Board proposes facilities subcommittee and recommends commissioning enrollment/feasibility study

Board members discussed the creation of a facilities subcommittee charged with laying out a five-year plan for the district and recommended commissioning an outside feasibility and enrollment study to inform any future consolidation or capital decisions.

"I would like to propose a, sub committee that basically starts laying out a 5 year plan for the district," the presiding officer said, urging data-driven planning to respond to falling enrollment. Several members cautioned that enrollment has been on a long-term decline and recommended using external experts who can analyze building capacity, program space, and demographic trends before the board contemplates closures or other major changes.

A board member said the responsible first step would be to hire consultants to produce an enrollment and facility-use analysis: "I feel like that would be the 1st responsible thing to do would be to commission 1 of those studies," the administrator said, noting consultants model square footage, instructional space usage and thresholds for consolidation.

Members discussed recruiting community participants to the subcommittee and ensuring continuity with the existing facilities work. The board agreed there should be more background and data before any decisions and signaled support for a subcommittee that would involve both board members and additional stakeholders. The motion to propose a subcommittee and to proceed toward commissioning a study was discussed and supported; staff were directed to return with a proposed scope and recommendations.