11-25-19 fdl school board to consider artificial turf football field proposal

Seven months after voters approved nearly $100 million in major building improvements,  the Fond du Lac School District superintendent and athletic director are asking the school board to commit up to $1.5 million from the district’s fund balance to build a new artificial turf football stadium at Fond du lac High School.  The athletic director told the school board at their last meeting he was confident the remaining amount could be raised privately.   The School Board is expected to vote on the question at their meeting Monday night.   Supporters say artificial turf would help from a competitive standpoint both on the football field and when it comes to open enrollment.   Opponents say academics should come first noting that Fond du Lac High School was the only high school in the Fox Valley Association that “Met Few Expectations”  in the latest statewide school report cards.  The request comes  just a few years removed from more than a million dollars in improvements to Fruth Athletic Field,  including a new entryway, that school officials also promised would be fully funded through private donations.  Taxpayers ended up paying for more than half the cost.