Dr. Hough presented preliminary, data‑driven school pairings and an online dashboard the public can use to examine consolidation scenarios, saying the recommendations are not final and that the board will vote on any concrete closures or consolidations in a later meeting. "Nothing has been decided," he said, and described the dashboard’s data fields including grade span, enrollment, capacity, building condition, debt, parking/loops, classroom counts and per‑pupil spend.

Why it matters: The district is facing enrollment declines and financial pressure; Dr. Hough said the work is intended to reduce the district footprint and stabilize operations while preserving cohort integrity and program access. He said the board authorized the consolidation work two weeks earlier and staff have since prepared interactive pairings organized geographically across the west, north, east and south parts of the district.

What was shown: In a live demonstration Dr. Hough and tech lead DJ Rhodes selected Woodland and Cleveland as a west‑side pairing and displayed combined enrollment numbers and capacity calculations — ‘‘if every student rolls up, it will be a total of 786,’’ the presentation showed. He explained Beardsley Elementary was excluded from pairings because it is under a 25‑year lease with a community partner and thus is not a current consolidation option. The dashboard includes state fall ADM counts (Oct. 1), facility condition ratings, and a notes field; the district translated materials into Spanish to broaden accessibility.

Next steps and public input: Dr. Hough said staff sent a survey that had received more than 500 responses and that final recommendations would return to the board in February after additional analysis and community meetings. He urged the public to use the dashboard, watch the narrated video the district will publish, and send questions; he said staff will share staff survey results in two weeks and that redistricting scenarios and program placement decisions would follow community engagement.

Board reaction: Trustees praised the transparency and user‑friendliness of the dashboard. One member said they had seen the dashboard for the first time tonight and planned to 'go home tonight and play around with it.' Another trustee cautioned that seeing the dashboard live is 'very scary' for administrators but praised the team's work. Dr. Hough emphasized the process will follow the board‑authorized criteria: proximity, transportation, cohort preservation, programming, and financial impact.

What the public might expect: Additional community meetings, weekly consolidation updates to families, the dashboard and supporting videos posted to the district website, staff survey results reported at the next board meeting, and possible final recommendations to the board in February. Dr. Hough said the board will retain discretion and could choose different directions at any time.

Ending: Dr. Hough closed by urging community engagement and promising staff and board will return with finalized proposals only after further analysis and input.