District Facilities

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District Facility Updates

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The School District of Janesville looks forward to sharing information about improvements to SDJ facilities with the community. This webpage will be updated as projects commence.

In November 2020, residents of the School District of Janesville (SDJ) voted to pass two referendum questions critically important to the future of our local public schools. The Board of Education and the SDJ Administration utilized your input regarding how you want your community's schools to function and operate now and into the future.

Facility solutions approved by residents on November 3, 2020 will:

Ensure a standard for all SDJ buildings with respect to secure pathways/entrances.
Address the most urgent facility needs (aging facilities, infrastructure) which includes replacing windows, roofs, and boilers.
Ensure all SDJ school buildings remain open while maintaining current class sizes.

Inquiries? Please contact:

Patrick Gasper

Public Information Officer

Education Services Center

School: 608-743-5091

Latest Update:

Facilities Guiding Principles:
Safe, healthy, and secure facilities
Accessible for all students, staff and community use
Cost effective
Sustainable
Designed with adaptable and flexible technology infrastructure
Equitable, throughout the district, for students and staff
Learning enviroment that is engaging and supportive
An element of community pride
Code compliant

What's Been Happening?

Hosted in-person Wall smashing ceremony with school district speakers to formally celebrate the start of teh secure pathways project.
Started construction for the first phase of the project

What's Next Timeline:

Mapping out summer school building usage and parking
Moving from pre-referendum concepts to reality in three phases:
- Phase 1: Adams Elementary, Harrison Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Van Buren Elementary, Washington Elementary
- Phase 2: Edison Middle School,, Jackson Elementary, Madison Elementary, Marshall Middle School. Monroe Elementray, Parker High School, Wilson ELementary
- Phase 3: Craig High School, Kennedy Elementary, Franklin Middle School, Rock River

2021
	2021
	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
PHASE 1	DESIGN & PRE CONSTRUCTION			BUILDING		CONSTRUCTION
PHASE 2				DESIGN & PRE CONSTRUCTION				BUILD		CONSTRUCTION
PHASE 3								DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION				BUILD

2022
	2022
	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
PHASE 1
PHASE 2
PHASE 3	BUILD					CONSTRUCTION

Past Facility Update Documents

March 2021

March 2021

Additional Information:

SDJ Board of Education Statement to the Community

The members of the School District of Janesville Board of Education released the following statement after the announcement of the November 3, 2020 election results showing that voters approved both referendum questions to address safety/security/building needs and operational needs of the school district:

Dear Community Members:

On behalf of the School District of Janesville Board of Education, we thank our residents for their consideration of the solution presented to voters through the two referendum questions on November 3.

We are pleased that the board could find a solution that meets the needs of the district. We also appreciated having an open dialogue with individual community members and hearing a variety of views on how to address the opportunities and challenges we face together.

The board will continue its commitment to the educational priorities of the district and to making the most of every single dollar invested by residents into their public schools.

With that, we thank you again for your consideration of the solutions presented that will positively impact our students, schools, and the greater community. We look forward to continued conversations regarding the future of the School District of Janesville.

Best regards,

Members of the School District of Janesville Board of Education

Safety and Facility Needs Information

Improvements to SDJ facilities relate mostly to Question 1 of the 2020 Referendum, which addresses District Safety and Facility Needs.

Question #1: While our district’s buildings have been well maintained, the average age of our schools is 64 years. In addition to regular maintenance, big-ticket items like windows, roofs and boilers need to be replaced. This question focuses on school safety and secure pathways/entrances as well as addressing the most urgent facility needs now. If approved by voters, the impact of the facilities referendum would be a $5 increase in school-related taxes for every $100,000 in assessed value, beginning with tax bills in December of 2021.

The School District of Janesville works hard to make the most of the investments taxpayers make in their local public schools. This includes extending the life of district facilities, stretching the revenue the district receives, and anticipating financial challenges before they affect the district.

In addition to its operational considerations, the district has facility and safety related needs. While all our facilities have been well maintained, the average age of our schools is 64 years. In fact, our newest school, Kennedy Elementary, was constructed more than 20 years ago. The district’s oldest school, Rock River Charter School, is approaching its 140th birthday.

In 2016, the district commissioned a facilities study that focused on its envelope and mechanical systems. The study included a review of the district's mechanical systems, such as boilers, air handlers, electrical systems, windows, and roofs. The report indicated that if all the needed work was done at one time, the estimated cost would be $111.1 million.

It is important to note that the report only addressed fixing existing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, and not making existing space more conducive to modern learning or making schools more safe/secure.

Finally, while the district has an annual maintenance budget, costs for big-ticket items across the district exceed our ability to cover them with the annual budget. To address the costs of most of the items outlined in the facilities report, the district would need permission from the community in the form of a referendum.

The facilities referendum would address issues such as school security, life safety system, and the replacing of outdated mechanical systems like boilers. The impact of the facilities referendum will be a $5 increase in school-related taxes for every $100,000 in assessed value, beginning with tax bills in December of 2021.

Secure Entryway/Boiler Video

Engaging the Community, Gathering Input

The SDJ and the Board of Education worked hard to engage the entire district community in advance of placing the referendum questions on the ballot. This included working with a Community Financial Advisory Committee, a group composed of local business, industry, service and nonprofit leaders who have a financial acumen. The district and board also conducted a community-wide survey and used the results to inform their decision making. The highest-ranked items from the community survey are central to the solutions the Board of Education will present to voters in November. The top three ranked items included:

Safety and security;
Attracting and retaining highly qualified staff; and
Maintaining small class size.

Think of a CFAC as a kitchen cabinet of advisors who will examine the district’s financial records, ask tough questions, and make a recommendation about a referendum. The CFAC is made up of Janesville community members with knowledge of fiscal matters.

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)

How many square feet and acres does the district maintain?

The School District of Janesville maintains:

12 elementary buildings account for a total 847,553 square feet on 113 acres.
3 middle school buildings account for a total of 524,003 square feet on 73 acres.
2 high school buildings account for a total of 661,923 square feet on 107 acres.

The district also maintains the Educational Service Center, Rock River Charter School and the Chestnut House totaling under 50,000 square feet and under 3 acres.

In total, the district maintains more than 2,083,000 square feet of property on about 296 acres. This is comparable to maintaining 1,000 homes of 2,000 square feet.

Have SDJ residents passed a referendum in the past?

How much money does the district annually spend on capital maintenance?

On average the district annually spends approximately $1.3 million on capital maintenance and improvement. Defining the distinction between maintenance and improvement is, at times, difficult.

The district defines capital maintenance as a major repair or replacement of existing assets. For example, asphalt replacement, at a particular building is replacing an existing asset, and thus defined as capital maintenance.

Alternatively, over the course of the last four years 2016-2020, the district replaced all existing elementary playground equipment at a cost of $1,604,285 to upgrade the structures, including ADA accessibility. This type of project is an example of a capital improvement.

Since 2013, the district has invested $10,652,599 in capital maintenance and improvement outside of the district’s daily operational budget.

For a school by school listing of capital maintenance and improvement projects beginning in the 2012-2013 school year to the present, please see the SDJ Capital Maintenance Project List.

When would I see the tax impact?

What does the district’s total revenue look like?

The following table illustrates a comparison of total General Operations – Fund 10 revenue between a span of seven fiscal years. Like districts across the state, the School District of Janesville receives support from local taxpayers, the state, and the federal government.

Key:

Local sources: property taxes, mobile home fees, admissions
Inter-district sources: open enrollment payments (payments for students from other districts attending school in SDJ)
Non Wisconsin sources: Janesville International Exchange Program
State: General Aid, Equalization Aid
Federal: Title grant funding
Other: Miscellaneous, items such as worker’s compensation dividend

Fund Source	2013-2014	2019-2020	Percent Change	AVG. Change per Year
Local	$27,688,195	$29,770,141	6.99%	.99%
Inter-district	$2,661,112	$4,575,262	41.84%	5.98%
Outside WI	$0	$209,091	100%	14.29%
Intermediate	$7,695	$74,154	89.62%	12.8%
State	$68,517,501	$74,507,509	8.04%	1.15%
Federal	$5,264,184	$4,995,566	-5.38%	-.77%
Other	$466,303	$414,164	-12.59%	-1.8%
Total	$104,604,990	$114,545,887	8.68%	1.24%

What is the history of the district’s mil rate?

How does the district’s mil rate compare to the mil rates of other districts in Rock County?

2013-14		2014-15		2015-16		2016-17		2017-18		2018-19		2019-20
Parkview	$12.23	Evansville	$13.62	Parkview	$13.49	Clinton	$12.24	Parkview	$12.23	Beloit	$11.73	Parkview	$11.42
Clinton	$12.04	Parkview	$13.35	Evansville	$13.20	Parkview	$12.24	Clinton	$12.04	Parkview	$11.43	Evansville	$11.17
Beloit	$11.54	Clinton	$12.24	Clinton	$12.24	Evansville	$11.87	Beloit	$11.54	Clinton	$11.27	Turner	$10.798
Evansville	$11.50	Turner	$11.88	Beloit	$11.56	Turner	$10.62	Evansville	$11.50	Evansville	$10.84	Beloit	$10.30
Turner	$10.26	Beloit	$11.56	Turner	$11.00	Edgerton	$10.05	Turner	$10.26	Edgerton	$10.44	Edgerton	$10.25
Edgerton	$9.96	Edgerton	$9.87	Edgerton	$10.09	Beloit	$9.73	Edgerton	$9.96	Turner	$10.26	Milton	$9.26
Janesville	$8.69	Janesville	$9.37	Janesville	$9.59	Janesville	$9.62	Janesville	$8.69	Janesville	$8.51	Clinton	$9.08
Milton	$8.41	Milton	$8.50	Milton	$8.20	Milton	$9.16	Milton	$8.41	Milton	$7.81	Janesville	$8.48

A districts mil rate is calculated by a district dividing the all funds levy by TIF out equalized property values. For example, the 2019-2020 SDJ mil rate calculation is $40,758,519 / $4,804,346,169 = .00848 or $8.48.

For more information, please visit https://ecriss.ecragroup.com/strategy/Home/Index?Dashboard=SCH006

How does the district’s mil rate compare to the mil rate of like-sized districts in Wisconsin?

2019-20
Sun Prairie	$13.06
La Crosse	$11.02
Wausau	$10.79
Sheboygan	$9.75
West Allis	$9.24
Oshkosh	$9.22
Fond du Lac	$8.70
Janesville	$8.48
Eau Claire	$8.28

For more information, please visit https://ecriss.ecragroup.com/strategy/Home/Index?Dashboard=SCH006

What are the projected mil rates?

A district’s equalized mil rate is calculated by dividing the total levy by the district’s total TIF out property value. As property values increase and/or decrease, so too does the equalized mil rate, regardless of the levy. Using a conservative increase of 2% in property annual each year for the next five years, the projected and combined mil rate for each question will increase as follows:

2020-2021	$8.48
2021-2022	$8.87
2022-2023	$9.18
2023-2024	$9.39
2024-2025	$9.67

What has the district done to curtail costs over the years?

The district’s primary investment is in people, teachers and staff who teach and care for our community’s children. Nearly 79% of the district’s costs relate to staffing. The following chart illustrates a comparison of between fiscal year 2013-2014 the most recent 2019-2020 fiscal year.

	A	B	C	D
	2013-2014 Actual	2019-2020 Actual	Increase Over Time = (B-A)/A	Avg. Annual % Increase = C/7
Salaries	$65,348,191	$72,426,150	10.83%	1.55%
Benefits	$25,176,077	$25,313,172	.54%	.08%

Staffing

The district undertakes an annual staffing plan, ensuring the number of staff as defined by board policy are adequate to support instruction. Opportunities to reduce staff through attrition and retirement have been undertaken and since the 2017-18 fiscal year; the district has reduced 25.48 certified staff positions and a corresponding $3.863 million in reductions. Health Insurance For fiscal year 2019-2020 the district moved to a high deductible health plan, increasing employee deductibles, resulting in reduced premiums for the district. Decisions regarding staffing and health insurance have allowed the district to minimize costs over the seven years since the base year of 2013-2014.

School District of Janesville Mil Rate
2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19	2019-20
$10.06	$9.37	$9.59	$9.62	$8.69	$8.51	$8.48