Appleton board delays boundary decision; leans to assign nearby “Red Square” to Sandy Slope and to wait on larger Thrivent area
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Summary
The Appleton Area School District held off on a final decision about new elementary-school boundaries, asking administrators to collect more family feedback and delaying a call on a large undeveloped ‘Green’ area while signaling informal support for assigning the smaller, existing ‘Red Square’ to Sandy Slope. A formal vote is set for Dec. 9.
The Appleton Area School District board on Nov. 11 delayed a final vote on proposed elementary attendance boundaries tied to the new Sandy Slope school, asking administration to gather more family feedback and to return with a formal recommendation Dec. 9.
Assistant Superintendent Ebony Grace and Greg Hartches reviewed four options for splitting parts of the Huntley attendance area. One small, currently occupied area (the “Red Square,” about 20 students who now attend Huntley) emerged as the most immediate question: administration said the Red Square could be assigned either to Ferber or to the new Sandy Slope, but board members raised concerns about transportation and family continuity.
Administration noted the larger “Green Square” — a swath of undeveloped Thrivent property that could contain hundreds of homes and multifamily units — introduces greater uncertainty. Hartches said that because the Green area’s future density and timing are unclear, the district would prefer to postpone a binding decision on that parcel until roads, plats or developer plans are firmer.
Board discussion emphasized two themes: prioritizing currently enrolled families and avoiding decisions based on speculative development. “I think it makes a lot of sense to prioritize the families that we do know about,” one board member said, while another added that a long-term solution should preserve neighborhood integrity where possible.
Administration told the board temporary transportation is feasible but costly: “Ray Shekur had got pricing for us, and it’s approximately $60,000 per bus,” Hartches said, noting busing could be used for one or two years during a transition if necessary. Administrators also said there is room at Sandy Slope for the approximately 20 affected students now and that temporary busing would likely be a short-term option if implemented.
Board members also discussed how boundaries could affect school demographics. One member raised WiseDash demographic figures for Ferber and Huntley and asked how any reassignment would change socioeconomic balance. Hartches said the Green Square’s eventual multifamily housing likely has the largest potential to affect diversity, while the Red Square alone would have relatively small demographic impacts.
After discussion the board signaled general agreement to: 1) wait on a final decision for the Green Square until development plans and maps are clearer; and 2) move toward assigning the Red Square to Sandy Slope in the near term, while allowing families to request open enrollment if they prefer other schools. Administration will continue community outreach and return to the board Dec. 9 with formal recommendation and materials for a vote.
The board did not make a final boundary motion at the Nov. 11 meeting; no formal boundary changes were adopted.
