The School District of Cudahy Board of Education seeks to understand the priorities of the taxpayers and needs their input on two important questions:

1. Funding from the operational referendum Cudahy voters approved in 2020 will expire in 2025. Should this referendum be renewed?

2. The District currently operates six schools. It is more expensive to operate and maintain these buildings as they get older and we have excess capacity as student enrollment declines. Should we continue to invest in all the buildings or update a plan to consolidate schools?

   Surveys were mailed in early May to all District residents. Surveys include a unique code for each respondent. The survey code can be used only once. To obtain additional surveys for surveys for other adults in your household, please call the District Office at (414) 294.7412.

If your email program doesn't support the link, you may copy and paste the entire link into your browser address bar or:

1. Go to the website:Feedback2000.com

2. Enter your access code:KQTL-VBRD-QPYQ-SRPL

3. Complete your survey! 

To receive the survey in a different language or if you have a disability that makes it difficult to read, please contact the District Office. Survey results will be reported at a board meeting and available on the District’s website.

District Challenges

The District faces the following critical challenges:

• A Gap in School Funding. The District is experiencing reduced revenue due to declining enrollment trends and decreased state aid for day-to-day operations.

• Excess Space and Declining Enrollment The District must address excess space district-wide that strongly impacts its operational budget. Additionally, any buildings in operation require renovations to improve learning spaces and ensure enhanced safety and alignment with the needs of today's learners and careers.

• High-Cost Maintenance and Repairs: There is a pressing need to address high-cost facility repairs, replacements, and maintenance throughout the District's schools.

To address these challenges, many reductions and actions have already taken place. However, the ongoing solution will require a multi-pronged approach. 

The District must continue to address critical challenges of high-cost facility repairs and maintenance throughout the District’s schools while funding quality staff and maintaining programming to prepare future-ready graduates.

The District Will Seek to Renew the 2020 Operational Referendum Which Expires in 2025. 

Financial Background 

The Cudahy School District tax mill rate, which is used to calculate the District’s share of local property taxes, is the second-lowest in the Woodland Conference and remains below the state average.

1. We Have Excess Capacity 

2. We Have Aging Facilities that Require Improvements

Like many other districts in our state, the School District of Cudahy has been dealing with declining student enrollment and budget challenges. State funding is tied to enrollment. Thus, the fewer students we have, the less money we receive.

1. Excess capacity.

We currently serve just over 2,000 students in 6 buildings. During the past 10 years, student enrollment has dropped by more than 500 students. Based on a recent population study, enrollment will likely continue to decline.

2. Our buildings are aging.

Five of our schools are more than 50 years old. These older schools are more expensive to maintain, heat, and clean. Many building systems throughout the District (such as heating, electrical, plumbing, roofs, windows, etc.) are inefficient and have reached or exceeded their service life. In addition, because of the age of many of our buildings, we need updates to address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, which would improve access to classrooms, support areas, and restrooms.

A Pause in the District’s Building Consolidation Plan

The District previously established a plan to consolidate schools. For the 2022-23 school year, Park View and General Mitchell Elementary Schools were merged and the district has an agreement to sell the Park View building. In December, the school board paused additional consolidation plans to allow for more community feedback and further examination of other reconfiguration options. 

The District collaborated with Performance Services, Inc (PSI) to ensure objectivity in addressing these challenges. In addition to a complete facility study, PSI further assessed current facility capacity and educational programming needs to devise several alternative school configurations. 

1. The Board Sought Input from the Cudahy Facilities Advisory Committee

The role of the Facility Advisory Committee was to provide meaningful input to the School District of Cudahy administration about possible scenarios that will address the challenges of excess facility space, and high-cost facility repairs and maintenance throughout the District's schools. The work of the committee included:

• Reviewed critical issues facing the District, including a financial presentation.

• Learned about six possible building configuration scenarios.

• Summarized the pros and cons for each scenario. 

• Opportunities for members to express their views and participate in a culminating ranking of scenarios.

2. School Configuration Options:

To finalize the long-term facilities plan, we need to decide how many schools to maintain and operate.

• Option 1: Maintain all six schools
  This option is more expensive from a staffing standpoint and will require higher annual building maintenance investments.

• Option 2: Five School Configuration
  This option reconfigures the high school to serve students in grades 7-12. This would allow middle school students to access higher-level courses. Portions of the middle school would be converted into a community recreation center and unused areas could be rented.

• Option 3: Five School Configuration
  This option closes J.E. Jones Elementary, the elementary school with the most expensive building maintenance costs.

• Option 4: Four School Configuration
  This option closes the Middle School and J.E. Jones Elementary. It would be the most efficient and have the lowest annual operating costs.

3. Building Maintenance

Regardless of how many schools the District operates, we must begin addressing building maintenance projects in the schools we know will stay open. Many of these projects are too expensive to be paid for from the annual budget. Therefore, the cost could be addressed through a voter-approved capital (facilities) referendum. The plan would:

•  Upgrade aging building systems (heating, plumbing, and electrical).

•  Replace worn-out windows, doors, ceiling tiles, and flooring.

•  Address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues.

•  Improve school safety and security.