MONROE — The School District of Monroe on March 28 agreed to ask voters to approve a roughly $88 million bond issue to build a new high school, improve the middle school and to fund other major upgrades to district facilities.
“We have to go to the community and say ‘will you give us permission’,” to issue bonds to cover the planned improvements, Business Manager Ron Olson told the board, before it voted unanimously to proceed.
The move follows years of research and surveys on the various options, including, at one point, the idea of combining the middle and high school into one remodeled building that would share common areas, such as athletics. Now, though, a new high school is in the cards, along with major upgrades to the middle school.
It would be the largest referendum in the district’s history. The issue will appear on the November ballot. But the exact plan — and referendum question — still being finalized.
“Were the referendum to pass, there would be final design of the project and bid proposals on the various aspects of the work to be completed that would alter the estimates of various line items,” said Olson. “Total costs would need to fall within the scope and overall cost of the referendum.”
The general costs, though, according to Olson, break down as follows:
● Land acquisition, land development including grading and elevation work, foundation excavation, storm water controls, parking lots, extension and installation of utilities to the site, final landscaping; and other expenses $7 million
● Land development, final landscaping, infrastructure and equipment for outdoor athletic facilities and fields $7.5 million
● Demolition of existing high school and restoration of existing HS site $2.5 million
● Abraham Lincoln bathrooms, mechanicals and lighting upgrades $2.3 million
● Cost of high school construction and equipping building $68.7 million.
Though referendum questions put to voters in recent years were smaller, they were both approved by voters.
The district last went to a referendum in 2021 when voters approved a measure to spend $5.6 million to address issues at Northside Elementary School including maintenance, HVAC code compliance and safety updates.
The district also went to a referendum in 2019 and was successful with both questions on that ballot. The first was a request to exceed the revenue cap by $1.5 million annually for five years beginning in the next school year and continuing through 2023-24. The funding was targeted used for operational expenses, from technology to curriculum to programming. The second question that time around asked that the district be allowed to borrow $3.36 million over two years in general obligation bonds.
Funds were targeted largely to Parkside Elementary School. Projects include badly needed maintenance, HVAC improvements, electrical infrastructure upgrades, bathroom updates to be compliant with accessibility laws and a new fire sprinkler system.