MMSD Begins 2024 Referendum Work

Early work associated with the Madison Metropolitan School District’s (MMSD) 2024 facilities referendum has begun in earnest, as discussed at last night’s operations work group meeting of the Board of Education.

Since December, MMSD’s project team has been conducting site visits and field-scanning all of the locations approved for updates by the community, with the exceptions of Milele Chikasa Anana and Crestwood elementary schools, which will not be new constructions.

The team has also been working to define programming and engage in visioning sessions for the new facilities, and plans to host building concept and performance workshops at the end of the month, along with programming meetings for admin groups and user-input sessions in February. Public input opportunities are scheduled for both the Malcolm Shabazz City High School/Sherman Middle School and Black Hawk Middle School/Samuel Gompers Elementary School projects in early March.

“At our first public input sessions, we’ll be able to get some feedback [regarding], what does our community like?” said Scott Chehak, MMSD’s senior executive director of building services. “[We’ll be able to say] here’s our initial concept of what the space might look and feel like. Is it accessible to the community? Does it fit their targets? And then take that information and put it into design scopes and give the community what they want.”

The District has committed to replacing the buildings that house Malcolm Shabazz City High and Sherman Middle, Black Hawk Middle and Samuel Gompers Elementary, Akira R. Toki Middle and Orchard Ridge Elementary, Cherokee Heights Middle, and Ray F. Sennett Middle schools, and renovating Milele Chikasa Anana and Crestwood elementary schools.

Work is expected to be completed in three phases, with Sherman/Shabazz and Black Hawk/Gompers comprising phase one (November 2024 through October 2027); Toki/Orchard Ridge and Cherokee Heights, phase two (November 2025 through October 2028); and Sennett, Anana and Crestwood, phase three (November 2026 through October 2029). Construction is on track to commence in February 2026.

“Each month, there will be a new report, which will give a status of where we’re at and how we’re building through the referendum,” said Chehak. 

The Board will vote to select a construction-management partner in approximately two weeks’ time, at its regular meeting on Jan. 27.