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Superintendent outlines curriculum renewal and facility-driven grade shifts ahead of middle-school reconfiguration
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Summary
Superintendent Jen Wimmer described a short- and long-term curriculum-renewal plan tied to a recent facilities referendum that will move fifth grade back to elementary and create a combined grades 6-8 middle school; staff will produce a three-year implementation matrix and revise related policy language in the 300 series.
Dr. Jen Wimmer, superintendent of the West Bend School District, briefed the Curriculum Committee on March 11 about curriculum-planning work the district is doing in response to the recent facilities referendum.
Nut graf: Passage of the referendum will prompt facility and grade-configuration changes, including moving fifth grade back to elementary schools in a little over a year and creating a comprehensive grades 6-8 middle school. Wimmer said the district is producing both a short-term, three-year implementation matrix and a longer-term curriculum cycle to manage the transition and limit annual workload on teachers.
Wimmer described the priorities and processes: "Fifth grade will go back to elementary in just a little over a year's time. Then we'll be bringing up a 6-8, comprehensive middle school," she said, and added that curriculum teams are reviewing subjects such as CKLA and music to plan shifts in instructional practice and resource needs. The superintendent said the district typically follows a seven-year curriculum cycle but is developing a condensed plan for the immediate three-year window while preserving long-term sequencing and teacher workload considerations.
Wimmer said the district is revising companion documents and clarifying language in the district's 300 series policy that governs curriculum cycles and resource selection. She said leadership teams and principals are reviewing proposed priorities before staff-wide feedback and eventual committee review.
Next steps: Staff will circulate the three-year implementation matrix to principals and all staff for feedback, then bring an overview of the prioritized plan to the committee for review and eventual board consideration. Wimmer emphasized attention to pacing changes to avoid overloading teachers during the transition.
No formal actions were taken at the meeting. The committee received the update and will await the implementation matrix and related policy clarifications for future review.
