Local voters showed their support for the Oshkosh Area School District by approving both school referendum requests that were on the November 3rd ballot: 

• Question 1 - pass: 57% yes (22,242 votes) to 43% no (16,680 votes)
  • Approves renewing the district’s existing operating funding of $7.95 million annually through the 2029-30 school year. 
  • Funds will support the district’s academic programs, technology for learning, and student support services.
  • There is no tax increase, because this vote renews funding previously approved by voters.
• Question 2 - pass: 57% yes (21,985 votes) to 43% no (16,832 votes)
  • Approves $107 million in capital funds for phase one of the district’s long-range facilities plan to improve and modernize district schools. 
  • Funds will impact all schools in the district except the newest school, Oaklawn Elementary, to:
    • build a new middle school and a new elementary school 
    • close three aging/outdated facilities that house five schools
    • enhance school safety and security
    • address deferred maintenance and infrastructure needs
  • Taxes will increase $4 per month for each $100,000 of home value in 2021, $6 per month in 2022 and $7 per month in 2023.

“We are so grateful to our community for this show of support, especially during a pandemic,” said Dr. Vickie Cartwright, OASD Superintendent of Schools. “Both our strategic plan and our facilities plan were developed with help from our community, and these votes reinforce those commitments.”

The district’s long-range facilities plan was developed by a community-based Facilities Advisory Committee that reviewed documents, data, and community input to determine how best to ensure a strategic approach for addressing the district’s aging and small schools. OASD’s oldest school was built in 1880 and the average age of district schools is 66 years old.

The facilities plan was unanimously approved by the School Board in February 2020, but requires voter-approved funding to implement. The goals of phase one, which is what was on the November 3rd ballot, are:

• Enhance school safety and security across the district
• Address priority building infrastructure and maintenance needs 
• Reduce the number of schools to maximize use and efficiency
• Build a new middle school and a new elementary school to replace five aging / outdated schools
• Focus on equity; east-side schools, which would be improved, are among the oldest and serve the most diverse children in the district

More information about the referendum requests is available at oshkosh.k12.wi.us/referendum. Note that the election results are unofficial until certified by the School Board at a meeting currently set for November 6.