Wayland Union Schools will hold a public forum from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 8, at the middle school cafeteria to review the recent facilities needs assessment completed by the Tower Pinkster architectural firm and to gather input from the community on results of the findings.
Needs were identified for additional classroom space, health and safety, improvements to existing buildings, pool and athletic facilities, all totaling a cost of approximately $50 million.
Key challenges for the district’s facilities include whether to invest in upgrading Pine Street Elementary, need for additional classroom space due to enrollment growth, potential changes to which grades are assigned to which schools, replacing the pool, and other athletic facilities’ needs.
“This is an opportunity to chart the future for our school’s facilities and we sincerely desire to have input from all aspects of the community: parents, staff, students, and community members and we hope to have a large turnout,” said Superintendent Norm Taylor. “This is the first of several community forums to refine and prioritize our school needs.”
The district is looking for volunteers to serve on a steering committee that will help guide future facility decisions. Contact Taylor if interested in serving on this committee.
The needs assessment was part of the community driven strategic plan process and one of the four main goal areas. Tower Pinkster included an assessment of all district schools, buildings and athletic facilities.
This unbiased assessment was based on observations and tours of our facilities by various Tower Pinkster representatives and WUS maintenance staff over the past several months. This included input from building principals and includes a review and inspection of the architectural, mechanical, and site status of all facilities.
The assessment further categorizes the needs by time lines of 1-5 years, 6-10 years, and 10+ years.
Tower Pinkster reps will be presenting this information to the public at the Wayland Union Middle School cafeteria.