For the first time since 2008, Elmbrook School District voters will have a referendum to decide upon.
The Elmbrook School Board on July 14 voted 6-1 to put a $100 million facilities referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot. Board member Cheryl Milnes cast the lone no vote both to authorize the referendum amount and to put the referendum on the November ballot.
Milnes said she the recognizes the importance of investing in the community’s capital needs and that the schools have facility needs beyond what the district’s operating budget can address, but she could not support the current referendum proposal.
“It lacks sufficiently detailed needs versus wants analysis that clearly distinguishes essential, high priority projects from desirable non-essential ones,” she said in a prepared statement she read aloud during the meeting. “Without this disciplined prioritization, we risk approving expenditures that may exceed what is truly necessary, placing an undue burden on taxpayers without adequate justification or transparency.”
Here’s what to know about the referendum.
What would the referendum fund?
If approved, the referendum would fund infrastructure upgrades and physical additions at four schools: Pilgrim Park Middle School, Wisconsin Hills Middle School, Tonawanda Elementary and Swanson Elementary.
Across the four schools, there would be infrastructure repairs, site improvements and mandatory updates to address the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
In addition, at Pilgrim Park Middle School, there would be building additions constructed for fine arts, electives and an expanded gym. Tonawanda Elementary School would get a new, dedicated academic learning addition.
The referendum would also include the acquisition of all necessary fixtures, furniture and capital equipment to outfit the new and renovated spaces.
Why is the district going to referendum?
In August 2025, the Elmbrook School Board created a 20-year facility plan. Also last summer, the board worked with consultants to study each school’s academic, security and maintenance needs. After evaluating various options, such as building new schools, the board decided that renovating schools would be the most cost-effective, the Elmbrook School District said.
As part of its long-term facility planning, the district conducted a comprehensive needs assessment that identified four schools – Pilgrim Park and Wisconsin Hills middle schools and Swanson and Tonawanda elementary schools – that need “reinvestment to remain safe, accessible and aligned with today’s educational standards,” the district said.
The four schools are aging: Pilgrim Park was built in 1958, Swanson was built in 1960 and both Wisconsin Hills and Tonawanda were built in 1969.
As part of its facilities planning, the district developed a two-part strategy. The first involves using its annual operating budget over the next 10 years to fund $71 million of regular maintenance, including repairing and replacing major building systems, roofs and parking lots, windows and doors, athletic fields and security cameras and monitoring systems.
The second part involves renovating all four schools through a referendum, as the cost of renovating all four schools would be too expensive for the district’s operating budget to pay for, the district’s website said.
A community survey conducted this spring asked respondents about two referendum options. Option 1 was a $100 million referendum that would do the renovations to Pilgrim Park, Tonawanda, Swanson and Wisconsin Hills. Option 2 was an $85 million referendum that would only renovate Pilgrim Park and Tonawanda, while maintaining the current debt portion of property taxes by replacing retiring debt. Survey results showed 67% supported the first option while 62% supported the second option.
What is the estimated tax impact?
If approved, the district’s tax rate would increase by about 11 cents per $1,000 of property value. The district’s 2025-26 tax rate was $6.26 per $1,000 of property value.
Under the 2025-26 tax rate, the owner of a $600,000 home would have paid $3,756 in school taxes. If the referendum passes, that homeowner would pay $3,822, an increase of $66 annually.
When was the district’s last referendum?
The last time the district’s voters decided on a referendum was in April 2008. Then, voters approved a $62.19 million facilities referendum to remodel and add onto the district’s two high schools, Brookfield Central and Brookfield East, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s referendum history database.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Elmbrook puts $100 million school referendum on November ballot
Reporting by Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
