VISALIA, CA — The Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) is asking for community feedback on a long-term plan to manage school buildings and student growth over the next decade.
A public meeting is scheduled for January 27 at La Joya Middle School. The event will allow parents, students, and community members to talk with administrators and share their opinions on the district's long-term plan, which covers the next six to 10 years.
Balancing Enrollment
According to KFSN, a primary goal of the proposal is to address the large differences in the number of students at each high school. District leaders are considering changing school boundaries to even out the number of students at each campus.
There is a wide gap between school populations: Redwood High School currently has 2,600 students, while Mount Whitney High School has 1,600.
Superintendent Kirk Shrum and district leaders are using three main goals to guide these decisions:
- Balancing enrollment across campuses
- Addressing city growth
- Spending money responsibly
Facility Upgrades
The long-term plan includes building upgrades and new academic programs for Mount Whitney High School to modernize the campus and provide more options for students.
District officials hope that combining boundary changes with new programs will help schools use their space more effectively and meet student needs as Visalia continues to grow.
Next Steps
The January 27 forum follows two previous community sessions. Afterward, VUSD leaders will use the community feedback to finalize the plan before presenting it to the school board for a vote.
District officials say this unified plan will help the district keep up with the city's growth.
