On Sept. 25 a gathering of community members made up of young families and other community members met to discuss the possibility of a charter school being opened in Wanamingo. The discussion came about after the KW school board has listed an option for solving some of it financial issues of closing the Wanamingo site and moving all classrooms k-4 over to Kenyon and closing the Wanamingo site. The Wanamingo community had some concerns about not having a school in Wanamingo and the effects that could have on the city's future. A presentation was made to the community on research that had been done on opening a charter school. While not a small task, it appears it could be done. As a charter school you receive funding from the state, similar to a public school, but at a slightly lesser amount per student. Also, there are grants available that assist in the creation of a charter school. There is financial assistance available from the state of MN to rent a facility to operate the school. The discussions talked about the possibility of buying the existing school building from the district if the KW board decides to close it, but that comes with some risk surrounding the building’s current and future maintenance needs. Another possibility is building a new building to house the school. It was discussed that either option would fit the new schools needs. At the end of the meeting an exploratory group was formed and will start meeting regularly. From a community standpoint it was discussed about the detrimental effect of a town without a school. Several references were made to what happened to West Concord after their school closed. To be a vibrant community you need a school to attract young families to the town.
In March the KW school board is going to do a survey to get community input on what should be done to help solve the big issues they face. The KW school board is in a tough spot financially and needs to figure out a way out of them. It is expected that the KW board may make a decision by mid-year 2025 on what to do. Best case scenario for Wanamingo is that they decide to keep the elementary school in Wanamingo open and functioning. Worst case scenario is the KW school board decides to close the Wanamingo site and move everything to Kenyon. If they decide to close the Wanamingo site the community feels it is important to be prepared to go into action to protect the vibrancy and viability of the city and community. If you would like more information or have question, please email wanamingocharterschool@gmail.com
