Right now, planning for consolidation is actively underway:

Accomplishments 

• Start of planning
• Staff listening sessions at closing and receiving schools
• Retirement window re-opened for staff
• Active and ongoing communication with staff and families
• Consolidation website built and posted
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document 
• Staff and principal surveys sent to gather input 
• Summer Learning locations determined: Hawthorn Hills, South Mountain, and Stettin
• Boundaries identified and approval - Feb. 10
• Principal Assignments - Feb. 11 and 12
• Continued communication – including FAQ updates
• Continued planning (timeline) 

On the Horizon

• Finalize building maps
• Finalize staff assignments
• Transportation plans
• Moving details
• Honoring closing schools
• Collaboration with merging schools

The Wausau School Board recently approved school zone changes in conjunction with the consolidation effort.  The Hawthorn Hills attendance zones have split as follows:

• Hawthorn Hills attendance zones north of Forest Street will merge with Franklin.
• Hawthorn Hills attendance zones south of Forest Street will merge with John Marshall.

Work is underway on what exactly busing looks like.  (There are complexities to this including boundaries, hazardous transportation zones, etc.)  Notification to families will take place in August.

Here are the principal placements after the current school year concludes:

• 4K/Early Childhood:  Kara Rakowski
• Franklin: Krista Tretter
• G.D. Jones:  Jen Davidson (Head Principal) and Phil Beck (Associate Principal)
• John Marshall: Andy Reiche 
• Maine:  Laura Simonson 
• Rib Mountain:  Rachel Jean
• Riverview:  Sarah Budny (Head Principal) and Katelyn Landerman (Associate Principal) 
• South Mountain:  Deb Heilmann
• Stettin:  Kyle Sackett
• Thomas Jefferson:  Megan Koroch (Head Principal) and Matthew Schilling (Associate Principal) 
• Wausau Area Montessori Charter School:  Elizabeth Channel 
• Red Granite Charter School:  To be determined once the new location is finalized.

We want to thank all of our principals, and teaching staff, for their commitment to the district and we are confident that they are going to do fantastic work in their new positions. We are fortunate to have amazing principals and staff throughout all of our district.  They’re ready to support your students leading up to, during, and after consolidation. 

Class sizes will remain within the guidelines and overall the average will be similar to or less than what it has been in past years. As in any year, the average class sizes vary from year to year as classes shift to the next grade levels. We will always continue to see some years with smaller or larger sections in buildings based on how the enrollment flows.

We believe that class sizes will be more balanced across the district; however, we will always have some class sizes that are larger or smaller based on enrollment at specific grade levels and sections. 

The Board and the Task Force have both placed priority on this area and we will continue to work within our budget constraints and our Capital Projects list to work this into our implementation process when we are able.

We are keeping the current mascots.

• There are 3 factors that went into this discussion. 
  • We are currently prioritizing other tasks that need to be completed 
  • There is a significant cost to this change and we need to find a way for that to fit into our budget situation before this would be able to be addressed. 
  • We believe that this is a more appropriate step to do at a later time so that the newly combined staff and students will be able to be involved in the determination of this in the future culture.

Yes! Celebrations are being planned to honor the legacies of all four schools. Here are the details:

• Lincoln Elementary:  Thursday, April 17 (5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.)

• Grant Elementary:  Thursday, May 8 (4:30 p.m.)
• Hewitt-Texas Elementary:  Friday, May 30 (5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.) 

• Hawthorn Hills Elementary:  Tuesday, June 3 (Time: TBD)

There is some minimal construction that will be needed and there is a plan in motion for that process.

District-owned land, adjacent to the Wausau School Forest, has been identified as a potential new location for Red Granite, beginning as soon as next school year. Through grants and fundraising, Red Granite Leadership has been exploring, and will continue to work toward site development to grow their forever home.

However, given the tight timeline to meet necessary requirements prior to the beginning of next school year, both entities (Red Granite and WSD) felt it was necessary to identify another location that could be utilized, if needed due to delays in site development.  Rib Mountain Elementary has been identified as that location.  Factors in this decision included school enrollment, classroom availability, playground space, proximity to trails, and nearby Rib Mountain/Granite Peak. 

The Task Force's recommendation of consolidation was independent of the decision to go to referendum.

Summer Learning will take place at Hawthorn Hills, Stettin, and South Mountain Elementary Schools. For more information about Summer Learning, and to register, please click here.

The Wausau School Board will be presented with options and they will make a decision based on those options.

Many of the staff will be moving to the new school to fill classroom and instructional needs based on the larger enrollment numbers.  It's also important to note that plans are being developed to help transition students to their new schools -- events like family nights and picnics. 

Mergers are inclusive of moving an entire school, with the exception of Hawthorn Hills.  As we mentioned previously, plans are being developed to help transition students to their new schools -- events like family nights and picnics.  A big focus will be how do we make this transition successful for students?

No.  Additions are not needed for this consolidation process.

Teachers are being reassigned to open positions throughout the district.  All teachers were surveyed for their preferred assignments and we were able to award more than 95% of the classroom teachers their 1st Preferred Positions or their Top Priority Positions.

The Wausau School District has defined attendance boundaries for each of our elementary and secondary schools.  The boundaries are intended to support enrollments in each building, as well as bus routes.  Students attend the school in which their home resides and we do not provide a choice program within the district currently, outside of our 4K community and school site enrollment process.  Individual situations are determined on a case-by-case basis. 

Our decision was made that associate principals were provided to the 3 biggest schools and to support the transition.  We’re going to see how things roll out the next few years and make decisions in that time frame.  Student needs are always taken into consideration as we develop our staffing plans.

As we’ve shared throughout this process, there is some work that needs to be done to ensure Lincoln is ready for 4K students.  That work includes making some changes to bathrooms – to ensure they are accessible to our youngest learners.  Any other possible updates are still being discussed as any work will be done over the summer months, over scheduled breaks, or even the summer of 2026. The secure entrance at Lincoln Elementary School is part of the work being done through the April 2022 referendum.  More information is available by clicking here.

Playground equipment repairs are a priority under the Buildings and Grounds Capital Budget this year. If the equipment can not be repaired it will most likely be decommissioned.  Relocation is an option but may not be this year.