The first phase of an elementary restructuring plan for the 2023-24 school year was approved by the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education at its Dec. 21, 2021 meeting.
The plan will consolidate the students and staff from Roosevelt and Wilson into a three-section school at the existing Horace Mann Middle School building. Horace Mann will be vacated when sixth graders move into the existing high school. Alliance Charter Elementary will expand into two sections in the current Wilson building and Roosevelt will be closed.
Some Board members believed the plan was too “rushed” and lacked community input. The vote passed 6-3 with those in favor believing it was the best plan for the students at both schools. More details on the next phases of the plan will be discussed at the next Board meeting on Jan. 11.
The Board also heard a proposal to switch high school students to virtual learning in May 2022 and September 2023 to accommodate renovations at the existing high school. High School students who are not yet proficient on identified learning targets or with below a C grade in any class would be required to attend in person at the end of the 2021-22 school year. All other students would have the option to conclude the year through virtual learning or attend in person beginning May 23. Staff will need to be in person each day.
For the first 16 school days of the 2022-23 school year, students would be in person for four of them to establish relationships with staff. Students would be virtual for the other days. Administration stressed that the plan was a “worst-case scenario” and students could return to in-person learning sooner if construction is completed. Partial occupancy may also be possible in some areas where construction is completed. The plan will be voted upon at the Jan. 11 meeting.
In other action, hires were approved for Amanda McIhany as a kindergarten teacher at Coolidge and Katherine Kollath as a math interventionist at Wilson. Resignations were approved for high school teacher Ashely Feehan, effective Jan. 27, and Hoover and Clayton educational assistant Eitan Maoz, effective Jan. 14. End-of-year retirements were approved for high school special education teachers Karen Wagner and Cheryl Thompson.
Open forum lasted over an hour with numerous speakers offering thoughts for and against the elementary restructuring plan. There were also several comments about the construction plan at the high school and concerns about students in grades 4K-8 returning to school with masks optional after winter break.
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