Neenah Joint School District will shift its elementary boundaries. Here's what to know.
NEENAH - Elementary school students within the Neenah Joint School District may attend a different school next fall, should plans go through for new school boundaries. For some families, this prompts concern.
The district will consider potential ways to shift its boundaries because some elementary schools are overcrowded while others have too much space. By eventually making these changes, the district hopes to better serve its students and staff, explained Chad Buboltz, assistant district administrator of leadership and engagement.
The distinct hosted virtual meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday not to decide on a plan, but to explain why changes are needed and to gather feedback.
Here’s what we know at this point:
Changes will impact a portion – but not all – of the district’s elementary students
Buboltz told The Post-Crescent that boundary shifts will not affect all of the district’s elementary schools. It will definitely impact Lakeview Elementary, Horace Mann Elementary and Coolidge Elementary, and will likely affect Tullar and Hoover Elementary, he said.
“The distribution of our students is the only thing that will change,” Buboltz said. “Our small class sizes won’t change, how we staff our classrooms will not change, it’s a space issue and we’re simply redistributing students (so) we have ample space for flexibility to serve all students.”
The district’s transportation policy also will not be altered. Under the policy, students who live outside a 2-mile radius of their home school receive district-provided transportation. In Wednesday night’s information session, Buboltz clarified this 2-mile radius is not a hard-and-fast rule, and there may be exceptions in areas deemed “hazardous” like high speed limit areas.
The district has eight elementary schools serving kindergarten through fourth grade students, and one charter school that serves 4K through sixth grade students.
Open space at some schools, and overcrowding at Lakeview, factors into change
Buboltz told The P-C the district has planned to revisit its elementary school boundaries for a few years, but recent developments necessitate change.
For example, multiple elementary schools have more space available as the district recently shifted fifth graders to the middle school and Horace Mann being a new, larger facility. However, Lakeview Elementary is currently overcapacity – it has seen consistent high enrollment and other classroom changes, such as an additional kindergarten class.
A possible plan may include redrawing the boundaries so that some of the students currently within Lakeview Elementary’s boundaries could be shifted to Coolidge or Horace Mann, Buboltz said.
These changes are one step in a larger plan
In December 2020, the district’s school board approved a multi-phase elementary facilities plan.
The first phase included closing Roosevelt Elementary School on Doty Island at the end of the 2022-23 school year, relocating Alliance Charter School from Roosevelt to what was formerly Wilson Elementary, and dispersing students formerly at Roosevelt and Wilson to the new Horace Mann Elementary. The presentation said the first phase was officially completed in September.
Now, the board is preparing to tackle Phase 2. In addition to revising elementary school boundaries, it will also consider ways to make all of its elementary schools three-section or four-section schools, or those in which have three or four classes in each grade level, respectively.
Currently, there are three two-section elementary schools: Hoover Elementary, Taft Elementary and Clayton Elementary.
Horace Mann Elementary currently operates as a three-section school, with the exception of having only two first grade classes. In Phase 2, the district will explore ways to transform it into a four-section school.
These changes, Buboltz told community members at Wednesday’s meeting, will help the elementary schools have more equal access to resources, from targeted academic support to mental health support. He also said it can be used to retain and attract staff, as staff who currently serve smaller section schools are often required to travel between multiple buildings.
To view the percentage of each building that is currently used, and what will be used with these section changes next school year, visit bit.ly/sectionshifts.
Related: Neenah approves sale of Shattuck to local developer, who plans to make apartments
Will Neenah close more schools?
It’s not clear what will come of these two-section schools yet. Buboltz said in Wednesday night’s information session that eventual closures are possible, but would not be part of this phase.
“When we think about the fate of those three two-section schools, that might mean renovations to make them a three-section school, a transition in boundaries if we can accommodate those students elsewhere, there’s a multitude of things that we could consider with those two-section schools,” he told The Post-Crescent earlier Wednesday. “But at this stage in our planning, there are no imminent plans to close those buildings as part of this redesign.”
How did the community react?
Some parents raised concerns on Wednesday that students who currently live within close proximity to schools – specifically those who are able to enjoy walking to school – will be shifted to another school that may not be as convenient.
Buboltz responded that while the district understands this concern, the fact Coolidge, Horace Mann and Lakeview are in such close proximity to each other makes avoiding all such situations difficult.
“For example, the Horace Mann building is physically located currently within the Coolidge boundary, so that requires some shifting, and that might mean students who currently walk across Horace Mann’s driveway to get to Coolidge may be shifted to Horace Mann or even Lakeview,” he said. “Because those boundaries haven’t been fully developed, I would hate to promise a definitive line of where students live versus where the new school is located … but we will continue to be mindful of those who live in close physical proximity to those buildings.”
Others asked about how the district would fund changes to the elementary schools to expand the number of sections offered there. When asked if a referendum would be necessary, Buboltz said they have not determined if a referendum would be necessary and that they would first discuss with the community at what point they would transition to larger section facilities and how.
What's next in the process?
After gathering feedback from the staff and community, the district will begin exploring new boundary options and bring them to the public.
Buboltz hopes to get a boundary revision plan together and brought before the school board early next year. Those with questions are encouraged to contact Buboltz at cbuboltz@neenah.k12.wi.us. To view the current district boundary maps, visit bit.ly/neenahSDboundaries.
Madison Lammert is a Report for America corps member who covers child care and early education in Wisconsin at The Post-Crescent. Contact her at mlammert@gannett.com or 920-993-7108. Follow on Twitter @MadisonLammert0.
You can directly support her work with a tax-deductible donation online at http://bit.ly/Appleton_RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Post Crescent Campaign. Address: The GroundTruth Project, Lockbox Services, 9450 SW Gemini Drive, PMB 46837, Beaverton, Oregon 97008-7105.
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This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Neenah Joint School District will shift its elementary boundaries
