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Madison superintendent updates commission on middle-school addition, safety changes and ACT shift
Summary
Madison Schools Superintendent Joel Jorgensen told the City Commission the middle-school addition will move main entry to street level, add classrooms and a separate bus loop; he also warned statewide ACT scores may fall after switching all juniors to the ACT.
Joel Jorgensen, superintendent of Madison Public Schools, briefed the City Commission on an ongoing renovation and addition at the middle school and on district testing changes.
Jorgensen said the project rebuilt interior systems and finished most renovation work prior to school starting, and described the new addition as changing how students and visitors enter the building. "You'll come in at street level, and you'll walk in and you'll have a vestibule just like we have for the high school where you'd be buzzed in," Jorgensen said. He said the main level will put reception, the principal's and counselor's offices, a nursing area and an ISS room at street level, with classroom levels reached by indoor stairways and an elevator. "The other big change...is the fact that we'll have a separate bus loop," he added, noting the first lift of asphalt is down and the second lift is hoped for in November, pending brickwork completion.
Jorgensen told commissioners the addition includes four new classrooms and is scheduled for completion in February, with a small amount of remaining work in the current occupied area. "So right now, it's scheduled to be completed in February. I don't anticipate that will change," he said.
He also reported enrollment rose by 10 students to 1,183 for the year and described several capacity options if growth continues: the new classrooms could be used by the middle school, repurposed to support a larger high school, or could allow the middle school to be reconfigured to grades 5–8 if needed. On testing, Jorgensen said the state is moving juniors from Smarter Balanced to the ACT. He cautioned that because more juniors will take the ACT — including students not planning college — statewide composites likely will decline. "When you do the math, the ACT composites will drop throughout the state because you're gonna have more kids taking it who don't have as much skin in the game anymore," he said.
Commissioners praised the safer street-level entry and separate bus loop; one commissioner asked if facilities are positioned for further enrollment growth, and Jorgensen reiterated the new rooms provide flexibility across the district.
Jorgensen said the district will schedule an open house after the addition is finished.
The presentation occurred during the commission's appearances section and was informational; no formal action was taken.
