District Holds Third Boundary Committee Meeting to Redefine Attendance Boundaries

On April 17, Waukee Community School District (WCSD) held the third Boundary Committee meeting at the Waukee Innovation and Learning Center (WILC). The goal of the meeting was to provide information that will help guide the Boundary Committee’s discussion to redefine the district’s elementary and secondary attendance center boundaries.

The meeting, facilitated by Robert Schwarz and Jay Harris of RSP & Associates, started with an overview of the feedback collected from the public forum and secondary staff members about grade configuration. The WCSD Board of Education has asked the committee to consider if  K-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-12 or K-5, 6-8, 9-12 grade configuration would be best for optimal building utilization and student learning.

The committee explored two examples of what a feeder system could look like. These two concepts were used to create a draft scenario that included enrollment and capacity projections.

Boundaries for Radiant, Walnut Hills, Grant Ragan, Maple Grove, Woodland Hills and Waukee Elementary Schools were adjusted to address enrollment and capacity issues. Elementary #10 is expected to open in the fall of 2022-23 to address projected capacity issues at Waukee Elementary. The WCSD Board of Education approved the land purchase for the new elementary school on April 9.

Concept 1: Example Feeder System K-5, 6-7, 8-9, 10-12

While Concept 1 addressed capacity issues in grades 10-12, it showed Waukee Middle and Prairieview School over capacity by 2021-22.

Concept 2: Example Feeder System K-5, 6-8, 9-12

While Concept 2 addressed capacity issues in grades 6-8, it showed the second high school over capacity the same year it opened. It’s important to note that the design capacity of the second high school is 1,800. The functional capacity for the second high school has not been determined yet. Functional capacity is the number of students a building can accommodate with the current educational programs, class size expectations and building schedules. The current high school’s functional capacity is 2,000.

Second High School (9-12)

Waukee High School (9-12)

No decisions about boundaries or grade level configuration were made at this committee meeting.

The Comprehensive Boundary Process will include one more public forum on October 9 and three more committee meetings over the next seven months. The committee is expected to present a recommendation to the board on November 26, 2018, with action to approve on December 10, 2018. While these meetings are open to observers, only committee members may participate in the meetings.

If you have questions about the boundary process, please visit our FAQ page on the website or submit a question.

RSP Presentation April 17, 2018