Snow Days to Return to KUSD; LakeView Tech Move Approved

June 29, 2022 7:40p

(WGTD)---Snow days—once thought to be a thing of the past—are back in Kenosha Unified.

The school board voted unanimously Tuesday night to go back to the way things were before the pandemic.

The snow day policy was scrapped at the beginning of the pandemic after federal funds materialized to equip all students with their own computers and schools were closed while students worked remotely.

KUSD Superintendent Beth Ormseth told the board the no snow day policy did not result in a lot of positive feedback. “It really just wasn’t very popular,” she said. Board members seemed to concur.

Also, the district may not have the money to maintain the one-on-one student to computer ratio, she said.

While Tuesday night’s vote to return to a snow day policy was unanimous, the change won’t take effect until a ‘second reading’ is held and the policy change is affirmed by another school board vote.

In other action Tuesday, the board voted unanimously to relocate LakeView Technology Academy from leased space in Pleasant Prairie to the new Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood. That’s the tract of land in the center of the city that was once home to auto manufacturing.

The $18 million school will serve as a cornerstone of the mixed-use neighborhood that is expected to have a heavy emphasis on technology training and employment.

 During the debate before the vote, board members Kristine Schmaling and Eric Meadows both expressed concern over how the public might view the $18 million expenditure.

But Ormseth noted the funding to pull off the move comes from a variety of sources including the city and Gateway Technical College. Students working toward their Associate’s Degree will use space and equipment in the new school.

In addition, Ormseth noted that the Kenosha Area Business Alliance Foundation will put up the bulk of the money to build the school and will charge rent to KUSD and Gateway. A similar arrangement currently exists at LakeView’s existing location.

If all goes as planned, the new LakeView will open in September of 2024.

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