Schools
White Rock Vote to Come in July
Board members will decide school's fate next month and allow administrators to move forward in designing new elementary-level attendance boundaries and program opportunities.
The fate of will most likely be decided at the July meeting of the Waukesha School Board.
District administrators are recommending the board move forward with voting on the closure of the school at its July meeting in order to allow for a transition of students, programs and teachers to take place at the start of the 2012-13 school year.
“First off, I see a more effective delivery of these educational programs and I believe that has always been our first goal,” school board President Dan Warren said Monday. “Secondly, I see this as a more resilient delivery system for the future.”
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The board held another work session Monday in regards to the school closure and to provide members with another opportunity to see data and rationale for the move.
During the course of Monday’s meeting, the board reviewed information to be sent to parents and families to let them know how the changes will be beneficial and what it will mean for their children. Administrators said their goal is to be as transparent as possible as they move forward in the process and allow parents an opportunity to see the method behind the changes.
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Board members also saw an opportunity to see how district dual language programs will change in the coming years, with Bethesda Elementary School gaining a two-way dual language program for kindergarten and first grade in the 12-13 school year if White Rock is closed.
Even though board members expressed their pleasure to see dynamic programming opportunities with the proposed changes, they said it shouldn’t be seen as a poor reflection on current opportunities.
Although there will be an academic benefit for the district if the move is made, administrators said there should also be a positive financial impact, with a potential to shave up to seven full-time equivalent positions with the change.
“Overall we should see a reduction in staff,” Superintendent Todd Gray said. “Even if we took White Rock today and eliminated Sage (programming), we wouldn’t be able to save seven FTE.”
If the board gives approval to the plan at its July meeting, administrators will draft a comprehensive transition plan to be shared with the board in fall regarding the move and they will continue to work on new attendance boundaries for former White Rock students.
