FAQs
Referendum Frequently Asked questions![]()
Referendum Frequently Asked questions
FAQs with direct links to answers below:
- Why does the district want to move 6th grade into a middle school environment?
- Why does the new plan have such a smaller tax impact than the April proposal?
- Isn’t the new proposal simply renovating Park View Middle School?
- If the district is renovating a portion of Park View Middle School, why not just renovate the entire building?
- Why did MASD recently purchase a new building for SOAR?
- Why is the district proposing another referendum now rather than waiting until the Mukwonago High School referendum debt is fully paid off?
- I don’t have kids in school anymore. How does building a new middle school help my family?
- My assessment increased significantly last spring. How will this affect my taxes?
Q: Why does the district want to move 6th grade into a middle school environment?
Moving 6th grade to a middle school provides several academic benefits for students. Currently, our district’s 6th grade students are among few students in the state to remain in elementary schools, limiting their access to advanced academic options like high-level math, world languages, music, and science/technology courses, like Park View Middle School’s award-winning Project Lead the Way program. Our students’ peers in neighboring communities have access to many of these same courses, and realigning grade levels would provide our children with comparable access. Shifting 6th grade to the middle school would also provide those students with a far greater opportunity for extracurricular, co-curricular, and athletic activities than they are currently able to access at elementary schools. For example, each year a group of district 6th grade students take accelerated math at PVMS beginning at 7:22 a.m. and are transported by bus to their home elementary schools for the rest of their day. Realigning grade levels would eliminate this need.
Moving 6th grade out of the elementary schools frees up space at each of the buildings. Our elementary buildings are currently full. The current 6th grade classrooms would be used as classroom space for 4K-5th grade, special education classrooms, conference rooms, and small group instructional spaces.
Q: Why does the new plan have such a smaller tax impact than the April proposal?
There are three main reasons for the reduced cost:
- The cost of the plan was reduced by $13.2 million by keeping and renovating a 32,400 square foot section of the existing middle school built in 1993 as well as removing projects from our elementary schools.
- There has been a recent downward trend in interest rates for public bonds and loans, which reduces the cost of borrowing.
- The District prepaid $10 million in referendum debt for Mukwonago High School, eliminating that debt earlier and further reducing the cost of borrowing money for this project.
Q: Isn’t the new proposal simply renovating Park View Middle School?
No. The new proposal retains and renovates to “like new” a 32,400 square foot section of the existing middle school that was built in 1993. Beyond the renovated section, 210,000 square feet of brand new spaces will be constructed. In total, 87% of the facility will be new construction. The total size and program of the building is the same as the size of the proposed building in the April 2024 referendum question.
Q: If the district is renovating a portion of Park View Middle School, why not just renovate the entire building?
The portion of PVMS which will be renovated represents the most recent addition to the building, and thus the most cost efficient and practical portion to renovate. Early facility study focus groups explored a full renovation of PVMS but the idea was discarded for three reasons:
- Renovation would cost approximately $85 million, about 88% of building a fully brand new school or just over 95% of the current proposal.
- Renovation would take longer and disrupt student learning across multiple school years
- Renovation would not move the location of the existing school and not improve traffic concerns at Highway 83 and E. Veterans Way
Q: Why did MASD recently purchase a new building for SOAR?
The SOAR program is an alternative education program that serves high school aged students who might normally require an-out-of-district placement to meet their educational needs. Out-of-district placements require tuition payments to the receiving district. In some instances, the cost of tuition can run as high as $60,000 per student. In order to contain the costs of out-of-district tuition expenses, the district purchased a building to meet the needs of MASD students who require an alternative education.
After the SOAR program was forced to move two times in the last three years from their leased locations, the property at 917 Main Street was purchased. A financial analysis compared the Net Present Value (NPV) of leasing to buying and holding a building for the next 15 years. Considering the market rent rate, cost of improvements, discount/interest rate, and appreciation rate, the cost to purchase and hold this building was over $300,000 less than renting over a 15-year period.
Q: Why is the district proposing another referendum now rather than waiting until the Mukwonago High School referendum debt is fully paid off?
If a November 2024 referendum passes, it is expected that taxpayers will first see the added $24 per $100,000 of property value on the property tax statement they receive in December 2026. The District's financing plan includes continuing to accelerate the high school debt repayment resulting in the total debt being paid off ten years ahead of schedule. The new middle school debt will not appear on tax bills until the high school debt is paid off.
The following are the three primary reasons for a November 2024 referendum rather than waiting:
- Waiting two more years will increase the cost of the project due to construction inflation. Based on historical data and current market trends, the cost of this project could be more than $6 million or even greater.
- Beginning the project now takes advantage of low public bond interest rates, reducing the total cost of borrowing.
- Approval of this proposal in November would allow the District's current 3rd, 4th, and 5th grader students to benefit from the instructional, safety, and extracurricular benefits of the plan.
Because of these reasons, the District felt it was most fiscally and instructionally responsible for allowing the community to vote on this new proposal.
Q: I don’t have kids in school anymore. How does building a new middle school help my family?
A well-maintained, modern school district can positively impact you and your community in several ways, even if you no longer have children in our District. High-quality schools are linked to increased property values, as homebuyers prioritize areas with good educational facilities. This demand can help protect or even enhance your home's value. For instance, families are willing to pay premiums to live near strong schools, which boosts the resale value of homes in the area.
Additionally, a new middle school could serve as a hub for community activities, offering recreational spaces, meeting rooms, and event venues that families of all ages can benefit from. Improved facilities also foster a vibrant local economy by attracting new residents, businesses, and services to the area. Quality school districts are also associated with safer neighborhoods, well-maintained public spaces, and a strong sense of community, which benefits everyone, not just families with children.
Q: My assessment increased significantly last spring. How will this affect my taxes?
A re-assessment does not change the taxes collected by a taxing authority. A re-assessment does provide an updated value for each property to determine what portion of the local property tax levy is to be covered by each individual property. Each property owner will have one of the following results of a re-assessment:
- Property value grew more than the average property value of the community - Expect that the property owner will pay a greater share of the tax levy.
- Property value grew at the same rate as the average property value of the community - Expect that the property owner will pay the same share of the tax levy.
- Property value grew at a lower rate as the average property value of the community - Expect that the property owner will pay a lower share of the tax levy.
To help each property owner better understand the impact of the 2024 re-assessment, click on this link for a calculator.
