By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw
WARSAW — Some major long-term proposals are beginning to take shape for Warsaw middle schools.
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert said the district will likely eventually combine both middle schools at the Lakeview Middle School campus, which would lead to other changes.
The district has been looking at options for its two middle schools, and Hoffert said a growing consensus supports combining the two at Lakeview Middle School, which would undergo extensive renovations.
Such a move would lead to placing STEM and Dual language Immersion under one roof at the renovated site, while the Career Center and alternative school would shift to what is currently Edgewood, located just north of the high school.
“Not all the questions have been answered yet, but we do feel like this direction does provide more for our kids academically, which is No. 1, and it provides more efficiency,” Hoffert said during an interviewe for News Now Warsaw during a recording of In the Know, a public affairs show that will air this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.
The change would also reduce traffic congestion around the high school and improve school bus pick-ups and drop-offs, Hoffert said.
A final vote by the school board could happen within a few months.
Renovations for the consolidation would likely take 5-7 years, which means it would affect the current kindergarten students, Hoffert said.
At the same time, he said the transition would provide more space for child care services at the Edgewood property.
The school district currently provides child care services to about 60 employees and Hoffert said he supports expanding that on the main high school campus for students who have children.
“We would love in the future, sometime, to expand our child care so that could be an option down the road,” Hoffert said.
He said he fully supports the idea.
“We believe it would be good for our community. When we look at child care, (It) is one of the biggest issues … inside of our community. We realize what it has done for our teachers. We’ve been able to keep many, many teachers employed inside of our schools because of being able to host childcare.”
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In The Know can be heard at the following times:
News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):
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WRSW (107.3):
Sundays at 6 a.m.
Willie (103.5 FM):
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