Eau Claire Area School District

Eau Claire Area School District
Eau Claire Area School District
	Board of Education Office
Address
	500 Main Street Eau Claire; United States
District information
Type	Public
Motto	“Where knowledge and inspiration meet to create the future.”
Grades	PreK-12
Established	1889
President	Chris Hambuch-Boyle
Vice-president	Joe Luginbill
Superintendent	Dr. Mary Ann Hardebeck
Budget	US$130 million (2015)
Students and staff
Students	11,300
Staff	1,400
Athletic conference	Big Rivers Conference
Other information
Website	District website

The Eau Claire Area School District (ECASD) is a school district in western Wisconsin. Covering approximately 200 square miles (520 km²), it includes the city of Eau Claire, part of Altoona, parts of the village of Lake Hallie, the towns of Brunswick, Clear Creek, Drammen, Pleasant Valley, Rock Creek, Seymour, Union, Washington, and Wheaton, and the unincorporated communities of Caryville, Cleghorn, Foster, and Mount Hope Corners. The district administers 12 elementary schools, one early learning center, 21 early learning community partner sites,^{[clarification needed]} three middle schools, two high schools, and two charter schools.

The district has an enrollment of approximately 11,300 and an annual budget of $130 million. The district's graduation rate was 86.3 percent during the 2011-2012 school year.^[1]

History

The first permanent European settlers arrived in Eau Claire in 1845. By the early 1850s, about 100 people called Eau Claire home. In 1856, a group of parents built the first public school in Eau Claire. Built out of rough boards, it was located on what is now Barstow Street. During the winter of 1856-57 the school was opened to the public, with John E. Stillman as the first teacher.^[2] Large numbers of German and Norwegian immigrants arrived in the 1860s.

Until 1889, there were three school districts in the city of Eau Claire. Each had its own school governance and high school. The Eau Claire Area School District became united in July 1889. During consolidation in the early 1960s, rural areas and their schools were added to the district. In 1982, the Board of Education voted to become a unified school district.^{[clarification needed]} ECASD is a part of Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 10.

Board of education

The seven-member Eau Claire Area School District Board of Education is the policy-making body responsible for selecting the superintendent and overseeing the district's budget, strategic planning, operations, curriculum, personnel, and facilities.^[3] Board commissioners are elected at large for three-year terms. One high school student serves as a student representative to the Board of Education. The student representative does not have voting rights, but represents the voice of students.^[4]

Early learning program (PreK)

Prairie Ridge Early Learning School (Head Start and Special Education Program)

In addition to their early learning school, the school district currently has 21 community partnership sites for their Eau Claire 4 Tomorrow (EC4T) program.