Students from Gegan Elementary School, 675 W. Airport Road, Menasha, will move to one of two other schools for the 2026-27 school year, because of severe damage at Gegan from the July 27 tornado.
The school district announced on Aug. 11 that students will attend either Clovis Grove, 974 Ninth St., or Butte des Morts Elementary School, 501 Tayco St. The district divided Gegan students by using State Highway 47 (Appleton Road). Gegan students who live east of the road will attend Clovis Grove, while students on the west side will attend Butte des Morts. School will begin on time Aug. 31.
“While no option was perfect, we believe this approach best reflects our commitment to studentsand provides the strongest educational experience possible,” said Superintendent Dan Slowey in a letter to families. Earlier, he had promised that all Menasha students would have “a classroom to walk into” for the 2026-27 school year. Menasha superintendent Dan Slowey said that the Gegan teachers would follow the students to Clovis Grove and Butte des Morts, and that both were divided “more or less evenly” between the two schools.
During the 2025-26 school year, Gegan enrolled 210 students, while Butte des Morts enrolled 359 and Clovis Grove 357, according to data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Both Clovis Grove and Butte des Morts enrolled about 450 students in 2024-25 but saw enrollment decline during the 2025-26 school year.
Gegan Elementary sustained extensive damage during the July 27 tornado. Four classrooms, the roof and the windows were all damaged in the storm; water also damaged the entire building, especially in the offices, according to a district assessment presented to the Menasha School Board on Aug. 6. Calder Stadium, was also damaged in the storm; the Menasha football team will hold games at Lawrence’s Banta Bowl, 1201 E. John St.
Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Gegan Elementary to split between two schools for 2026-27 school year
Reporting by Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
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By Rebecca Loroff, Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
