School districts in the Fox Cities had a rough time with referendum questions Tuesday.
All three that asked voters for more money for building projects heard “No” for an answer. They’re the Neenah, Kaukauna, and Freedom districts.
Neenah’s referendum was the district’s first building question in 24 years. It also had the biggest price tag in the Fox Cities, at almost $130 million.
Superintendent Mary Pfeiffer says the school board will have to talk about how to move forward. She says their needs aren’t going away.
Administrators believe the price tag for projects will go up by 4-1/2 percent, because of rising construction costs.
The referendum asked for money to replace Shattuck Middle School with a new building, and renovate the elementary schools.
It’s the second time Freedom voters are shooting down a proposal for a new high school.
The school board lowered the cost of the initial plans to a $56 million question.
The first referendum, in November of 2017, asked for 67 million.
District Administrator Kevin Kilstofte says they’re a little disappointed that the community didn’t share their vision, but they respect the vote.
Kilstofte thinks the school board will not move forward with more talks on how to deal with the district’s space needs. He says the issue won’t go away without a community-backed solution.
Kaukauna’s school board was asking for nearly $33 million.
The proposals included renovating River View Middle School and the four elementary schools.
Superintendent Mark Duerwaechter says they spent several years looking at their buildings and the future. He says they certainly believe in the solutions, and now they’re being challenged to look at things a bit differently in the future.
Duerwaechter says they ask students to learn and grow from disappointment and challenges. He says now it’s time for the adults to do the same.
