On April 2, 2024, residents of Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) will have the opportunity to vote on a referendum question to address district-wide facility needs that are too large to be covered by the District’s annual operating budget, and will make the best use of the best facilities.
Due to declining enrollment in the district—over 17% in the last 10 years—the District hosted community focus groups to explore options to make the Best Use of the Best Buildings throughout MAPS. A comprehensive study evaluated all 11 buildings on utilization and investment needed, uncovering over $90 million of district needs.
Over the last year, MAPS reached out to all residents through a community-wide survey to obtain feedback on a plan to align district facilities and operations with enrollment; this plan was informed by three community focus groups during the summer of 2023. The majority of resident survey respondents indicated that MAPS should move forward with the proposed base plan that will address our most pressing infrastructure needs in the District.
This past summer, the state budget increased funding for MAPS, which erased the need for an operational referendum next year. While the District is thankful for this increase in state funding, it does not address the needs of MAPS’ aging buildings, including renovations to use the vacant Jefferson Elementary. In 2022, MAPS voters rejected two operational referendums. In response, the District made the difficult decision to cut 30 staff positions, eliminate programs, reduce bussing, and cut other expenses.
The Plan:
The proposed $16,000,000 base plan would address the most pressing issues and better utilize the District’s best buildings. These base plan updates would consist of:
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Move Pine River School for Young Learners (PRSYL), Bridges Virtual Academy (BVA), and the Northern Achievement Center (NAC) program to the Jefferson Elementary building.
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Demolition of the Northern Achievement Center (NAC) and the Storage Building (Old NAC).
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Demolition of the District Office and maintenance building.
Updates to Jefferson Elementary would include:
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Renovate an area for the Head Start program.
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Renovate an area for the Bridges Virtual Academy.
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Renovate an area for the Northern Achievement Center.
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Maintain gym and kitchen.
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Addressing existing outdated building plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems.
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Create separate entrances for NAC and Head Start.
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Create dedicated playground areas.
The plan would also renovate underutilized high school space to accommodate the District Office and rebuild the maintenance building.
Proposed Jefferson Elementary Floor Plan
Proposed Merrill High School Floor Plan
Key Factors:
- Declining Enrollment: Over the past 10 years, student enrollment has dropped by over 17% (more than 600 students). The fewer students we have, the less state funding we receive. We cannot afford to continue to staff, heat, clean, and maintain all 11 buildings.
- Space Utilization: A comprehensive study evaluated all 11 MAPS buildings. Utilization is calculated based on class size and number of classrooms available and the rate each room can be utilized. Because it is not possible to selectively heat and maintain portions of the buildings, money is spent on areas that are either not being used or are being underutilized.
- Outdated Infrastructure: On average, our buildings are nearly 70 years old. These older buildings are expensive to maintain, heat, and clean. Over the next 10 years, a significant investment will be needed in the major building systems. Examples include upgrading heating/ventilation, electrical, and plumbing systems as well as replacing roofs, lighting, flooring, windows, and doors.
Why doesn’t MAPS need an operational referendum?
Going into the 2023-24 school year, MAPS made significant reductions to help balance the budget. Those cuts, combined with increased revenues for public schools in the State budget that came out last summer, mean that we can maintain our current operations and programs without going forward with another operational referendum.
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Over $3M in budget cuts made for 2023-24 school year
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20 positions eliminated
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Reduction in transportation budget
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Reduction in athletic/activities budget
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20% building budget reduction
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Elimination of Phy. Ed. and 1 family support worker at Head Start
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$650K cut from the Maintenance budget in the last 2 years (2021-22 and 2022-23)
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Low revenue ceiling freeze no longer impacts Merrill Area Public Schools
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Responding to voter feedback
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MAPS will operate with additional revenue in 2023-2025 budget combined with cuts made in 2023-24 school year
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Continue to right-size with enrollment shifts
Tax Impact
Understanding Property Tax Increases
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State funding of public education has not kept pace with rising costs and inflation over the past 10 years.
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Last year, MAPS failed an operational referendum, which led to a $2.5M budget and federal ESSER fund drop
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New WI State budget in July increased MAPS budget by approximately $1.2M starting in 2023-24, representing a 4.65% increase in overall State allowed revenue limit.
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Revenue that MAPS receives per student is LOWEST in Wisconsin.
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