MMSD presents Phase 1 school designs; groundbreaking pushed to April 3

Madison Metropolitan School District officials on Feb. 9 detailed final designs and construction plans for Phase 1 of the district’s referendum program, covering Sherman Middle/Shabazz High and the combined Blackhawk Middle/Samuel Gompers Elementary sites. Senior executive staff said design work for Phase 1 is complete and the projects are moving into procure‑to‑construction stages, with community‑focused features such as murals, flexible learning spaces and full‑roof photovoltaic readiness.

Project leads described logistics for early site work, including soil stabilization, utility relocations and fencing already installed at Sherman/Shabazz. Contractors told the board they are coordinating hours and vehicle routing to minimize disruption to neighbors and school drop‑off and pick‑up. A team member said archaeological monitoring will be in place: UW–Milwaukee archaeologists will be on site whenever digging occurs in areas identified as potential burial grounds, and the district is in contact with the State Historical Society and Ho‑Chunk representatives to plan respectful engagement if remains are confirmed.

District and contractor representatives also cited workforce and economic impact projections. For an individual site, they estimated a construction peak of roughly 100–150 craft workers on site during heavy seasons and said the single project could directly affect roughly 500–600 jobs and indirectly another ~300; they estimated the full referendum program could create about 4,000–5,000 jobs district‑wide. Staff emphasized that some sustainability elements (geothermal wells, full‑roof PV arrays and all‑electric building systems) will be part of the projects though not every rooftop array will be installed on day one.

Officials emphasized that routine school services and safety will remain priorities during construction: fenced contractor entrances, separate delivery loops, camera coverage, and weekly-to-daily coordination with principals during early construction and then daily contact once work intensifies. The district noted the official public groundbreaking ceremony originally scheduled for March 20 would move to April 3 to avoid a holiday conflict; officials said the change will not affect construction sequencing.

Next steps: the district will continue permit, procurement and community coordination work in the coming weeks and will return with additional schedule and procurement updates as the projects transition from design to active construction.