Dist. 200 to host community meeting on facility changes
As Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 continues working on a master plan for its facilities, residents may wonder what changes are coming to their children's schools.
On Wednesday, there will be an opportunity to review proposed plans for each of the district's 20 schools during a community engagement session. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at Hubble Middle School, 3S600 Herrick Road in Warrenville.
"This is the opportunity for us to report out the initial findings," Superintendent Jeff Schuler said, referring to work done by Perkins+Will, a firm hired in June by the school board to create a facilities master plan.
Perkins+Will already has toured all the district's facilities to gather data and assess the physical condition and educational needs of each building.
The firm is now entering a new phase of work that includes Wednesday's community engagement session, along with two additional sessions early next year to get more public input.
Wednesday's meeting will start with a brief overview about what might be included in the plan.
"It will include some findings relative to Jefferson (Early Childhood Center)," Schuler said. "That was a huge area of concern going into the master facility plan. That's really the one building where space is going to be highlighted as an issue."
Other ideas being considered districtwide include improving lab and small group spaces, purchasing furniture that better supports learning, and rethinking school libraries by turning them into more modern learning centers.
After the overview presentation, participants will have a chance to visit two school-specific tables of their choice to hear more about the needs at those buildings.
"The building principals will be there. They'll be able and ready to share the highlights from the physical conditions assessment and from education facilities assessments," Schuler said.
While the table sessions likely will result in some residents voicing their opinions, Wednesday's meeting won't have an "active feedback component" like the upcoming meetings.
Still, Schuler said it is important for people throughout the community to attend because they'll then be better equipped to provide feedback at the 7 p.m. meetings on Jan. 20 and Feb. 17 at Monroe Middle School.
"They'll be in the best position to do that if they have a good understanding of what's in the findings," he said. "I'm really looking forward to being able to share these results with the community and hope they continue to stay engaged with us."