A responsible organization always looks to the future in order to anticipate and plan for success. Nearly two years ago, the District 145 – Waverly Board of Education began a process to develop a strategic plan. Since that time, I have been writing articles periodically for our website to keep the public informed regarding the process, and our progress.

Over 100 district patrons, representing various areas and involvement with the school, participated in various meetings held during the past 18 months.  The primary purpose of all of these meetings was to share information with our patrons, and gather feedback to help formulate the future direction for our school district.

The Board of Education will consider the next step in this process on Monday, August 4, 2014 at their monthly meeting. On the meeting agenda will be a resolution to place a bond election on the November 4 ballot.

It is difficult to share all the factors that enter into a complex decision about a bond issue into a single article. The Board of Education has dedicated many hours listening, asking questions, discussing, and meeting about our facility plans for the future. The Board of Education has developed a plan to continue our school district’s commitment to preparing our students for the future by providing a safe, secure, and comfortable learning environment.

The following is an outline of how we got to this point: 

• October to December 2012: Five meetings as part of the School/Community Essential Planning process.

• Spring of 2013: A review of the district facilities conducted by the architectural firm DLR Group.

• September to November 2013: Six meetings of a Community Facility Advisory Committee

• January to March 2014: Board of Education discussion regarding Facility Committee recommendations

• March 19, 2014: Facility Presentation to Facility Committee members

• March-April 2014: Three Public Informational Meetings to share facility plan

• May-July 2014: Board of Education meetings to analyze information and refine the plan

• August 4, 2014: Board of Education meeting to consider proposed bond resolution.

As reported in previous articles, the following items would be addressed through a bond issue:

Safety and Security

• Implement solutions to secure buildings entrances and control all other building access in every school.  Solutions may vary at each school and may include remodel of office and/or commons area spaces to provide direct line of sight to entrances.

• Upgrade camera system to utilize technology to enhance security in high-priority areas.

• Renovate facilities to improve safety, such as replacing exterior doors as necessary, replacing interior flooring as necessary, replacing exterior surfaces as necessary to improve the safety of school grounds.

Technology

• Expand the capacity of the district’s fiber network to ensure timely delivery of curriculum content to all district locations. Provide the ability to support an anywhere/anytime use of collaborative and creative software environments.

• Upgrade wireless infrastructure for every classroom and instructional area, as necessary.

• Provide classrooms access to equipment essential for interaction with digital curriculum content.

Facilities and Infrastructure

• Invest in facility upgrades to provide learning environments that meet programming needs and promotes equity in all district facilities.

• Consider potential future utilization when renovating existing facilities, in order to accommodate needs of students, district, and community.

As this process continues, more information will be provided. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any comments or questions.