Voters Overwhelmingly Support Wauwatosa Schools Referendum

WAUWATOSA, WI -- Voters in Wauwatosa took to the polls Tuesday in support of the state's second-largest referendum.

Wauwatosa Schools Referendum - Unofficial Total

No 10,047 - 39%
Yes 15,494 - 61%

According to district figures, approval of the $124.9 million referendum will raise taxes, increasing the school portion of the mill rate by a maximum of $1.88 over the current rate. As a result, property owners will likely pay $188 more a year per $100,000 of home value.

Feelings were mixed on the Wauwatosa schools referendum. While some said it was a much-needed investment in a district that has been cash-strapped since the invocation of Act 10, others said its symptomatic of fiscal mismanagement in an era where frugality and common sense are desperately needed from the public.

Related Reading:

The Case for the Wauwatosa School Referendum

Agendas, Misdirection and the Wauwatosa Schools Referendum

Lisa M. Lawless wrote Patch earlier this month, saying that investing in new schools will save money in the long run.

"The efficiencies from improved systems and new buildings are expected to generate budgetary cost-savings that can be reinvested in school facilities. Simply renovating four elementary schools instead of replacement, although less expensive in the short term than building new, would ultimately lose that cost savings, as over time, the costs of the old structures would exceed the cost of newly-built buildings," she wrote.

Paris Procopis also wrote Patch earlier this month, saying that Wauwatosa School District officials conspired to create a situational crisis, spearheaded by for-hire advocacy agencies who would sway public opinion.

The [Wauwatosa School District's Facilities Advisory Committee] hired professional referendum hustlers, School Perceptions, a company who specializes in conducting surveys to get the desired result of a solid majority supporting school referendums. School Perceptions has recently come under fire in Cedarburg for secretly working to sway results. Needless to say, Wauwatosa was no different. School Perceptions got a strong 73 percent to 'support' a referendum for $124.9 MILLION. Funny how that works," he wrote.

For Procopis, the referendum just doesn't make fiscal sense. "As with any major project, the devil is in the details. The $124.9 million figure does not include 20 years of interest. Being generous at 4%, the price is closer to $200 million over 20 years," he wrote. "If that were not enough, passing this monstrosity would most certainly cost Wauwatosa Schools $5.4 million per year in lost state aid."

For Lawless, the referendum was the product of a thoughtful study that looked at how old buildings will need to be maintained as they get even older.

"Its buildings are aging, averaging 75 years old, with the "youngest" 50 years old. Over the years, the mechanicals of these buildings have been maintained well beyond their useful life," she wrote. "In the future, as mechanicals age-out, the risk of emergencies increases, along with the cost of repairs. The proposed projects are intended to stem those increasing costs before they exceed the District's ability to fund them."

Here are the proposed projects:

$93.5 Million

Construction of four new elementary school buildings. Lincoln Elementary School, Wilson Elementary School, McKinley Elementary School and Underwood Elementary School, all built between 1919 and 1938, would all be replaced or significantly upgraded.

$18.4 Million

HVAC systems would be upgraded and replaced at Eisenhower, Jefferson, Madison, Montessori, Roosevelt, Washington, Longfellow, Whitman, and both East and West High Schools. Boilers would be replaced at Madison, Roosevelt and Longfellow.

$8.1 Million

Classrooms would be updated with new flooring, ceilings, or walls. Classroom furniture would be updated and flexible classrooms would be created at Eisenhower, Jefferson, Madison, Montessori, Roosevelt, Washington, Longfellow, Whitman and at both East and West High Schools.

$2.5 Million

Security upgrades would take place at all schools, including upgrading entrance security, replacing exterior doors, adding classroom door barricade technology and replacing windows that have inadequate security features.

$2.4 Million

American Disability Act upgrades would happen at a variety of schools, including building access at Eisenhower, Montessori, Roosevelt and Washington. Accessibility lifts and fixtures would be added at Eisenhower, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Washington and East High School.

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