Over the past year, Whitefish Bay High School and the Whitefish Bay School District have proposed and promoted a facilities referendum to rebuild the Middle School and renovate the district’s four other school buildings. The referendum will appear on the upcoming Spring Election ballot. As early voting has already begun for Whitefish Bay residents ages 18 and over, here are a few things that voters should know before casting their ballot.
What is a referendum?
A referendum is a direct vote regarding a proposal, law, or policy to be implemented.
The Whitefish Bay District School Board passed the referendum resolution in January, shortly after surveying Whitefish Bay community members.
What changes will the referendum make?
The referendum proposes several new projects, including renovating Cumberland and Richards Elementary Schools, the High School, as well as the Lydell School and Community Center.
As part of their communication, the School District has listed focus areas that the referendum would cover. For renovations, the referendum will focus on increasing accessibility and safety, modernizing fire and sprinkler systems, and replacing older HVAC systems to name a few.
Focus Areas for constructing a new Middle School will prioritize creating better and more flexible learning spaces while also working to decrease disruption to current school learning during potential construction hours. The School District has also stated that although the new Middle School building would be built on part of Whitefish Bays Armory Park, they intend to incorporate the Veterans Memorial into construction plans.
Despite this however, the School District has published little to no details on how they plan to honor the Veterans Memorial that currently sits on Armory Park.
What are residents’ and students’ concerns over the referendum?
Despite the benefits and upgrades the referendum would add to Whitefish Bay learning spaces, residents have also voiced concerns regarding some of the referendum’s proposals.
Many residents are opposed to the Middle School being rebuilt on Armory Park. Whitefish Bay resident Tim Cigleske started a petition titled Save Armory Park, which has collected over 200 signatures from Whitefish Bay residents and students.
Part of these signees’ concerns is that the construction of the new Middle School would require cutting down 25 trees and may remove the 56 plaques of military members located at the Veterans Memorial on Armory Park.
“Armory Park is one of the few remaining green spaces left in the Village. The proposed replacement green space would lack the size, beauty, and history of Armory Park, and wouldn’t have 100-year-old trees. The Veterans’ Memorial belongs where it is on the historic former Armory site,” wrote petition signee Steve Slawinski.
Others believe that school and education updates are important, but not at the cost of existing green spaces.
“I believe the middle school needs major renovations. However, I believe it can be done without sacrificing the park and what it represents,” said petition signee Roberta Bechtel.
Another concern many residents have is the overall lack of transparency by the School District, which has yet to provide a definitive blueprint plan for new Middle School construction or renovations. Part of this may be because the School District is waiting until after the referendum voting to begin working on more formal construction plans.
Finally, the cost of the referendum is another point of contention for Whitefish Bay residents. While some are happy to invest the money, especially if they have younger children who will attend Whitefish Bay schools, others are not as enthusiastic.
How much does the referendum cost?
The proposed referendum has a total cost of around $156 million: $20.4 million will be coming from the school district while $135.6 million will be asked of residents, making it the most expensive school referendum per individual in Wisconsin history.
Most Whitefish Bay residents can expect to see an increase of $1500 to upwards of $2000 in their school taxes. For example, a resident living in a $600,000 home would pay an increase of $1560 in school taxes each year over 21 years if the referendum passes.
Likewise, a resident living in a $900,000 home would see an increase of $2,340 to their school taxes annually.
What will be on the ballot?
The referendum will be worded as follows on the Spring Election ballot:
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 $135,600,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a district-wide school building and facilityimprovement project consisting of: safety, security, building infrastructure and capital maintenance improvements at Whitefish Bay High School, Cumberland and Richards Elementary Schools, and Lydell School and Community Center; construction of and site improvements for a new middle school toreplace the existing middle school; acquisition of land; demolition of the existing middle school and repurposing the site for district and community use; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?
Where and when is voting happening?
If not opting for mail absentee voting, In- Person Absentee Voting will take place at the Whitefish Bay Village Hall (5300 N Marlborough Drive) and will end on April 3. Voting will be open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm, and will be open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on April 2 and April 3.
The Whitefish Bay School District Referendum decision will be finalized on April 7, 2026.
