Superintendent Wimmer of the West Bend School District gave the Village of Jackson board a district update on Oct. 14, outlining the district's timeline for the new Jackson Elementary School, plans for grade reconfiguration, and a new drug-prevention communications campaign.

Wimmer said the district is taking next steps to build the new Jackson Elementary and is working with the village to obtain required approvals; the Plan Commission review and recent village actions on a certified survey map and rezoning are part of that process. Wimmer said the district is on pace for the construction manager, Findorff, to open bidding in November with bidding to run through January and construction expected to begin in the spring if approvals proceed as planned.

Wimmer described a reconfiguration that will keep current fourth graders in Jackson for fifth grade; those students are expected to stay in their elementary school for fifth grade and then join Badger for grades 6 6. He said Silverbrook will become an elementary school and the district will close Fair Park and Decorah as part of the reconfiguration and facilities work.

The district is also starting design work for the high schools and will spend several months through December reviewing academics, athletics, co-curricular programs and finances related to the two-high-schools-under-one-roof configuration. Wimmer said the board will decide in December whether to pursue broader community engagement on high-school configuration, including surveys and public meetings.

Wimmer also described a new prevention campaign funded by a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The campaign, created with local creative agency EPIC, is titled "Drugs Make It Worse" and will include videos, posters and skill-building resources hosted on the district website and distributed via district communications.

Board members asked whether the district plans to sell schools that are closed as part of the reconfiguration; Wimmer said the district will assess options (retain and repurpose, lease or sell) and has no final decision yet, noting the full transition from some properties will take about two years. Trustees also asked whether the district plans to build a new separate high school; Wimmer said there is no intention to build a new high school at this time and that the board is studying whether consolidation or configuration changes are warranted.