8/1/2006 6:58:00 AM Westonka voters will consider referendum in November
By Kelly Westhoff
New middle school would be built as part of construction plan
On July 24, members of the Westonka School Board unanimously voted to send a referendum to voters in November.
Residents of the Westonka School District will face two separate referendum questions on the November ballot. One of the questions will ask residents to support capital costs; the other will ask residents to support operating costs.
Money raised from the sale of bonds would support remodeling and construction initiatives in the district. Money raised from a levy would support day-to-day operations such as staff salaries, utilities and transportation costs.
If approved, both referendum questions would result in property tax hikes for homeowners.
For many district residents, the referendum is not a surprise. A referendum was headed to the polls last fall until the district withdrew the issue in October just weeks before Election Day. Many sensed the district's decision to withdraw the issue was due to negative community response towards the referendum's high price tag.
"We wanted to get more community input on a decision," said Westonka Superintendent Kevin Borg when asked about the referendum's withdrawal last year. "We wanted something the community could really get behind."
In order to craft a new referendum with strong community support, the district created a Facilities Planning Task Force last November. The task force was comprised of 28 members. Members were chosen from the community, the school board and the district's staff.
Tracy Anderson, a district resident, a parent, and a graduate of Westonka schools, was a member of the task force. "We met from January to June," Anderson said. "We reviewed needs and requirements put forth by school staff and board members, we reviewed the demographics of the district, we considered projects for the future and discussed grade configurations."
The task force identified several priorities. The district's aging buildings needed maintenance and repair. Science and computer labs were falling behind in technology. Band rooms, choir rooms and performance spaces were dated or nonexistent.
Playing fields and gymnasiums needed updating. Plus, enrollment growth had forced the district to reconfigure grades into a troublesome grouping.
Students in the Westonka district are currently grouped into three categories: Students in kindergarten to fourth grade attend primary school; students in fifth to seventh grades attend middle school; and students in eighth to 12th grades attend high school.
Many parents complained when eighth grade was sent to the high school. Passing times put 14-year-olds in the halls with 18-year-olds. Socially, the peer pressure was too sophisticated for the younger kids, argued parents and staff. The task force agreed.
"Eighth grade became a top priority," said Anderson. "We wanted to get them out of the high school."
After months of review and discussion, the task force prepared a "Long-term Facilities Plan."
The plan addressed the district's physical needs, including the remodeling efforts at the primary schools and the construction of a new middle school big enough to house grades five through eight.
The new middle school would be built next door to the high school. According to the task force's plan, the current middle school, Grandview Middle School, would be sold.
The task force recommended that a 600-seat theater be built at the high school for drama, band and choir performances. Plus, the long-term plan proposed the purchase of land for expanded athletic fields at the high school.
Lastly, the plan suggested the construction of a centrally-located building to house early childhood programming.
The total cost of the long-term plan nears $58 million.
The plan was presented to the school board in early June. After the presentation, the task force disbanded. It is this long-term plan that the board unanimously decided should be sent to district voters in November.
"I'm excited about this new bond," said Superintendent Borg. "We've worked in close consultation with the community and feel confident about its support."
The district hired Decision Resources Ltd., a Minneapolis-based research firm, Borg explained, to conduct a survey of area residents.
In June, the company surveyed a random sample of 300 adults living in district neighborhoods. Survey questions addressed support for the various bond issues.
According to survey results, strong community support exists for the remodeling of Shirley Hills Primary School, Hilltop Primary School and Westonka High School. Community support also exists for bringing all buildings into compliance with safety codes and increasing student security.
While a majority of residents also liked the idea of a new middle school, the margin of support on this particular issue was not as wide as it was for the other proposed construction projects. According to the survey results, 53 percent of those questioned supported the construction of a new middle school while 36 percent opposed the idea.
Nonetheless, when the proposed bond referendum was presented to survey participants in its entirety, including the construction of a new middle school, response was favorable. According to the survey results, 56 percent supported the bond, 33 percent opposed it, and 11 percent were undecided.
In addition, the survey measured community support for an operating levy. The survey concluded that 45 percent of the voters would support the levy while 20 percent would not.
Even though the task force has disbanded and the School Board has agreed to send the referendum to the public, Anderson is not finished fighting for the plan. "I know there are lots of opinions out there and not everyone will be happy with this plan," she said. "But I would really hate for someone to vote against this referendum because they don't know what they're voting for."
She added, "I don't want to tell anyone how to vote, but I do want to tell people how and why we came to these conclusions. It's not a big secret. The community should know what it is buying. They should know that this is a good, sound and solid plan."
Even though Anderson is eager to share the work of the task force, she admits an educational campaign has yet to take shape. "I want to get this information out there. I want it to be available. I want to find the best way to share it, and that could be a Web site, a phone bank or a Q and A session," she said.
"We have community schools now," she added. "The community has supported the schools in the past and we need to remain competitive. We need to keep up the pace and stay on par with the districts around us, even if the districts around us are bigger.
"We can't have less programming," Anderson said, "just because we have [fewer] children. That's not fair to our kids."
