Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams The main office complex in the Shawano School District administrative headquarters has been remodeled to accommodate more staff and to operate more efficiently.
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Candace Gipe, a receptionist at the Shawano School District administrative offices, sits behind a work station designed to create a better public reception area.
Shawano School District officials have just about finished their summer homework assignment: a remodeling of the district’s administrative headquarters.
The administrative offices inside Shawano Community High School have been reconfigured and updated to accommodate district staff employees who had been located elsewhere.
The project was recommended by a management consultant as a way of centralizing operations to improve communication and efficiency within the school system’s administrative leadership.
When the new school year begins Sept. 5, the district superintendent, business manager and curriculum director will be joined by the pupil services staff and the building and grounds management.
“The most important thing is just to have everybody together,” said Craig Young, the district’s director of technology.
Starting in May, crews remodeled the central offices and the board room across the hall by erecting new walls, in an endeavor that also involved adjustments to the heating and air-conditioning system, some windows and the facility’s electrical grid.
Contractors were hired for some of the improvements, while the school district’s own staff handled the drywall, painting and other less technical parts.
The project also included new furniture and new carpeting in some areas, along with a planned new security entrance at a door leading to the administrative offices.
Jeff Easter, the district’s building and grounds director, said the project was budgeted for $95,000 and should end up within budget — and possibly a little under.
Easter said he was impressed at how much was accomplished for a relatively small amount of money.
“We were trying to address as many things as possible,” he said. “Everything is basically pretty much what we need.”
The consulting firm of Springsted Inc. last year issued a report that offered a comprehensive analysis of the school district’s administration. In addition to changes in structure and operation, the firm recommended the central office remodeling and consolidation.
The analysis called it inefficient to have the director of pupil services based at Shawano Community Middle School or the director of building and grounds based at Olga Brener Intermediate School.
Crews remodeled the central offices to create new accommodations for the pupil services staff and building and grounds director, while also establishing a more clearly defined reception counter to greet visitors. The board room across the hall was transformed into a smaller conference room alongside new offices for the district’s human resources and payroll staff.
No determination has been made about whether school board meetings will be moved into the smaller conference room or remain in the high school library, where they have been held since the remodeling project started.
Although some details of the remodeling project still need to be completed, most of the work is finished and staff has been reassigned.
Easter said he is pleased about joining the central administration office and having easier access to other staff employees when needed.
“That’s already more efficient,” he said.
Other employees agreed that the new arrangement is comfortable and effective.
“It’s worked out really well,” Young said. “It definitely has improved our communication.”
