The School District of Baraboo Board of Education has begun engaging stakeholders in the long-term facilities planning process by re-forming an Elementary Facilities Advisory Committee (EFAC). The EFAC, an ad-hoc committee established by the Board of Education, is charged with providing input and feedback to the Board on the District’s elementary facilities. The committee is expected to work through December 2023, reviewing data and providing feedback to the Board on potential facilities options.
During its first meeting on August 7th, the EFAC was presented with information regarding the state of the District's elementary facilities. The School District of Baraboo faces capital maintenance costs estimated at over $27 million at the elementary level. More than $11 million of these capital maintenance costs are associated with near-term projects. Capital maintenance includes basic infrastructure and building operating systems including mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
“We are doing the very best with the resources we have,” said Superintendent Dr. Rainey Briggs following the meeting. “However, as the EFAC has learned, our District simply does not have the year-to-year capital maintenance budget needed to address many of these very costly repairs. The cost of a boiler replacement or major electrical upgrade would have a negative impact on our instructional program, a tradeoff we’re unwilling to accept. We’re therefore in the difficult position of having to defer replacement of these aging systems year after year.”
EFAC members also heard that many of the spaces within the existing elementary schools present significant challenges to staff and students alike. For example, three elementary schools have combined gym / cafeterias, presenting significant scheduling difficulties. In addition, instructional delivery is focused increasingly on small group collaboration, one-on-one instruction, and creative problem solving skills. However, the elementary schools lack many of the physical spaces that best support this type of student engagement.
“The District looks forward to continuing our conversation with the EFAC and providing its feedback to the Board,” said Dr. Briggs. “The EFAC represents a great cross-section of the broader Baraboo community. We’re confident its members will inform our facilities planning through their collective expertise, commitment to the community and belief in our students.”
More on the EFAC meeting can be found here.