WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. – The Whitefish Bay School Board approved a motion for a $135.6 million referendum that is now one step closer to appearing on the April 7 ballot.
From the school board's outline, the referendum would fund construction of a new middle school, estimated to cost about $68 million, along with districtwide upgrades for infrastructure, safety, security and accessibility that would cost $88.3 million.
"These need to be done. These schools are 80 to 100 years old. They weren't meant for 2026 living," school board member Kristin Bencik-Boudreau said.
The board also projected that this referendum option would pull an additional $20.4 million from school district funding, bringing the total project cost to about $156 million.
Watch: Whitefish Bay School Board approves motion for $135.6 million referendum for April ballot
"By strategically leveraging existing district funding sources alongside the referendum, we are intentionally limiting the amount asked of taxpayers while still delivering a comprehensive solution," school board member Lynn Raines said.
When it came time for public comment, residents at the meeting were largely supportive.
"The schools are an asset to our community that really need investment, and our students need the best we can give them. And I really think that what we heard today was a good reason why the option chosen was a very good option," resident Anne Kearney said.
Some hesitations were raised, including concerns about whether the referendum addresses class sizes.
"Putting out a big referendum. It doesn't address class sizes or teacher pay, which I think is a lot more impactful. Not against what they're asking for, but would like them to consider some additional measures," parent, Jacob Narens said.
School leaders say the decision now rests with voters.
"The public will be surprised by this. This is a lot as everyone knows, and so we need to make sure that, as [the board] said, this is a need of the school. Everyone needs to believe this is a need," parent Yi Wu said.
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