On August 12, the School District of Baraboo Board of Education approved a capital facilities referendum for voter consideration on November 5, 2024. The $85.7 million referendum plan, with an estimated tax impact of $55 per $100,000 of property value, seeks to address urgent infrastructure needs across the district. If approved, the funds will be used to repair and replace aging mechanical systems, expand classroom spaces, and enhance safety and security measures at several elementary schools. The plan also supports the district's new full-day 4-year-old kindergarten program and proposes the closure of the West Kindergarten Center. If approved by voters, we will maintain our current neighborhood school boundaries. Students who would have attended the West Kindergarten Center will attend their neighborhood school. The facilities plan was informed by a community committee, which met six times in 2023 and 2024. The Board of Education also carefully weighed input from over 1,600 respondents to a community-wide facilities planning survey distributed in spring 2024.

Updates will be posted to this page as the district continues to provide residents with the information needed to make an informed decision.

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• State and Local Funding Overview

• State and Local Funding Overview(Spanish)

The impact is not the cost.  The impact is the increase over the previous year for the Fund 39 tax rate.  The District’s independent financial analyst has determined the first portion of the levy for the referendum debt would be offset by the amount of the debt which has been prepaid. The District has been prepaying debt since 2017-2018.  The District continues to be good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars.  The District’s independent financial analyst has determined that $85.7 million referendum will impact the District’s mill rate as follows:

SURVEY RESULTS PRESENTATION

SURVEY RESULTS FLYER

The Elementary Facilities Advisory Committee (EFAC) consisted of community members and staff representatives and had a focused scope on addressing elementary facilities needs within the School District of Baraboo. The EFAC was guided by the District’s facilities commitments to safe, secure, and accessible facilities, cost-effective, energy-efficient, and sustainable facilities, dynamic, evolving facilities, curriculum, and technologies, flexible, adaptive learning environments, as well as collaboration, maximizing efficiencies, and partnerships. The EFAC's responsibilities included reviewing background planning information such as the District's vision, mission, and strategic plan, along with analyzing enrollment projections, school capacity, and capital maintenance needs. This comprehensive review process allowed the EFAC to provide valuable insights and input to both the administration and the Board of Education, aiding in informed decision-making regarding facilities planning and enhancements.

2023-24 Elementary Facilities Advisory Committee Charge

Phase IV: Elementary Facilities Advisory Committee 2021-22 On September 13, 2021, the School District of Baraboo's Board of Education created the Elementary Facilities Advisory Committee (EFAC). The Board charged the EFAC with studying the District's elementary facility needs, developing a recommended course of action, and reporting their findings at a January 2022 Board of Education meeting.

Phase 3 - Revitalize Jack Young Middle School On April 2, 2019 Baraboo School District voters passed a 41.7 million facilities referendum to revitalize Jack Young Middle School. Passes of the referendum will allow the district to complete important infrastructure improvements, modernize learning spaces and expand common areas at the aging middle school.

Phase 2 - Revitalize Baraboo High School On November 8, 2016, the Baraboo community passed a 21.9 million dollar facilities referendum to improve educational environments at Baraboo High School and address capital maintenance needs.