Tell the School District of Waukesha Administration and Board of Education to keep Whittier Elementary OPEN before March 9th!

Late in the evening of January 24, 2022, parents, students, and staff of Whittier Elementary, in Waukesha Wisconsin, received an email informing them that their beloved elementary school will be potentially closing at the end of this current school year. SDW (School District of Waukesha) administrators have submitted a recommendation to the Board of Education to close the school of nearly 200 children due to a “financial need.” 

Whittier Elementary serves a population of 79.5% economically disadvantaged students, the highest in the school district. The school also has one of the highest number of special needs students at 24.3%, and is one of the most diverse elementary schools in the district, serving over 63.2%. Whittier Elementary is more than just a school, it is a place where children get the opportunity to learn and grow in such remarkable ways. The teachers are an incredible group who work together to meet each student where they are and help them thrive.

SDW has stated that they will suffer a $7 million dollar budget short fall this next school year. They state that due to lower enrollment and lack of federal funding they will need to make some “robust” changes. However, the district is sitting on millions of dollars of a savings account as well as federal ESSER fund dollars that could go to support Whittier’s special education department and keep the school open well into the future. SDW created a “low enrollment problem” at Whittier by allowing school choice for all elementary schools, expect for Whittier and only allowing families in it’s neighborhood to attend it. The district administration has closed many other elementary schools in recent history, and have failed to provide the support teachers and families need to be successful in helping the new merged schools they themselves have poorly created.

SDW’s extremely rushed plan will take place in less then 6 months. It will raise class sizes above 21 children per class causing undo stress on teachers during an already stressful time. The plan will make economically disadvantaged families pay hundreds of dollars to bus their children to a new and different school. If these families can not afford this added expense, SDW is making these elementary aged children walk up to 2 miles to get to their new merges school. 

This is a terrible idea that will forever effect this fragile community. We need your help and support to tell SDW and the Board of Education to Keep Whittier Elementary School OPEN!

https://www.fox6now.com/news/waukesha-whittier-hadfield-school-consolidation-proposal-worries-parents.amp