SDU46

Unite U-46: Phase 2 - Moving Our Schools Forward

Community engagement initiative focused on ensuring original goals and intent of recommendations were respected and honored during implementation. 

In April 2023, the U-46 community approved a zero-tax rate increase referendum for the community-created Unite U-46 educational and facility recommendations. Phase 2 of the Unite U-46 process focused on ensuring that the original goals and intent of these recommendations were respected and honored during implementation. 

From June 2023 through May 2024, more than 220 community members actively participated in six Unite U-46 community engagement workshops using the most up-to-date data to determine the optimal number of elementary and middle schools needed to serve our students and families now and in the future, developing community priorities and options for updates to attendance boundaries and reviewing options to accommodate declining enrollment and transitioning to a 6th through 8th grade middle school model. Currently, U-46 middle schools include only grades 7th and 8th. 

Participation opportunities in Phase 2 of the Unite U-46 process were similar to those in Phase 1, offering the community various ways to get involved, including Facilitating Team Meetings, which helped prepare the Community Engagement Workshops, online feedback forms following the community workshops, and a community-wide survey focused on attendance boundary updates.

The Unite U-46 process will continue in the fall of 2024, when participants will provide feedback and guidance on new districtwide attendance boundaries, which are planned to be finalized by May 2025. There will also be regular updates on the plan implementation and construction progress.

Please view the Unite U-46 community engagement session recordings, presentations, and summaries here. A summary report of the work is available here.