The West Allis-West Milwaukee School Board will consider consolidating several schools at the intermediate and elementary levels
The West Allis-West Milwaukee School Board is considering proposals to consolidate several of its schools at the intermediate and elementary levels, after a referendum to consolidate two high schools failed in April.
At a special meeting June 6, the board is scheduled to consider:
consolidating Lane Intermediate School into Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School starting in the 2023-24 school year,
consolidating Longfellow Elementary School into Jefferson Elementary School and Pershing Elementary School starting in the 2023-24 school year, and approve an option for Longfellow 4K students to begin the 2022-23 school year in their current or new neighborhood school;
consolidating Madison Elementary School into Walker Elementary School to begin in the 2023-24 school year, and approve an option for Madison 4K students to begin the 2022-23 school year in their current or new neighborhood school.
The board is also considering a plan to consolidate one additional elementary school and two high schools into one by the end of the 2023-24 school year, according to a June 1 letter to staff and parents from West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Superintendent Marty Lexmond.
That additional elementary school has not yet been identified, according to Amanda Stewart, the district's director of communications and community relations.
Lexmond's June 1 letter says the facilities master plan "was approved by our school board and includes recommendations to consolidate our two comprehensive high schools into one, consolidate three intermediate schools into two and consolidate eleven elementary schools into eight or nine."
In the last month, the district has conducted several in-person and virtual listening sessions to discuss the consolidations.
Lexmond said a goal of the district's strategic plan is "to develop and begin implementation of a facilities master plan that includes strategies to create innovative learning spaces and maintain efficient building operation."
"Over the past two years members of our community, our staff, our school board and our administration have carefully studied our current and future facility needs. Hundreds of hours of analysis and meetings led to the development of our facility master plan," he said.
The goal of the facility planning process is to "right-size," meaning the district seeks to operate only the number of school buildings it actually needs to save money, and modernize the district's schools by upgrading the buildings "so they last another 50 years and creating learning spaces that are engaging and inspiring," according to information on the district's website.
The district currently operates 17 schools that serve about 7,400 students. Over the past six years, enrollment has declined by nearly 2,500 students. Enrollment is projected to continue its decline "at a slow, steady rate and eventually stabilize," the site said. Also, the district noted the average age of its buildings is more than 78 years old, with some schools dating back to 1921.
Failed referendum
The board tried to address the consolidation of its high schools, Nathan Hale and West Allis Central, into one high school through a $149.8 million referendum on the April 5 ballot. Voters overwhelmingly rejected the referendum.
"However, the commitment made in our Facility Master Plan continues and we are now prepared to make recommendations related to intermediate and elementary school consolidations to begin with the 2023-2024 school year," Lexmond said in the letter.
Consolidation meeting
The June 6 special school board meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the board room, Room 609, at the district's offices,1205 S. 70th St., West Allis. Public comment will be allowed. The meeting will also be streamed over Zoom and later posted to the district's YouTube channel. The Zoom link can be accessed at /bit.ly/3tdwsDz.
Contact Alec Johnson at 262-875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: West Allis-West Milwaukee to consider school consolidations
