MONROE — The School District of Monroe held its ceremonial groundbreaking for the new high school on May 14. The event was attended by more than 100 people, including students, former school board members, alumni and representatives of the project.

Students in band and choir sang during the ceremony, and several speakers took to the microphone, including district superintendent Rodney Figueroa, Mayor Donna Douglas, City Administrator Brittney Rindy. Other speakers included Olivia Otte, Green County Development Corporation, Dan Chovanec, CG Schmidt Construction, Steven Kieckhafer, Plunkett Raysich Architects and school board president Rich Deprez. 

An $88 million referendum was passed by voters in November 2022, which established there would be a new high school built on a new site, as well as almost $3.5 millions in improvements at Abraham Lincoln Elementary school. The new MHS campus is 70 acres and resides on the city’s far east side along 31st Avenue. The current construction  timeline predicts the project will be completed in time for the start of the 2026-27 school year. Site construction will begin in earnest over the next few weeks.