Facility Expansion Referendum Success
Moraine Park Technical College’s 2022 referendum to enhance and expand Moraine Park Technical College facilities 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.
“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. People are recognizing us, people are congratulating us, and I do not think we are the best-kept secret any longer.”
Bonnie Baerwald, President of Moraine Park Technical College
Background
According to the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Wisconsin’s population in 2040 is projected to be nearly 6,500,000, a gain of more than 800,000 people, or 14 percent, from 2010.
Moraine Park Technical College must update and expand facilities to:
- Respond to the growing workforce shortages.
- Accommodate evolving industry expectations.
- Address evolving technology, including in the areas of automation and robotics.
- Provide greater access to all district communities.
- Align with community expectations and workforce training requirements.
- Prepare students and workforces of the future.
In November 2020, the Moraine Park District Board supported a request to explore growth opportunities. Since then, Moraine Park leaders and internal teams have gathered research, held partnership meetings, explored district opportunities, prioritized projects, and obtained cost information related to architecture and construction.
In April, the College surveyed a random sampling of 10,000 district community members to gauge community support; the survey results indicated voter support for a $55 million referendum. Additionally, the Moraine Park Foundation has raised more than $2 million in donation pledges to help offset the costs.
The MPTC District
Moraine Park Technical College is part of the Wisconsin Technical College System and serves almost 14,000 students across 10 counties at all stages of their careers. We also partner with 27 school districts in the region. Moraine Park offers more than 100 programs:
Program Examples:
- Apprenticeships in carpentry, construction, industrial electrician, and wastewater management.
- Associate degrees and technical diplomas in nursing, welding, accounting, early childhood education, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and medical assistants.
- Certifications in manufacturing, information technology, healthcare leadership, advanced industrial maintenance, and industry bootcamps.
- Continuing education courses in small-business ownership, real estate, automotive, investing, personal finance, and firefighter training.
- Customized employer training in areas such as leadership, manufacturing processes, project management, and team building.
- Dual credit courses for high school students in marketing and entrepreneurship, criminal justice, accounting, business law, computer science, basic electricity, and child development.
