By Craig Marx, Editor

The Unified School District of Antigo held the first of its four public meetings regarding a newly-proposed consolidation plan for the district. Held at Spring Valley Elementary, the board explained the decreasing enrollment that Antigo area schools have been facing over the last few decades and the projected budgetary savings available if a consolidation plan went through.

The declines in the district’s enrollment were demonstrated by presentations from the board. Elementary school enrollment since the 2007 school year has declined by 15 percent, according to slides presented by the board.

The consolidation plan calls for the closing of outlying schools as part of the process, concerning some parents over the commute times, bus rides, and potential bullying aspects of having younger students integrated with older children, such as fourth graders attending the middle school and eighth graders going to the high school, as outlined in the proposal.

The district’s Facilities Planning Information packet outlined the basis of the board’s proposal:

Initial Plan:

1. Move 8^th Graders to Antigo High School
   1. Potential for advancement/remediation opportunities
   2. Fully utilizes high school building that is currently at less than capacity

2. Move 4^th and 5^th Graders to Antigo Middle School
   1. 4^th Graders housed on 1^st floor of three story building
      1. Would continue to be educated using elementary model
   2. 5^th Graders housed on 2^nd floor of three story building
      1. Would continue to be educated using elementary model
   3. 6^th Graders housed on 3^rd floor of three story building
      1. Possible schedule modifications to be considered
   4. 7^th Graders housed in separate wing in the two story building
      1. Possible schedule modifications to be considered

3. Create three multi-track elementary schools
   1. Two tracks at East and West or North
   2. Three tracks at West or North
   3. Why not include one or two rural schools?
      1. Rural schools do not provide adequate space for multi-track K-3 buildings
      2. In order to include rural schools we would need to pass a facilities referendum and operating referendum or sacrifice our priority of multi-track schools and equal services at all schools.

“Any plan that we talk about [at these meetings] is not going into effect for next school year. At the earliest, any plan that would take place would start for the 2018-19 school year,” District Administrator Brian Misfeldt noted.

The projected savings from the consolidation models for the district were stated at $798,000.

A more thorough recount of the public input meetings, including community reactions, will be compiled once the remaining sessions have been held. The next such meeting is scheduled for this evening at the Antigo Middle School IMC, from 6 – 7:30 PM.