WC Wisconsin News

Putnam Heights Principal Diana Lesneski is pitching the school’s $99 million expansion plans as a needed step in the right direction.

“There’s definitely that need as Eau Claire is a growing community and this area is growing and the 21st century learner needs those spaces to make sure we meet all those student needs,” Lesneski told WEAU.com.

A $99 million referendum for improving the Eau Claire Area School District was on the Nov. 8 ballot. The plan could cost homeowners 4 cents per $100 of property value, or about $40 a year for a $100,000 home. Plans call for about $42 million of the funding to go to the structural integrity of the more than 40-year-old middle school.

South Middle School was opened more than four decades ago, and according to Principal Trevor Kohlhepp since then not much about the appearance of the school has changed. The metal walls remain thin and hollow, meaning a closing door echoes down the hall. More recently, rust has also started to become a problem, as is a lack of natural lighting and the need for dehumidifiers 24/7.

And then there is the issue of buildings growing to be much too small for the area’s rising student population. 

Over $20 million is pegged to go to Eau Claire North High school for its expansion, as current facilities can barely handle the three different lunch periods that now count 1,700 students. The goal is to widen the space enough to get it down to two lunches to go along with the eight added classrooms that are hoped for along with a renovation to the auditorium.