WAUKESHA — The Waukesha School District is requiring all families with current school choice placements to reapply by Jan. 30, following the school board's vote to close schools.
Watch: Waukesha parents face enrollment decisions after school closures
The district announced in November that it would close Bethesda, Hawthorne and Whittier elementary schools and move the STEM program to Horning Middle School for the 2026-27 school year.
All previously approved school choice placements at the elementary and middle school levels will not carry forward automatically to the 2026-27 school year.
The enrollment window for both charter schools and intradistrict school choice runs Jan. 5-30, 2026. Applications are not processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
School choice priority is given to any student whose attendance-area school was changed based on new boundaries, or who was granted school choice in previous years and applies for the same school.
Superintendent Dr. Sebert said the district has draft boundary maps with First Student, which is working on transportation options.
The board plans to finalize boundaries either the week of Dec. 15 or Dec. 22.
"At the elementary level, we feel confident we should be able to accommodate the vast majority of the choice," Sebert said.
He added the district is “putting strong emphasis on a communication plan so that we can continue to update parents and staff about the information they need to make decisions they need to feel confident, feel comfortable and feel successful.”
During Wednesday's school board meeting, community members shared varying perspectives on the district's approach.
One speaker commended the board's leadership, saying, "I want to commend you. I want to commend the Waukesha school board for doing something too many leaders shy away from: listening."
However, other parents expressed concerns about the timeline.
"You're giving us just 26 days, 13 business days to make major irreversible decisions about our children's future," one parent said during public comment.
A teacher at Hawthorne Elementary said students "who need the most stability will now have the least" and noted some district students will change schools three times in just a few years due to building closures.
Board member Diane Voit questioned the district's communication approach, asking Sebert: "Can you tell me you feel we've been transparent in passing of the E1 plan?"
For more information on the closures and enrollment, you can visit the district’s website.
This story was reported on-air by Kaylee Staral 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.
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