MONROE — The Monroe School District will gather information from citizens while making plans for a possible referendum to improve school district facilities this year.
Ron Olson, business administrator of the district, said the survey will be sent out to district residents approximately Jan. 15. While survey questions are currently still being finalized, Olson said there are key points for which the district wants community input.
“Are people comfortably continuing to have the high school at its current location?” Olson said. “Would people rather have us build a new high school rather than remodel? How do people feel about the option to go down to four buildings?”
Olson said the school board has considered an $85.9 million concept that would reduce the number of district buildings to four. It would raze Abe Lincoln Elementary School, turn the middle school into an intermediary facility for fourth through sixth graders and the high school would be significantly modified to create a joint middle school/high school.
During its discussions, the board has discussed a second concept costing $81 million that would keep Abe Lincoln Elementary School open, maintaining the neighborhood elementary school concept currently employed in the district. Included in this option would be significant renovations to the high school. The $81 million option maintains five buildings in the district, but loses the efficiencies that would be gained by removing a building from the district.
Olson said “many people like the recommended plan,” which is the $85.9 million concept. The survey will help the school board narrow its planning between the two options.
Important factors the district has to consider is that Abraham Lincoln Elementary School is in rough condition and requires extensive remodeling, if not replacement. There are similar difficulties at the high school where drainage problems exist and the school board has planned to add more acreage to the campus to improve outdoor facilities.
Prior to past referendums, the school board found community surveys helpful. Sending out the survey this month allows the district to work inside its timeframe of putting a referendum question on the November 2020 ballot.
Olson said the district is working out ways to allow for both electronic and paper survey responses, which will have security instruments that ensure each district resident is allowed only one response.
“The gist of the survey is to understand what people like or don’t like,” Olson said. “We want to be able to understand where the community stands … We’re just getting guidance as to what the public wants us to do.”
Olson said the survey results would be collected in February, processed and be ready for school board consideration in March.
The board is holding informational meetings on the concepts at 7 p.m. Jan. 8 and Feb. 11 at the Monroe Public Library. Information on the concepts were included in a newsletter to district residents in late December.