Task Force

Community Task Force Video

Task Force Report

Click Here to View the Task Force Report

The Task Force submitted the above recommendations to the HSSD Board of Education during its January 11, 2021 meeting, based on a unanimous vote by members for recommendations 1-4 and a majority vote for recommendation 5.

Present a proposal to voters in the April 2021 referendum.
The April 2021 facilities referendum should not exceed $100 million.
The facilities referendum should prioritize the district’s most urgent capital improvement needs at all schools and learning environment renovations should be made at Bay View Middle School and Forest Glen Elementary School.
The school board should continue to see to engage the district community in the needs of the district and to educate community members about the district’s financial situation.
The school board should consider lowering the levy rate.

Task Force Meeting Summaries

Meeting 1: October 22, 2020

The meeting began with a welcome to participants by Jason Potts, a school board member who served as the Board of Education Liaison, a link between the board and the task force. Mr. Potts’ remarks were followed by introductions of the task force co-chairs, Greg Klimek and Elizabeth Powers.

Then, Joe Donovan, who assisted with the facilitation of the meeting, reviewed the Board of Education charge, outlined norms and roles, reviewed at a high level all the future meeting agendas and explained expected deliverables, including the creation of this report.

Robert Vajgrt, Project Manager, and Kit Dailey, Engagement Specialist from Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA), the firm that won a competitive bid process to provide information to the task force, were then introduced to the task force.

After introductions by the architects, Superintendent Damian LaCroix provided a history of referendum projects in the district as well as the district's strategic direction (Mr. LaCroix's presentation is linked below). This was followed by a presentation, discussion and question-and-answer period by Mike Juech, Assistant Superintendent, and Greg Klimek and Elizabeth Powers, task force co-chairs. The meeting was then adjourned by the co-chairs.

Meeting 2: November 5, 2020

Greg Klimek and Elizabeth Powers, the task force co-chairs, kicked off meeting #2 by reviewing the agenda, linked below. Then, the task force broke into groups of five or six to solicit feedback on what was discussed in the first meeting. This was followed by a presentation of the district's facility needs by Brian Nicol, Director of Communications, Mike Juech, Michele Wiberg, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for PMA, Bob Vajgrt and Joe Donovan. This included sharing the survey results from the recently conducted community survey, a summary of Debt Scenarios/Tax Impact and a review of the Capital Maintenance Plan and Preliminary Cost Estimates. The group's presentation is linked below.

Then, task force members went to virtual small-group rooms for feedback, in which the following questions were posed: (1) What are your major takeaways so far? (2) What have you found most interesting? Any surprises? (3) In terms of our significant capital maintenance needs, what rises to the top of the priority list for you?

At the conclusion of the small group sessions, each group reported out. Notes from each group are linked below. Before the co-chairs adjourned the meeting, the next meeting was previewed.

Meeting 3: November 19, 2020

The third meeting began with a welcome by the co-chairs, followed by a review of the second meeting. Task force members were then broken into small groups to both check in and to ensure that any remaining questions were answered.

After Mike Juech provided a tutorial about Wisconsin school finances (linked below), Deputy Superintendent Mark Smith presented the district's strategic framework (linked below).

This was followed by a review by Bob Vajgrt of learning environment projects and preliminary costs.

After Mr. Vajgrt's presentation, the group was once again split into small groups to enlist feedback. The following questions were asked: (1) What questions do you have about the preliminary concepts shared so far? Or what are your major takeaways? (2) What are your thoughts on renovation versus new options? (3) What are your thoughts on learning environment improvements and the district’s learning philosophy? (4) Do you and your community value these types of improvements and the level of investment required to accomplish them? (5) Are there specific areas or schools that you would prioritize for improvement?

This was followed by a presentation of long-range facility pathways by Mr. Vajgrt. After this presentation, task force members were, once again, assigned to small groups for conversations to elicit feedback and to discuss project pathways.

This was followed by a brief conversation with Brian Nicol and Joe Donovan about a second community survey and a preview of our next meeting agenda.

Task force members were asked to consider the pluses and minuses of various project pathways that would address the needs of the district via the EUA Prioritization Tool. After the meeting ended, participants were asked to provide feedback on each of the pathways on their own. This work was a starting point for the group’s next meeting.

Meeting 4: December 3, 2020

The fourth task force meeting began, like previous meetings, with a welcome by the co-chairs. This was followed by a review of topics and a facilitated conversation of the work of the task force to date—specifically questions, themes and responses.

Mike Juech then provided a School Finance 101 presentation. This was followed by a breakout session in which task force members had an opportunity to discuss the prioritization tool and their pathways "homework."

The large group then shared what they had discussed in the small groups, and questions were asked.

Based on this conversation, participants then went back into small groups to further define pathways using the EUA Prioritization Tool. This activity was followed by sharing in the large group.

After the large group conversation, Brian Nicol and Joe Donovan reviewed the upcoming community survey before the next meeting was previewed and the co-chairs adjourned the meeting.

Meeting 5: December 17, 2020

The fifth and final meeting of the task force began with a welcome by the co-chairs and a brief review of the last meeting. Brian Nicol and Joe Donovan then reviewed the findings of the survey that was conducted between the meetings (report linked below).

Kit Dailey and Bob Vajgrt then explained a processing and prioritization effort before participants split into small groups for a prioritization effort. At the conclusion of the small group work, task force members shared their group's conversation and presented questions.

This was followed by a facilitated large group conversation in which the group agreed on a set of recommendations for the board to include in a report.

After the group reached a consensus, task force members unanimously voted on the recommendations to the board. This was followed by concluding remarks from Jason Potts and adjournment by the co-chairs.