BY TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
A press release issued by Merrill Area Public Schools (MAPS) said residents indicate support for facilities improvements in the district and the associated $16 million price tag associated with those improvements outlined in the “base plan” option presented in the MAPS community-wide survey conducted in November. The survey was mailed to every household in the MAPS district in November and could be completed and returned either by mail or online.
The results of that survey were provided to the MAPS Board of Education and administrators at the December School Board meeting on Dec. 13, 2023, by Bill Foster, President and Founder of School Perceptions LLC, the independent, Wisconsin-based firm hired to conduct the survey based on their “extensive expertise conducting school district surveys,” according to the release.
The report from School Perceptions is available on the district website at: mapsedu.org/district/facilities-planning.cfm (on the far right, under the “Resources” heading, click on “December 13, 2023 Presentation Community Survey Results.”)
Survey demographics
- 1,522 total survey respondents, of which 92% were residents of the MAPS district and 8% (approx. 121 survey respondents) were not.
- 18% of survey respondents (approx. 274) are employees of MAPS.
- 32% of survey respondents have children attending MAPS schools, while 68% do not.
- 33% of survey respondents are age 65 or older
- 33% of the parents responding and a whopping 76% of the non-parents/non-staff responding said they prefer to get their school/district information from the Merrill Foto News.
Key findings according to MAPS
The MAPS press release cited the following key findings: - When asked to share advice regarding the future of Prairie River Middle School, there was no clear majority or direction given.
- 68% of resident parents showed support for the $16 million proposed base plan. This demographic (resident parents with students in MAPS) represents about 25% of the community.
- 56% of resident non-parents/non-staff indicated willingness to support the $16 million proposed base plan. This demographic (residents without children attending MAPS) represents about 75% of the community.
- Using a weighted analysis calculation, School Perceptions estimated that there was 59% support for the $16 million proposed base plan.
The proposed $16 million base plan
The base plan proposed in the survey, with a $16 million price tag, which “would address the most pressing issues and better utilize the District’s best buildings,” according to the press release, would consist of:
- Updates to Jefferson Elementary to accommodate new usage, including:
- Renovate an area for the Head Start program.
- Renovate an area for the Bridges Virtual Academy.
- Renovate an area for the Northern Achievement Center.
- Maintain gym and kitchen.
- Address existing outdated building plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems.
- Create separate entrances for NAC and Head Start.
- Create dedicated playground areas.
- Move Pine River School for Young Learners (PRSYL), Bridges Virtual Academy (BVA), and the Northern Achievement Center (NAC) program to the Jefferson Elementary building.
- Demolition of the Northern Achievement Center (NAC) and the Storage Building (Old NAC).
- Renovate underutilized high school space to accommodate the District Office and build new maintenance building.
- Move District Office to the Merrill High School building.
- Demolition of the District Office and maintenance building.
- Sell the current Pine River PRSYL property.
Background on MAPS facilities needs
Merrill Area Public Schools currently serves grades Pre-K through 12 totaling approximately 2,272 students. The district’s declining enrollment suggests some realignment of facilities would better serve current needs. Enrollment in 2013-14 was 3,515 students, and enrollment has been steadily declining in all but one year. The MAPS press release cited declining enrollment of “over 17% in the last 10 years” looking at numbers up to and including the 2022-23 academic year.
However, comparing 2013-14 enrollment of 3,515 students with 2022-2023 enrollment of 2,272 students–a difference of 1,243 students–reflects a decline of closer to 35% in the last 9 years. Funding received from the state is based on the number of students enrolled. Fewer students means less money from the state.
The district owns 11 school buildings of various ages, which has become expensive both operationally and with maintenance needs. Those operational costs aren’t going down. In addition, a comprehensive study evaluated all 11 buildings owned by the district according to utilization and investment needed, revealing $91.7 million in future investment needs for building maintenance.
In response to declining enrollment, MAPS hosted community focus groups to explore options to make the “Best Use of the Best Buildings” throughout MAPS.
Other notable findings in the report presented to the School Board include:
- Only 52% of the Prairie River Middle School building is being utilized. Future maintenance costs are projected at $34.3 million.
- Only 56% of the Merrill High School (MHS) building is being utilized. This is one of the reasons the base plan proposes to move MAPS District Offices to the MHS building, to utilize space already available. Future maintenance costs are projected at $28.5 million.
- 74% of the Washington School building is being utilized, and 77% of the Kate Goodrich building is being utilized, with $7.2 million and $8.4 million in upcoming maintenance needs, respectively.
- Currently 0% of the Jefferson School building is being utilized, and that building will require a $6.3 million future maintenance investment, making it an excellent candidate to be utilized as proposed in the base plan.
- The future investment dollars allocated to the PRSYL building ($2 million), maintenance shop ($1 million), District Office ($1.4 million), storage building (old NAC) ($1 million), current NAC building ($1.3 million) … totaling $6.7 million will cease to be a concern once those buildings are demolished/sold if the base plan is implemented.
No debt is a plus, but still coming up short
Of significant note, MAPS has no debt, and MAPS Superintendent Shannon Murray said that is not the norm. Most school districts carry the weight and cost of debt for past investments as an ongoing expense. This lack of debt is a positive. However, according to the report presented to the School Board, MAPS also has the lowest property tax mill rate in our conference and one of the lowest in the entire state, at just $5.14 for 2022-23. Note: The MAPS mill rate for 2023-24 is $5.84 as a result of the change in the state’s guidelines implemented last summer which enabled the district to increase tax levies for operating expenses from $7.71 million to $9.81 million and subsequently raised taxes for most area homeowners to roughly the rate it was prior to the expiration of the most recent MAPS referendum. This, combined with adjustments to staffing and expenses made prior to the beginning of the 2023-24 year, put MAPS in a position to manage this year’s operational budget without referendum. However, it doesn’t provide for the funds to meet all the building maintenance needs identified in the comprehensive study and it doesn’t provide for the $16 million needed to implement the proposed base plan to better utilize the district’s existing facilities based on current enrollment.
Next steps
Voters would need to approve a capital referendum to fund the project; the current base plan is estimated to cost $16 million.
When asked to provide a summary, Foster from School Perceptions said at the School Board meeting, “What did we learn? A majority of all subgroups support the District exploring a capital referendum. A majority of all subgroups also would support the base plan as described in the survey. If the election were held today, voters would likely approve this recommended base plan.”
The MAPS administration and Board of Education will continue to study and discuss this important subject moving forward, the press release said.
“We are very grateful for the survey responses from our community and staff,” said Murray. “This input is critical to help inform and guide decision-making by the School Board and administration in the coming weeks regarding a facilities referendum in the future.”
Questions can be directed to Shannon Murray, MAPS Superintendent, at 715.536.4581 or via email at [email protected].