Under a referendum proposal, the Kaukauna Area School District would like to close River View Middle School and build a new building for middle school students. PC: Fox 11 Online
KAUKAUNA, WI (WTAQ) — Voters in Kaukauna will make some major choices for their school district.
There’s a $198 million facilities referendum on the November 5 ballot.
If the referendum is approved, safety and security throughout the district would be updated, access would be expanded to 4k and 5k programs at Victor Haen Elementary School, additional updates would occur at Park Community Charter School, and perhaps the biggest project, a new middle school would be constructed to replace the 100 year old River View Middle School.
River View Middle School was constructed in 1923, but has seen several additions since then. Kaukauna Area School District superintendent, Mike Slowinski, says the building presents a myriad of challenges for students and staff with mobility issues.
“River View has been added on several times in its history. Because of that, it’s created spaces that are difficult to navigate,” said Slowinski. “There’s places in the current space where if students want to get from one classroom to the office on the first floor, they have to take an elevator up to the second floor, go all the way across the school, go down on a different elevator to the first floor, and make their way to the office.”
Additionally, the school sits on a site that is less than half of the size that is recommended for a school that serves nearly 1,200 students. A new building, near Kaukauna High School, would also be built with modern learning in mind; accommodating technology and fostering student collaboration.
If the referendum is approved, different projects would be completed over the course of the next 3-4 years, and a new middle school would likely open in the beginning of the 2028 school year.
The first proposal for the referendum had a cost of $220 million. This reduction lowers the estimated tax impact from $0.95 to $0.73 additionally on the mill rate per $1,000 of assessed property value.
Slowinski says the projects are needed now; adding that the replacement of River View would likely cost approximately $45 million more if a referendum was delayed until 2028 due to rising construction costs.
The district is continuing to hold information sessions leading up to the November election.
To learn more about the referendum, click here.
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