West Bend School District Community Survey Results Spring 2018
Survey Summary The survey was conducted in June of 2018. Residents within the District were mailed a paper survey. Each survey included a unique survey access code for those who preferred to take the survey online. Total responses = 2,815 (1,215 paper) Margin of error = +/- 1.9%
Respondent Information
What is your age? 30% 25% 21% 24% 2 20% 15% 12% 15% 10% 5% 0% 2% 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-64 65 and older
Do you live in the West Bend School District? 7% Yes No 93%
In which municipality do you reside? 60% 50% 52% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 14% 8% 8% 5% 4% 1% 1% 0.43%
Are you an employee of the West Bend School District? 17% 83% Yes (n=469) No (n=2348)
Do you have children attending the West Bend School District? 39% 61% Yes (n=1086) No (n=1731)
If you have school-aged children, what school(s) do they attend? West Bend West High School Silverbrook Intermediate School Badger Middle School West Bend East High School Jackson Elementary Private/Parochial school McLane Elementary Decorah Elementary Fair Park Elementary Green Tree Elementary Public school outside of district Other Rolfs Education Center Pathways Charter School Home schooled 1% 1% 1% 5% 3% 8% 8% 9% 13% 23% 22% 22% 21% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%
How would you like to receive information from the District? Email 19% 84% District mailings 52% 74% School/District website 15% 3 Instant/Text messaging Facebook 2% 8% 23% 21% Non-Parents (Non-Staff) West Bend Daily News Automated phone messenger Parent organizations 1% 1% 5% 14% 14% 3 Parents (Non-Staff) Attend meetings 3% 5% Attend School Board meetings 4% 5% TV/Cable 7% 3% Milwaukee Journal 9% 3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Jackson Elementary Background
A comprehensive facility review of Jackson Elementary was completed by Bray Architects. The review identified a list of safety, security, building infrastructure and educational space needs. To read the review, visit the District s website: www.west-bend.k12.wi.us. Key findings of the report include: The school has been expanded 7 times and is landlocked, making further expansions very difficult. School entrances should be updated to improve security by better monitoring/controlling visitor access. There is no onsite parking for parents or staff at the school. There is limited space for student drop-off and pick-up, requiring some students to walk across Jackson Drive, creating safety concerns. Major building system components, including the plumbing, heating/ventilation and electrical systems, are past their service life and need to be replaced. Classroom floors, lighting, ceilings and cabinetry are in need of replacement. Building exterior needs include replacing energy-inefficient single-pane windows, replacing roof sections and worn/rusting/energy-inefficient exterior doors and repairing exterior masonry. Air supply to most rooms does not meet current code requirements. Sections of the building are poorly insulated. The building requires updates to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Because the future of the Jackson Elementary School was unknown, the District has delayed making any investments in the building for past 10 years. Rather, the District has contributed to a fund, which now totals more than $4 million, to offset the cost of replacing or updating the school.
What priority would you place on updating or replacing Jackson Elementary? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 65% 60% 50% 47% 49% 40% 20% 25% 22% 24% 19% 21% 25% 21% 5% 7% 5% 8% 7% 0% High Medium Low Not sure All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff)
Jackson Elementary School Options
Option 1: Build a new school The image in the right is preliminary and identifies a potential building location and traffic circulation. The new school would be approximately 82,000 square feet, built on Districtowned land and designed: to serve the current enrollment and be easily expandable for future growth with classrooms and breakout spaces designed for student collaboration and project-based learning with a gym and separate cafeteria with sufficient parking and proper separation of pedestrians, vehicle and bus traffic with energy-efficient systems and natural lighting Estimated cost: $23 million
Option 2: Remodel Jackson Elementary The project would include: adding a secure entrance/office to better control visitor access adding a gym to meet the physical education requirements and creating a dedicated cafeteria adding music and special education classrooms adding library space updating and renovating classrooms including replacing flooring, ceiling tile and lighting renovating the kitchen replacing roof and heating & ventilation equipment updating restrooms to address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance The project would reduce green space and playground area. Estimated cost: $21.9 million
Which option would you support? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 60% 61% 53% 52% 52% 40% 20% 4% 8% 2 1 18% 13% 8% 7% 7% 17% 3% 22% 15% 0% Build a new Jackson Elementary School Update Jackson Elementary School I would support either option Not sure/need more information I would not support either option All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff)
Which option would you support? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 62% 53% 55% 51% 49% 42% 50% 33% 67% 40% 49% Build a new Jackson Elementary School 20% 17% 17% 17% 18% 1 1 18% 13% 1 1 18% 1 13% 15% 17% 14% 13% 9% 11% 10% 10% 8% 10% 2% 4% 0% Update Jackson Elementary School I would support either option 29% 50% I would not support either option 20% 7% 8% 9% 9% 8% 10% 4% 5% Not sure/need more information All City of West Bend Town of West Bend Town of Polk Town of Jackson Town of Barton Town of Trenton Town of Wayne (n=6) Village of Jackson Village of Newburg Do not live in the District
West Bend High School Projects (East and West Campus)
In addition to addressing the needs at Jackson Elementary School, the image below depicts projects that could be funded through a referendum at West Bend High Schools.
Renovate Classrooms, Libraries and Science Labs What priority would you place on renovating the classrooms, libraries and science labs at an estimated cost of up to $10.5 million? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 54% 44% 38% 30% 32% 34% 29% 28% 37% 27% 18% 10% 5% 4% 4% 0% High Medium Low Not sure All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff)
Remodel/Update Cafeteria What priority would you place on remodeling and updating the cafeteria at an estimated cost of $2.2 million? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 33% 21% 23% 17% 41% 39% 32% 2 51% 42% 33% 21% 5% 5% 5% 0% High Medium Low Not sure All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff)
Update Technical Education (Shop) and Engineering Labs What priority would you place on updating the technical education and engineering labs at an estimated cost of $7.6 million? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 50% 4 4 45% 3 35% 30% 25% 2 20% 15% 11% 4% 3% 4% 4% 0% High Medium Low Not sure All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff)
Improve Safety and Security What priority would you place on improving safety and security at an estimated cost of $1.5 million? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 60% 84% 73% 6 58% 40% 20% 0% 17% 20% 19% 15% 11% 14% 10% 4% 3% 1% 2% High Medium Low Not sure All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff) 3%
Update Weight Room/Locker Rooms What priority would you place on updating the weight room/locker rooms at an estimated cost of $4 million? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 60% 59% 53% 68% 40% 20% 0% 34% 37% 2 24% 27% 17% 19% 13% 8% 4% 3% 3% High Medium Low Not sure All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff) 5%
Update Building Infrastructure What priority would you place on updating the building s infrastructure at an estimated cost of up to $31.3 million? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 100% 80% 63% 60% 40% 20% 3 40% 27% 31% 33% 32% 24% 27% 9% 21% 35% 4% 0% High Medium Low Not sure All Taxpayers Staff Parents (Non-Staff) Non-Parents (Non-Staff)
What priority would you place on High (3), Medium (2), Low (1) Item All Taxpayers Staff Taxpayers Parent Taxpayers (Non-Staff) Non-Parent Taxpayers (Non-Staff) High School: improving safety and security at an estimated cost of $1.5 million? Jackson Elementary School: updating or replacing? High School: updating the technical education and engineering labs at an estimated cost of $7.6 million? High School: renovating the classrooms, libraries and science labs at an estimated cost of up to $10.5 million? High School: updating the building s infrastructure at an estimated cost of up to $31.3 million? High School: remodeling and updating the cafeteria at an estimated cost of $2.2 million? High School: updating the weight room/locker rooms at an estimated cost of $4 million? 2.52 2.80 2.63 2.39 2.31 2.62 2.28 2.26 2.26 2.40 2.32 2.19 2.10 2.45 2.27 1.92 2.08 2.55 2.19 1.90 1.78 2.13 1.90 1.63 1.51 1.88 1.62 1.36
Funding Support
The cost to address all the projects identified in the survey is estimated at nearly $80 million. Given the cost, it may not be realistic to complete all of these projects at one time. Therefore, the work may need to be completed in phases, based on the priorities of the community and its willingness to financially support the projects. In 2019, the District will pay off a portion of referendum debt from past building projects, and by 2028 the District will make the final payment on all existing referendum debt. As a result, taxpayers will begin to see a reduction in the debt portion of the school property tax bills beginning in 2019. This drop in loan payments gives the community an opportunity to borrow up to $35 million in facility upgrades with no tax increase over the current level. The following table shows the impact to the school portion of your local property taxes for various referendum amounts.
How much of a tax impact would you support through a referendum, assuming the projects included were acceptable to you? (West Bend School District Taxpayers Only) 50% $80 million Non-Parent Taxpayers (Non-Staff) 21% 7% 14% 11% 9% 11% 21% $70 million $60 million Parent Taxpayers (Non- Staff) 34% 9% 15% 10% 7% 5% 9% 11% $50 million $40 million Staff Taxpayers All Taxpayers 3% 48% 11% 13% 12% 5% 2% 29% 8% 14% 11% 8% 8% 7% 15% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% I would only support a smaller referendum than $40 million I'm not sure/need more information I would not support any referendum
Thank you!