2016 Referendum

Question: Does the District currently own any land?  Where?

The District owns 90 acres of land.  It is located on Hwy. 19 between the Wyndham Hills subdivision (on the west) and the new housing development to the east.

Question: How has the District acquired land in the past?

The district bought two 90 acre parcels in 2005 in preparation for the high school discussion.  The two most recent elementary schools, Horizon and Creekside, were built on land donated by a developer.  Those sites also are adjacent to city park land.
 

Question: What is Long-Range Master Planning?

Long range facilities master planning is a process used to make sound decisions regarding current and future facilities and sites.  Planning is a constant process and for growing school districts like Sun Prairie Area Schools, it must align with the district's overall Vision, Mission, and Strategic Plan (2015-2020 Strategic Plan). Master planning is supported by due diligence regarding current facility conditions, understanding objectives and drivers, sincere engagement of diverse stakeholder groups to understand values and priorities, and creative facilities solutions. Each potential component identified within a Master Plan may not become an immediate reality; the goal is to establish a clear vision for facilities as the foundation for fiscally responsible decision-making today and in the future.
 

Question: What are the steps in the master planning process and why does it take so long?

Sun Prairie Schools hired Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) to guide us through the creation of a Facility Master Plan.  EUA frames this work in four distinct phases known as the LEAD process: Learn, Explore, Articulate, and Deliver. The Learn phase consists of a comprehensive, objective facilities and sites assessment, collection of enrollment data and projections, and understanding of educational  curriculum and program goals. Explore is about prioritizing needs, brainstorming ideas and options, and then digging deeper to conduct comparative analysis to find the most viable potential facilities solutions. The Articulate phase narrows preliminary options to the preferred solution(s), which evolves into more extensive definition of the proposed project scope, costs, and site implications. It's at this step that potential phasing of key Master Plan components may be introduced as a fiscally responsible approach to addressing a broad range of facilities needs (see more on phasing below). The final phase of master planning, Deliver, occurs when the proposed project receives formal approval to move forward (often requiring a referendum in public school districts) for complete architectural design development and eventually, construction. It's important to note that a school district Master Plan should be considered an evolving document, revisited on a regular basis to ensure the vision it reflects is parallel with the constantly changing educational landscape.
 

Question: What does "phasing" mean as it relates to a Master Plan?

Master planning is truly about establishing a long-range vision for facilities and sites. For the majority of school districts, full implementation of a defined Master Plan at one time is unrealistic. Instead, most districts work to first establish the priorities of district stakeholders, confirm their willingness to financially support components of the developing Master Plan, and then define a phased approach (distinct facility projects often spread out over several years) to address identified needs. By taking it one step at a time, districts and their stakeholders can ease the financial impact of the projects, with new residents supporting the next step. This approach also provides the district with flexibility to adapt each phase to current conditions and urgent needs, yet still be guided by the original vision established in the Master Plan.

With significantly growing school districts like Sun Prairie, master planning requires the exploration of options to address immediate needs such as overcrowded elementary schools as well as looking ahead three, five, or even ten+ years. It's vital that solutions implemented in the short term fit logically and cost-effectively into the longer-range master plan. The timing of and approach to phasing is unique to every community and is best determined by thorough community engagement and dialogue.

Elementary School capacity is calculated differently than Middle School capacity. If a school serves students in grades 5-8, but the 5th and 6th grade students function in an Elementary environment, while the 7th and 8th students function in a Middle School environment; the building would have a different capacity than if the same school was purely dedicated to only three grades all functioning in a Middle School environment. 
 

Target Capacity is the preferred number of students per instructor based on School Board. 

• The capacity of a school is based on the recommended number of students per instructional space multiplied by a utilization factor. 

  • In Sun Prairie, the school board has established a recommended number of students per instructor per grade, which is a different number for most grades. 

  • Elementary School capacity is calculated differently than a Middle School or a High School because classrooms are dedicated to a specific group of students at the elementary level.  

  • The utilization factor is also different for an Elementary School than a Middle School or a High School because elementary classrooms are not subject specific and don’t require students circulating from various classrooms throughout the day. 

  • Finally, the capacity of a school is based on how individual rooms in a facility are being used. Over time, the capacity of a school typically changes due to state mandated programs. These programs have typically decreased school capacities from when they were first constructed.

The Sun Prairie Area School District’s property tax base (total equalized value) grew almost 6% in 2015. More property value growth equates to more total property value to spread potential tax increases associated with new construction. For the preliminary tax impacts in the survey, we are using a conservative 1% growth for the next 20 years. If property growth and total property value increase more than 1%, the final tax impact would be less than projected.

The State of Wisconsin’s revenue cap formula for school districts does not increase with the opening of a new school. The district’s expenses would naturally increase due to the additional space needed to serve a larger student population (primarily due to staffing and utilities costs). Therefore, the revenue cap amount stays the same UNLESS voters also approve an operational referendum to exceed the revenue cap to increase operational funding.

What is a Facilities Assessment?

The facilities assessment is an objective analysis of the District’s schools and sites. It includes a study of building infrastructure, systems and site conditions, building capacity and utilization, and the adequacy of learning spaces to meet the District’s goals as outlined in the Strategic Plan. The Facilities Assessment report will supplement the Ashley Field Study completed in spring, 2015 to provide essential information to the School Board and School Space Planning Committee.

When was the district-wide facilities assessments presented to the community?

On November 2, 2015, the comprehensive Facilities Assessment Report and key findings of the 7 elementary schools and 2 middle schools was presented to the School Board and community. On December 7, 2015, Part II of the Facilities Assessment Report was presented and included the assessment of Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School, Prairie Phoenix Academy, the Early Learning Resource Center, and Ashley Field. All community members were invited to attend. 

Eppstein Uhen Architects created an Executive Summary; detailed reports of the 10 buildings can be accessed on the Facilities Assessment page.

Plunkett Raysich Architects assessed PPA, ELRC, and Ashley Field and produced a facility assessment report

In 2014, the Board established a School Space Planning Committee to engage a broad and representative group of community residents in developing priorities and potential solutions for addressing significant district growth.  The School Space Planning Committee will provide advisory recommendations to the Board in June, 2016.

Question: How do the municipalities within the Sun Prairie Area School District impact the District?

All 10 municipalities contribute to the tax base for the district. Some generate more equalized value toward the tax base than they have students enrolled. For example, a portion of the City of Madison is in the Sun Prairie Area School District and contributes 15.9% of the total district tax base. However, less than 1% of students who attend Sun Prairie Area schools live in Madison.

Question: What are the impacts of timing on construction?

The cost to build increases every year with the average rate of construction inflation estimated at 3.1% per year. If a building is constructed in 2018, it would cost less than the same building constructed in 2020 simply due to time.

Question: How do school boundaries overlap with municipal and city boundaries?

School district boundaries have no relationship to municipal boundaries.

Question: How much influence does the School District have over municipal and city planning?

The school district has close relationships with local municipalities, especially the City of Sun Prairie. One School Board member is on the City of Sun Prairie Planning Commission. However, the school district does not have any influence over municipal and city planning as it relates to growth.

The District is moving 5th grade students from Eastside and Horizon to Patrick Marsh and Prairie View, respectively, which are the middle schools the students will eventually attend. These two elementary schools were chosen as they have the highest number of students being shuttled out to other schools due to space constraints. This proposal was presented at the Planning Committee of the School Board on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 and to the School Board on Monday, January 11, 2016.

The District believes that taxpayer feedback isn’t an event, but an important part of the entire process. From the very beginning, feedback from our taxpayers has been infused into the process. First, taxpayers were invited to participate on the School Space Planning Committee. This open invitation helped to gather more than sixty taxpayers to study the school district's options throughout the entire 2015-16 school calendar year. During this time, all taxpayers were again invited to attend valuable presentations, such as the presentation of the Facilities Assessment, the enrollment projections, and the review of survey results. This community-wide survey was sent out to more than 18,000 taxpayers of Sun Prairie Area Schools, and was one of the most significant efforts to acquire taxpayer feedback. Last, our administration and School Board Members have met with and have reached out to taxpayers in order to collect feedback from groups and individual taxpayers.

1. INITIAL RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS 

IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $89,500,000

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the Sun Prairie Area School District, Dane and Columbia Counties, Wisconsin, that there shall be issued, pursuant to Chapter 67, Wisconsin Statutes, General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $89,500,000 for the purpose of paying the costs of constructing and equipping two new elementary schools; repairs and improvements to district school buildings and grounds; acquisition of three parcels of property adjacent to the District offices located at 525, 533 and 541 South Bird Street; and acquisition of the following parcels of property as future 

school sites: a 60 acre parcel of property located at the northwest corner of the intersection of North Grand Avenue and North City Station Drive, a 6 acre parcel of property in the Village at Autumn Lake development located north of Lien Road and west of Felland Road, a 38 acre parcel of property located at 904 Grove Street and a 19 acre parcel of property located north of Stonehaven Drive between North Thompson Drive and Black Wolf Trail.

Question: Shall the foregoing resolution of the School Board of the Sun Prairie Area School District be approved? YES or NO                                                       

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II.  RESOLUTION TO EXCEED REVENUE CAP COMMENCING WITH THE 2018-19 SCHOOL YEAR

BY AN AMOUNT OF $2,800,000

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the Sun Prairie Area School District, Dane and Columbia Counties, Wisconsin, that the final school district budget shall include an amount not to exceed $2,800,000 in excess of the revenue limits imposed by Section 121.91 of the Wisconsin Statutes each year beginning with the 2018-19 school year on a recurring basis for the purpose of paying operation, staffing and maintenance costs of two new elementary schools.

Question: Shall the School Board of the Sun Prairie Area School District be authorized to exceed the revenue limit under Section 121.91 of the Wisconsin Statutes by an amount of $2,800,000 each year beginning with the 2018-19 school year on a recurring basis for the purpose of paying operation, staffing and maintenance costs of two new elementary schools as provided in the foregoing resolution? YES or NO