STURTEVANT, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Some Racine County residents are now reaping the benefits of a one-billion-dollar school referendum.
The 2020 referendum passed by just five votes and now with just days until the first day of school, hundreds of families got to see that money put to use.
The ribbon was cut on the new Schulte School in Sturtevant, Wednesday, Aug. 27. It's the first brand new building for the district in well over a decade.
“This is what everybody was asking for," said Damon Jackson, the principal at Schulte School. "This is what they were waiting for."
After 16,715 votes, years of litigation, construction and $64 million, Schulte School is now opening its doors.
"Today's huge," said Jackson. "Today’s a combination of several years of like litigation at the state level, because you know this referendum was passed by five votes, and you know there was a contingency of folks that contested that count.”
Hundreds of staff, students and their families got to see what their brand-new school will be. Something longtime students like 7th grader Margo Kurdas say is a major upgrade from the old building built back in the 1960's
"It’s amazing," said Kurdas. "It is much bigger than the last one. It’s like more space than I’ve ever seen before. They did a great job."
The school now combining 4K through eighth grade, houses a culinary lab, construction lab, state of the art science rooms, technology and more.
"This is our first brand new school and it is really incredibly impressive to show the community what learning looks like in 2025 and beyond," said RUSD Superintendent, Soren Gajewski.
With upwards of 800 students ready to start the 2025 school year and new resources, Jackson says they hope the student population continues to grow.
“Listen, take a look around," said Jackson. "There’s nothing else that we can ask for here. We are extremely proud of what we have and we’re going to make the best of what we have."
Students taking extra pride in all their new school has to offer.
"Go Vikings!” said Kurdas.
This school is just one of the many upgrades from that referendum. The district's Red Apple new school is also set to open this winter, with many other schools in the districts also receiving upgrades as well.