The Rhinelander Daily News - Online news and information for the Rhinelander, Wisconsin region

Many questions have been posed about the Rhinelander School District’s April referendum. Below are the answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions and concerns, with information provided by the school district.

Why does the school district want to construct new classrooms when it just closed three schools a few years ago?

The decision to sell the Newbold, Pine Lake and West buildings was based on financial factors. The district saved $9.9 million in operating costs by closing these buildings. These cuts were necessary after the community voted not to support a referendum for additional operating costs to support these buildings.

The buildings were sold at a fair market value.

According to a local professional appraiser, “The average sale price of $7.25 per square foot is above the mean sale price identified across the northern two-thirds of the state.”

The proposed elementary school additions total 22,000 square feet and are necessary due to the loss of approximately 120,000 square feet of space when those three buildings were closed.

The additional facilities at the secondary level are designed to meet the needs of the changes in school activities and physical education. For more than 30 years the district has tried to upgrade the activities facilities. When the buildings were put up in the 1950s they were designed for a program with fewer activities than we have today.

How will the money be used?

The largest part of the referendum, approximately $17.3 million, will be used for deferred maintenance including plumbing, painting, ceilings, electrical, HVAC, floor replacement, roofs etc. The SDR is past the point where the cost of deferred maintenance projects far exceeds what their replacement costs would have been if they had been completed in a timely manner.

See Referendum, Page 3A

There are countless examples throughout the district where hardware for doors, parts for HVAC equipment, motors, etc. simply cannot be found when repairs are needed. Roofs need repair and the appearance of the buildings must be updated.

The additions and renovations to Pelican, Crescent and Central elementary schools will cost approximately $3.3 million.

The remodeling and renovations at JWMS will cost approximately $500,000.

The remodeling and renovation at Rhinelander High School will cost approximately $1.5 million and the addition of the gym multi-purpose facility will cost $9.4 million.

The need for increasing the number of practice gyms, replacing an inefficient and inadequate pool, creating dedicated spaces for music and art, new and updated computer labs, media centers, and safety concerns such as bus turn-arounds are all part of the additions and renovations.

What is the condition of the HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems at our schools?

The high school is 50 years old and still has the original unit ventilators, ceilings, and light fixtures. They are without suspended acoustical ceilings and in-ceiling light fixtures. The gym, locker rooms, auditorium and pool all need new equipment and improved ventilation.

Computers and technical equipment will operate more efficiently with air conditioning. Plumbing, piping, and in some cases the fixtures are 50 years old and need to be replaced.

Central and Crescent have some unit ventilators in classrooms without air conditioning that are noisy and that need to be replaced with modern central air handling systems.

Pelican has a fiber board duct distribution system that is falling apart.

The middle school has had air conditioning since it was built but needs to be upgraded with modern controls and air handling units.

There is old lighting and circuit breaker panels that need to be replaced and updated security and cameras need to be provided.

New electrical services are needed at Crescent, Pelican and Central to handle air conditioning loads and correct code issues.

Exterior lighting needs to be enhanced for safety and security.

The District has maintained the facilities well but some of our buildings require major expenditures to upgrade and replace systems that are old and outdated and not capable of meeting our needs for environmental comfort and modern code compliance in regards to Life Safety, ADA and air quality standards. Buildings that are 40-50 years old need to be updated and repaired.

What are the objectives of the strategic plan?

The three strategic planning objectives include:

1. Securing the school district’s financial future through planning and partnerships. One of the items in the financial future is the facility needs assessment and upgrades.

2. Provide innovative opportunities for individual academic success.

3. Secure a trusting school/community relationship through effective communication systems

The Board of Education has earmarked $650,000 from the sale of the previous schools for the implementation of the Strategic Plan. This money could be used to fund a portion of the facility project or to invest in the other initiatives to complete the strategic plan. These funds are held in the district account.

What is the final plan and why?

The Board of Education has approved a four-question referendum.

Question No.1 requests authority to borrow funds to provide for deferred maintenance issues such as roofs, locker rooms, bathroom shortages, heating/cooling deficiencies, and building renovations/additions to allow students to have dedicated space for PreK 4 classrooms, smaller class sizes in grades 1-3, computer labs, art/music rooms, and to construct a multipurpose facility.

Question No. 2 requests authority to levy taxes for the additional operating expenses associated with the renovated/new spaces identified in Question No. 1.

Question No. 3 requests authority to borrow funds to construct a new pool.

Question No. 4 requests authority to levy taxes for the additional operating costs associated with the new pool identified in Question No. 3.

A more expansive list of questions and answers can be found on the Rhinelander School District’s Web site: www.rhinelander.k12.wi.us.

Tell us what you think...

Comments »

Greg wrote on Mar 10, 2008 10:28 AM:

" I urge everyone to vote yes, but I am a realist. Rhinelander never passes referendums mainly because the main body of voters are elderly and retired. They are on fixed incomes and continuous tax increases are harder on them than the rest of us. Therefore, we have to make sure that the elderly and retired persons we know understand the referendum. If they don't, they will most likely vote no. I urge you all to get out and let these voters know what they are paying for and why it needs to be done. This is the only way the referendum will pass. "

Traci wrote on Mar 10, 2008 7:54 AM:

" This is a wonderful article to see, hopefully it will end the speculation that this is all for sports. As you can see, its mainly for upgrades and safety of the children. The pool and feildhouse will be an added benefit for the whole community. I urge everyone to vote YES, and not make our children victims. "

The comments above are from readers. In no way do they represent the views of the Rhinelander Daily News.