Waterloo CSD Announces High School Proposal
New facility would provide students with more opportunities at one campus
Waterloo, Iowa – November 21, 2024 – The Waterloo Community School District is poised to embark on one of the most exciting projects in its more than 150-year history.
Based on a unanimous recommendation from WCSD’s high school task force, Superintendent Dr. Jared Smith is requesting that the Board of Education approve the hiring of INVISION Architecture of Waterloo to begin an in-depth exploration of the district’s options concerning the educational and facility needs of the high school students within the district.
A high school task force has existed since 2012, but the new committee organized in 2022, has held numerous meetings and workshops to discuss possible plans that would position the district to meet the needs of high school students for decades to come.
Through these discussions, the task force identified transitioning East High School and West High School to a single high school as the preferred choice to best meet the needs of Waterloo’s secondary students. The group believes this solution will provide more academic opportunities for all students, increase competitiveness in areas like career readiness, extracurricular activities, and teacher recruitment, and create operational efficiencies through modernized facilities, streamlined operations, and sustainable infrastructure.
“While there are many details associated with this project that will require further discussion, we believe this could be a major turning point in the history of the Waterloo Schools,” said Smith. “We have an opportunity to build the premier high school in the state. Why not capitalize on this opportunity? Waterloo kids deserve this.”
The site that is currently being studied for a new high school is located on the Waterloo Career Center (WCC) campus. The site would also have space to relocate Expo Alternative Learning Center. In this scenario, the current East and West High School buildings would become 8-9 grade buildings. Bunger, Carver, and Hoover would be the district’s home for students in grades 6-7, and Central Middle School students would relocate to the appropriate 6-7 or 8-9 building. Elementary schools would remain the same.
If the project progresses, WCSD high school students would no longer be required to travel to participate in more than 20 WCC programs. In addition, the high school would be the first in Iowa to offer an on-campus career center that is accessible to every high school student in the district.
The Board of Education will discuss the proposal at its meeting on December 11, 2023. For answers to frequently asked questions and to learn about how you can participate in the disussion, please visit WaterlooSchools.org/bridging-futures/.
