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A Note from Superintendent, Dr. Peter Wilson
During the 2022-2023 school year, Lake Geneva Schools stakeholders, including students, parents, staff, Boards of Education, and community members, collaborated to develop a comprehensive Five-Year Strategic Plan for the Districts. One objective within our Strategic Plan is to "develop and support premier campuses to increase district appeal while demonstrating sustainable and responsible stewardship of financial and operational resources."
A team of district leaders, including Mr. George Chironis, Mrs. Holly Eckola, Mr. James Adams, Mr. Scott Reiff, Mr. Jim Kluge, and I, along with school board members, have been focusing on this objective over the past several months. Please review the updates below regarding this work.
Premier Campus
- Historically, Lake Geneva Schools has not had a formal Long-Range Facilities Master Plan.
- In order to establish a Long-Range Facilities Plan, we partnered with trusted industry leaders, Cadence Consulting, GROTH Design Group, CG Schmidt, Baird Financial, and School Perceptions.
- An existing facilities study was conducted for both districts.
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Visit the Long-Range Facilities Master Plan Webpage to view the Lake Geneva Schools Existing Facilities Study.
- The existing facilities studies report that both districts have mounting infrastructure, site, safety, and educational facility needs, with significant costs. Due to this, the district must develop a plan to address these fiscal and facility challenges.
Finance & Operations
- The current school funding formula for education in the state of Wisconsin has not kept pace with inflation.
- Lake Geneva Joint #1 and Badger High School are experiencing declining enrollment, and it is anticipated to continue to decline over the next few years.
- Like many school districts in Wisconsin, we are facing budget constraints.
- The districts have experienced rising costs in utilities, transportation, and materials.
- Both districts have relied on the one-time Esser Funds; however, those grant funds will be exhausted by June 30, 2024.
- We are concerned that, without additional funding, it will be difficult to maintain current programs and services for students.
Next Steps
Our District Leadership Team, along with our Long-Range Facilities Planning partners, have begun developing plans to address these challenges. Now, we want to gather input from our staff, parents, and community regarding district operations and educational facility needs. We will gather this input through a community-wide survey.
- We partnered with School Perceptions, an independent educational research firm, to conduct the survey and ensure all responses are kept confidential.
- Survey Findings - The data and information collected from the survey will be analyzed and shared publicly during regularly scheduled Lake Geneva Joint #1 School District and Lake Geneva-Genoa City Union (Badger) High School District School Board Meetings.
As we move forward with this important work within our Strategic Plan, please know that information will continue to be shared regarding district operations and educational facility needs. Additionally, you can visit the Long-Range Facilities Master Plan Webpage for detailed information that will be updated frequently.
We encourage every member of our community to participate in the survey and join us in shaping the future of our schools. Together, we can overcome challenges, enhance our facilities, and continue to provide an exceptional educational experience for our students.
Thank you for being an integral part of Lake Geneva Schools' journey. Your dedication and involvement ensure that our schools remain a beacon of educational excellence in our community.
Sincerely,
Peter C. Wilson, Ph.D.
Superintendent
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