ELKHART LAKE, Wisc. — Run-down locker rooms, worn-out gyms, and rusty lockers just scratch the surface of what needs updating and replacing at the Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah School District.
I took a tour of the schools with District Administrator Adam Englebretson who pointed out problem areas on the Resorter campus.
"Our school district hasn't had a facility referendum in 36 years,” he noted.
“This is a process that the school board has been working on for the last two years and has really done its due diligence…looking at those immediate focus areas and then addressing those issues."
As of April, the district is debt-free. Now it’s asking voters to approve a$39.6 million referendum this election cycle.
Electrical, plumbing, and HVAC systems all need replacement.
Some teachers I met said it’s hard to lead a classroom over the loud hum of the outdated AC.
"It can get really loud and you can't hear people talking," explained fifth grader Adalind Stecker.
"It's very hot,” added fellow fifth grader AJ Tegen. “You have to have the windows open 24/7…even in the winter."
Parent Mike Koehler knows it all too well. He went to the schools too, where he now coaches basketball.
"I don't know that anyone is asking for the Taj Mahal exactly. We're just asking for voter support,” he said.
The other major part of this referendum proposes building the middle school onto the existing high school building, so students won't have to walk nearly 10 minutes just to attend their exploratory classes.
"That transition takes additional time of the day that you could gain those minutes back in instruction and get going in the classroom,” explained Teacher and Assistant Principal of the Elementary and Middle Schools Chris Petrie.
In the winter, Tegen said, “It'd be hard to walk because sometimes the sidewalk isn't shoveled."
A separate, future referendum would propose the 1938 elementary school be moved to the middle school site, and the old building be torn down.
Watch: Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah students and staff looking for voter support.
“I feel our school teaches a lot and [it shows through] how well we behave,” said Stecker. She thinks the place in which she learns should reflect that.
If this 2024 referendum passes, residents would pay $2.37 per $1,000 of their home value.
A home valued at $100,000 would see a property tax impact of $237 per year or $19.75 per month.
“We have a lot of school spirit,” insisted Tegen.
"I'm a passionate Resorter,” Koehler agreed. “And I want to see what's best for the school and the community.”
Find out where to vote, what's on your ballot, and much more on TMJ4's elections page here.
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