FACILITY PLANNING
FACILITY PLANNING
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SIGNATURES NEEDED
SIGNATURES NEEDED
The West Sioux School Board wants to hold a new referendum to address school facility issues. To ensure that decisions about these facilities are sensible for students, financially responsible, and supported by the community, the district leadership and School Board organized Community Focus Groups in partnership with SitelogIQ. In June and July, three public Community Focus Groups were held, with over 100 participants as well as a community-wide survey. You can find more information about the outcomes of these meetings and the survey on our Facility Planning website. In August, three representatives from these Focus Groups presented the final consensus recommendation to the School Board, which forms the basis for the referendum proposal.
To get the referendum on the November ballot, a petition to the School Board is necessary. This petition is currently circulating within the community and copies will be available at upcoming events. The purpose of the petition is to ensure that the voices of our communities are heard and to enable the School Board to hold an election regarding the proposal. It's important to note that signing the petition does not commit you to voting in any particular way during the election.
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Understanding that a school district is a direct reflection of the communities it serves, the school board and leadership team of the West Sioux School District is committed to a facility planning strategy that reflects the priorities of the taxpayers and meets the needs of our students and communities.
To ensure future facility decisions make sense for students, are fiscally responsible, and have community support, our commitment to the residents of West Sioux CSD will include expanded communication with District residents:
Facility Master Planning Website
Community Focus Groups (see below)
Community Survey
The West Sioux School Board will establish a master plan to address physical, functional, and educational needs based on stakeholder input, identified needs, and funding.
We will continue to share this information on this website, district emails, and social media.
The commitment to our community during this process is transparency and collaboration. Visit this website often for updates and continued communication.
Learn more about the work done at the Community Focus Groups
Learn more about the work done at the Community Focus Groups
CLICK THE MEETING DATES BELOW TO READ OUTCOMES AND VIEW PRESENTATIONS
MEETING #1: JUNE 19 AND JUNE 22, 2023
MEETING #1: JUNE 19 AND JUNE 22, 2023
82 citizens from the West Sioux School District participated in Meeting #1 held in Ireton and Hawarden to review potential facility upgrades. They reviewed changes in the Iowa law, how those changes impact potential future referendums, and presented a timeline should the board decide to move forward with a 2023 referendum. With a goal of sharing thoughts with the school board, the groups bragged about West Sioux School District, expressed worries about the future, and reviewed what voters liked and didn’t like about the two previous referendums.
MEETING #2: JULY 25, 2023
MEETING #2: JULY 25, 2023
The goal of meeting #2 was to:
Recap meeting #1.
Go over the results of the community survey.
Review options for addressing facility issues in West Sioux schools.
Brainstorm the plusses and minuses of each potential option, and make a recommendation to the board.
A consensus was reached with approximately 85% of participants voting to recommend that the board authorize a referendum in November 2023 to repair both elementary schools.
MEETING #3: AUGUST 8, 2023
MEETING #3: AUGUST 8, 2023
Three representatives from the West Sioux Community Group presented the final consensus recommendation to the School Board. Thank you to Steve Rehder, Mel Schwiesow, and Robert Ten Napel for representing the community! Additionally, Community Engagement Specialist, Dan Rooney, presented results from the community-wide survey.
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