The school board is considering a village referendum for all district schools. The proposition would involve renovations of many areas in the district, including the high school auditorium, administration building, physical education building, VHE Pool and fitness center. The referendum would also call for an improvement to the overall technology level of the district.

Compared to most other North Shore districts, Shorewood schools lag behind in several categories. The number of librarians and technology personnel, the quality of the computer labs and the number of LCD projectors present for teachers to use in their classrooms are far behind the North Shore norms. The infrastructure of middle and high school computer labs are also under review, as well as a new and improved network to allow access to documents from school and home.

There have been numerous issues raised regarding the maintenance of the buildings. These issues fall into three categories: requires immediate attention, address within five years, and address within five to ten years. The current estimate puts the total cost of renovation at $7,241,453. A committee composed of members of the district, school board, and community has been formed to evaluate the necessity and importance of a referendum. Some members of the committee call into question the necessity of a referendum, while others feel that it is long overdue. “Based on what I’ve seen, based on what I know, absolutely. We need to spend money to maintain the buildings,” said Jonathan Eder, committee member.

Some members of the committee raised concerns regarding the need for advanced technology in the district. Others hoped that an increase in technology and other district improvements wouldn’t raise taxes by any substantial amount, like school board member Paul Zovic. The final meeting of the committee occurred on December 8, but “there’s talk about having one more [meeting], but nothing’s been finalized,” Eder said.