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College Communications

Moraine Park’s TKC Summer Camp is Back in 2023!

TKC

Moraine Park Technical College will again host Tech Knowledge College (TKC) this summer, a camp for students entering grades 6 to 8. This event gives participants an interactive look at the skills and careers needed today and in the future. Registration is now open for this annual three-day camp, held August 8-10, at Moraine Park Technical College’s Fond du Lac campus.

Get ready- Registration opens on January 2!

The 2023 sessions can be viewed here. The sessions are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and early registration is encouraged.

The cost of TKC is $115 and includes a choice of two sessions, a t-shirt, and a morning snack and lunch each day.

About 2023

  • More sessions to choose from!
  • Bussing available from Beaver Dam and West Bend Campuses.
  • Register early- sessions fill fast!
  • After registration, visit the getting ready for camp link!

For full details, visit morainepark.edu/tkc.

December 15, 2022by Kristina Haensgen
College Communications

Moraine Park looks toward the future

Referendum Success

The Board of Canvassers reconvened this week, Nov. 16, and formally confirmed that Moraine Park Technical College’s 2022 referendum passed with 57.4% favored votes. The College was favorable in all ten district counties with 78,549 ‘yes’ votes out of 136,864 votes total–a landslide according to Greg Stensland, Radio Plus news director.

“When I am asked why I think we had such a high favorability, I share a couple things,” President Baerwald said. “The first is that we have a strong message. Our purpose is all about training the workforce of the future, and when you tell constituents we are going to have 14,000 manufacturing job openings and 8,000 healthcare jobs openings in the next 10 years, I think people reflect and realize Moraine Park needs the resourcing.”

The College held a campus celebration to commemorate the official passing of the referendum. President Baerwald spoke about the future of the institution and what people can expect moving forward with the projects.

“Moraine Park has touched so many people over our 110 years of history that there is hardly anybody in this community that has not either experienced Moraine Park personally or knows someone in their circle that is connected to the College,” President Baerwald said. “People are recognizing us, people are congratulating us, and I do not think we are the best-kept secret any longer.”

Moving Forward

Advanced Manufacturing and Trades, Fond du Lac

In spring 2023, the Advanced Manufacturing and Trades center will be the College’s first visible sign of construction in Fond du Lac. This project is expected to break ground in May 2023 and will be completed in two phases–the Automation, Innovation, and Robotics Center (AIR) and the campus B wing—with expected completion in the summer of 2024. Classes beginning in the fall 2024 semester will be the first to use this new section of campus.

Fire Training Facility

Design meetings on the fire training facility will begin towards the end of 2022. The location of the fire training facility is still being determined. Groundbreaking will occur in July 2023, and the project should be completed by the end of the year. Instruction is expected to begin in the Fire Training Facility in the spring 2024 semester.

Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab, West Bend

Design for the Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab in West Bend will kick off in early 2023 with construction starting later in the year. This is slated to be a year-long project, which means the new instructional spaces will be ready for use in the fall 2024 semester.

Health and Human Services Facility, Fond du Lac

The Health and Human Services Facility project will begin in July 2024 and will be completed in two phases. This project will be finished during the summer of 2025, which means the instruction will begin in the new health and human services wing in the fall 2025 semester.

More information about the projects can be found at morainepark.edu/future.

November 17, 2022by Emilie Wilson
College Communications

MPTC Referendum Success

Today is a historic day for Moraine Park Technical College as we celebrate the success of our 2022 referendum. While still unofficial until Nov. 15, Moraine Park’s referendum was well received by all district communities—many showed up to vote and the majority voted “yes!” Today is one of celebration! We look forward to the growth of our campus facilities and helping local partners meet their workforce demands. We would like to extend sincere gratitude to our district communities, business and industry, alumni, employees and friends, for their continued support and belief in the mission and value of Moraine Park Technical College as we imagine what’s next together. 

Votes will be certified by a board of canvassers Nov. 15, which determines the official outcome of the election.

morainepark.edu/future

November 9, 2022by Emilie Wilson
College Communications

Election Day – Nov. 8

Election Day is November 8.

Are you prepared to cast your vote?

Find your polling place.

Visit myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Find-My-Polling-Place to find your polling place and create a plan.

Get to know your ballot.

Prepare yourself to vote by getting to know what’s on your ballot. To preview your ballot, visit myvote.wi.gov/en-us/Whats-On-My-Ballot and plug in your address.

Understand Moraine Park’s referendum question.

Here is Moraine Park’s referendum question as it will appear on the ballot:

Shall the Moraine Park Technical College District, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds or promissory notes in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of capital expenditures for the purchase or construction of buildings, building additions, remodeling and improvements, site improvements, the acquisition of sites, and the purchase of fixed and other equipment at District locations, including, but not limited to, advanced manufacturing facilities at the Fond du Lac and West Bend Campuses, a health and human services facility at the Fond du Lac Campus, and a regional fire training facility?

What it means:

  • Moraine Park is seeking taxpayer approval to borrow $55 million.
  • The total project costs cannot be more than $55M.
  • This translates to an estimated tax increase of $1.75 per month or $21 per year for every 100,000 of property value.
  • This increase is temporary and will last for no more than 20 years.

Last minute questions?

Submit any remaining questions to us for direct responses.

November 7, 2022by Emilie Wilson
College Communications

Moraine Park’s Referendum Wrap-up

Tomorrow, Moraine Park Technical College District residents will have the opportunity to vote on the College’s first referendum in more than 30 years. Here are the key takeaways the College wants community members to know:

Moraine Park is required to go to referendum.

By state law, the amount of money Moraine Park can spend on new buildings, additions, or land acquisition without going to voters is limited to $1.5 million per campus every two years. New buildings, additions, or land acquisition beyond the cap (not funded through gifts, grants, or federal funds) must be approved by voters in a public referendum. 

“Education is the key to economic growth in any community,” Bonnie Baerwald, Moraine Park president, said. “Workforce growth is what will change our community, and as a technical college, we are the change agents. This referendum is vital to making change and growth happen at a time when technology and automation are influencing industry so rapidly.”   

We do have employer/donor support.

As part of this referendum, the Moraine Park Foundation is currently campaigning for donations totaling $2.5 million to offset the costs of the robotics addition in Fond du Lac. To date, the Foundation has raised more than $2.1 million. If the referendum is approved, Moraine Park will seek additional dollars from employers, foundations, and other state and federal grant sources to offset the cost of the equipment.

“Employers regularly donate to our Foundation with gifts of materials, supplies, and student scholarships,” Baerwald said. “In the last five years, employers have donated to a few unique campaigns. In 2017, employers donated more than $300,000 toward a facility expansion in Beaver Dam to support a new gas utility technician program. In 2018, many employers donated more than $1.2 million to support student scholarships for our new Promise Program.”

Tax Payer Impact:

The projected tax impact of the $55 million facilities enhancement plan is estimated to be $21 per year per $100,000 of property value ($1.75 per month) for the next 20 years. If approved, the tax burden would be assessed to all property owners within the Moraine Park District, which includes 130 municipalities. Our District includes nearly all of Fond du Lac, Washington, Dodge and Green Lake counties and portions of Waushara, Marquette, Columbia, Winnebago, Calumet and Sheboygan counties.

“We won’t borrow it all upfront,” Baerwald said. “It would be $20-25 million the first year, $18 million the second year and the remainder during the third year.”

If the referendum does not pass:

With the most recent 10-year master plan for the district’s facilities, more than $27 million in projects were found that needed to be done over the next 10 years. Baerwald said that by state statute the district is only allowed to do remodeling projects and capital expansion additions to the tune of $1.5 million per project. The current list would take more than 20 years to create what is already needed in area workplaces. 

“We need to invest in this kind of growth either way,” Jim Eden, Moraine Park vice president of teaching and learning, said. “If a referendum passes, we will accelerate Moraine Park’s ability to grow by about 15 years. If it does not, it will take the College 15 years to catch up.”

The ballot question:

Shall the Moraine Park Technical College District, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds or promissory notes in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of capital expenditures for the purchase or construction of buildings, building additions, remodeling and improvements, site improvements, the acquisition of sites, and the purchase of fixed and other equipment at District locations, including, but not limited to, advanced manufacturing facilities at the Fond du Lac and West Bend Campuses, a health and human services facility at the Fond du Lac Campus, and a regional fire training facility?

“I really want the voters to be informed and encouraged to go out and vote,” Baerwald said. “It is an investment in the economic health and workforce development for our entire community whether you have attended Moraine Park or have not.” 

Community Quotes:

“The important connection with an employer like Grande Cheese Company and Moraine Park Technical College is the bridge it provides for continuing education. It’s not something we can do on our own so we are very reliant on other resources and training avenues.” –Kelly Norton, Sr. Director of Culture and Communications, Grande Cheese 

“This project will save a department like Hartford Fire and Rescue’s future expenses by allowing us to preserve our unique staffing model that we are currently using. Almost our entire staff, which is 65 employees, have had some education completed by Moraine Park Technical College. […] Building a state-of-the-art fire service facility for Moraine Park would help us greatly. […] We need to have staff coming into our department not only initially but ongoing training so we can keep up with the trends and updates in technology and equipment.” –Paul Stephans, Fire Chief, Hartford Fire and Rescue 

“The West Bend schools really appreciate our partnership with Moraine Park Technical College. It’s an integral part of our career and technical education program and helps put many of our students on a pathway to success.” –Jen Wimmer, Superintendent, West Bend School District 

“Us being in the trucking business, we know how to dispatch, we know how to deal with drivers, we know how to fix trucks. What we don’t know how to do is train them and teach them the way Moraine Park is able to do that.” –Tim Kreilkamp, CEO, Kreilkamp Trucking, Inc. 

“[Moraine Park] is one of our major pipelines of people. They do the training of the people for us who are going to take our jobs. […] Anything that we can do to keep our workforce local, in our community, and also offer educational opportunities and experience through Moraine Park will only make us better as an organization.” –Katherine Vergos, President, SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital 

“Moraine Park Technical College is a valuable community partner in our commitment to providing high-quality health care to our region’s residents, close to where they live, work and play. […] EMS/Paramedic students with MPTC enrich the health and wellbeing of the community.” –Angelia Foster, President, Marshfield Medical Center – Beaver Dam 

“MPTC is really important to the resiliency of the whole Fond du Lac Area. Automation, innovation and robotics here at the MPTC campus in Fond du Lac are really important when I think about the path we’re going down. If you don’t have trained individuals to run those machines, we really can’t run manufacturing.” –Andres Gonzales, Vice President – Human Resources,  Mercury Marine

Community Endorsements:

  • Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce
  • City of Horicon
  • West Bend Chamber of Commerce

November 7, 2022by Emilie Wilson
College Communications

MPTC Referendum Endorsed District-Wide

Over the last few months, Moraine Park Technical College’s Referendum has received the following community endorsements:

Beaver Dam Chamber of Commerce

“Our chamber board has endorsed this referendum due to its possible impact on the educational facilities and in turn the future workforce in our areas. The updates and improvements at Moraine Park would target programs in high demand that impact citizens across the region in the career areas of robotics/automation, public safety, manufacturing, technology, and health care.”

West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce

At the September meeting of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, the Board had an extended discussion regarding this referendum for Moraine Park Technical College. Following that discussion, the Board voted to publicly support the Moraine Park Technical College referendum.

The Chamber recognizes that this is not a light-hearted venture for Moraine Park Technical College to turn to its constituents and request their support in the way of a tax increase. The Chamber acknowledges the due diligence and expertise that Moraine Park Technical College has utilized to assess the needs of its district and the use of that data to determine the largest funding impact.

Why is the Chamber supporting this referendum?

To answer that question, we will begin with a recent manufacturing statistic and a quote from a health care report. According to the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, there are expected to be more than 14,000 manufacturing jobs open over the next 10 years. The Wisconsin Hospital Association’s 2022 Health Care Workforce Report shares early survey results stating “registered nurse (RN) vacancy rates in the double digits for the first time since 2005. The nursing shortage has arrived.”

Envision Greater Fond du Lac

In 2021, the Board of Directors approved the creation of an Advocacy Committee. As an organization, we actively pay attention to local, state, and federal policies and legislation that impact our ability to grow our local economy. At times, the Advocacy Committee will recommend positions on certain policy matters pertinent to Envision’s mission and vision to the Envision Board of Directors for review and ultimate decision.   

After review, the Advocacy Committee recommended the Envision Board support the following ballot items:

Moraine Park Technical College – Moraine Park Technical College has also done their due diligence. This referendum would fund necessary projects across their district. There are four proposed pillars as part of this project: Advanced Manufacturing & Trades, Manufacturing, Automation & Robotics Lab, Fire Training Facility, and Health & Human Services Facility.

Our vision is to drive greater economic opportunities within our engaged communities through talent led economic development. In general, strong schools are critical to growth in economic development and talent attraction. We know that educational attainment rates are important to site selectors, developers, and business attraction. Our higher-than-state average on high school graduation attainment puts us at an advantage for low-skilled, entry-level positions. About 38% of county residents achieved only a high school diploma compared to 32% state average.

City of Horicon

RESOLUTION NO. 2022-09

RESOLUTION SUPPORTING

MORAINE PARK TECHNICAL COLLEGE’S 2022 REFERENDUM FOR FACILITIES EXPANSION

WHEREAS, Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) is a public, non-profit, two-year College covering 2,450 square miles in east-central Wisconsin, comprised of most of Dodge County, including the City of Horicon, and all or portions of nine other counties; and

WHEREAS, MPTC offers more than 100 programs and degree options on three campuses and serves more than 18,000 students annually including many residents of the City Horicon and its employers; and

WHEREAS, MPTC has aging facilities that lack technology and equipment, and many technical college degrees and certificate programs require hands-on instruction; and

WHEREAS, the MPTC District Board has approved final ballot language for a referendum in the November election to borrow $55 million to enhance campus learning spaces to meet future student and regional workforce needs through four projects across Moraine Park campuses and communities, including a new fire training facility; and

WHEREAS, the proposed facilities updates and expansion across the MPTC District will create hands-on/specialized learning spaces that provide real world learning experiences required to perform tasks in settings that are dangerous, life threatening, and/or difficult to replicate in a traditional educational setting; and

WHEREAS, the Common Council of the City Horicon believes the approval of the referendum and the proposed expansion of MPTC facilities will be of significant benefit to the City of Horicon and its residents.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council of the City of Horicon hereby expresses its strong support for the Moraine Park Technical College referendum and encourages its residents and those throughout the MPTC District to vote on November 8, 2022, to approve the referendum as necessary to expand MPTC facilities.

November 3, 2022by Kristina Haensgen
College Communications

Last Minute Referendum Questions?

Soon, Moraine Park district residents will vote on a referendum authorizing the College to expand facilities.

Each project has been identified by local businesses as industry critical and necessary to economic growth in our region.

Are all your questions answered to make you an informed voter?

Submit any remaining questions to us for direct responses.

November 3, 2022by Kristina Haensgen
College Communications

Be an Informed Voter–Elections in 1 week

Soon, you will be asked to vote on a referendum authorizing the College to borrow $55M to expand facilities. Be informed when you get to the polls. Visit morainepark.edu/future for full project details. A few commonly asked questions are answered below.

Why are the proposed projects necessary?

Moraine Park Technical College plays a critical role in training students for jobs in our area. We serve more than 12,000 students at campuses in Dodge, Fond du Lac, and Washington counties. Our students pursue degrees in many high-demand areas and will fill job vacancies in our district communities. 

While our focus will always be on educating our students, we also need to develop a plan to update our buildings. After carefully reviewing the college facility needs for the past several years, we have determined that: 

Aging Facilities 

  • Our fire training facility was built 25 years ago at the Beaver Dam campus. This facility is worn out, and the site is landlocked, preventing expansion. Controlled burns pose wind and weather challenges because it is located near Highway 151, a major four-lane road. 
  • Many employers in our region are using robots and automation to design, build, and deliver goods. However, our advanced manufacturing and trades spaces are too small, unconnected, and cannot meet current demand. 
  • Many of our healthcare instructional areas are aged and lack the technology and equipment now common in hospitals. 

Our Communities Need Our Alumni and Resources
Each year, over 2,000 skilled Moraine Park alumni begin their careers in our community; our alumni are a vital part of many local businesses in our district and Moraine Park is an educational partner to many.  

  • There are expected to be more than 14,000 manufacturing job openings in our region in the next 10 years.  
  • The healthcare field is one of the fastest growing in our region with over 8,000 job openings expected in the next 10 years.

Why doesn’t the College increase tuition to cover the projects?

The Wisconsin Technical College System sets the tuition rate each year for all technical colleges in the state. Moraine Park does not have the ability to raise or lower tuition rates.

What is the projected tax impact on our district property owners?

After more than a year of research, planning and stakeholder engagement, Moraine Park’s district board authorized a referendum package for four proposed projects not to exceed $55 million.

The projected tax impact of the $55 million facilities enhancement plan is estimated to be $21 per year per $100,000 of property value ($1.75 per month) for the next 20 years.

November 1, 2022by Kristina Haensgen
College Communications

Understanding Moraine Park’s Referendum Question

This election season, residents of the Moraine Park Technical College District will vote on a referendum authorizing the College to expand facilities- targeting high-demand areas through the following projects:

  • Advanced Manufacturing and Trades enhancements
  • Manufacturing, Automation and Robotics Lab expansion
  • Fire Training Facility (new construction)
  • Health and Human Services Facility enhancement

It’s no secret, ballot language is complex. To help you be prepared for Nov. 8–here’s what you can expect to see and what it means for you.

What You’ll See:

Shall the Moraine Park Technical College District, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds or promissory notes in an amount not to exceed $55,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of capital expenditures for the purchase or construction of buildings, building additions, remodeling and improvements, site improvements, the acquisition of sites, and the purchase of fixed and other equipment at District locations, including, but not limited to, advanced manufacturing facilities at the Fond du Lac and West Bend Campuses, a health and human services facility at the Fond du Lac Campus, and a regional fire training facility?

What It Means:

Moraine Park is seeking taxpayer approval to borrow $55 million.

The total project costs cannot be more than $55M.

This translates to an estimated tax increase of $1.75 per month or $21 per year for every 100,000 of property value.

This increase is temporary and will last for no more than 20 years.

Why is a referendum necessary to fund the projects?

By state law, the amount of money Moraine Park can spend on new buildings, additions, or land acquisition without going to voters is limited to $1.5 million per campus every two years. Any new buildings, additions, or land acquisition beyond the cap (not funded through gifts, grants, or federal funds) must be approved by voters in a public referendum. 

Similar to your local school district, our funding is a combination of local property taxes, state aid, and some federal dollars. Also, like schools, technical colleges are required to seek voter approval through a referendum to pay for major building projects.  

Our mill rate (which is used to calculate a technical college’s portion of property tax bills) has been declining in recent years.

In addition, we have never used a referendum to pay for facility projects. Therefore, we do not have any referendum debt.  

Our proposed projects are too large to be funded from our annual capital budget. 

Have questions? We will respond directly at morainepark.edu/future.

October 31, 2022by Kristina Haensgen
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