The Sheboygan Area School District has a long history of being fiscally responsible and has taken excellent care of our school facilities. However, Farnsworth and Urban Middle Schools were built in the 1930s and are now approaching the time when these schools need extensive repairs and/or upgrades. As outlined below, much work has been done to evaluate the needs of these buildings over the last several years.
Urban (original section built in 1937) and Farnsworth (original section built in 1930) middle schools have similar facility challenges:
The plan would build a new Farnsworth Middle School and remodel the existing gym, fitness center, and the two classrooms built in the 1990s. The remaining structure would be demolished.
The project would include:
This project would create additional parking for North High School on the current Urban site. The existing middle school building would be demolished.
Sheboygan Area voters would need to approve a $126 million referendum to pay for this plan.
If approved, SASD does not anticipate another capital referendum in the next 8 -12 years.
If a majority of Sheboygan voters support the referendum, the property tax mill rate would increase by $0.30 and remain below the 2022-23 level.
The grey block illustrates the estimated tax impact.
Mill Rate Comparisons
Approval would increase the mill rate by $0.30. Financing assumes a multi-phased borrowing plan repaid over 22 years at interest rates from 5.50% - 5.75%.
Questions? Email Superintendents-Office@sasd.net
Upcoming Community Presentations:
May 6, 2024 - Traffic Impact Analysis for Urban Middle School
View the presentation shared by Traffic Analysis & Design, Inc. at the community meeting: Urban Middle School Presentation 05062024
Linked below is the full report and the additional data used in the study:
May 3, 2024
Surveys will be mailed to all SASD residents to gather input. Please watch your mailbox for the survey and take a few minutes to review the information and share your thoughts. To keep all feedback confidential, survey responses are collected by School Perceptions, an independent education research firm.
February 2024
View the slides from the Community Presentations:
SASD Community Presentation Feb 29
January 2024
The Board of Education gave preliminary approval to purchase property located at the intersection of Mill and Najacht Roads in Sheboygan. This parcel of land would be used for the potential rebuilding of Urban Middle School. The funds used to purchase the property will come out of the $2 million fund balance designated for future land purchases. This preliminary approval will be returned to the Board for final approval later this spring.
The original recommendation from the Citizen's Advisory Committee was to rebuild Urban Middle School on a new site. As the District worked through due diligence on donated property located on North 15th Street, it became apparent that this land was not the best solution - due to the placement of wetlands, the water table, and the constraints on where a building could be placed on the property. This site is also not ideal because it is next to industrial properties.
The property located at Mill and Najacht Roads is 19 acres larger and has the potential for a better site layout and room for expansion in future generations. This parcel of land is within the current Urban Middle School boundary and is about 1.5 miles from the current Urban building.
November 2023
The Board of Education approved a construction delivery approach to hire a contract manager(s) to oversee the potential 2024 referendum projects. View the full presentation to the Board starting on page 14 of the November 28, 2023, Board of Education agenda and meeting attachments.
Timeline for Construction Delivery Approach:
January 2023
Should a new Urban Middle School be built on a new site, the Board of Education approved a recommendation to raze the current Urban Middle School site and create both parking and green space for the North High School campus. The recommendation came out of meetings the administration had with North High School stakeholders.
July 2022
Preliminary schedules presented to the Board of Education.
May 2022
Members of the Citizens Facility Advisory Committee shared their recommendation for Farnsworth and Urban Middle Schools with the Board of Education for their consideration. The recommendation included:
Read the executive summary and decision-making matrix used by the committee:
The Board of Education approved the committee’s recommendation and will consider pursuing a referendum in November 2024 for these projects.
March 2021
Citizens Facility Advisory Committee convened and begins their work.
View Facilities Study by Bray Architects
March 2020
The Board of Education approved the formation of a Citizens Advisory Committee to review the facility needs of Farnsworth Middle School and Urban Middle School.
Check back for further updates!