Waukegan Public Schools is still accepting questions from parents, students, staff and community members about our recently-unveiled Transitions to Support Student Access plan.
Stakeholders can click here to ask questions using ThoughtExchange about the facility and programmatic transformations outlined in our plan.
Through ThoughtExchange you will also be able to rate others’ questions, and we will work to develop answers where appropriate.
Additionally, we want to remind everyone that we will host a series of community meetings to discuss the Transitions to Support Student Access plan. To begin, we will host three meetings. These meetings will also be broadcasted live on our YouTube Channel
-April 25 - 6 p.m. in the Brett Theater (little theater) of WHS-Brookside Campus, 2325 Brookside Avenue
-April 28 - 6 p.m. at the Welcome Center, 742 W. Greenwood Avenue
-May 3 - 12 p.m. in the Lincoln Center Board Room, 1201 N. Sheridan Road
Transitions to Support Student Access plan is a multi-year infrastructure plan that will transform the services and usage of several District buildings, including the Welcome Center, Lincoln Center, the AOEC building and our downtown building at 214 Washington Street.
Further descriptions of some of the transitions can be found below:
Waukegan Education Services Center - The Waukegan Education Services Center will be open at 214 Washington Street. At this site many of our departments currently located at the Welcome Center and Lincoln Center will operate and serve parents and staff in a one-stop-shop approach, with most public-facing departments easily accessible on the first floor of the building. This is going to eliminate the need for parents to visit multiple District buildings when needing support.
Wraparound Center- A new community Wraparound Center at the Education Services Center (214 Washington Street) will offer students, families, and other residents support and allow them to access services and resources from various community agencies in a central location on the lower level of the building. This will potentially include: juvenile justice advocates, SEL services, clothing and/or food pantry, attorney services, substance abuse counseling, and more. The cost of the Wraparound Center will be significantly funded by a grant through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which was secured with the assistance of State Rep. Rita Mayfield.
BEST Center - The Behavior, Emotional and Social Teaching (BEST) Center is proposed for the current site of Lincoln Center, 1201 N. Sheridan Road. We will provide in-district services for some students that are currently being provided out-of-district services in therapeutic day schools. This will provide intense Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) support to students whose behaviors or emotional needs require additional resources. We anticipate serving up to 50 students as part of the BEST program.
Alternative/Optional Education Center relocation - The Alternative/Optional Education Center (AOEC) will move to the current site of Lincoln Center to occupy space vacated by the move of offices to 214 Washington Street. This will allow AOEC students to have access to a wider range of programming options that were previously limited by space. Approximately 150 students are currently enrolled in AOEC.
JROTC Academy - A proposed JROTC Academy will be housed at the current site of AOEC on Glen Rock Avenue. This central location will act as a hub that will serve Waukegan High School JROTC students from both the Brookside and Washington campuses. It will be a dedicated space for our storied JROTC program and offer space for team drills and much-needed office space for JROTC staff. It will also provide JROTC students with dedicated space to learn, collaborate and mentor.
Waukegan Professional Learning Center - A new Waukegan Professional Learning Center is proposed for the site of the current Welcome Center on Greenwood Avenue. At the Professional Learning Center space will be transitioned into classrooms and collaborative spaces for professional development, staff training, parent workshops and community meetings.