Wausau School District. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Leaders in the Wausau School District are holding a public information session on the proposed $120 million referendum question that will be put to voters on April 5th.
Superintendent Keith Hilts says the session will allow residents to get more information about the proposal and what’s included, which he hopes will allow them to make the best choice for themselves or their children, who will be using the buildings for years to come. “The community has been really good to us. They built these schools, and we want to make sure they are always in a state of high-quality repair.
“I don’t tell people to vote yes, I just give them the information,” he added.
Tuesday’s session begins at 5 PM at John Muir Middle School with district leaders giving a brief presentation from 5:30-6 PM. Residents will then have a chance to ask questions about the referendum process and why the district chose to prioritize the projects that they did.
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John Muir and Wausau West will see the lion’s share of the work if the referendum passes. Other buildings will get security upgrades, and the school forest will receive updated learning space.
The latest version is a slimmed-down package compared to the $180 million proposal that was floated late last year. That proposal would have brought added gymnasium and cafeteria space to some elementary schools and air conditioning to all buildings that are currently without that feature. Those items were stripped out as the board debated whether to move forward with a bigger question or to go for a smaller one that they felt had a better chance of passing so at least some work on the list gets completed.
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Additionally, the project calls for some district-wide improvements such as the installation of FieldTurf at some athletic fields along with the installation of lights.
Voters shot down referendum proposals during the 2020 Presidental election and the 2021 spring election but did pass a smaller staffing referendum during the latter.
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