Wausau School Board. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Just weeks after voting to accept a restructuring proposal, the Wausau School Board heard an update on what needs to be done to make that happen and who would be responsible.
Superintendent Keith Hilts said the administration team has identified nearly 20 areas that would need to be addressed along with who would be responsible and provide oversite. He says they want to be as thorough as possible in the process.
“We want to determine [what work] needs to be first, second, and third,” said Hilts. “What work [will be] dependent on the work of another team, really just trying to flesh out the work of each of these planning committees.”
Hilts says the district does plan to provide quarterly updates to residents on the issue outside of the usual online updates. That could include public meetings and listening sessions held at various locations throughout the community, and at different times during the day to allow for a bigger reach.
As for the concerns about the timing of the decision, Hilts says he understands that changes like this can be jarring but he wants those who are concerned to know that they are working to make sure all details are carefully implemented. “We’ve said ‘here are the changes we propose, here are the outcomes, risks, and costs- board, are you comfortable with that?’ They said yes, and now we engage the staff and the community and go through that deep planning.”
No timeline for when schools will be consolidated has been given, including if all changes would be implemented at once or if they would come in phases. The board did hear three possible phased approaches as part of the presentation but took no action on any of them.
Hilts says they will continue to provide updates, both at the board level and on the district’s website, to keep the public informed. It should be noted that the board has yet to determine what the makeup of the restructured elementary schools will look like. Only the middle and high school restructuring has been approved.
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