JANESVILLE — School District of Janesville taxpayers have now received a survey to provide input on two possible referendums for the district.
Deadline to return the survey is May 20, 2024. Surveys also can be completed online HERE.
Among the questions the district is seeking is feedback on what to do regarding sports facilities.
Option 1: Continue to use Monterey Stadium and rebuild the facilities for football and track with an estimated cost of up to $23 million.
Option 2: Build multi-use facilities at each high school for physical education classes, marching band, graduation ceremonies, football, lacrosse, soccer and track. The cost would be about $13 million for each school, or $26 million total.
The district recommends option 2.
The overall facilities referendum would seek a base amount of $169.5 million, according to the district.
The base plan facilities referendum would increase the debt service portion of the district’s tax rate by $102 annually per $100,000 of property value, according to the district.
The operational referendum would renew the $29 million referendum passed in 2020 and would not increase taxes.
These funds would be used to maintain current programs, services, and small class sizes. It would also pay for transportation, utilities, compensation, insurance, curriculum, technology, and special education services.
Because the SDJ has diligently paid down debt, renewing the operational referendum at $14.5 million would not increase the SDJ portion of the current property tax rate.
Additionally, the district has an estimated $578 million in basic capital maintenance needs including improvement to electrical systems, plumbing, mechanical equipment, roofs, windows, and more. However, the district realizes addressing all these needs at once is unrealistic.
Rather, they must be addressed over time in phases. The district has prioritized $136.7 million in immediate capital maintenance needs.
Two additional projects have been prioritized by the district:
● Renovating Special Education classrooms for $19.0 million.
● Enhancing Safety and Security for $13.8 million.
Residents will be asked for their input on these three core needs, which make up a possible facilities Base Plan:
| Element | Estimated Cost |
| High-Priority Capital Maintenance | $136.7 million |
| Special Education Renovations | $19.0 million |
| Safety & Security Enhancements | $13.8 million |
| Total Base Plan | $169.5 million |
The district is also seeking resident feedback on additional facilities investments to supplement the Base Plan:
● Renovate Career and Technical Education classrooms at Parker and Craig High Schools ($32 million).
● Renovate classrooms at each of the elementary schools ($36 million). ● Renovate at city-owned Monterey Park or invest in school site-based athletic facilities at Parker and Craig High Schools ($23 million).
“Our Board and administration have thought long and hard about the facilities and operational needs facing the district,” said Superintendent Mark Holzman. “We have invested significant time in identifying our highest priority needs. We must have community input which we will be gathering through this survey. Resident input will help guide our next steps.”
The survey households will receive has a unique code (that can be used only once) that must be entered to complete/submit (if completing the survey online). To obtain additional surveys for other adults in the household, you may contact the District office at 608-743-5000, or submit a request via email at info@janesville.k12.wi.us.
For more information about facilities or operational planning, please visit the School District of Janesville’s website at https://www.janesville.k12.wi.us/sdjfacilities.
