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Superintendent outlines three options to address enrollment and facilities; keeps Wanamingo on table as preschool/community hub
Summary
Superintendent Denise Giese presented three building-right-sizing options — full consolidation to one site, converting Wanamingo into an early‑childhood/community hub, or studying a four‑day week — estimating year‑one savings between roughly $534,000 and $793,000 and stressing further analysis and stakeholder meetings before any closure.
Superintendent Denise Giese presented a multi‑option plan to the Kenyon‑Wanamingo School Board to address declining enrollment and the district's operating deficit. She framed three options: (1) consolidate to a single site (target 2027) with higher near‑term savings, (2) keep the Wanamingo building and convert it to a preschool/community‑education/daycare hub with more modest savings, or (3) study a four‑day week model.
Giese said the district’s enrollment picture factored into the proposals: "Our senior class is 71 kids, kindergarten class is 36," and the district overall has about "625 kids." She presented rough savings estimates tied to each option and cautioned the numbers are ballpark figures. "Ballpark option 1 saves us $793,000 — let's remember that's year 1," she said, and described option 2 as producing roughly $534,000 in first‑year savings after accounting for retained costs.
The presentation addressed practical questions raised by staff and the public, including classroom fit, bathroom and accessibility concerns, food service logistics, and transportation for preschool students. A public commenter who identified herself as an early childhood coordinator asked whether there would be busing for preschoolers and worried that moving preschool to a single site could cause families to enroll in neighboring districts. The commenter said parents often walk preschoolers to school and that distant pick‑ups would make preschool less feasible for some families.
Board members debated tradeoffs. Some favored delaying any final decision until more clarity on law and logistics is available and proposed stakeholder meetings and building tours; others pressed for steps that would reduce deficits sooner. Giese said she would begin staff and community engagement and return to the board with more detailed cost analysis and responses to stakeholder questions.
Why it matters: Consolidation or major reconfiguration would change where young children attend school, affect before‑ and after‑school care (including Knights Kids), and alter facility maintenance and transportation costs for families across Kenyon and Wanamingo.
Next steps: Superintendent will gather staff and community feedback, send follow‑up materials to staff, and is expected to return with more precise cost estimates and a question log for board review.
