Following four months of meetings, the Wautoma Area School District Adhoc Community Impact Committee (CIC) is beginning preparations for their upcoming Community Conversations at Riverview Elementary School from 6-8 p.m. on April 17 and May 8. Members of the CIC have volunteered to help present the information they have learned regarding the district’s long-range facility planning as well as the potential new elementary school referendum that could be on the ballot this November.
The purpose of the Community Conversations is to engage all community members to learn the vision and needs of the district and advise the CIC members on the community’s priorities based on those needs. The conversations will be to take the community on the journey from the April 2023 failed referendum to today.
Using feedback from the CIC, the district plans to share the 2023-2025 Strategic Plan; information on the evolving needs in education and vision for learning; hear a lesson on school finances; and provide tours of Riverview Elementary highlighting the site layout and constraints facing students and staff. The meeting will also go into detail about the facilities and operational goals, including the district-wide safety and security measures that could be implemented at the other three schools.
The CIC members also will offer more information about the two sites currently being looked at for a new elementary school; an additional school at the Parkside site or a new school constructed on Taplin Drive. The pros and cons list the CIC, the district, CG Schmidt, Plunkett Raysich Architects, LLP, and local emergency management services provided will also be discussed at the meeting.
The feedback received from the April and May Community Conversations will be taken back to the CIC where the members will work to make a recommendation to the school board as to what the district should place on the ballot. This recommendation will be taken under consideration by the Board in July with the decision on a referendum question for the November 2024 Election coming by August.
Wautoma High School Student Volunteers will be offering babysitting at Riverview Elementary School throughout the evening. For more information about the upcoming Community Conversations as well as the Wautoma Area School District Adhoc Community Impact Committee, visit wautomasd.org.