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Wausau School District proposes shifting Hawthorne Hills, Jefferson and Jones 4K students to Lincoln Early Learning Academy
Summary
Director of elementary education Michelle proposed a 2025–26 reorganization that would keep nine 4K classroom environments (18 sections) but consolidate most East‑Side students at Lincoln Early Learning Academy (14 sections) while maintaining a Riverview option; board discussed logistics, staffing and transportation efficiencies.
Michelle, the district’s director of elementary education, presented a proposed reorganization of the Wausau School District’s 4K sites for the 2025–26 school year, saying the plan would consolidate students from Hawthorne Hills, GED Jones and Thomas Jefferson 4K academies into the Lincoln Early Learning Academy while retaining a Riverview option for families willing to provide transportation.
“ We are here tonight to provide a brief overview of the 4Ks site structure for the 2025–26 school year,” Michelle said, describing the district’s goal of consistent 4K–5 transitions and intentional, play‑based early learning. Under the proposal, the district would maintain nine classroom environments (18 sections) overall, with a proposed distribution of 14 sections (seven classrooms) at Lincoln and four sections (two classrooms) at Riverview.
District staff said the reorganization aims to preserve instructional teams, reduce the need for teachers to work in alternate spaces, and create opportunities to move specialized programming — for example, a 3‑ and 4‑year‑old classroom serving students who are deaf or hard of hearing — into the Riverview early childhood space. Officials noted that 80% of current Riverview 4K students remain at Riverview for kindergarten, while other 4K academies historically send 43–48% of students to a different elementary school; the shift is intended to create more cohesive kindergarten cohorts and smoother transitions.
The presentation described logistics the administration is addressing: principal and staff assignments (more than 100 impacted staff assignments have been completed or are underway), a contracted library vendor to catalog and relocate more than 30,000 items from closing schools, asset mapping for technology (including reassigning BenQ boards), curriculum transfer planning, selection of a moving company, and the development of transportation plans and family communications. Administration emphasized that families may still opt to enroll at Riverview if they provide transportation.
Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation; administration said additional mapping and communications to families and staff will continue through spring and into summer, and that the district will plan events to welcome staff and families to new locations while honoring closing schools.
The proposal was presented for discussion; the transcript does not record a final board vote on the 4K reconfiguration during this meeting. Next steps indicated by administration include continued mapping of room assignments, completion of remaining staff notifications, and more detailed transportation and family engagement planning.
