MONROE — The first of two meetings planned to collect information, hear ideas and receive feedback from the public before a possible referendum for the School District of Monroe to improve district facilities was held Jan. 8 at the Monroe Public Library.
About 45 people came out on the cold evening where District Administrator Rick Waski, Business Administrator Ron Olson and a handful of leaders from engineering and architectural firms CG Schmitt and Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP gave a presentation before taking questions.
The meeting summed up for those in attendance reasons for the project, cost estimates for three options being considered, tax impacts, district configurations, conceptual drawings, maintenance lists, a drafted project timeline and the next steps before opening the floor to questions and discussion.
The project is in early stages and the district’s plan is to start receiving community feedback by holding these meetings, as well as emailing and mailing a survey in early February with a deadline of Feb. 17. Reports will be created by School Perceptions in early March and results will be presented at the March 9 board meeting.
The survey will include six multiple choice questions and will ask about three options for the facility changes.
“We’re going to tell the story the best we can,” Waski said.
Both a 14-member district facilities committee and an elementary consolidation committee were formed in early 2019 to study 17 options for the district that were eventually reduced to five options and are now focused on three. Among the crowd of people were some participants from both committees, which were made up of community members, parents, retired persons and others.
Both groups made the same recommendation, to reduce to four buildings, which would close Abraham Lincoln Elementary School.
“All feedback is good feedback,” Waski said several times throughout the meeting. “We really need the community to give us a direction.”
One of the biggest concerns among people in attendance was the possibility of closing of Abraham Lincoln Elementary School and the impact on the community with no school on the south side of town. The district would need to look into bus transportation in town if Abe were to be razed.
Enrollment at Abe is about 190 students, versus about 350 students at both Northside and Parkside, Waski said. Impact on class size was also a question, and combining the schools would leave the class size around 20 students.
Olson said that trying to estimate and project the future of student populations has become difficult in recent years. There is no longer an annual census report because of privacy issues and although numbers are compared historically, they often see surprises. Currently, the largest class in Monroe is about 200 students and the smallest is at 132, he said.
District will ask about three options in survey
Option 1
Estimated cost: $86 million
Abraham Lincoln Elementary would close and Parkside and Northside Elementary Schools would be reconfigured into pre-kindergarten through third grade buildings. The middle school would become an intermediate school, housing grades four to six. The high school would be remodeled in combination with new construction to create a building housing seventh through twelfth graders. The middle school and high school would share certain spaces, but would have separate entrances and offices. About 144,500 square feet would be renovated and 227,000 square feet would be added to include specialty areas that would be shared by all grades.
Option 3
Estimated cost: $88 million
Abraham Lincoln would continue to operate with its current grades after undergoing extensive updates and renovations. Parkside and Northside Elementary Schools would also continue to operate as 4K through fifth grade schools and the middle school would continue as a sixth through eighth grade school. The high school would be constructed at a new site to create a 9-12 building there. The high school would be around 264,600 square feet and the existing high school would close.
Option 5
Estimated cost: $81 million
Abraham Lincoln would continue to operate as a 4K through fifth grade school but would undergo extensive updates and renovations. Parkside and Northside Elementary Schools would also continue to operate as 4K through fifth grade schools and the middle school would continue as a sixth through eighth school. The high school would be remodeled with new construction to create a 9-12 building. The process would include renovating about 144,500 square feet and adding about 191,600 square feet of space.
Monroe High School graduate and community member Nicholas Baker wondered why the district chose to spend money at Parkside school this year instead of Abe, and also questioned the lack of preventative measures taken to reduce ongoing issues at the school buildings.
“There were low cost solutions before they got higher. Some are being done — but one particular site is too far gone,” Waski said, referring to the high school.
It was also asked about the lifespan of a remodeled building versus an entirely new site, and a member from CG Schmidt said they were confident a remodel would span a life from 40 to 60 years, but said entirely new construction could see up to 80 years.
Issues at Monroe High School are vast, and include problems with the original foundation, electrical wiring, ADA compliance issues, an undersized and inefficient cafeteria, water infiltration issues, no flexible instruction areas, a lack of space and equipment in tech ed areas and a lack of fully secure entrances.
“We need the community’s feedback. The reality is — our high school building — if we keep doing repairs and fixes, it’s not going to last … The needs are acute,” Waski said.
Waski said there was no current land purchased for a possible relocation for the high school, but that is typical at this stage in planning. He said the school has budgeted $1 million for 40 acres of land, however, that option would require them to build outside of the city limits since there is no known available parcel of land in town large enough to accommodate the project.
Historically, the Monroe School District has had a mil rate running around $10-$12 and, an $86 million referendum would estimate the mil rate at $12.19. That number is higher than last year’s $9.91 but along the same average since 2010, when the mil rate was $12.45.
Abraham Lincoln has needs that range from urgent into future years totaling costs estimated at more than $3 million. Those in attendance were given a list of maintenance needs there including fire protection requirements, plumbing issues, mechanical issues, electrical issues, general building issues and more. Some immediate needs are fixing wall leaks, waterproofing the foundation and replacing the original electrical service, data cabling and ground wiring.
If Abraham Lincoln were to close, Olson said they would look to reduce employees and staff through attrition and would be responsive to resignations and retirements as the project moved forward.
If a referendum were to be approved and also passed, the project timeline — for any of the options — is looking at completion in September of 2023. Waski said working around construction could be an issue during that time and if the option to remodel the high school was approved, noise and other factors could play a role.
Waski said the digital presentation detailing the options would be made available on the district website and that he and Olson are willing to field questions and listen to ideas from anyone willing to share.
The next informational meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Monroe Public Library.