District details April 17 water damage to four schools; recovery underway

Superintendent Holzman reported to the Janesville School District Board that a severe storm on April 17 caused significant water intrusion across four district buildings'Parker, Jefferson, Franklin and Washington'forcing the district to cancel classes and relocate students for a week.

"It was just really difficult to see what we had in our cafeteria, our art room, our classrooms," Holzman said, describing mud and removed carpeting and supplies. Custodial and facilities staff, along with contracted responders, began immediate mitigation steps including removing soaked carpeting and materials and deploying generators and pumps from SERVPRO.

Holzman said rainwater first showed up in hallways and auditorium areas at Parker, then caused leaks at Jefferson (including the 4K and maker space) and triggered overflow at Franklin into HVAC and air-exchange areas. Washington'where water inundated a playground and then flowed into a lower-level delivery area'experienced the most severe flooding; doors were "blasted open" and portions of the lower level received several feet of water.

To keep students in learning spaces, the district identified classroom space at neighboring Madison and Adams schools, organized transportation and staggered arrival times to reduce congestion. Holzman described staff and community partners'including the YWCA, YMCA and Boys & Girls Club'helping with logistics, and said staff and volunteers hauled Chromebooks and materials into temporary classrooms where students began instruction on Monday with few disruptions.

District officials have been working with insurance adjusters and the district's broker. An insurance representative said the district's policy excludes flood coverage and adjusters expect minimal recovery from insurance because the losses stemmed from rising water rather than a covered mechanical failure. "We don't carry flood insurance," the broker said. The superintendent said the district will document losses and apply for any state resources if they become available, though federal disaster designation appears unlikely.

The board asked about budget implications. Holzman said the district does not yet know the full cost and is "waiting for the bills" but expects a significant impact because many building materials and mechanical work will be needed. Next steps include completing mechanical-system checks and procuring repair quotes; some work may be scheduled under referendum-phase plans but timing and specifications remain to be determined.

For now, the immediate priority was returning students to learning space and ensuring safety: the district reported attendance nearly at normal levels the first relocated day, and officials credited custodial, maintenance and transportation teams for the rapid reopening efforts.