On Monday night, July 15, 2024, the Lake Mills Area School District (LMASD) Board of Education took formal action to finalize two referendum questions for the November 5, 2024 Fall General Election. After seriously considering community feedback and recommendations provided by the Collaborative Advisory Team (CAT) in June, the Board voted unanimously (5-0) to present school district residents with two (2) separate ballot questions related to addressing identified facility needs at all three existing schools.
The district has long been committed to preparing all students for tomorrow’s opportunities. As part of that commitment, the School Board worked to revise its Long-Range Facilities Plan to address the district’s most pressing facility needs. The Collaborative Advisory Team (CAT), a committee of more than 40 district residents (including parents, community members, local business and municipal representatives, and staff) was established to help evaluate and prioritize identified needs and recommend the proposed projects included in the November referendum questions.
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You're Invited: Information Sessions
The Board of Education and Administration are hosting three public information sessions to provide opportunities for community members to learn more about the two referendum questions. All three sessions will be held in the lower gym at Lake Mills High School from 5:30-7:00 PM on:
- Thursday, September 19
- Monday, October 14
- Thursday, October 17
Please park in the lower parking lot by the tennis courts and enter through door 6. Each session will also include an opportunity to tour the high school locations addressed in the referendum questions.
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Question #1 - District-wide Facility Improvements: $36.9M
- Requests permission to borrow up to $36.9 million to fund high priority district-wide capital maintenance, safety and energy efficiency upgrades, renovations and improvements to key areas of the high school (special education classrooms, band/choir rooms, secure entrance, bus barn), outdoor site improvements and library renovation at the middle school, and a four (4) classroom addition to the elementary school to accommodate our youngest learners.
- Not-to-exceed cost includes all construction, renovations, site improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, professional services, permitting, etc.
- If approved by voters, the district can accomplish the projects in ballot question #1 without raising the current mill rate for referendum debt because debt associated with previous facility projects has been prepaid and is continuing to drop off. This provides capacity within the current mill rate to address these needs without an increase to taxpayers.
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District-wide High Priority & Safety Items
- Upgrade LED lighting at the elementary, middle, and high schools
- Upgrade CCTV (security cameras), fire alarms, and door access controls at the entrances at the elementary, middle, and high schools
- Replace domestic water piping at the high school
- Replace selective flooring at the high school
- Replace the bleachers and elevator at the high school
- Upgrade electrical panelboard, generators, and devices at the middle and high schools
High School Auditorium Improvements
- Update stage lighting, sounds, and controls at the high school auditorium (built in 2005)
Budget: $16.7 million
4K Addition: Incorporating four new classrooms for 4-year-old kindergarten, with the potential to accommodate Early Childhood Education.
- Currently, we have four 4K sections (two morning and two afternoon), with class sizes ranging from 21 to 25 students. Recommended class sizes indicate a shift to five sections, each with 18 students.
- While discussions with the Department of Public Instruction regarding a full-day 4K program persist, no concrete plans are in place yet. Implementing this change would require the addition of two 4K teachers.
- We currently provide afternoon childcare for morning 4K students, which has been beneficial for parents with limited childcare options.
- To accommodate the 4K classes, early childhood education has been relocated to the special education space. There is currently no dedicated special education room as they are operating out of one of the 1st-grade breakout areas.
- Additionally, we are utilizing the lactation room to support a student with additional needs, while staff are using the server/network storage closet for their lactation requirements.
Budget: $5.8 million (4 classrooms total)
Renovate library space to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) student opportunities: update technology, circulation desk, book shelving, and electrical supply.
Increase office space for health room privacy and confidential meetings.
Budget: $0.6 million
- Reconfigure and expand the main entrance to improve security.
- Update the cafeteria and kitchen in the current location, and replace kitchen plumbing.
- Renovate the music classrooms (band, choir, orchestra) no expansion of the space.
- Light renovation to the existing lower gym.
- Expand classrooms to better serve students receiving special education services by renovating underused spaces. Renovate special education spaces and locker rooms to accommodate program locations, and access to restrooms, and consolidate locker room access for building security.
- We do not have sufficient or ADA-compliant access to space for students with sensory needs. Expansion and renovation of functional workspace for life skills programming, to include but not be limited to; personal hygiene, self-care, and independent living skills, as well as other privacy needs. Expansion and renovations to current areas to allow resource space for successful delivery of IEP-mandated services without disruption to other students' learning environments.
Budget: $9.3 million
The Bus Barn is in a congested area (creating safety concerns between vehicles and pedestrians) and requires repairs (dirt floors, aging garage doors, and lack of security systems).
Budget: $2.4 million (which includes the potential purchase of new property for relocation)
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Question #2 - Construction/Replacement of a New Lower Gym: $14.3M
- Requests permission to borrow up to $14.3 million to fund the replacement of the lower-level gym at the high school with a new, larger lower-level gym. This will help alleviate space issues with our community recreation and after-school programming.
- Not-to-exceed cost includes all construction, demolition, site improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment, professional services, permitting, etc.
- If approved by voters, the district can accomplish the projects in ballot question #2 with an estimated tax increase (over the current mill rate for referendum debt payments) $0.02 per $1,000 of fair market property value or $2 per year for every $100,000 of property value for approximately 20-21 years.
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Keep the current single-station upper gym and replace the smaller (single-station) lower gym with a larger (2-station) gym and support space that includes the gym lobby, bathrooms, and concessions. A larger gym offers more space for youth athletics and the broader community.
Budget: $14.3 million
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Both referendum questions address facility needs that were prioritized by the Collaborative Advisory Team (CAT) after a 14-month facilities planning process. The community-wide survey in May 2024 indicated slightly less support for the High School lower gym replacement project, so the CAT recommended the school board consider separating that project component from the other proposed projects. The school board followed this recommendation and Lake Mills voters will have the opportunity to vote on each of the proposed projects separately on the November 5th ballot.
The district has been committed to proactively refinancing and pre-paying existing debt from previous facilities projects. Aware that other high-priority facilities needs remain, this planned approach provides the district with the financial capacity (approximately $50 million) to resolve these challenges with minimal (if any) increase to the debt service portion of the current tax rate.
Due to this long-range fiscal strategy, Question #1 for $36.9M of district-wide improvements, if approved, will not increase taxes above the current tax rate for debt. If Question #2 for an additional $14.3M to replace the High School lower gym is also approved, the maximum tax increase associated with both questions is estimated to be $2 per year for every $100,000 of property value.
Each referendum question is independent and therefore, district voters can cast their ballots for each project separately. District residents may vote “yes” or “no” on each of the two questions, and the voting results of one referendum question will not impact the other. Depending on the final results, one, both, or neither referendum question(s) may be approved by voters. However, the Lake Mills school board has publicly stated that they will only move forward at this time with the lower gym replacement project (Question #2) if the district-wide facility improvements proposed (Question #1) are also approved by voters.
If neither of the proposed November 2024 referendum questions passes, the District will maintain its fiscally responsible approach to refinancing and prepaying debt as much as possible, which helps reduce overall interest costs. In this scenario, the current mill rate for debt would remain stable until the existing debt is fully paid off. However, continuing to defer known facility needs not only negatively impacts students and staff but is not a sustainable financial option, as the cost of these projects increases with each passing year. The district would most likely return to voters again with a revised project in the future as the facility needs remain unresolved.
Our gymnasiums support a wide range of activities beyond physical education classes and our student athletic programs. All of our gyms are available for community use from 5:30–7:00 a.m. and 3:30–9:30 p.m. most days, including weekends. These spaces can be reserved by the public when school is not in session. Examples include pickleball, adult volleyball and basketball leagues, club sports, and non-profit organizations. On average, the district schedules our gyms for 125 hours of use, per week.
The lower high school gym was built as an auxiliary gym in 1988 to meet the demand for expanded gym access and was not intended to be used as a competitive gym or to accommodate spectators. Because the focus was mostly on providing practice space, it was not built at the regulation height needed for volleyball, and air conditioning was not included. The wood floor consists of maple remnants instead of full pieces, which were installed directly over the concrete instead of over a subfloor system. Subsequently, the moisture from the concrete and the inability to control humidity (due to the lack of air conditioning) has caused the wood floor to buckle. A new, larger gym will alleviate these issues, provide expanded student and community use, and include public restrooms and modest spectator seating. It will not replace our varsity competition gym on the main level of the high school.
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Facilities Referendum Series
Tonya Olson, District Administrator, is writing a series to keep our families, staff, and community informed about the upcoming facilities referendum. This series will provide detailed information on the two separate ballot questions aimed at addressing the identified facility needs at all three of our existing schools. Be sure to check out these updates in the Lake Mills Leader and on the district’s website as we approach the November 5, 2024, Fall General Election.
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Tax Rate Compared to Previous Years
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| Last Updated: 10/31/24 |
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