WAUKESHA — Parents, students, and community members packed a Waukesha School Board meeting Wednesday night, raising concerns about proposed school closures and challenging the district’s enrollment data.
The School District of Waukesha is considering four plans to close and consolidate schools due to declining enrollment.
Each plan includes redistricting, grade reconfiguration, or the closure or sale of multiple buildings.
Nine-year-old Miri Dringenburg, an incoming fifth-grader at Summit View Elementary, said she’s looking forward to joining the school’s band program but is worried about what will happen if her school changes.
“We have special programs like band, which I’m going to be in in fifth grade,” Miri said. “I have always looked forward to it. You’re shutting down how Waukesha is unique. Other schools are unique and you want to shut them down too.”
And it’s not just her school — all of the district’s options call for closing Bethesda Elementary.
Bethesda second-grader Isla Teicoon described her teachers as “very kind.” Her mother, Dana Coon, added, “Bethesda has become part of us.”
Before the meeting, families rallied outside the district office with signs and chants.
During the public comment period, speakers raised concerns about capacity, home values, and the accuracy of enrollment projections.
“If you close Bethesda, where will all those kids go?” asked student Harper Krauss.
TMJ4 met in June with parents Joe Burke and Sean Shurbet, who hired a data analyst and engineer to review the district’s numbers.
“It doesn’t add up. There is like an 11-percent gap between what the state is publishing and what the city is publishing,” Shurbet said.
Watch: Waukesha families speak out as school closure and consolidation plans spark concern
According to district records, enrollment dropped from about 13,000 students in 2012 to 10,500 in 2024. UW–Madison’s Applied Population Lab projects a decline to 8,700 by 2034.
Some parents said they’re worried the projections don’t reflect recent housing developments or shifting demographics.
Families also worry the closures could disproportionately affect schools like Bethesda with dual-language programs.
The four proposals include:
Option A: Move K–8 STEM to Summit View, close five schools, reduce capacity by 12%.
Option B: Create K–8 STEM at Les Paul, close six schools, reduce capacity by 16%.
Option C: Move fifth grade to middle schools, close six schools, and reduce capacity by 16%.
Option D: Reconfigure to 4K–3, 4–6, and 7–12 grade bands, close up to seven schools, reduce capacity by 22%.
Each plan requires redistricting and reduces the number of elementary schools offering dual-language programming from four to two—typically consolidating those services at Banting and Heyer. The district says dual language would continue at the secondary level based on enrollment.
“I want the team to go back, delay the process, and actually do a thorough study on this,” said Shurbet.
Superintendent James Sebert said no decisions will be made until fall.
Any changes would take effect no sooner than fall 2026.
The district is holding more than 20 input sessions beginning Thursday, July 10, at the Blair Administration Building.
Meeting details and proposal summaries are available on the district’s “Optimizing Our Future” website.
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