The planning process has included assessing our facilities, working with staff, and engaging the community to determine priorities, needs and potential solutions. Since August of 2024, the District has:

• Completed a comprehensive facility audit with the help of an independent consultant and developed a long-term facility plan

• Surveyed staff on facility deficiencies that impact classroom learning

• Conducted a phone survey to determine what solutions and investments our community would support

• Engaged a community task force to review the data and needs, provide input on the solutions, and make a recommendation to the School Board

The areas assessed included aging infrastructure and focused on defining a fiscally-responsible solution for addressing our needs.

In April 2026, this comprehensive approach helped the Board of Education finalize the details of the capital referendum as part of a long-term plan.

• Shall the School District of the City of Galesville, Villages of Ettrick and Trempealeau, Towns of Caledonia, Dodge, Ettrick, Gale and Trempealeau, Trempealeau County, and the Town of North Bend, Jackson County, Trempealeau and Jackson Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $44,755,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school facility improvement project consisting of: district-wide capital maintenance, building systems, safety, security, accessibility and site improvements; construction of an addition for classrooms and a gymnasium and renovations at Trempealeau Elementary School; construction of an addition for classrooms and renovations at Galesville Elementary School; renovations at Ettrick Elementary School; construction of an addition for a secure entrance and office, renovations and site improvements at the High School, including track replacement; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?

Like most districts in Wisconsin, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District’s current maintenance budget cannot accommodate the costly replacement of outdated infrastructure, including mechanical and electrical systems, plumbing, and roofing.

Our facility needs have been prioritized based on extensive feedback from the community and staff, resulting in a proactive plan to address them and prevent costly emergency repairs.

Waiting even one year to complete the proposed maintenance and remodeling work could increase costs by an estimated 5% or $$2,237,750.

The Capital Referendum addresses priority needs in our facilities to create safer, more comfortable, and technologically advanced learning environments.

Key components of this plan include improvements to safety, security, and accessibility, updates to learning spaces, and necessary repairs and maintenance throughout our buildings and sites.

Galesville Elementary School (GES):

• Add secure entrance with office remodel and canopy

• Add fire protection 

• Replace fire alarm

• Add ADA access to toilet room 

• Add new makeup air unit with cooling in Kitchen

• Repair/replace flooring, walls, ceilings, and casework

• Add dedicated IT Room

• Replace roofing

• Upgrade aged electrical panels

• Repair exterior masonry joints and sealants

• Add 4K and Kindergarten classrooms

• Replace portable classrooms with permanent general classroom addition

• Create Special Education and Maker Space by reconfiguring classroom and corridor areas

• Relocate Art and Music classrooms

• Renovate Commons, Kitchen, and Serving

• Add Gymnasium toilets

Ettrick Elementary School (EES):

• Add secure entrance with office remodel 

• Add ADA ramp at front entrance

• Add ADA access to toilet room

• Repair/replace flooring, walls, ceilings, casework, and interior doors 

• Replace boilers

• Upgrade electrical systems

• Repair exterior masonry and cladding

• Replace/repair aged exterior doors

• Add Kindergarten toilets

• Add Special Education toilets

Trempealeau Elementary School (TES):

• Add secure entrance with office remodel

• Add fire protection 

• Replace fire alarm

• Add ADA access to toilet

• Upgrade existing boilers and chilled water system 

• Replace 1979 air handling units and add cooling

• Add new makeup air unit with cooling in Kitchen

• Add dedicated IT Room

• Upgrade aged electrical panels

• Improve Courtyard drainage

• Replace/repair flooring, ceilings, and exterior doors

• Repair exterior masonry joints and sealants

• Remodel classroom to include dedicated Special Education space

• Expand Cafeteria and renovate Kitchen

• Remodel Early Childhood area with toilets

• Add 4K classroom and new gymnasium

• Remodel Library and Art Room 

High School (HS):

• Add secure entrance and expand office to include student services 

• Add ADA access to toilet room

• Replace flooring, walls, ceilings, and interior doors 

• Replace makeup air unit with cooling in Kitchen

• Repair exterior masonry and precast panels

• Replace/repair aged windows and exterior doors

• Reconstruct front drive 

• Replace or improve sidewalk 

• Replace track

• Expand Art Room 

• Remodel space to add a Social Studies/Health Classroom

• Relocate and expand FACE Room 

• Create a Staff Workroom/Lounge and  School Store/Café 

• Relocate Kitchen/Serving with new receiving area

If approved, the referendum would result in an estimated increase of $8 per month ($96 per year) over the current tax rate for every $100,000 worth of property value.

The District has identified and prioritized only the most critical needs in this referendum. If the referendum is not approved, our Board of Education will have to review options to meet these needs, as they cannot be addressed within current annual budgets. This would include assessing expenditures for staffing, classroom programming and materials, transportation, and co-curricular needs.

As construction costs continue to rise, waiting even one year to complete this prioritized work could increase costs by an estimated 5% or $$2,237,750.

• Register to vote at myvote.wi.gov

• Learn More about voting absentee by mail

• Vote on election day – August 11, 2026 – between 7 am and 8 pm

• Find your polling place here: https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place

• Request an absentee ballot at any point prior to the election by visiting https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Vote-Absentee-By-Mail

• Absentee Ballots will begin mailing out three weeks prior to the election (July 21st).  

• Vote early in-person from July 28 through August 7. Click here for polling locations and hours.

Like many districts in Wisconsin, rising costs have limited Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District’s ability to fully address facility needs within its annual budget.  Our district compiled life expectancies for many of its building systems and identified several that are overdue for replacement and need to be addressed now to prevent continued deterioration and costly, unexpected repairs, as well as interruptions to students and staff during the school day.

The current state-imposed revenue limit places a ceiling on school funds available, and it has become necessary for Wisconsin schools to go to referendum to address improvement projects – since this state-imposed revenue limit was put in place, 384 of the 421 (91%) of WI school districts have needed to use the referendum option at least once. Many Districts have had to use this funding option repeatedly as fixed costs rise and state aid does not keep up with inflation.

• An OPERATIONAL referendum question asks voters to approve additional funding above the annual revenue limit to maintain things like class sizes, programs, and student services. Funds secured are used within the year they are received.

• A CAPITAL referendum question asks voters to approve the district issuing debt to pay for major building projects, such as maintenance, remodeling or additions to school buildings. Similar to a home mortgage, a capital referendum is typically financed over an extended period of time, often 20 years.

Ettrick Elementary School is a strong, community-supported school that also attracts families through open enrollment due to its close‑knit learning environment. This small-school environment also results in high academic performance.

Ettrick also has the smallest total facility needs among the elementary schools in the referendum plan, making it more cost-effective to improve and keep open than to add space at another building.

The district’s existing school buildings are structurally sound and can meet student needs with targeted renovations rather than full replacement. During the planning process, feedback showed that building a new school was not supported, largely because the cost far exceeded the community’s tax tolerance. Building a new school would require a significantly higher investment and result in more travel for students, with many families having to commute to a single, centralized site. Renovating our existing buildings allows the District to address needs responsibly while keeping our schools closer to the communities they serve.