$8 million Williamsburg schools facility plan to address work-based learning classroom needs

WILLIAMSBURG — An almost $8 million school bond referendum would modernize and expand classrooms to better serve students enrolled in work-based learning classes in the industrial technology, family and consumer science, and agriculture if approved by voters in the Williamsburg Community School District.

The proposed $7.945 million would fund two additions to Williamsburg Junior/Senior High School and renovations to existing classroom space for the special education program and the auditorium lobby.

The proposal is more than $14 million less than a school bond referendum that failed to garner enough approval from voters in the school district just last year.

Election Day is Nov. 4.

“We’ve outgrown all of these spaces. The physical nature of our classes means we have so much equipment we’re running low on room. It’s a daily struggle to operate in there sometimes,” said Krista Casterline, who teaches family and consumer science.

One of the additions would add 6,200 square feet to the existing industrial technology wing at the back of the high school to enhance industrial technology and agricultural science programs. The existing industrial technology space also would be renovated.

The second 2,800 square foot addition would be located near the front of the building adjacent to the auditorium and would house family and consumer science classrooms. The classrooms would feature household and commercial kitchen stations and include an indoor and outdoor cafe for community engagement, farm-to-table events, senior dining opportunities and other student-led culinary experiences.

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The current family and consumer science classrooms would be repurposed to meet the needs of the special education program to enhance life skills development and individualized learning opportunities to students.

A school bond referendum requires 60 percent voter approval.

If approved, it would increase taxes by $1.07 per $1,000 of taxable property value. For the owner of a house with an assessed value of $100,000, the impact is an additional $3.80 a month or $45.56 a year. For a homeowner of a $500,000 house, the impact is an additional $20.71 a month or $248.57 a year.

An increasingly popular class taught by Casterline is clothing and design.

“I have pictures of kids laying on the floor cutting fabric all the way down the hallway,” said Casterline, who teaches clothing and design classes. “Right now I have a small class, but sometimes I have up to 16 kids in a class and there is no room because each student is using up to three yards of fabric.”

Between sewing machines, embroidery machines and a T-shirt press, Casterline and her students have outgrown their classroom.

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Recently, the district added a class called “AMPED on Algebra,” a yearlong course that combines algebra and family and consumer science. Students sew, create custom T-shirts, bake and even make candles.

By the end of the year, students are designing their own products, marketing them and selling them. They learn how to create a budget, price their items, manage stock and inventory, reach out to prospective clients and even write professional emails.

“It’s great for students who need to know the ‘why,’” Casterline said. “They do math, and then they come into my room and work with their hands. There’s something for every kid.”

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Casterline was inspired to teach family and consumer science to teach kids “skills to change their lives and advocate for themselves,” she said.

She also teaches cooking, baking and pastry, financial literacy and child development and parenting. These classes teach students how to be responsible adults and good employees, she said.

Under the bond plan, classroom kitchens would be remodeled from conventional kitchens to industrial kitchens, “catching up” with other school districts already providing professional workplaces to culinary students, Casterline said.

“I’m hoping it elevates our program significantly. Students would revere that room more. They have a kitchen at home, but what they’re not realizing is this is a highly technical career with safety and sanitation that matters,” she said.

“Persistence is the biggest thing. If you sew a stitch wrong or put too much salt into a recipe, what do you do next? We don’t throw the fabric away and start over. We don’t throw out the biscuits. It’s real time problem solving and critical thinking,” Casterline said.

Striving for accuracy is another life lesson students can take away from Casterline’s classes. “If you don’t care about each step you’re taking, you end up with a terrible final product. If you care about each little detail, go back and double check your work, it will slow you down, but eventually, you’ll bet better, faster and more efficient,” she said.

Most of Casterline’s students probably won’t grow up to be professional tailors, but they will own clothes and will know how to “keep them nice and fix a button,” she said.

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Industrial technology teacher Kevin Wilkinson said the bond plan would expand classrooms for welding, construction and engineering.

Superintendent Chad Garber said the plan is based on a facility study conducted in January 2023 that showed a need for more space for career and technical education classes.

“The kinds of experiences kids get in these classrooms requires a lot of space,” Garber said.

Open houses in October

The district is hosting three open houses this month for residents interested in learning more about the bond referendum. They will be held in the commons area at Williamsburg Junior/Senior High School, 810 W Walnut St., Williamsburg.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com