Northwest Allen County Schools board members asked the administration Thursday for information that will help them prioritize about $180 million in proposed facility and staffing needs over the next decade.
Superintendent Wayne Barker acknowledged the district doesn’t have limitless resources to make the entire list – which includes a ninth elementary school, a new natatorium, a pre-K facility, an alternative school, nearly 100 additional employees and compensation increases – a reality.
“I know that we can’t do all of these things,” Barker told the board during an hourlong work session. “We can’t just go out, pull money off the money tree and say, ‘Well, problem solved.’ ”
The administration has been identifying needs since Barker began leading the district two years ago.
“Once I got here and started to get an understanding of just how hard people were working, I knew that we had needs,” Barker said after the work session. “We started to try to recognize what those needs were and put them into different groups.”
Some anticipated needs, including another elementary school, are directly tied to the district’s increasing enrollment, Barker said, but others are not, such as a staffing request that would lessen principals’ workloads.
The administration is seeking direction from the five-member school board, which didn’t discuss the proposals in depth. Barker understands it will take time for members to consider options and decide which needs to pursue.
“This is just a starting point tonight,” the superintendent said Thursday. “I do think it’s going to take months to be able to put a plan together as to what those priorities are.”
The presentation contained details including estimated costs and square footage of proposed buildings, but board President Kent Somers said it would be helpful to know how many students would benefit from each item.
Somers also asked the administration to specify how items support the district’s strategic plan, which was developed last year with community input.
The strategic plan identified four focus areas: personalized learning experiences; student and staff wellness; community and belonging; and trust and transparency. Each area has a list of goals along with strategies for meeting those goals.
Board member Darren Vogt noted one potential facility project – a $29.2 million career and technical education center – would support the plan’s goal of providing personalized learning.
“There’s a lot here to digest,” member Steve Bartkus said. “There’s some that I think I would disagree with, but there are some that I do agree with as well.”
Kristi Schlatter, board secretary, inquired about plans for students involved in music, theater and visual arts programs.
“How can we help continue excellence in that area for those students?” she asked. “I know that’s a large group of our students.”
The entire list of needs is available as part of the work session agenda on the district’s website, www.nacs.k12.in.us.
