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Resident voices concern over proposed Heritage School work; questions raised about losing classrooms
Summary
A longtime resident and former board member told trustees he is concerned that planned work at Heritage School—tearing out classrooms and rebuilding—will reduce existing classroom space and could lead to larger reconstruction costs.
During public comment at the Jan. 16 board meeting, longtime Wentzville resident and former board member Dale Schaeffer urged trustees to reconsider planned work at Heritage School. Schaeffer said the district intends to spend roughly $800,000 to tear out classrooms and suggested eventual reconstruction might total close to $8 million, and he asked why the district would remove existing classrooms when enrollment growth continues to create demand for classroom space.
Schaeffer told the board he believed Heritage has long had lower reading scores compared with other elementary schools and urged administration to provide targeted support for reading rather than removing existing classrooms. He said parents want clean, safe, well‑maintained buildings and that the district should prioritize education and reading outcomes in building decisions.
Board and staff responses in the meeting noted that the portion of Heritage being removed involves areas that are not ADA‑compliant and that some work is required to meet code and accessibility standards. District officials said options were considered and that a full teardown would be cost‑prohibitive; instead the district is pursuing a more targeted project that addresses accessibility and classroom configuration while allowing improvements to on‑site traffic stacking.
Ending: Trustees acknowledged the concerns voiced by the speaker and said the district will continue to evaluate building plans while balancing accessibility, safety, capacity and cost considerations.
