{"id":813,"date":"2025-10-17T09:34:27","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T14:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/the-alliance-for-education-in-waukesha-calls-for-optimizing-our-future-pause-impact-study-and-unity-copy\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T14:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T19:11:10","slug":"new-petition-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alliancewaukesha.org\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/new-petition-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"New Petition Alert: Slow Down “Optimizing Our Future”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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(Espa\u00f1ol abajo<\/a>)<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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We all want to make sure our students’ needs are kept front and center in the “Optimizing Our Future” process in SDW. As the process moves forward, it’s clear that ALL students will potentially be impacted by the proposed changes and that the community has many questions and concerns that have yet to be addressed. That’s why we’ve started a NEW petition<\/a><\/strong> to ask the board and administration to:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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  1. Slow down and take the time to comprehensively map out the logistics, costs, impacts, obstacles, and solutions inherent in each option.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Commission an independent impact study to assess the impacts of all of the proposed plans on all students, including, but not limited to, students in low-income households, students with disabilities, and students whose native language is not English.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Delay implementation of any plan until at least the 2027-28 school year.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    We encourage you to sign the petition even if you signed one of the previous ones – this petition is focused on the current stage of the OOF process, and concerns about how it will affect every single student in the district. We also encourage you to share the petition across all your networks, as well as to contact the school board directly<\/a> to share your family’s personal concerns, because we recognize that our petition is not exhaustive there may be many additional issues that need to be addressed.<\/p>\n

    We would also like to apologize for publishing the petition without having the Spanish translation finished. We wanted to get the petition circulating as quickly as possible due to the other petition we had shared (which was not authored by us) being taken down. However, this is not an excuse, and we should have taken the time to make sure we did things right. The full text of the petition is available below in both Spanish<\/a> and English<\/a>, the Spanish translation is also now up on Change.org<\/a>, and we promise to do better in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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    \n \n Alerta de Petici\u00f3n Nueva: Reducir la Velocidad de \"Optimizando Nuestro Futuro\" <\/span>\n\n \n \n <\/span>\n <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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    Todos queremos asegurarnos de que las necesidades de nuestros estudiantes se mantengan en primer plano en el proceso “Optimizando Nuestro Futuro” en SDW. A medida que el proceso avanza, est\u00e1 claro que TODOS los estudiantes podr\u00edan verse afectados por los cambios propuestos y que la comunidad tiene muchas preguntas y preocupaciones que a\u00fan no se han abordado. Por eso hemos iniciado una NUEVA petici\u00f3n<\/a><\/strong> para pedirle a la junta y a la administraci\u00f3n que:<\/p>\n

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    1. Reduzca la velocidad y t\u00f3mese el tiempo para mapear de manera integral la log\u00edstica, los costos, los impactos, los obst\u00e1culos y las soluciones inherentes a cada opci\u00f3n. <\/strong><\/li>\n
    2. Comisione un estudio de impacto independiente para evaluar los efectos de todos los planes propuestos sobre todos los estudiantes, incluidos, pero no limitados a, estudiantes de hogares de bajos ingresos, estudiantes con discapacidades y estudiantes cuyo idioma nativo no es el ingl\u00e9s. <\/strong><\/li>\n
    3. Retrase la implementaci\u00f3n de cualquier plan hasta al menos el a\u00f1o escolar 2027-28.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Le animamos a que firme la petici\u00f3n incluso si ya firm\u00f3 alguna de las anteriores; esta petici\u00f3n se centra en la etapa actual del proceso OOF y en las preocupaciones sobre c\u00f3mo afectar\u00e1 a cada estudiante en el distrito. Tambi\u00e9n le animamos a que comparta la petici\u00f3n en todas sus redes, as\u00ed como a que se comunique directamente con la junta escolar<\/a> para compartir las preocupaciones personales de su familia, porque reconocemos que nuestra petici\u00f3n no es exhaustiva y puede haber muchos problemas adicionales que necesiten ser abordados.<\/p>\n

      Tambi\u00e9n nos gustar\u00eda disculparnos por haber publicado la petici\u00f3n sin tener terminada la traducci\u00f3n al espa\u00f1ol. Quer\u00edamos que la petici\u00f3n se difundiera lo m\u00e1s r\u00e1pido posible debido a que la otra petici\u00f3n que hab\u00edamos compartido (la cual no fue redactada por nosotros) fue retirada. Sin embargo, esto no es una excusa, y deber\u00edamos habernos tomado el tiempo para asegurarnos de hacer las cosas correctamente. El texto completo de la petici\u00f3n est\u00e1 disponible a continuaci\u00f3n tanto en espa\u00f1ol<\/a> como en ingl\u00e9s<\/a>, la traducci\u00f3n al espa\u00f1ol tambi\u00e9n est\u00e1 ahora en Change.org<\/a>, y prometemos mejorar en el futuro.<\/p>\n

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      \n \n Full Text of the Petition <\/span>\n\n \n \n <\/span>\n <\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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      We, the undersigned, are asking the School District of Waukesha to\u00a0slow down the Optimizing Our Future process<\/strong>, in order to comprehensively map out the logistics, costs, impacts, obstacles, and solutions inherent in each option, so that all community concerns can be fully addressed.<\/p>\n

      We further request that the District\u00a0commission an independent impact study<\/strong> to assess the impacts of all of the proposed plans on all students, including, but not limited to, students in low-income households, students with disabilities, and students whose native language is not English. We acknowledge and appreciate the work the board and administration have already put into creating and revising the options; however, without an independent impact study that assesses all of the data and possibilities impartially, we are concerned that preconceived ideas and potential blind spots will cause problems for our students that could otherwise be avoided.<\/p>\n

      And finally, we ask the district to\u00a0delay implementation of any plan until at least the 2027-28 school year<\/strong>, to give all stakeholders, but most especially students, the chance to fully prepare and plan for the changes.<\/p>\n

      BACKGROUND:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      According to the timeline they have laid out\u00a0on their website<\/span><\/a>, the School District of Waukesha WILL BE CLOSING PUBLIC SCHOOLS, effective in the 2026-2027 school year. \u00a0<\/p>\n

      We are currently in\u00a0Phase II\u2014Input Gathering<\/strong>, where the district is requesting feedback from the community. We are asking our community to raise any concerns they might have regarding the current options, and the timeframe within which they are being implemented, with the district as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

      Phase III<\/strong>\u00a0begins when an option is selected and voted on. There is a Board Workshop tentatively scheduled for\u00a0October 27 at 6pm<\/strong>\u00a0after the Budget Meeting. This means we could enter Phase III as soon as the end of this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

      These are the options the district will be picking from, whether at the board workshop on October 27 or at the next school board meeting:\u00a0<\/strong>
      (options A\u2014D have been eliminated).<\/p>\n

      Option E: Dual Elementary Sites<\/strong>
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Sell Saratoga\/Saratoga Complex, Whiterock and Pleasant Hill
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0K-8 STEM School at Les Paul
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Repurpose or Sell Hawthorne, Lowell and Whittier
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Two middle schools at Butler and Horning
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Three elementary dual language sites at Banting, Bethesda and Heyer
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0East\/WTA move into Lowell
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Total estimated yearly savings – $3,658,850
      Total Seats Reduced: 2,446 – 18% reduction<\/p>\n

      Option F: K-6 Elementary Sites<\/strong>
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Sell Saratoga\/Saratoga Complex, Whiterock and Pleasant Hill
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0K-8 STEM School at Les Paul
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Repurpose or Sell Hawthorne and Whittier
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Two 7-8 middle schools at Butler and Horning
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Three elementary dual language sites at Banting, Bethesda and Heyer
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0East\/WTA move into Whittier
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Total estimated yearly savings – $2,882,000
      Total Seats Reduced: 1,976 – 15% reduction<\/p>\n

      Option G: K-6, 7-12 School Structure<\/strong>
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Sell Saratoga\/Saratoga Complex, Whiterock and Pleasant Hill
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0K-8 STEM School at Les Paul
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0K-6 Sites – Banting, Bethesda, Hadfield, Heyer, Hillcrest, Lowell, Meadowbrook, Prairie, Rose Glen, and Summit View
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Three elementary dual language sites at Banting, Bethesda and Heyer
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0East\/WTA move to Hawthorne
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Close, Sell or Repurpose Butler and Horning
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a07-12 Sites – North, South, and West
      \u2022 \u00a0 \u00a0Whittier could be a South overflow site if needed
      Total Seats Reduced: 3,826 – 28% reduction
      Total Estimated Cost Savings – $5,164,600<\/p>\n

      To view more information, go to the SDW website:\u00a0Optimizing Our Future | School District of Waukesha<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

      You can also view summaries of each of the three options, including the proposed redistricting maps\u00a0here<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n

      WHAT THIS MEANS:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      It is vital that we advocate NOW for our students, teachers and schools.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      Learning from the Past:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      When Hadfield Elementary absorbed the entire Whittier population in the 2022-2023 school year, it doubled the school\u2019s enrollment and was a rocky transition. Making it work came down to parents advocating for additional support in the form of therapists, Special Education teachers, aides, floaters, and more. That additional support didn\u2019t get fully implemented until April of 2023. Sustained parent and community advocacy was crucial.<\/p>\n

      We call upon our community to engage in the same kind of sustained advocacy now, to ensure that all of the pieces necessary for success are in place ahead of time, so that our students\u2019 educations are not disrupted.<\/p>\n

      There are a number of issues which need to be addressed, and logistics which need to be fully mapped out before any plan can be implemented:<\/p>\n

      Questions & Concerns For All 3 Options:<\/strong><\/p>\n

      In all 3 OOF proposals, schools are going to be closed, boundary lines are going to be redrawn, and students are going to face major transitions. Many schools will be significantly more crowded than they currently are, meaning that:<\/p>\n

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      1. Class sizes will increase, meaning teachers will have less time to give attention to each student UNLESS we advocate for more aides, floaters, and additional teachers.

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      2. Rooms currently used for special education could be converted into classrooms to accommodate increased student enrollment, meaning there is potential to lose the spaces and resources we currently have for special education students. This will also impact non-special education students when there is no sensory or quiet space for special education students to retreat to when they are in need of it.

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      3. If schools don’t have enough staff to accommodate the increased population and needs of the students, it will impact ALL STUDENTS in their learning, the behavior, and mental development.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n