The Chippewa Falls School Board voted to approve adjustments to the district’s elementary school boundary lines to balance enrollment.

Like many districts across the state, the Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District has seen declining enrollment over recent years. While some districts have proposed consolidating schools to address that enrollment decline, the Chippewa Falls School Board only sought to keep class sizes even between its elementary schools.

Under the new boundary line plan, which passed with a 5-1 vote, students will be moved from Hillcrest Elementary and Halmstad Elementary to Parkview Elementary and Stillson Elementary. According to a Leader Telegram report, district officials say the adjustments could save up to $300,000 by eliminating class size disparities.

Currently, some classes at Halmstad Elementary School have around 28 students, while classes at Stillson Elementary School have only about 18 students. In addition to maximizing the district’s available resources, the change also guarantees parents that their children are getting the same level of attention in the classroom as students at other schools.

District officials say approving the plan now will allow them to work out the details and implement the changes before a new superintendent takes over in July.

In addition to the boundary line adjustments, the district’s report on the plan also referenced the possibility of pursuing another operational referendum in November or April of 2027. A previously approved operational referendum was highlighted as a significant factor in the district’s Department of Public Instruction report card scores this year. However, recent surveys have shown residents are less inclined to support those operational referendums after most districts across the state proposed one over the last few years.

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