Long-Range Facilities Planning - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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AUHS and many other school districts use a variety of inputs, including facilities assessment, enrollment data, capital maintenance plans, building capacity data, and programmatic goals to develop long-range facilities plans. These plans seek to align academic and co-curricular needs with building conditions to shape a roadmap for the future. To maintain and improve facilities, it is critical to plan strategically.
A facilities assessment is a comprehensive study of a district’s buildings and grounds. The assessment consists of three main components:
- Building Conditions - a review of building systems (e.g., plumbing, electrical, mechanical, structural, etc.);
- Educational Adequacy - an analysis of how well the facilities support educational objectives, curriculum and co-curricular activities;
- Capacity/Utilization - the amount of space available and how efficiently the space is being used.
In summary, both North and South campus buildings are well-kept, but suffer from numerous age-related deficiencies. Several important building systems (e.g., mechanical, electrical, plumbing systems) are at or beyond their useful life. Both North and South campus buildings suffer from several Americans with Disabilities Act deficiencies. The maintenance building is suffering from structural degradation.
Several areas of study were noted in the facilities assessment. Both North and South campus buildings lack secure entryways, nor are there “layers” of security that allow for the segmentation of the building (thus limiting visitor access in case of emergency). The study also found both North and South campus buildings lack natural light, transparency and small group collaboration areas.
In certain program areas, the duplication of space between North and South campus buildings results in lower utilization rates. The study also found that common areas such as the cafeterias, gyms, pool and libraries are undersized for a school the size of AUHS.
Estimating costs occurs in phases. First, estimates associated with the building conditions portion of the facilities assessment will be developed. These cost estimates represent the cost of repairing or replacing building systems such including electrical, roofing and plumbing systems. These cost estimates will be reported to the School Board on January 10, 2024.
The next phase in costing is assigning estimates to potential renovations and/or additions to the building. These cost estimates will be developed in winter/spring 2024 following the development of options for redesigned space through renovation and/or addition(s).
Yes. Various stakeholder groups will be engaged during the planning process, including parents, staff and the community. The district will hold a series of information sessions to discuss facilities issues and options for addressing needs. In addition, a community-wide survey will be used in the spring or 2024 to gather feedback on the facilities planning process.
Due to the state’s funding formula for public schools, going to the community for approval of a referendum is the primary method for addressing capital expenditures. It is early in the long-term facilities planning process to say whether a referendum will be pursued, but it is likely. Needs are still being identified, different options are being developed as to how to best address those needs, and the costs associated with those options are being estimated. The School Board needs to understand its options and engage the community prior to deciding whether or not to pursue a referendum.
AUHS is extremely grateful for the donations it has received over the years. These donations have allowed the district to develop several impressive specialty spaces, like the stadium and ice center. However, fundraising for basic capital maintenance and academic spaces is not realistic. The state funding formula for public schools requires Wisconsin school districts to rely on referenda to authorize the bonds needed to fund capital projects. Many neighboring school districts have recently passed referenda to revitalize their facilities including Oconomowoc, Kettle Moraine, Hamilton, Germantown, Nicolet, Cedarburg, Mequon-Theinsville and more.
Periodic updates on the facilities planning process appear in the parent newsletter. In addition, a series of facilities planning updates will be offered to the public in the weeks and months to come. The purpose of these sessions is to keep stakeholders informed, while providing opportunities for feedback. Community members will also have an opportunity to provide feedback via a community-wide survey, to be distributed in spring 2024.
During the facilities assessment phase of the long-term planning process, architects met with department leads to discuss how physical facilities could better support their educational practice. Staff are also kept informed via periodic updates in the staff newsletter. In the weeks and months to come, staff will receive additional information and have opportunities to provide input.
A community informational & feedback meeting was held on January 29. Two additional community information & feedback meetings are scheduled for February 20 and 29 and will be held in the South Campus Library beginning at 6:00 PM. The meeting on the 29th will cover the same information presented on the 20th.
In addition, the AHS Facilities Planning web page: https://www.arrowheadschools.org/LRFP/ is regularly updated and includes a variety of articles, reports and presentations.
The District’s Facebook page is also regularly updated and information is provided through the AHS parent newsletter. The AHS administrative team is in close contact with various constituent groups, including the AHS feeder schools.
The initial assessment of the condition of Arrowhead’s facilities revealed that capital maintenance costs over the next 10 years will require roughly $53 million. This estimate assumes one-to-one replacement of equipment and systems. The estimate DOES NOT include renovation costs or costs associated with new construction. Merely maintaining the current facilities does not address safety/security concerns, nor does it address the existing inefficiencies associated with operating two separate campuses. Remodeling and construction costs will be discussed at the community meetings scheduled for February 20 or February 29 at 6 PM in the South Campus Library.
AHS consists of two large and aging schools covering a total of nearly 500,000 square feet on a 112 acre site. South Campus was originally constructed in 1955, with North Campus following in 1969. While the facilities have been well-maintained, any building constructed in the 1950s or 1960s will be costly to maintain and repair. The two schools consist of thousands of building components, systems and materials in need of ongoing maintenance and care.
In addition to the sheer size and complexity of the facilities, Wisconsin’s school funding formula does not allow public school districts to invest in significant, sustained facilities repair or new construction. State law that was passed over 30 years ago has limited the amount of revenue school districts receive on an annual basis. The revenue limit allowed by the state has not come close to keeping up with inflation. The funding formula also does not take into account the costs associated with replacing facilities and systems that reach the end of their usefulness after 50, 60 or 70 years. The state’s revenue limit actually punished districts that were taxing and spending responsibly 30 years ago and the impact is only worsening over time.
To maintain core instructional and student service programs, ALL Wisconsin school districts are forced to decide how much can be invested in capital maintenance versus daily operational needs. Over the years, capital maintenance projects have been deferred because the annual costs to operate take precedence. In order to fund both large facilities needs AND operations, districts must rely on referenda. That is how the current public school funding system works in Wisconsin.
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