TheFennimoreCommunity School District will be distributing a community survey asking residents for input as it determines the best way to address the District’s facility needs.
Paper surveys will be mailed to all households in the District in mid-November. In order to save on mailing costs, the District is asking residents to take the survey online by going to www.Feedback2000. com and entering a survey code. The link and survey information will be available on the school website during mid-November.
If residents do not have Internet access, completed paper surveys can be returned to any school building or mailed to School Perceptions, P.O. Box 607, Slinger, WI 53086. Surveys should be completed before Wednesday, Dec. 6.
Individual survey results will be confidential. Surveys can be used only once. If additional surveys are needed, please call the District office at (608) 822-3243.
In addition, the district will be holding two information meetings to discuss the survey on Wednesday, Nov. 15 and Wednesday, Nov. 29, both from 6 until 7:30 p.m., in the middle/high school gym.
The Nov. 15 meeting will be recorded and available to view over the school’s YouTube channel.
Since the spring of 2023, the Fennimore School District has been diligently engaged in a facility study in close collaboration with the Board of Education, the school administrative team, Performance Services Inc. (a design/build company), and RW Baird Financial Services.
While no official decisions have been made, the study’s findings underscored the need to consider a referendum to address the identified facility needs.
The reason the district is able to consider building projects is because the previous referendum debt will be paid off 10 years early.
The potential projects under consideration are categorized into four key areas: major building systems, classrooms and support space, safety enhancements, and compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards. The estimated cost to address these critical needs is $17 million.
The survey asks residents to indicate whether they would support such a referendum, which is projected to hold the mill rate steady at 8.69.
A separate question asks residents if they would support an additional $3.5 million project to free up space for future expansion into the middle/high school.
This project involves relocating the football field and is projected to raise the mill rate to 9.03 which is below the 2022-23 mill rate.
“As a District, we are focused on ensuring success for every student and creating a culture where staff collaborates, families are engaged and students support each other,” stated Fennimore School District Administrator Jane Wonderling.
“Those goals are not possible unless we address these critical facility issues in a timely manner. We want to ensure that the community’s voice is heard and that any plans or improvements align with the needs and expectations of all stakeholders. Collaborative efforts between staff, families, students, and the broader community are vital to achieving the shared goal of educational success.”
