WATERFORD — In just two weeks, voters in Waterford will be asked if they support or oppose the most expensive school referendum in the state on the February ballot.
It’s the third straight year the Waterford Union School District has asked voters for more money. This time the district is hoping for a different outcome.
For Amanda Kozminski, it’s a crucial investment in her kids’ future that Waterford voters keep turning down.
“They’re all in elementary school right now, but they’ll be in high school eventually and I would like them to go to a nice high school,” she said.
For the past two years, a majority of voters said ‘no’ to a $20 million referendum to update Waterford Union High School’s 65-year-old building.
“The gym has buckets hanging catching leaks,” Kozminski said.
Now the district is giving it a third try.
“I think what they’re doing is just tax us to death,” Mark Galaszewski said.
Galaszewski can’t believe school leaders are asking for nearly five times more.
“$91 million is an awful lot of money,” he said. “I just don’t think that we need all the improvements that they’re talking about.”
School district superintendent Luke Francois took TMJ4 on a tour inside the high school to explain why the district is asking for extra funding. It would come with a $300-$400 increase in annual property taxes for the average homeowner.
He says examples are all over. From areas in the school lacking wheelchair accessibility to not having a single fire sprinkler in the entire building.
“So we would need to bring in up to code and up to date fire safety security for our students and staff as well,” Francois said.
The referendum calls for $77 million to update aging infrastructure inside the building and another $14 million to address issues outside, including sports fields.
"What we learned through that process is they no longer wanted to take small bites of this larger project off over time,” Francois said. “They wanted to get this all done in one fell swoop so we don’t keep coming back to the taxpayers time and time again for a referendum.”
The push comes at a time when Department of Public Instruction data suggests fewer Wisconsin voters are in support of school referendums. Just 55 percent passed last year, down from 80 percent the year before and 72 percent over the last decade.
Other districts like Kenosha and Cudahy are choosing to consolidate schools rather than go back to voters this spring for more funding.
“Is that concerning when you say this is a high stakes decision?” TMJ4 reporter Ben Jordan asked.
“Yeah, it is concerning,” Francois replied. “We are coming out of some really historic times with inflation and so forth and it probably wasn’t the best time to ask the question, but the needs are still there.”
Francois says the alternative of building a brand new school would cost taxpayers twice as much money. He says if this referendum doesn’t pass, voters will see another one as soon as next year.
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