What does Yes mean for Schools?
The bond will allow the district to repair our facilities, make them more accessible for our students, staff, and visitors with physical impairments, and safer for all. Read on!
Secured Entrances
At WMS, WSHS, and Goodview, visitors enter a vestibule and must show their ID before they can enter the rest of the building. The bond would allow the district to construct vestibules at Jefferson, W-K, and the Early Childhood entrance at Goodview, and renovate the offices to create secured entrances to the schools.
Security Technology
Technology will be updated or added so all schools will have:
Camera systems
Remote access to doors and lockdown buttons in the office.
Strobe lights to indicate a lockdown--outside, in hallways, and typically noisy spaces (music, PE, lunchroom)
Accessibility
Improvements will be made to create:
Main entrances that are handicap accessible--ramps and door actuators
Accessible restrooms
Updates to railings and signage
Accessible playground space at the elementary schools.
This will bring the schools toward compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Asset Preservation
School districts often keep their facility systems far past the expected service life. However, it is better to plan to replace things before they need emergency repairs. This bond will allow the district to repair or replace:
Sidewalks and blacktops at all schools and the WSHS parking lot.
Electrical systems at Jefferson
Plumbing at Jefferson & W-K
Roof & heating at Goodview
Hallway & stairs flooring and pool HVAC unit at WMS
Athletic lockers at WSHS
Life Safety
WSHS, WMS, Goodview, Jefferson, and W-K all will receive updates to the fire alarm systems. This category also includes some railing updates and asbestos abatement.
What does Yes mean for me?
Better school buildings mean a stronger community.
At the end of this year, the bond from the middle school is paid off. This bond would start then, so you would continue paying the same amount toward this new bond, plus an additional $1.66/month on a $100,000 property in the district, for the next four years.
Per year, this would be the estimated tax increase:
$20 on a $100,000 home
$36 on a $150,000 home
$52 on a $200,000 home
$67 on a $250,000 home
Farmers, because this is a bond, you can file for the state of MN to pay 40% of this tax on your farming property.
If you would like to look up your specific tax amount, you can visit the Ehler's Tax Estimator .
