By Dr. Melanie J. Oppor
Planning for the future of the district has been a primary focus for the past three years and this work continues. A solid, research-based academic program has been developed. Now a site analysis and feasibility study are underway. One of the outcomes of the study was to make a long-range maintenance and capital improvement plan to complement the academic plan. Research is clear that students can learn better in safe, orderly, and functional learning spaces.
Over the summer, a diverse group of twenty-three citizens from across the district met seven times to review all the materials gathered by the two firms hired by the Board of Education to conduct the site analysis and feasibility study. Jody Andres from Hoffman Planning, Design, & Construction, Inc. (Appleton) and Cody Holzhauer and Keri Anne Connaughty of Scherrer Construction Company, Inc. (Wausau) have been overseeing the study. All information from the site analysis and feasibility study is publicly available on the district web site at: http://www.manawaschools.org/community/safs.cfm Please refer to the “Resources” section of the web page.
The Community Stakeholders serve as an advisory committee to the Manawa Board of Education. It is their ultimate role to recommend the priority actions to be taken by the district based on the site analysis and feasibility study. The Community Stakeholders also serve as the liaisons with the community to both share information and receive feedback from the broader district constituency.
Both Hoffman and Scherrer have years of experience in guiding stakeholder groups through processes to examine needs, recommend priorities, and engage communities in site analysis and feasibility studies. The process is now entering a new stage in the study process. The Community Stakeholders group had their seventh meeting on October 3. The Stakeholders reached consensus on several major issues that they believe should receive priority attention by the district. It is now the job of the administrative team along with Hoffman Planning, Design, and Construction, Inc. and Scherrer Construction, Inc. to develop a detailed plan to bring back for the Community Stakeholders’ review.
No decisions on specific actions have been made to date. The district-wide community’s voice needs to be heard on the plan that is being developed. The School District of Manawa will be conducting a survey of all district residents early this winter to hear your feedback on the proposed plans.
Per the Community Stakeholder, the proposed plan is to include the following recommended projects:
- Completing all the long-term capital improvement/maintenance recommendations from those listed as immediate through year five (5) to include detailed drawings and specifications.
- Demolishing the former elementary building and associated costs for returning it to green space for the time being.
- Addressing handicap accessibility at Little Wolf Jr./Sr. High School to include detailed drawings and specifications.
- Designing a school/community fitness center at Little Wolf Jr./Sr. High School that is accessible to all.
- Repairing the football field (examine drainage concerns and gradation of the crown) and track. Hoffman will seek a qualified expert to prepare detailed drawings and specifications.
- Reconfiguring building usage to make MES a grades 4K to 5 school and to create Little Wolf High School and Manawa Middle School under a single roof. A remodeled high school building would house grades 6 to 12 with the development of a true middle school model to include detailed drawings and specifications to design separate middle school and high school learning spaces, entrances, and updated shared spaces (cafeteria, gymnasium, etc.).
- Principals Wolfgram and Pukita will develop plans for:
- Staffing (consider teacher licensing, shared staff, etc.)
- Scheduling (Middle School schedules are usually unique to the tween learner.)
- Programming (Gifted/Talented, Title I, Response to Intervention, Special Education, At-Risk, etc.)
- Student Enrollment
- Identity (What makes each school unique and exemplary?)
- Creating flexible, personalized learning spaces district-wide based on the requests and suggestions of district staff. Flexible or personalized learning spaces are the new terms being used to describe furniture and room designs that allow students and teachers to more easily use their classrooms and shared spaces in a variety of different ways. It is not unusual to have students working in small groups on a science experiment, reading or writing alone, and watching a video clip as a whole group all in the same day. In fact, it is very likely people would see students moving into new configurations about every twenty minutes depending on the age of the children. Furniture that is quickly and easily moveable allows students and teachers to use both their time and space efficiently. Students also enjoy the option of standing or sitting while they work. This flexible approach also simulates what many students will find when they get out into the workplace after high school graduation.
Anticipated Timeline:
November - The administrative team, Hoffman, and Scherrer will present the proposed plan to the Community Stakeholders. The Community Stakeholders will suggest any revisions, deletions, or refinements to be made before the plan is sent to the full Board of Education for consideration.
Winter –
- All district residents will be surveyed.
- The Board of Education will review the plan and determine if they wish to proceed with the recommendations as presented.
- The Board of Education will consider funding options should they endorse any part, or all, of the recommended plan.
Years 2018-2020 – Once funding options have been established, actual repairs and construction would be accomplished over a 1 ½ to 2-year span.
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