Wawasee Hears Impassioned Pleas To Retain Milford Middle School
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
SYRACUSE - With an overwhelming response from the public, Milford Middle School was well represented Tuesday at the Wawasee School Corporation Public Forum.
The forum was to present three options to the public on how to deal with the overcrowding of the Wawasee schools, mainly the North Webster and Milford schools.
Option one dealt with building a new facility at North Webster and doing some renovations at Syracuse, Milford and the Wawasee High School.
Option two dealt with renovating North Webster on the existing site, doing some renovations at Syracuse, Milford and the Wawasee High School, and consolidating grades six through eight at the Wawasee Middle School.
Option three dealt with renovating North Webster on the existing site, renovating Syracuse, Milford and Wawasee High School, and adding four general classrooms to the Milford school.
Both North Webster and Milford schools sent letters to the school board stating their position on the options. North Webster wanted to make sure they kept their school close to the center of town, and Milford emphasized the importance of the middle school to the town.
"The closing of the junior high school can and will have a negative effect on not only our young persons, but on our community as a whole," wrote the Syracuse Town Council in their letter.
Both towns felt very strongly about their own schools but Mark Stock, Wawasee School superintendent, urged people to not make the decision an emotional issue.
Of the approximately 200 people attending the public forum, nearly 150 were there to represent the Milford Middle School.
The crowd was highly pro-choice regarding school selection. The WSC is unique by having two middle schools available and a choice as to where the students attend. The public wanted to keep that choice available.
The North Webster school remains a divided issue, however. Many people were in favor of renovating the building to maintain North Webster's sense of community and closeness to the school. Others, however, showed a desire to build a new facility.
Stock said he was surprised that more people were not present from the other schools but was happy with the outcome of the meeting.
Stock said the school board tried to make sure the presentation remained professional and did not erupt into a free-for-all.
The next step is to take presentations to service clubs and other organizations to get more feedback from the public. Anyone wishing to schedule such a meeting can contact the administration office at 457-3188. [[In-content Ad]]
SYRACUSE - With an overwhelming response from the public, Milford Middle School was well represented Tuesday at the Wawasee School Corporation Public Forum.
The forum was to present three options to the public on how to deal with the overcrowding of the Wawasee schools, mainly the North Webster and Milford schools.
Option one dealt with building a new facility at North Webster and doing some renovations at Syracuse, Milford and the Wawasee High School.
Option two dealt with renovating North Webster on the existing site, doing some renovations at Syracuse, Milford and the Wawasee High School, and consolidating grades six through eight at the Wawasee Middle School.
Option three dealt with renovating North Webster on the existing site, renovating Syracuse, Milford and Wawasee High School, and adding four general classrooms to the Milford school.
Both North Webster and Milford schools sent letters to the school board stating their position on the options. North Webster wanted to make sure they kept their school close to the center of town, and Milford emphasized the importance of the middle school to the town.
"The closing of the junior high school can and will have a negative effect on not only our young persons, but on our community as a whole," wrote the Syracuse Town Council in their letter.
Both towns felt very strongly about their own schools but Mark Stock, Wawasee School superintendent, urged people to not make the decision an emotional issue.
Of the approximately 200 people attending the public forum, nearly 150 were there to represent the Milford Middle School.
The crowd was highly pro-choice regarding school selection. The WSC is unique by having two middle schools available and a choice as to where the students attend. The public wanted to keep that choice available.
The North Webster school remains a divided issue, however. Many people were in favor of renovating the building to maintain North Webster's sense of community and closeness to the school. Others, however, showed a desire to build a new facility.
Stock said he was surprised that more people were not present from the other schools but was happy with the outcome of the meeting.
Stock said the school board tried to make sure the presentation remained professional and did not erupt into a free-for-all.
The next step is to take presentations to service clubs and other organizations to get more feedback from the public. Anyone wishing to schedule such a meeting can contact the administration office at 457-3188. [[In-content Ad]]