La Crosse schools want input on facility plans
LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — The School District of La Crosse is looking for community input as it works on a long-range facility plan to bring education to area kids.
It has planned two public events from 6-8 p.m. June 30 at Logan Middle School and 6-8 p.m. July 7 at Longfellow Middle School. People are asked to RSVP by contacting Kelly Galván in the superintendent’s office at kgalvan@lacrossesd.org or calling 608-789-7628.
“We have an opportunity to provide schools that meet the high bar set by our students and our community for educating children today,” said La Crosse Superintendent Dr. Aaron Engel. “We have an opportunity to provide proper spaces for collaboration, small group learning, music, drama, special education, early childhood, STEM, and much more. We have an opportunity to create efficiencies so we can reinvest in the modern expectations our community has of public education including socio-emotional and mental health supports. And we have an opportunity to provide educational facilities that meet the needs of our school families, our neighborhoods, and the greater La Crosse area. Our Northside and Hamilton Elementary School projects demonstrate how schools designed for the community’s needs can have a powerful, positive impact on our students, families, and neighborhoods.”
The district is challenged by declining enrollments and aging buildings, including five that are more than 80 years old. Over the next six months, the district will be hosting several focus groups to explore ideas for the future of the school buildings in the city of La Crosse.
“We want all of our school buildings to meet the learning needs of our students,” said Engel. “The additions and renovations the school district has made in each era over the last 80 years have allowed the school district to do just that. However, we are at a point with our older buildings where the limitations of their original construction and the costs of ongoing maintenance may not allow us to add on and renovate to provide the modern learning environments our community expects and our students deserve.”
The feedback from the focus groups will help to develop the district’s next long-range facility plan.
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