It came up as an action item Monday night, March 23 during the West Bend school Board meeting. High schools configuration was discussed during the meeting, with the possibility of West Bend East and West Bend West merging in the 2027-2028 academic year.

"There are two positives as to why we should be combining," said West Bend School Board member Chris Jenkins during Monday night's meeting. "The first one was evident in the survey. We are not losing any of our academic excellence. We are still going to have amazing teachers, amazing students and awesome programming. The other is the theme I've noticed, with community unity."

Jenkins prepared a motion that was presented to the board, moving to initiate the process of consolidating the district's two high schools into one high school, including the development of an implementation plan and continue to engage their stakeholders with a clear timeline.

It was approved unanimously.

West Bend School Board President Chris Zwygart responded with some encouraging words after the vote of approval.

"Thank you, we appreciate all of the work and it's just really beginning on the part of the administration. Based on the survey results, our community has the courage to adapt to better prepare ourselves for the future We look forward to continuing that process."   

The combined high school enrollment is around 1,800 students. Enrollment is expected to decline within three years. 

District officials also expect a financial savings from the consolidation.