Key Takeaways:
- Referendum question was unanimously adopted and will include the renovate-in-place option for the middle school, updates to the HVAC and fire system at the high school and updates to the fire systems at the elementary schools.
- New website intended to inform Villagers has been launched by the district – https://www.wfbreferendum.org/
Well folks, we have a new referendum question. Four months after voters rejected a $135.6 million facilities referendum by roughly 300 votes, the Whitefish Bay School Board unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday night authorizing up to $90 million in general obligation bonds and will place the question before voters on November 3rd.
It is not the April plan with a smaller number attached. In the months since that measure failed, the school board ran focus groups, fielded a community survey, and worked through several revised options before landing on a one-third smaller price tag and a middle school that gets renovated in phases on its current site rather than replaced outright at the former Armory site.
A few of the board members read prepared statements before the final vote. School Board President Dr. Kristin Bencik-Boudreau’s statement can be found at the end of the post.
The question voters will actually see
The full ballot text, as adopted:
Shall the School District of Whitefish Bay, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $90,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and facility improvement project consisting of: construction of additions, renovations, partial removal of the existing building and site improvements at the Middle School on its current site; building infrastructure and capital maintenance improvements at the High School; fire protection and alarm system updates and replacement at the High School, Cumberland and Richards Elementary Schools; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?
What’s in the plan
Middle school — renovate-in-place. As shared in my last school board update, this renovate-in-place option will keep the students in the school during construction and will come in phases. This option will create a mostly new middle school when finished.
High school — full mechanical replacement. New HVAC system for both heating and cooling, as well as a full update of the fire protection system.
Cumberland and Richards — fire protection and alarm systems. Sprinklers and a new alarm system at both elementaries.
District Wide — Furnishings, fixtures and equipment directly tied to the improvements above.
The tax picture
Business Services Director Ben Irwin shared that his modeling assumes $90 million borrowed across two issuances, one in 2026 and a second in 2028, amortized over 22 years.
The rate assumption is now 4.5%, down from the 5% to 5.25% range used in April. Irwin called that conservative given the district’s credit rating, which he described as effectively as strong as a Wisconsin district can hold.
With the 2009 referendum’s debt now paid off, the estimated net impact: $125 per $100,000 of assessed value. On the village’s stated average home value of $685,800, that works out to $857 per year. This would be down from the $1,783 per year for the average home from the April referendum.
Taxpayers would see the impact for the first time on the December 2026 tax bill (first installment due January 2027).
What comes next
The district is moving immediately into an information campaign. Its stated goal is neutral, factual information.
Community sessions will be held in person on September 15th at 6pm (at the Middle School), September 28th at 6pm (High School), October 15th at 6pm (Middle School), and November 2nd at 6pm (Middle School).
Online: a rebuilt referendum section of the district website is now live (though more additions will be made in the near future), with FAQs, tax impact information, floor plans, and a site plan. https://www.wfbreferendum.org/
The district will reuse the question-submission form from the April campaign, which fielded more than 130 questions over roughly two months with most answered within three to four days. Mailings — somewhere between two and four — pocket guides, and short social videos are also planned.
Voters will then have their say on November 3rd, 2026.
School Board President Dr. Kristin Bencik-Boudreau read a prepared statement before the vote. In full:
I am in full support of the referendum as outlined. I would like to explain how I personally came to the decision that this was the right referendum at this time for the Whitefish Bay School District.
As most know, the district embarked upon a detailed evaluation of all of our facilities starting years ago. The Facility Advisory Committee then brought forth the recommendations. The result was a $135.6 million referendum. The plan the school board brought forth in April was the best plan to accomplish all of the facilities needs of the district in a single referendum. I’m deeply grateful for all those community members who worked tirelessly to try and help pass the referendum, and I truly believe the reason it was so close was because of their actions.
However, in the end, the referendum was simply too much money for our community. At that point, as a board, we had to pivot and turn to our community to hear why the referendum failed and what they wanted us to do moving forward. We organized focus groups that resulted in over 12 hours of listening sessions, and we did a complete community survey. As we mentioned, it was no surprise to us that over 86% of the survey responders said it was simply too much money, and the overwhelming majority of the focus group members agreed.
The one thing that came as a surprise, however, was the opposition to the Armory site and the preference for renovate in place. Prior to the community survey and the focus groups, I felt there was only a small minority of residents who opposed the site — the neighbors directly affected, and those who had close ties to the Armory. We felt we had the support of the Friends of the Armory group going into the referendum. However, as the survey showed us, 48.65% of those who voted no did so because of the location of the proposed middle school. The focus groups with Friends of the Armory also clearly detailed that there was simply no support for changing the Armory site, and there would actually be an active campaign against it.
Finally, I have been asked multiple times via email and in focus groups why we couldn’t re-look at the middle school renovate-in-place option. The original project was rejected because of the impact on student learning with temporary classrooms for a prolonged period of time. This was a non-starter for our board. The new project will keep kids and staff in fully furnished classrooms for the entirety of their middle school experience. We will continue to work with staff at the middle school and our builders to do everything possible to mitigate the effects of construction on learning.
Most importantly, this is an option that will result in a brand new middle school for Whitefish Bay. This is not a light renovation. It is taking down and building a new school. The only original part of the school, as we’ve mentioned multiple times tonight, is our historical gym, which will be opened up into a beautiful gathering center and cafeteria.
Our survey results clearly showed, as did our experts who interpreted this survey, that our community would only support up to a $90 million referendum. This has forced us to prioritize all the needs of the district, and that has come down to HVAC and high school infrastructure and the new middle school. We also will be adding the fire safety at the elementary schools.
As I said last meeting and has been reiterated tonight, we are going to have to go back to a referendum again in the near future to address the needs of the elementary schools. Those needs that were brought forth before have not gone away.
The option presented today is the best compromise for passing a referendum that will result in completion of two hugely needed facility projects. By doing so, it will lower our operational costs so we can continue to support our teachers in the way we most want to.
I also want to acknowledge the concerns of parents for the renovate-in-place project. As you’ve heard, our administration feels strongly that we can continue to provide the highest educational experience and the safest environment during this time. I challenge all of you to be part of the process. Please come to our educational sessions regarding the project. Give us your feedback and work with us so together we can bring this most needed project to fruition.
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