WEST BEND — Since 1970, two different high schools occupied one building in West Bend. Now, that could be changing.
The West Bend School District is considering combining their East and West high schools into one. Both schools are already in one building, but now the administration is workshopping making it one high school.
Superintendent Jennifer Wimmer said they're at 1,800 high school students now, but it will go down to 1,500 students in 2029.
"That enrollment bubble is at the doorstep of the high school," she said. "We want to make sure we're right sizing, our enrollment continues to afford our students opportunities."
The district is closing Rolfs Educatioal Center after this year, then in the spring of 2027 it will close Decorah Elementary School and Fair Park Elementary School, adjusting current buildings and constructing a new elementary school in Jackson for the fall of 2027.
TMJ4 News went to The Hub Social Good Brews and West Bend Community Memorial Library to see how residents felt about school consolidation.
"I don't know!" one community member said. "It's always been a question up in the air for as long as I can remember."
"I don't know much about that!" another person said.
Some said it's time to consolidate, especially since students already share classes, activities and some sports.
"I actually think it's a great idea, especially with declining enrollment," Leah Duckert-Kroll said. "It doesn't make sense. Just combine them and be done with it."
Others want things to stay how they are.
"I like it the way it is," Steve Ellis said. "Tradition. It's a rivalry!"
Currently, consolidation plans for the high schools are not set in stone, in fact, Wimmer prefers to use the word configuration—as she believes the aforementioned word suggests a plan is already set—which it's not.
"For me, I don't know what the outcome of these conversations will be," Wimmer said. "There is no magic plan. We really want to purposely want to hear all the perspectives for those we serve."
The school district will host two listening sessions with the community, one on Monday, Feb. 2 at the West Bend West High School cafeteria at 6 p.m. It will host a second listening session on Feb. 11—everyone is welcome to attend.
The district says it will send out an online survey on Monday that everyone in West Bend can fill out.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
