OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Plans to consolidate westside schools in Oshkosh hit a snag due to recent changes in airport zoning.
A key part of the district’s four-phase facilities consolidation plan included the expansion of South Park Middle School, but new zoning put South Park within the flight path of Wittman Regional Airport.
On Wednesday, the district approved a $197 million referendum — which includes a re-defined plan for South Park.
“We certainly had a plan that we needed to make some revisions to,” said Superintendent Bryan Davis. “And as we’re looking at potential options, always keeping our students safety as our highest priority. And that really guided our work over the last three weeks.”
The referendum also includes a pre-kindergarten at Tipler Middle School, as well as relocating the city’s community recreation department to that site.
Before the district was made aware of zoning changes, it had purchased five residential sites adjacent to South Park for expansion.
“The plan for those sites is to be able to resell those sites, and we have got approval from the county and the city to be able to resell those sites as residential sites,” Davis said.
At Wednesday’s meeting, community members expressed concerns regarding the quick turnaround. Davis said there is a cost to waiting.
“We estimate about a 5% increase with inflationary construction costs every year,” he told us. “And so, because there’s not a November referendum in odd years, then we would have to go in April 2026, if we wait.”
Community members also expressed concerns about misinformation spreading about the referendum — and how it will impact the student body moving forward.
Mallory Schneider Birschbach said, “Some people do not have our students best interests at heart, and are spreading disinformation and misinformation in our community.”
Kristopher Karns agreed. “I see a lot of assumptions, a lot of posts that aren’t completely factually accurate. And we need to make sure that we are doing better.”
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