VVS School District: One Large Community or Fractured Smaller Communities By The Thoughtful Civic

Will the community of the VVS School District come together and build for the future or keep their minds and individual small communities and stay in the now!

At the Special Board Meeting/Public Forum on February 10, 2025, an overview of what the Enrollment, Demographics, and Capacity Study Team has found was presented for the community to see. During the presentation, it was made very clear that no decisions had been made and that the options were what the study team had dug deeper into after the information had been provided from the Independent Enrollment, Demographic, and Building Capacity Data Study. The Study team was made up of members of the community from all walks of life. It was also made clear that this specific study was aimed at possible options for solving the classroom/program disparity seen between the districts three elementary schools.  (For information on the exact presentation, please see dates and times below for Community Cafés and a future public forum)

During the public forum it was discouraging to see the apparent divide between the communities that make up the VVS School District. There was a lot of commenting on just correcting a problem in one elementary and not necessarily looking for a solution to the problem that encompasses all three of the elementary schools. (This writer would like to impress upon the community that if one elementary school has a current problem it becomes a problem for all. You can hide in your individual community, however when the schools combine those issues still exist and do have an impact on the education of all) 

The goal in what the district is looking to accomplish is to bring a consistent education to all three schools. This includes addressing issues such as classroom sizes and program opportunities. Once addressed this would create a level playing field for all children in Pre-K through 6th grade. Unfortunately, correcting these issues cannot be accomplished within our current system. 

Here are the major options that were brought to the communities’ attention during the presentation. I will be highlighting the effect on our students. For financial considerations please out through the Community Cafés and the next Public Forum.

1. Do Nothing:

   1. Elementary Class sizes remain inconsistent

   2. Inconsistencies in the programs offered at the Elementary Level

   3. Programs would be reduced 

2. Rezoning

   1. Elementary Class sized would be more balanced

   2. Inconsistencies in the programs would continue

   3. Rezoning would possibly be needed again in a short period of time

3. Grade Banding

   1. Balanced Class Sizes

   2. Each grade band would have consistent programming opportunities

   3. Transportation considerations needed

4. Closure/Consolidation (3 buildings to 2 buildings)

   1. Would require rezoning

   2. Classroom sizes would not always be balanced

   3. Programming options would not always be consistent

5. 1 building (3-1 adding on to a current building or 3-1 building a new building)

   1. Balanced classroom sizes

   2. Consistent programming

During the open forum questions/comments covered the gamut. They ranged from suggestions to improve or think through for the options to saying the district should not be considering any of them. Many individuals stated that these were building-specific concerns and there for should not affect the whole district.

So, my original question stands:

Can the district put its petty differences aside to create a positive long-term solution to our children’s educational future or will we stand by our individual small community bias and prejudice and hinder the path to a balanced and positive educational experience for our children.