency generators, technology, cameras, card access)

• Address accessibility deficiencies in bathrooms, classrooms, and exterior walkways to meet ADA codes

• Replace deteriorating building and site systems prioritized by school (ventilation, plumbing, roofing, windows doors, asphalt, concrete)

• Upgrade select heating and cooling systems (ex. data room)

• Replace aging furniture, lighting, ceilings, casework, and flooring

We strive to manage taxpayer dollars wisely, and have been intentional and careful in our planning.

• Question 1 is for a non-recurring expense that would support operations over the next four years. If approved, it would result in NO tax increase.

• Question 2 is for a 20-year bond that would address priority facility needs. If approved, it would result in an estimated tax increase of $14.76 per month based on an average Richland School District property worth $161,000.

If these referendums are not approved, our Board of Education will have to review options to meet these needs, as they cannot be addressed within current annual budgets. This would include assessing expenditures for staffing, classroom programming and materials, and co-curricular needs.

The District’s facilities would continue to face safety and accessibility challenges without ADA-compliant bathrooms, pay more for emergency repairs to aging infrastructure (leaky roofs and failing systems), lose out on long-term energy savings (windows and lighting). It would also require additional costs and/or time to support insufficient internet and tech ed spaces, as well as our aging auditorium.

Although interest rates are still near historic lows, construction costs are increasing. Waiting even one year to complete this prioritized work could increase costs by an estimated 5% (or $1,358,000).

Since 2011 state aid to Wisconsin schools has not kept up with inflation, making it more difficult to fund prioritized needs for both facility maintenance and operations within the District’s annual budget. Question #1 is an Operational Referendum that would be used for annual costs that are no longer fully supported through state dollars, and prevent staffing cuts at Richland School District.

A state-imposed revenue limit places a ceiling on school funds available, resulting in Wisconsin schools utilizing referendums to address improvement projects. Richland School District compiled life expectancies for many of its building systems and learned that several are overdue for replacement. Addressing the facility's needs now prevents unexpected, costly repairs and removes the continued deterioration and interruptions to students and staff during the school day.

• Register to vote at myvote.wi.

• Learn more about voting absentee by mail.

• Election day voting is April 2, 2024. Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm at the municipal buildings for each location.

• Absentee ballots can be requested beginning March 12 ( three weeks prior to the election).

• Early in-person voting runs from March 19–29, 2024.

Symons is NOT part of this referendum. Discussions on how our District could partner with the Symons Recreation Complex Foundation to provide new programming opportunities are ongoing and the Richland School District will continue to work with the City, County, and community to help find sustainable solutions for Symons.

Referendum Question # 2 specifically states what projects the money can be used for, which means it is bound by law.

In the last year, more than 20 students have returned to the Richland School District, and we are continuously seeking ways to maintain the best educational experience for current and future students – including staff and programming. This investment will improve our facilities and support educational standards which, in turn, will continue to attract more students.

Due to the decline in Wisconsin’s school funding over the last 20 years, many maintenance projects have been deferred, or postponed, to maintain staff and educational programming. These maintenance needs have not gone away, they have only gotten more expensive.

For example, the cost of repairing our High School roof alone is $4,000,000. In saving just for that expense, we would need to cut $200,000/year in staff and programming (not including other roofs, parking lots, etc.). Addressing these building needs separately keeps the District’s budget focused on instructional costs and retaining critical staff.

1- The District is applying for a major Charter School grant that would fund most PARTNER expenses over the next five years. This grant money, which could ONLY be allocated toward PARTNER expenses, would allow the District to leverage state money instead of local tax dollars to benefit our local students.

2- Because the program is so new, we want to continue to assess the student needs as the program grows. By waiting to understand how program needs develop over the next few years, we can be sure that the improvements we do make will support student needs well into the future, and will be a better long-term investment for the District and taxpayers.

The tax rate is unlikely to go down with a NO vote. The Board has indicated they would stabilize the mill rate and continue to prepay debt (called defeasance). This strategy has already created over $500,000 in savings for the District over the life of the 20-year bonds. Defeasance is the only way a District can stabilize its mill rate (e.g. we could not use the money for any other purpose, such as the wage increases a YES vote would imply). Defeasance was discussed at a recent board meeting and you can view the recorded discussion here.