Lake County Gazette

Superintendent Gotto Addresses Future of Westminster Public Schools

Apr 29, 2025

In a letter to the Westminster Public Schools Community, Superintendent Dr. Jeni Gotto addressed the ongoing efforts of the Future Together Facilities Initiative (FTFI) Committee in planning for the district's future.

Dr. Gotto emphasized that the committee has been diligently analyzing data on district enrollment trends, birth rates, and the condition of school buildings. Several meetings have already taken place with committee members who have examined this information and posed critical questions.

"As we plan for the future of Westminster Public Schools, this spring our Future Together Facilities Initiative (FTFI) Committee has spent a lot of time crunching data about district enrollment trends, birth rates, and looking at the condition of our school buildings," Dr. Gotto said.

Now, the district is seeking input from the public. In her State of the District report, Dr. Gotto announced that public input would be vital in guiding the Board of Education's decisions regarding resource allocation. Key questions include whether any school buildings should be closed, if school boundaries should be redrawn, or if any buildings should be repurposed.

"As I promised in my State of the District report when we announced the creation of the FTFI committee, public input will play a critical role in the decision-making process as our Board of Education considers the best use of our resources," she reiterated.

To facilitate community engagement, a meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 8, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Daniel C. Vallez Family Education Center (7125 Mariposa Street). This drop-in event will allow participants to join at their convenience and engage in conversations and informal discussions with facilitators to share their ideas, concerns, and hopes for the district's future.

Dr. Gotto assured that no decisions have been made yet: "As I told the board during last week’s meeting, absolutely no decisions have been made. We are making this a very transparent process so that the public is fully involved."

The district will continue providing regular updates and information about additional public meetings later this year.

"We will continue to provide regular updates and share information about additional public meetings later this year," Dr. Gotto said.

Dr. Gotto concluded her letter by expressing her eagerness to hear from the community and work together towards creating a promising future for students, schools, and the community as a whole.

"I look forward to hearing your thoughts and working together to create the best possible future for our students, our schools, and our community," she wrote.

Warm regards,

Dr. Jeni Gotto

Superintendent of Schools

Westminster Public Schools