West De Pere district to ask residents for expansion funding

DE PERE — The West De Pere School District will ask residents for $9,925,000 next spring to expand the high school tech ed facility.

The board of education voted unanimously to place the matter via referendum on the spring ballot.

The board voted on an initial resolution authorizing “the issuance of general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $9,925,000.”

Ten years ago, the tech ed lab received upgraded equipment, but the district said that, due to the number of students interested in its programs and a growing repertoire of offerings, the space needs to be enlarged.

The high school’s wood shop, auto shop, and metal shop are in much the same state they were in 1969, when they were built.

In 2002, the district added a clean-lab classroom — one that’s separate from dust-generating tools — through referendum.

The district proposes adding shop space to make year-round and advanced courses possible and adding a flexible automotive and technology lab that would allow for vehicle service and small-engine repair training.

The district would also like to expand its W.O.R.X. program (West De Pere Occupational Research X-ploration), which exposes students to trades.

“It (W.O.R.X.) is basically introducing all those different career opportunities to kids, so they might do a couple semesters in CAD, machining, welding, that kind of thing,” Jason Melotte, business manager for West De Pere School District, said. “W.O.R.X. is where they get the next level of courses, a bit more advanced.”

Student participation in the youth apprenticeship program has grown from one student in 2021-22 to 65 students.

The number of students enrolled or expressing interest in enrolling in tech ed courses has grown from 457 in 2018-19 to 642.

This year, 75 students enrolled or expressed an interest in enrolling in the W.O.R.X. program, and 125 expressed enrolled or expressed an interest in enrolling in car care courses.

“We don’t always have room for all of them,” Stacy Schaetz, administrative assistant to Superintendent Jason Lau, said. “Interest is picking up.”

Last year, 73 West De Pere tech ed students earned certificates from NWTC and UW-Green Bay in areas such as CNC machining and CAD drawing.

That’s more than double the number of students who earned such certificates in 2018, after the signing of Wisconsin Act 59 the year prior.

“Instead of having just a wood shop, metal shop, auto shop and one W.O.R.X, we will actually have W.O.R.X. 1, W.O.R.X. 2, expand the auto shop, and there would be a CAD lab” away from the welding and other dust-producing equipment, Melotte said. “It’s all about expanding the area so we can do more advanced courses and have more room for the current courses we offer.”

If the referendum passes in April, remodeling would begin that summer, with groundbreaking for the addition at the end of summer, according to Melotte.

The addition would be built in the winter months, with completion aimed for the 2026-27 school year.

It would likely be built-out into the main teacher parking lot on the north side of the building behind the football field.