The results of the community survey, which was administered by independent education research firm School Perceptions, will be presented to the Board of Education on Tuesday, June 25. The public is invited to attend the meeting, which will be held in the South High School auditorium starting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting agenda and attachments, including the survey results presentation, are available on the District’s website on the Board of Education page under Agenda & Minutes (https://www.sheboygan.k12.wi.us/about/board-of-education).

As promised, the District will use the survey results and feedback from the five previous community meetings to guide the plan for a referendum in November.

A majority of all key subgroups support the District pursuing a referendum to address the middle school challenges. However, parents, SASD staff, and community members living in the Urban Middle School attendance area were less supportive of the proposed plan than respondents living in the Farnsworth or Horace Mann attendance areas.

“We want to thank everyone who took the time to complete the community survey and attend a community meeting. We are listening and using the survey data as well as community member feedback to plan for the future,” said Dr. Jacob Konrath, Superintendent of Schools. “In reviewing the survey data, we found strong support for pursuing a referendum to address our nearly 100-year-old middle schools. The survey provided us with feedback that showed less support from both citizens and parents living in the Urban Middle School boundary. We look forward to addressing that feedback and discussing ways to ensure the support from the Urban boundary is similar to that of the rest of the district.”

One of the key themes that emerged from the survey and community meetings was the proposed site for Urban Middle School at Najacht and Mill Roads. This issue was voiced by parents and community members residing in the Urban attendance area. Parents expressed concerns about traffic and safety, proximity to the school community, and impact on neighborhoods. Community members raised location concerns, environmental/safety concerns, and the desire to preserve a historic school building.

Given this information, Bray Architects will present a potential plan to the Board of Education on June 25 to rebuild Urban Middle School at its current location.

The potential plan will include solutions for improved parent drop-off and pick-up, a new secure entrance easily accessible from the parking lot, appropriately-sized classrooms, a cafeteria with natural light, and increased parking. Like the Farnsworth Middle School plan, this revised plan to rebuild Urban on its current location includes major renovations to a portion of the building and rebuilding a large section of the school.

The June 25 agenda will include an opportunity for public input. The presentations will be for information and discussion; no action will be taken. The Board of Education will meet again on July 23 to discuss the next steps of the referendum process.