Waukesha facilities committee approves land transfer, easements and $1.5 million curriculum fund; begins enrollment planning

The Waukesha School District Facilities Committee on Monday approved multiple measures including land transfer agreements with the City of Waukesha for the North High School drainage project, two easements requested by We Energies and a $1,500,000 designation of fund balance to support future core curriculum adoptions.

The approvals were unanimous. Committee members moved quickly through routine business — approving minutes and vouchers — before discussing the land transfer, curriculum fund designation and easements. The meeting also included an extended presentation on district long-range enrollment planning as staff prepared for Phase 2 of a community input process.

The committee approved land transfer agreements related to the North High School drainage project that reflect an agreed document between the district and the City of Waukesha. Tyler Manley, who helped craft the agreement, was present to answer questions. Committee members identified the primary parcel being transferred to the city as the North auxiliary parking lot; the agreement lists a value of $529,250. A committee member noted the agreement appears to be effective retroactive to March 1 as referenced in the paperwork.

The committee unanimously approved two easements requested by We Energies: one at the Bethesda campus, where aerial lines will be moved underground, and one at Meadowbrook, where the company will bring a new power supply to address repeated outages. Kyle, a district facilities staff member, answered technical questions and said start and end dates for the work were not yet provided; the district will relay scheduling details once We Energies provides them.

On finance, the committee approved a $1,500,000 designation of fund balance (Fund 10) to seed future core curriculum adoptions. Administrators and the committee had debated whether the amount should be recorded as "assigned" or "committed" fund balance. District staff had described following auditor and DPI guidance that originally recommended an "assigned" designation; at the motion the committee approved the designation as committed fund balance for the stated purpose. Committee members discussed implementation details, including that the balance would sit on the district's books until needed and that future curriculum adoptions would be accompanied by the usual budget and contract approvals.

The committee also reviewed a proposed update to Policy 74.50 (property inventory) intended to implement an audit recommendation and to align the district with a Department of Public Instruction change raising the capital asset threshold to $10,000. Staff said implementing the change would reduce accumulated depreciation calculations by about $716,000 but would not change fund accounting. Committee members raised formatting and categorization questions about useful life tables and requested revisions for clarity; the policy was not adopted at this meeting and staff agreed to return with a revised table.

In an informational presentation, Dr. Seibert and other administrators reviewed Phase 1 of a districtwide enrollment and facility planning process and outlined Phase 2, which will gather broader internal and community feedback. They described prior information sessions (staff and community), a QR-code–driven question collection that produced more than 100 questions, and planned public roundtable sessions and online surveys in June and July. Dr. Seibert said the district is preparing options aimed at achieving a 10%–15% capacity reduction across the district and expects to present a recommendation to the board later in 2025. "This is not just a School District of Waukesha situation," Dr. Seibert said, noting similar planning by other districts.

Routine business noted during the fiscal report included receipt of about $4,800,000 of the district's tax levy in April and a recent principal and interest payment; interest paid for the period was listed as $293,175. Staff said PMA (financial advisor) will present next month with additional debt-payoff analysis.

Before adjourning into executive session to discuss negotiation and purchasing of public properties, the committee completed a roll-call vote to convene the closed session under Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e).

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes: Moved by Dr. Piazza; seconded by Mr. Wadd. Outcome: passed 5–0. - Approval of vouchers: Moved by Mr. Wadd; seconded by Mr. Harland. Outcome: passed 5–0. Staff noted two voucher questions — March tuition for an alternate placement (Genesee Lake School) and a $20,000 payment to Visionary Studios for eAchieve marketing (Google Ads, radio, billboards). - North High School drainage project land transfer agreements (city of Waukesha): Moved by Mrs. Voigt; seconded by Mr. Harland. Outcome: passed 5–0. Primary parcel: North auxiliary parking lot; listed value: $529,250; agreement references effectiveness retroactive to March 1 in the paperwork. - Designation of fund balance for future core curriculum adoptions (Fund 10): Moved by Dr. Piazza; seconded by Mr. Wadd. Motion as approved: designate $1,500,000 as committed fund balance for sole purpose of acquiring core curriculum resources. Outcome: passed 5–0. - We Energies easements (Meadowbrook and Bethesda campuses): Moved by Mr. Wadd; seconded by Mr. Harland. Outcome: passed 5–0. Start/end dates not specified; staff will update schedule when available. - Motion to adjourn to executive session under Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e) (deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties, investing public funds, or other specified public business when competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session): Moved by Mr. Wadd; seconded by Mr. Harland. Roll-call result: Boynton — Aye; Kozlowski — Aye; Harland — Aye; Dr. Piazza — Aye; Wadd — Aye. Outcome: passed; committee entered closed session.

What the committee did not finalize - Policy 74.50 (property inventory) — staff will revise table formatting and category indentation and return the item for future consideration.

Ending Committee members scheduled additional review steps: PMA will present updated debt payoff analyses next month, staff will provide revised policy 74.50 formatting and We Energies will provide construction timing. District administrators will continue Phase 2 planning for enrollment and facilities with public roundtables and an online survey over the summer, and will provide the board the proposed options prior to community input sessions.