Wausau School District. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Members of the Wausau Board of Education got an update on the district’s restructuring efforts on Monday during an Education and Operations Committee meeting.
The latest proposal calls for the District to close five schools; Hawthorne Hills, Rib Mountain, Lincoln, Hewitt-Texas, and Grant. Four of those buildings would be repurposed, and Grant would be sold.
Hawthorne students would be merged into Franklin Elementary, with the building repurposed as an early learning center. Rib Mountain would also become an early learning center, with students there shifted to South Mountain.
Lincoln would become the new location for the Montessori School, while its students would be sent to G.D. Jones. Hewitt-Texas would be offered to organizers of the proposed Red Granite Charter School, with its enrollment merged with Riverview.
Finally, Grant students would move to Thomas Jefferson.
“We’re making sausage here,” said Superintendent Keith Hilts, emphasizing that the proposal is simply the latest idea that they are considering.
Previous iterations of the plan have called for two schools to be sold.
District leaders took input from families of students at the Montessori School encouraging the board to consider allowing their school to take over the Lincoln Elementary building, saying it would give them a dedicated space and set the school up for future growth. According to Monday’s presentation, moving to Lincoln would allow the school to grow from 180 students to 234 while allowing them to cut their operating costs by over $209,000.
The board ultimately voted to move parts of the plan forward. Changes involving the creation of early learning, or daycare, centers were pulled out of the motion along with plans to merge Hawthorne Hills and Franklin. The remainder of the plans including Grant, Hewitt-Texas, and Lincoln were voted forward for final consideration at a future Board meeting.
Also on Monday, the board conducted a nearly two-hour closed session regarding its investigation into the accusations against East High School Band Director Rob Perkins. The board adjourned the meeting in closed session and did not make a statement to the media that was gathered at the meeting. It’s unclear when the board’s investigation- which is being conducted by an outside attorney, will be completed. The state DPI is also conducting an investigation into the allegations that Perkins used racist and homophobic language toward a student.
Comments