Monroe schools ask voters for $49 million to move Sky Valley students

Monroe Schools wants to move its Sky Valley Education Center students into a renovated Wagner Center, a project that forms the core of a new ballot measure.

The district is seeking a four-year capital levy of $49 million. Approximately $30 million of that total, or 60 percent, is designated for the Sky Valley relocation. The remaining funds cover safety and security upgrades across the district, including a new gymnasium at Frank Wagner Elementary School. That specific project costs $6 million.

This is the district's second attempt to secure funding for these improvements. A $152 million bond measure failed in February. Voters will need to approve this levy with 50 percent of the vote to move forward. The new measure asks for an average tax rate of $0.88 per $1,000 of assessed value over four years. For a home valued at $500,000, the school portion of the tax bill would increase from $1,070 to $1,635, a rise of nearly $600. The levy expires after 2031.

The push to relocate stems from ongoing issues at the Sky Valley campus, formerly the Monroe Middle School. About a dozen years ago, the program moved into the building. Within three years, staff and students reported nausea. Environmental consultants later found toxic chemical vapors emanating from old light fixtures and window caulk. The district removed the polychlorinated biphenyl materials in 2016 but has since spent $1.6 million on remediation and monitoring. District spokeswoman Erin Zacharda noted that the district must continue paying for these services as long as students occupy the building.

Superintendent Shawn Woodward said the district faces major maintenance needs before new funds arrive. He indicated a preference for moving groups of students to the Wagner Center as construction progresses, rather than a single mass move. The Wagner Center site would accommodate 650 to 700 students daily. Woodward plans to use creative scheduling to fit the same 1,100 students currently in the program into that space. The theater at the Wagner Center will remain unaffected by the renovations.

Sky Valley is a non-traditional K-12 school where students do not attend five days a week. About half of its students are out-of-district transfers. Opponents have argued that these students do not pay local property taxes. Woodward countered that the district receives state funding based on total enrollment, not residence. He stated that the state does not cover major infrastructure costs, so without the levy, the district might cut staff or materials to pay for building repairs.