Frequently Asked Questions

MSDWC aims to be a strong district in student achievement, recruitment and retention, financial responsibility, and providing safe and efficient learning environments. In 2019, these four areas were outlined in our Strategic Plan and since then we have been working hard to improve in these areas. A new high school is the best option to achieve all of these goals. It would provide efficiencies, additional programming, and enhanced safety upgrades and facility improvements for our students. 

Through consultation with external and internal advisors, three options have been examined for addressing the current efficiency challenges.

1. Retain All Schools

   Maintain and improve all five school buildings and adjust grade levels as needed.

2. Shuffling Grade Levels

   Shuffling grade levels as needed. Give specific focus on 9-12 while maintaining and improving certain buildings.

3. Build a New High School

   Build 9-12 high school to include phasing into a three-building district over time, while maintaining and improving certain buildings.

When looking at how each option will affect our entire strategic plan, building a new high school is the best option that helps us achieve every area of our goals. 

A plan for our future is utterly important in being a good steward of spending public funds. Current challenges affect our ability to run our schools efficiently. As our buildings age, funds will inevitably be needed to improve and update our infrastructure. Staffing shortages continue to make it difficult to fill positions within all five school buildings. Low enrollment due to the declining population also continues to make it challenging for programming and scheduling at the secondary level.

Despite these challenges, MSDWC is in a much better financial position than we were when reconfiguration was considered five years ago. Our financial strength allows us to better control our outcomes and future.

Our district's strong assessed valuation coupled with the current historically low bond market makes now a good time to pursue this project. Interest rates and construction costs will continue to rise so acting now will help ensure the lowest costs possible. 

The maximum cost for the project is $115,000,000. This includes:

• Purchase of the land
• All building costs for the new high school
• All renovation costs for the current junior/senior high schools

The total cost of the project will be lowered if bids for the work are less than projected.

The land for the new school is located near US 24, just north of Heartland Career Center on Division Road between 150 W and 200 W. It is approximately 4 miles from Northfield Jr/Sr High and 7 miles from Southwood Jr/Sr High.

This location offers the advantage of proximity to Heartland Career Center, as well as being close to a major highway. While a truly centralized location is challenging to find in the MSDWC area, the higher population density of this location makes it advantageous for student programming and recruitment.

The plan involves transitioning MSDWC from a five-building district to a three-building district. Once occupied, the new high school will house grades 9-12. The current Northfield Jr/Sr High and Southwood Jr/Sr High buildings would house students in preschool through grade 8. The current elementary buildings, Metro North, Sharp Creek, and Southwood Elementary would no longer be used.

Once preschool through grade 8 are under one roof, they will essentially function as two schools - an elementary school and a middle school. Allowing students in grades 6-8 a distinct middle school experience prior to joining students in grades 9-12 will have great benefits for them.

The new high school would be designed to accommodate grades levels up to 150, or a total of 550-600 students. The current average student enrollment for students in grades 3-6 is 127 students per grade level. These grade levels would be the first to potentially benefit from the new high school.

Academic

Course offering audits show that our academic programming is comparable to surrounding schools our size. Bringing together students from both of our high schools would allow us to offer multiple sections of courses and improve the ability of students to enroll in courses that match their needs or passions. This flexibility will give our high school students the opportunity to enroll in more courses in multiple areas such as computer science, entrepreneurships, and the fine arts. The more courses our students are able to experience at the high school level will lead to a greater preparation for the career and educational options of the future.

Extracurricular

We will actively seek the opinions of parents and community residents on the proper type of programs to be added. While we do not know the full extent of additional extra-curricular activities, possibilities include musical offerings such as show choir and marching band, new athletic programs such as soccer and boys’ tennis, etc.

Staffing levels are already adjusted each year based on needs, opportunities, and availability. This plan will offer more opportunities for students, creating a need for our instructional and support staff as well. Moving from a five-building district to a three-building district will allow us to use our operational staff more efficiently.

If the referendum fails, MSDWC will continue providing the best education for our students. The remaining options of our strategic plan for the future will include spending significant funds on our aging buildings and keeping the class structures as they are currently, and/or reconfiguring to accommodate one high school.

Taxes will still be raised even if the referendum does not pass.

Full What If the Referendum Does Not Pass description

The strength of our schools attracts people to move to our community. In the competitive school market for students, a failed referendum may factor into a parent’s decision on where to send their child, leading them to choose other schools.