Damakant Jayshi
A major restructuring in the Wausau School District cannot happen without significant changes to the science labs at West, officials disclosed this week, prompting criticism that administrators lacked foresight in their plan.
Parents and board members on Monday shared concerns that district officials did not consider the impact restructuring would have on the science curriculum and did not ensure adequate classroom and lab space at what will become the city’s only high school.
To meet those curriculum requirements, the district may need to build additional labs. And district officials have yet to review the West tech education spaces for adequacy after the merger, according to Monday’s discussion.
Wausau School Board member Pat McKee said based on the information shared Monday, it’s “clear there is more investment needed at Wausau West to support the projected number of students who will be attending the school post-restructuring.”
“A minimum of four additional science labs is estimated to be about $6 million. This is just for science,” McKee said. “There are other areas that haven’t been reviewed for educational adequacy and may require additional investment, such as technical education. There needs to be a fully vetted set of detailed district wide restructuring requirements and associated costs so we have clear line of sight as to what the restructuring project will ultimately cost tax payers. The risks are far too great to continue with this ‘figure it out as we go’ approach.”
McKee and other board members grilled Superintendent Keith Hilts and senior staff on Monday regarding their plans for the future. Under the restructuring plan, Wausau East will become a junior high school accommodating grades 8 and 9, while Wausau West will serve as a senior high school for students in grades 10-12. These changes are scheduled to commence in the fall of 2025. However, parents and some board members are now questioning whether the timeline can be met due to the curriculum requirements that need to be addressed.
During the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting, Wausau East science teacher Lea Carroll said educators at both schools were aware of the lack of lab space and modernized facilities well before the restructuring decision was made.
“But it seems to have only come to the district’s attention more recently,” said Carroll.
She also said the solutions proposed by officials would impact most students, some in detrimental ways.
“The district is pushing that all students be accelerated in science to take physical science as 8th graders and biology as freshman, rather than in the current model of physical science as freshman and biology as sophomore,” she said. “Most students are not ready for this fast track.”
District officials on Monday admitted that under restructuring, they will need more rooms to satisfy curriculum requirements. They have proposed – stressing that nothing has been finalized yet – increasing the number of science labs, giving credit to 8th-grade science, blended classrooms and portable classrooms, among others. Board officials, after expressing their concern, said they wanted to learn more about additional labs and the cost.
One parent, Jake Engel, told the board during public comments on Monday that his son who loves science will lose potential opportunities because of the lack of lab space. He also questioned the concept of giving science credit for other classes.
“To me, that’s cheating what a science credit means in Wausau School District,” he said.
Board members appeared frustrated as well.
“Why didn’t we know about this a little sooner and expect this to have to be done instead of just, ‘well possible’,” said Board President James Bouche. “I think the board would look at things differently if this would have been ‘we need this to consolidate’.”
McKee emphasized that board members and the community as a whole should have been informed about these challenges sooner. He criticized officials for focusing on field turf and a community room but failing to bring up the impact on school curriculum “even once” during redistricting discussions.
McKee said the district should be looking forward to ensure schools are equipped for the future and poised to attract students, providing programs and learning spaces that will serve the community for decades to come. That, he said, requires a more robust planning process.
Another board member, Cory Sillars, pointed out that the remodeling was supposed to fix the space problem but wasn’t done well. Drain tile was not installed as planned in the new turf fields, which could mean the fields will again be unplayable in the spring due to excessive water, for example.
Both Sillars and McKee questioned Hilts on why the district is asking for more than $1.2 million for a community room at Wausau West and said officials should have included those plans in their design and budget proposal rolled out on July 10. The board approved the proposal at a cost, on July 10, estimated to be under $30 million, up from $28.3 million in the original budget. The bid budget is now projected to be more than $31 million.
Nexus Solutions, the consulting firm spearheading the district’s restructuring budget, cut out some board-approved items and suggested changes that would allow the project to come in under budget.
Board Vice President Lance Trollop said he was not surprised that some parts of the restructuring plan would get cut as they move along but said the board should be kept in the loop for any changes made.
Hilts said he will speak Friday to science teachers to help determine next steps for restructuring, which he called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students.
As recently as last week, Communications Coordinator Diana White denied any changes to the restructuring timeline. White on Tuesday told Wausau Pilot & Review the district is working hard to ensure the restructuring is done well and benefits students, families and staff.
“As we plan for that, we’re exploring possible solutions to inadequate science spaces at Wausau West,” she said. “At the end of the day, our goal of the restructure is to ensure that students have expanded developmentally appropriate opportunities and stronger supports.”
