Frequently Asked Questions

A referendum is a vote on a policy or financial question referred to the general electorate by a government body, including a school board. Wisconsin school districts are permitted to seek two primary types of referendum questions:

• Districts use facilities referenda to seek voter approval to incur debt to pay for school construction and capital maintenance projects.  
• An operational referendum is sought by a district that needs voter approval to set a tax levy in excess of the state-imposed revenue limit to pay for operational expenses like academic programming, student services, and other day-to-day operating costs. Operational referenda can either be recurring (increased levy authority is ongoing) or non-recurring (increased levy authority sunsets at some point in the future, as specified in the referendum language.

https://youtu.be/oqbC42_z-mw<

The school board convened the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) in January 2022 to assist the board with evaluating our current facility needs and future planning.  The CAC, comprised of sixteen community members, met bi-weekly to review the 2020 Facility Study, discuss current needs and consider future planning for the district.  
After several months of review and discussion, the CAC created a community survey sharing a proposed building plan for the middle/high school that would address an aging building with undersized classrooms and support areas and address the space needs at the elementary school.  The survey was mailed to all district residents in October 2022.  There were 478 respondents which is a 23% response rate (typical survey response rate is 18-20%).  In November 2022, School Perceptions shared the results of the survey at a community meeting.  The community survey results are also posted on the district website. 

The survey results showed that 82% of parents and 54% of non-parents would support a $49.7 million referendum for a like-new renovation/addition project.  School Perceptions did an additional analysis by weighting the two groups and found an overall weighted support of 61% in favor of the $49.7 million referendum plan.  Based on the survey results and analysis, the CAC recommended that the school board consider placing the referendum plan on the April 4th election ballot for the district residents to cast a vote.

The middle/high school building is structurally sound, and the site can support further expansion which makes a major addition/renovation a good long-term, cost effective solution. The planned addition (new construction) is approximately 67,500 sq. ft. and will include modern, right-sized learning spaces and resources. The remaining portion of the existing building is approximately 102,600 sq. ft. and will be renovated to modernize, right-size, and update the building with a consistent look throughout. The combination of new spaces and updated existing spaces creates a cohesive “like new” solution to meet the needs of the district.  This plan extends the life of the middle/high school building well into the future.  
For more specifics, please see the recommended plan on the district website.

The project will be completed in phases through the fall of 2026.  The tentative phasing schedule is:
Design Phase: May 2023-Mid-2024
Construction Phase 1: Mid-2024-Summer 2025 - to include building the academic and music additions, the building and grounds addition, parking on north side
Construction Phase 2: Summer 2025-Summer 2026 - to include demolition of existing music, F&CE, library and classrooms, renovation of existing classrooms, building the library, cafeteria and kitchen additions, building middle school addition
Construction Phase 3: Summer 2026 - to include renovating existing classrooms, cafeteria/kitchen spaces, art, tech ed, computer labs, district offices

To ensure minimal disruption to students and staff, the design and construction teams have developed a phasing plan to minimize disruption to students and staff.  After Phase 1 is complete, students and staff will move into the new additions to allow for the old spaces to be demolished or renovated in Phase 2.  During Phase 2, areas will be blocked off within the school building but access between the new addition and the existing classrooms will remain open to allow for students to move freely between classes.  With each phase, the appropriate safety precautions will be taken to ensure the safety of our students and staff while construction is taking place.

The elementary school was built before the 4-year-old kindergarten program was added to our district.  This program requires additional classrooms to be used which were not part of the original building design in 2003.  In addition, we are committed to keeping class sizes small and providing areas to better serve our students with special needs.  At this point, we have turned all available spaces into classrooms, including the teachers’ lounge and storage rooms. 

The sixth grade students moving to the middle/high school building will provide additional classroom spaces at the elementary school.  Additionally, sixth grade is traditionally considered a middle school grade level in terms of adolescent maturity.  Being part of a 6-8 middle school will allow them to experience a wider range of class offerings.  Currently, physical education, choir and band teachers travel to the elementary school to teach sixth grade which would no longer be necessary if sixth grade is in the middle/high school building.  If the referendum passes, the sixth grade would move to the middle school building beginning the fall of 2026.

Yes, the CAC explored the option of building a new middle/high school.  The estimated cost is between $80-$85 million to build a new building with similar capacity and programming spaces.  Under Wisconsin State Statute 67.03, the maximum allowable outstanding debt for a school district cannot exceed 90% of the equalized property value of the school district.  The 2022 equalized property value for the Deerfield School District is $626,911,197 which calculates a total maximum debt level of $62,691,119.  The estimated cost of a new school building is much higher than this maximum debt limit so building a new school is not allowable based on the state statute.

Yes, the CAC explored the option of building an auditorium since Deerfield has long enjoyed a strong music program with the fall musical and concerts currently taking place in the large gym.  The estimated cost of building an auditorium in the 2020 Facility Study (pg 44) was $8,000,000 - $10,000,000.  This does not factor in increases following the pandemic.  Due to the district's ability to borrow no more than 10% of the equalized property value within the district, the CAC and administration determined that adding this to the proposed building plan of $49.7 million was not a fiscally prudent plan at this time.  The proposed plan does include a single story building addition for a new music department with more space, better acoustics and accessibility for all persons.

The estimated tax increase would begin with the 2023 tax year.

The projected debt payment schedule for $49.7 million starts March 1, 2024 and ends March 1, 2046.  The financing plan includes four separate 20-year bond issues.

The final debt payment for the elementary school/stadium/fitness center is scheduled for March 1, 2026.  The debt may be paid off sooner if it is financially feasible.

The District has a 10-year capital improvement plan that is reviewed and updated annually.  Improvements are prioritized and categorized by building.  The District has a capital improvement fund for the identified expenses of approximately $2 million.  If the April 4th referendum passes, the capital improvement funds will be earmarked for upgrades and repairs to the (soon to be 20-year-old) elementary school (flooring, lighting, roofing, etc).  If the referendum does not pass, the capital improvement plan will need to be re-prioritized to include repairs to the high school as well.