Two weeks ago, when we last checked in with the School Board, the path ahead for the next referendum was rather murky. The board was debating on a date, whether to bring in a third party to facilitate community sessions, what level of cost the community would support and what option the board may push for on the middle school.
Fast forward to this week and the view is starting to come into focus after Wednesday night’s nearly three-hour meeting. Here are my key observations and takeaways.
The board’s discussion centered around a memo drafted by the Superintendent Dr. Jamie Foeckler. For those not fond of navigating BoardDocs, the memo can be found here.
What hasn’t changed from earlier meetings is the priority of any new referendum – the middle school. That remains the focus and centerpiece of the next referendum. While nothing is set in stone, it appears the School Board is leaning towards revisiting the rebuild option on Armory Park, while incorporating a replacement memorial either into the new structure and/or replacing it within the green space that would subsequently open up at the current middle school site.
The numbers being discussed are lower than the $135.6 million proposed in April 2026. While not a main focus of the discussion at the board meeting, the memo described three potential options. The district would commit $17 million in district capital from current funds, down from $20 million proposed in April:
- Option A — $90.2M net referendum ask (Gross: $107.2M): New middle school ($67.7M), high school mechanical systems and fire protection ($35.5M), elementary fire protection and alarms ($4M)
- Option B — $99.9M net referendum ask (Gross: $116.9M): Everything in Option A, plus safety and security upgrades for all buildings ($9.7M)
- Option C — $111.5M net referendum ask (Gross: $128.5M): Everything in Options A and B, plus HVAC upgrades for elementary schools ($11.6M)
The tax impact on the average Whitefish Bay home (assessed at $685,800) would range from $857/year for Option A to $1,173/year for Option C, assuming 22-year borrowing at 4.5% interest. Notably, the district is set to pay off its 2009 referendum debt later this year, so those figures reflect that reduction.
The Timeline Is Tight — Very Tight
The memo lays out a schedule that leaves almost no margin for error. The August 25th statutory deadline for a November referendum means the board would prefer to finalize ballot language by August 12th.
That is a compressed window if the board decides to hold formal community engagement sessions or conduct a new survey. The board discussed the effectiveness of a community survey held during the summer months. The practical challenge of conducting a survey in June and July may yield a lower response rate, a point the communications consultant (more on that below) later reinforced.
The MOU Discussion
For Villagers watching closely, the Village Board went into closed session during their last meeting “regarding Whitefish Bay School District’s use of park land.” Some clues about what that discussion may have been about emerged at the School Board meeting. A significant portion of the meeting was spent on whether to formalize a Memorandum of Understanding with the Village regarding the potential land use at Armory Park for a new middle school.
Some board members were eager to move forward with a memorandum ahead of time, arguing it addresses a specific concern raised by voters — that the village land deal was too vague and unformalized in the prior referendum. Others felt it was premature to lock anything in writing before hearing from the community, given there is no guarantee that the board will move forward with any Armory Park building. Ultimately, the tight timeline may dictate a necessity to put the cart before the horse in certain instances.
The Armory Memorial: Creating Visuals
One of the more emotionally charged undercurrents in the meeting was the Armory Memorial. The memo raises two design concepts that align with the earlier referendum: integrating the memorial into the exterior of a new middle school, or rebuilding it within new green space on the current middle school site. This time around, there would likely be effort put into creating visuals and design concepts of the memorial for the public to review.
Several board members emphasized that any visual presentation of what the memorial might look like needs to involve the veteran community and other stakeholders before anything is released publicly. One board member noted that opposition messaging during the April campaign framed the project as the destruction of the memorial rather than its relocation or enhancement, a characterization that stuck, fairly or not. Getting ahead of that with community-developed visuals, rather than board-developed ones, could be the difference between winning or losing that specific argument the second time around.
The Board Will Soon Be Debt-Free (Pending a Future Referendum, Of Course)
Somewhat buried amid the referendum discussion was a resolution the board unanimously passed. The board voted to pay off two remaining debt obligations early, bonds from 2013 and a loan from 2010, which were all set to mature between 2027 and 2030.
The financial reasoning: the district estimates that by paying off within this fiscal year rather than next, its projected state equalization aid for next year would increase by approximately $600,000, meaning $600,000 less needed to be levied from the community. The district also estimates that there would be roughly $20,000 in interest savings from the move.
Meet the New Communications Consultant: Donovan Group
The board approved hiring the Donovan Group, a Wisconsin-based communications firm, to provide “comprehensive ballot measure campaign support” at a cost of $30,000. Brian Nicol, a partner with the firm and a former communications director in the Howard-Suamico School District near Green Bay, presented to the board.
The board mentioned that they did not identify a finalist for the separate community engagement facilitator role. It had appeared that the community engagement facilitator RFP was the priority in prior meetings, while the RFP for the communications consultant was secondary. The scope of services of the Donovan Group contract leaves open the possibility that they may play both roles rather than necessitating the district needing to hire a second consultant.
The Bigger Picture
While the path is still being paved, Tuesday’s meeting offered plenty of hints at the board’s preferred direction. Several members were candid that building the middle school at Armory Park, with the memorial relocated or incorporated into the new design, remains their leading option. Others pushed back, arguing that community sessions shouldn’t be framed around a conclusion the board may have already reached.
The next School Board meeting is June 10th, with potential community engagement sessions proposed for June 16th and July 14th. More to come.
What do you think, Bay Neighbor?