School Board approves $113,700,00 referendum for April ballot

The New Richmond School District will be going to referendum in April for the first time since 2007 when the district passed what was at that time the most expensive referendum in Wisconsin's history at $93 million.

That referendum included the construction of a new high school. This time around, the referendum will ask for an amount not to exceed $113,700,000 for “the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and facility improvement project consisting of: construction of additions and renovations at Starr and Paperjack Elementary Schools and the Middle School; district-wide safety and capacity, building infrastructure and site improvements; and the acquisition of associated furnishings, fixtures and equipment.”

At a meeting, Monday, Jan. 15, School Board members unanimously approved first the resolution authorizing the issuance of General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $113,700,000, then a resolution to place a referendum question on the ballot in April.

“I just want to thank all of these community members, so much involvement, so many volunteer hours. I think we got to a really good place …We listened and have put together the recommendation in front of you this evening,” said Superintendent Dr. Troy Miller. 

The approvals brought to a conclusion more than ten months of work by the 47-member Facilities Core Planning Team facilitated by representatives from Wold Architects. 

“This board prides itself on collaboration. We’ve worked really hard and we've listened to the community on this issue. It’s no surprise the number of people that wanted to be involved. We have a good feel for where this community stands at this point.” said School Board President Schafer. “I too want to thank the community on behalf of the board and the members of the board that participated in this as well. It’s quite an undertaking.”  

The District now faces the challenging task of educating voters about what a vote in favor of the referendum encompasses and how that will impact voters’ wallets.

In another unanimous vote Monday night, board members approved a contract to partner with Rural Virtual Academy (RVA) to provide comprehensive virtual learning options for students beginning in the 2024-25 school year. 

“We listened to public comments at our last board meeting which were very positive to pursue this,” Schafer said. “We’ve had several other meetings to look at the financial aspects of this and with that being positive, it’s an opportunity to offer our students other options including our home schooled kids and maybe draw other students into our district to attend school here.” 

Director of Student Services, Kathy Rogers, pointed out that students enrolled in RVA would have access to social services and mental health services as well as hearing and vision screening as are available to in-classroom students.