Facility advisory committee urges 'right-sizing'; board directs administration to develop detailed plan

The Manitowoc Public School District’s facility advisory committee presented a months-long study recommending that the district consider consolidating its elementary schools, adjust grade configurations, and pursue targeted capital improvements to align aging buildings with contemporary learning spaces. The board directed the superintendent and administrative team to develop detailed plans based on those recommendations and report back at a special meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025.

The advisory process, facilitated by Mike Hacker of Cadence Consulting, involved parallel staff and community committees that met repeatedly over nine months. Hacker, who identified himself as a licensed architect and the district’s owner’s representative, said the process combined facility-audit results, enrollment trends and hands-on community exercises that generated 54 distinct options the groups evaluated.

Key findings supplied to the board included an observed drop of roughly 600 students over the prior eight years and a projection of about 900 additional student losses over the next 10 years (both figures were presented by the consultant as district projections and are approximate). The committees reported the district currently operates six elementary schools feeding two middle schools and one high school (a 6–2–1 structure) and that the district appears to have excess square footage compared with modern school-design benchmarks.

The committee’s principal recommendations presented to the board were: - Consider comprehensive strategies to stabilize and grow student enrollment. - Consider adjusting district grade configurations to create more equitable experiences for students. - Consider consolidating elementary buildings to four kindergarten–fourth grade (K–4) schools, with balanced enrollments that the committee suggested would target roughly 350 students per elementary in its preferred scenarios. - Consider an intermediate (fifth–sixth grade) and a middle (seventh–eighth grade) model — that is, one 5–6 building and one 7–8 building — rather than keeping two equal middle schools with separate boundaries. - Maintain a dedicated early-learning center (4K) as a district strategy to enroll students earlier.

Mike Hacker said the hands-on “build your own district” exercises helped committee members visualize trade-offs and forced groups to confront choices such as closing or repurposing buildings. He told the board the process yielded a “heat map” of community preferences and that one widely supported path was a four-elementary/one-intermediate/one-middle structure. Hacker also noted the committee did not produce final architectural designs; rather it produced a long-term vision and preferred options for the board and administration to study further.

Board members and administrators raised questions about transitions, transportation and special programs. Board members asked whether fifth graders are ready for a 5–6 model, and whether an intermediate/middle split should be under one roof or in separate buildings; the committee and administrators said those are matters for detailed design and operational study. Transportation staff (Brandt was named) were consulted in the committee’s work in order to examine feasibility and cost, the presentation said.

The board approved a motion directing the superintendent and administrative team to take the committee recommendations and produce detailed plans and recommendations for presentation at a special board meeting on Nov. 25, 2025. The motion passed on voice assent; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public transcript.

The board and committee emphasized that the recommendations are intended as a starting point for further study, public input and administrative planning. Public meetings were already scheduled: the committee presentation will be shown at a public meeting on Monday the 28th (posted by the district) and public comment also was invited at the board’s Nov. 5 and Dec. 12 regular meetings. The board approved a special timeline that gives administrators time to return detailed options for board review and continued public engagement.

Votes at a glance - Motion: Direct the superintendent and administrative team to develop detailed plans and recommendations based on staff and community facility advisory committee findings and present them at a special board meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. Mover: Board member Keith Coleman. Second: not specified in transcript. Outcome: Approved (voice assent).