Barry Cain

At the January board meeting, the Ellsworth Community School District Board of Education officially approved the resolution to move to a $25.445 million Facilities Referendum at the upcoming April 2, 2024, election.  

A year ago, the district contracted for the completion of an in-depth facility study to best identify our most pressing facility needs. This study provided important information regarding the life cycles of aging infrastructure of our facilities such as mechanicals, flooring, doors, windows, parking lots, roofs, etc. 

Following the facility study, a community-wide survey was conducted last fall to measure support for various elements of what were defined as the items of highest priority. In all, $40.4 million in projects were tested. The results of the survey showed little support for projects that included outdoor athletic field improvements and a childcare facility. The survey also demonstrated that the cost of all the projects was a concern.

As a result of the survey, the projects were narrowed down in scope and cost with the elimination of the athletic field projects and the childcare facility. The projects now include:

• Addressing aging infrastructure at the nearly 30-year-old middle school along with light remodeling of the locker bays, science labs, and Career and Tech Ed area.
• Addressing aging infrastructure at the high school.
• Remodeling and expansion of the 1970’s era Career and Tech Ed area at the high school in order to promote careers in the trades, agriculture, engineering, food service, and business. 
• Expansion of the inadequate weight room and physical fitness area at the high school to meet the needs of our physical and athletic programs along with the expansion of the main gym lobby. 

In the coming weeks leading up to the referendum, we will be publishing much more information about the referendum to best inform the public about the proposed projects. We have also launched a referendum project page on our website at www.ellsworth.k12.wi.us.