Wausau School District. MWC file photo.
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — School leaders in Wausau held yet another community engagement session regarding facilities needs on Monday, this one with a focus on hypotheticals that could come with restructuring the district’s elementary schools by closing some and merging the displaced students into other nearby schools.
The district’s finance director, Bob Tess, said there could be some benefits to downsizing elementary schools including a quick influx of cash from the sale of buildings and property and less upkeep, but that could be offset by construction costs to expand other buildings to allow for more students at that location.
That was part of a hypothetical scenario presented in which the district eliminated three buildings.
During the presentation Superintendent Keith Hilts acknowledged that the community is split “nearly 50/50” on the matter. District leaders also made it clear in the run-up to Monday’s meeting that there is no formal proposal on the table at this time, but Hilts added that there is some incentive to come to a conclusion quickly as construction costs continue to rise.
Hilts says if the school board does decide that merging elementary schools is the preferred choice there simply wouldn’t be time to put a referendum question to voters during the Spring non-partisan election. “That means we have to move to November [mid-term election]. That means the plans get pushed back, they don’t get bid until [2024]. That’s another year of waiting, and as someone said to me ‘doing nothing costs us.’ It is another year of inflation.”
Tess noted that delaying projects by another year to account for the consolidation could mean an extra 5% on the construction costs, or about $8.6 million.
The full board of education will likely digest the feedback received at all three engagement sessions during their mid-December meeting.
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