Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools Celebrating Completion of Referendum Project

Wednesday, March 8th, 2023 -- 9:00 AM

Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools will commemorate the completion of its community-supported referendum project at Lincoln High School with a celebration hosted at the school.

On Sunday, April 16th from 1:00-3:00 p.m., a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting will be held at the front entrance of Lincoln High School located at 1801 16 th Street South in Wisconsin Rapids. Attendees should gather by the front entrance.

The dedication will include a short presentation from students, faculty, and other distinguished guests. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to join the Lincoln High School National Honor Society and Student Council members on guided tours of the new school addition.

“We are so excited to show the community all of the improvements to Lincoln High School; from the science labs to the new Student Resource Center, all of our students have been positively impacted by this referendum, and we are so grateful to the community for their support,” said Principal Ronald Rasmussen.

The successful referendum included two ballot questions that were both approved by the Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools community. The first was a five-year operational referendum focused on improving student opportunities and experiences including:

• Continuing to update curriculum and expand digital access to academic software;
• Purchasing annual instruction kits;
• Providing professional development for staff to stay current with curriculum changes and updates;
• Providing technology devices for student use and improve internet speed and reliability;
• And replacing outdated audio-visual equipment in classrooms.

The second was a building and facility improvement project focusing on safety, security, and educational space improvements that included:

• Reconfiguring main entrances at all schools to better control visitor access and route all visitors through secure entrance areas;
• Renovating outdated science labs at Lincoln High School to meet today’s educational standards and expand STEM course offerings;
• Addition of a new library/student resource center at Lincoln High School;
• Creating a separate gym and cafeteria at THINK Academy in Rudolph by building a new gym and repurposing existing space into a dedicated cafeteria;
• And addressing District-wide capital maintenance needs that cannot be funded through the annual operating budget.

WRPS Superintendent Craig Broeren stated, “We deeply appreciate the community supporting our schools through the passage of the April, 2021 referendum questions which has allowed these remarkable upgrades to occur in our educational learning spaces. Lincoln High School students will benefit from these state-of-the-art improvements for many years to come.”

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.