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Schools

White Rock as a Center for Early Childhood Learning?

Waukesha School Board will consider the issue in December.

could be transformed into a center for early learning next year instead of being closed, according to preliminary plans presented to Waukesha School Board.

The curriculum and instruction committee will review the proposal at its next meeting on Dec. 6, and potentially recommend approval at the Dec.14 school board meeting.

The plan may make education and financial sense for the district, utilizing a building that was scheduled to close and consolidating a program that is spread throughout the district.

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Currently, the district’s early learning program is housed in many schools throughout the district and consolidating them into one location may make sense educationally and be an economical use of the building, instead of allowing it to sit vacant and potentially fall into disrepair, according to Superintendent Todd Gray.

Gray noted at the November board meeting that if the building isn’t occupied or used for educational purposes, it could lose its building code designation, prompting a re-inspection and potentially expensive re-opening if necessary.

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Additionally, even with the added expense of a new program at the school, the district will save about $600,000 next year with the new plan, according to Gray.

“This particular program actually provides a savings over and above the original amount. Going into next year’s budget planning, every dollar counts,” Gray said at Wednesday night's school board meeting.

The plan could call for regular and bilingual 4-year-old kindergarten classes, other early childhood classes and services, including speech and languages, and community programming, including the county’s Birth to Three program, and parent/child education.

The change would be primarily a shift in staffing, according to Gray. The teachers and staff are currently in use throughout the district.

But cost savings isn’t the only benefit.

The move will allow early childhood teachers to better connect with other teachers, parents to connect with other parents and, most importantly, members of the school board stressed, provide a successful platform for early childhood learning.

School board member Barbara Brzenk said that in her professional experience, early childhood centers provide a "wonderful" environment for early childhood programs.

“The opportunity for collaboration was incredible and the opportunities for special needs children were phenomenal,” Brzenk said. “Been there. Done that. And I know that it’s going to work.”

Board Member Steve Edlund was not convinced. He said that the board had previously given direction that the district close schools but noted that Saratoga was repurposed into a STEM school and now White Rock is being reinvented.

However, Gray said that when that came about the district didn’t have a 4k program but that he would provide more information to the board.

Gray also stressed that the district wasn’t interested in taking business away from other providers of early childhood classes in the area, like Montessori schools or daycares.

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