Fielding International begins discovery and visioning for Chippewa Valley master plan

Fielding International's educational planner Anna McDevitt updated the board on a district master-planning engagement that began with stakeholder focus groups and a design advisory team (DAT). McDevitt said the work focuses on aligning educational programs, learning environments and long-term facilities planning and described three phases: discovery, visioning and master planning.

Nut graf: Fielding's team has completed an initial round of stakeholder meetings and two DAT sessions and plans a June 3 visit for building tours and a third DAT meeting; the consultant team will deliver a discovery report in July and a master-plan report in October.

McDevitt said the consultant team had met with 13 stakeholder groups and identified consistent themes: a district-wide commitment to inclusion and the idea that "Chippewa Valley must mean 'all means all'" in services and access. The DAT work has explored future skills, space typologies and design patterns that could support evolving instructional approaches. McDevitt told the board she would return with a discovery report in July and that the master planning phase would kickoff after the board reviews the discovery findings.

Trustees asked about safety and background checks for consultants touring buildings. McDevitt said consultants attend buildings accompanied by administrators; board members requested clarification on whether the consultants themselves had undergone background checks for in-school visits. Superintendent Roberts said the district is working with the consultant team and will address district protocols for contractor access and screening.

The consultant team will continue engagements, finalize a discovery report for July and develop guiding principles and design scenarios ahead of the fall master plan deliverable.