Verona Area School District reports enrollment growth, safety work and purchase of Fitchburg site for future elementary school

Superintendent Tremaine Clarity told members of the Verona Area Chamber of Commerce on a snowy winter morning that the Verona Area School District is expanding student supports, stepping up safety drills and has acquired property in Fitchburg to address long bus rides and future capacity needs.

Clarity said the district serves about 6,000 students and 1,000 staff, has intentionally focused on disciplinary literacy and equity, and has seen academic gains it tied to several years of targeted practice. "We put grade-level and above standards in front of every single child," Clarity said during the presentation, adding the district has moved from a statewide ranking around 47 to about 14.

The nut graf: District leaders described three near-term priorities — student and staff wellness and mental-health services, enhanced safety training and local siting for future schools — and said a recently purchased parcel in Fitchburg will help reduce daily busing for hundreds of elementary students.

Clarity and district staff described safety and mental-health investments as core to retaining families and protecting students. The district now runs more frequent, varied safety drills after consulting a student advisory; Clarity said students asked administrators to "be honest and transparent" and to provide facts about incidents rather than rely on rumor. The district said it provides stop-the-bleeding training and tabletop exercises with city emergency responders and law enforcement, and that staff training is repeated across all buildings.

On facilities, district staff said the board approved acquisition of roughly 60 acres off Lacy Road in Fitchburg to preserve a future elementary site. A presenter said that area currently produces lengthy daily bus routes: "We spent $4,000,000 a year on busing," the presenter said, adding the purchase aims to create a neighborhood school where many children could walk instead of ride. The presenter said nearly 600 elementary-age students now live within walking distance of the newly acquired site but currently board buses to other schools.

District officials said the Fitchburg parcel sits near a shopping node and involved assembling several smaller properties; they indicated board documents on capacity and a timeline for possible construction would be presented to the board in May. They framed the purchase as a proactive step: acquiring land now to avoid waiting until buildings reach capacity.

Clarity and deputy superintendent Chad Weiss (introduced in remarks) also described programmatic priorities including expansion of two-way immersion (Spanish, Mandarin and English), advanced-learning supports, and an apprenticeship/applied trades coordinator who works with community partners. Clarity said about 57 languages are spoken in the district and that about a quarter of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals; roughly 9% receive special-education services under individualized education programs.

School officials answered audience questions that the district will use community input and boundary studies before any referendum or construction timeline is finalized. They said attendance boundaries, voter approval and financing will all be required before building at the Fitchburg site, and that additional public engagement will take place before votes or formal construction decisions.

The presentation closed with an invitation to stakeholders to review surveys and upcoming capacity reports; district staff said they would be available for follow-up questions and would present capacity options to the school board in May.