For the Wausau Times

WAUSAU — At its Jan. 17 meeting, the Wausau School District Board of Education approved a referendum question that will appear on the April 5 ballot.

“If approved by voters, the $119,800,000 million referendum would lower the tax levy, while at the same time allow the district to address its most pressing facility needs. The district would move forward with safety & security improvements at all elementary schools, as well as, adding additional classroom space at Stettin, South Mountain, and Riverview elementaries to address increasing enrollment and alleviate capacity concerns. The district is also moving forward with all work at its middle and high schools; addressing deferred maintenance and safety and security needs. It will also make facility improvements at the Wausau School Forest, including a new Environmental Learning Center,” a district release stated.

“The Board of Education’s proposed solution has been created based on the input and feedback of the community. This effort included online surveys for community and staff members, three community engagement sessions, staff listening sessions at all schools and engagement on social media. The district and board have also communicated and gathered feedback through a facility needs webpage and via the local media.”

“We are pleased to have a solution to our schools’ facility needs that has truly been developed using a community-driven process,” said Pat McKee, board president. “We believe the solution on the ballot represents a strong balance between meeting our district’s needs and those of our taxpayers.”

An approved referendum would have an estimated property tax impact of negative $0.43 on every $1,000 of property value in the school district. The owner of a home valued at $150,000 would see an annual tax reduction of about $64.50.

For more information, visit www.wausauschools.org.