Oconto Falls middle school referendum question approved

Five years and three minutes after the Oconto Falls School Board started thinking about an April 2022 middle school referendum, the board pulled the trigger Jan. 10.

With little discussion, board members unanimously approved asking voters to agree to borrow an amount not to exceed $49.9 million. Those dollars would pay for: construction of a new middle school; a new cafeteria at Oconto Falls Elementary; repurposed space for an Abrams Elementary cafeteria; various improvements to the elementary and high school buildings and grounds; secure entrances; traffic flow parking lot improvements; and deferred maintenance on structures around the district.

The resolution goes on the April 5 ballot. Voter approval would be the final step to setting in motion replacement of aging Washington Middle School — parts of which are more than a century old — while dealing with issues at the district’s other school buildings, all three of which are at least 25 years old.

Administrators timed the study so that the referendum comes as other district debts are being paid off, so the impact on property taxes would be minimal, Superintendent Dean Hess has said.

“We’ve been working on this for a long time, and I think all of the i’s have been dotted and the t’s are crossed,” board member Ken Harter said before the vote. “I commend Dean and our administration and the citizens that worked on this on the citizens advisory committee for the work they put into it. I don’t think there are too many people we’ve heard from that do not see the need, so I think the timing is right and we need to move forward.”

The new middle school would be built on land across County Road I from the existing campus that includes Oconto Falls High School, Oconto Falls Elementary School, the district office and ST Paper Stadium. The board purchased about 100 acres about three years ago for future expansion, including the potential middle school.