Civil Municipal Magazine - Dec 2023

349 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 THE WAUKEE COMMUNI T Y SCHOOL DISTRICT its students in how to respond to dangerous situations, and the Waukee Police Department has prepared instructional videos for grades 6-12 and their parents, detailing the options students have if, and when, an internal threat occurs. Keeping the Community Informed Should a crisis ever take place, Kayla Choate, Director of Communications, will be the point person in informing the greater WCSD community. In addition to the District’s website and social media accounts, WCSD utilizes a communications platform called ParentSquare to connect parents, students, and staff via voice, text, email, and push notifications. It’s used for emergency and general notifications, including building newsletters, bus updates, late starts, or any other situations that may arise during or after school hours. Meanwhile, Choate says she maintains great relationships with the local media to make sure that the community stays informed on all that goes on in its schools. She supplies them with stories about students and teachers, and particularly how the District is “focused on graduating students who are career and college-ready.” Going Forward Because of its continued increase in student enrollment year to year, WCSD necessarily maintains a robust capital investment portfolio. “Three years ago, our community passed a $205 million bond referendum with almost 90% pass rate, which just speaks to how supportive our community is,” Buck offers. “With those funds, we built a 10th elementary school and we’re in the process of completing a middle school building. We have another middle- level building under construction, and we have elementary #11 underway. And we’re finishing a district natatorium facility, which is going to be an amazing site for our student-athletes. “We’re going back to our voters with a $180 million referendum this fall for additional facilities: elementary #12, a significant upgrade