Voters to weigh in on $59M Everest school referendum

WESTON, Wis. – The DC Everest school board will be putting a $59 million dollar facilities improvement plan to a referendum this April.

The school board approved the plan at a meeting Wednesday night. Superintendent Kristine Gilmore says the total impact for residents would be an increase of about $36 in property taxes for the average $150,000 home.

“We really feel that it’s important to find a balance between people’s ability to pay and the needs of the district,” Gilmore said.

District officials and community members have been conducting a long term facilities study to determine the needs of students and staff as the district’s schools and buildings age. A number of the district’s buildings are getting cramped, thanks to increased enrollment.

“This is really about adding additional classrooms at the elementaries and the senior high, configuring our spaces so that it works better,” Gilmore said.

A recent survey also found that a number of the district’s oldest buildings are also in need of accessibility improvements, including the Junior High and Rothschild Elementary.

The district is also looking to improve technical education and jobs training with some of the funding.

“We’ve been meeting with our business partners about what their needs are for their future employees so we can really meet the needs of our community,” Gilmore said.

The referendum is coming on the heels of a $25 million dollar borrowing agreement with the state to work on energy efficiency in the district. That funding can only be used to replace aging HVAC, lighting, heating, and air conditioning units.

District officials will be distributing more detailed information about the proposed improvements in the coming weeks