A lot was different this week when Wauwatosa STEM School opened its doors to students for the new school year.
A new location was the biggest visible difference. The charter school, which previously shared space at Wilson Elementary School, moved into a new facility in the Milwaukee County Research Park at 10201 W. Innovation Drive that Wauwatosa STEM is leasing from Irgens. The single-story building has been fully renovated indoors, and outside it overlooks the lagoon at Wisconsin Avenue Park.
The more significant difference this year is the school’s independence. For the first time since its founding 20 years ago, Wauwatosa STEM is no longer part of the Wauwatosa School District but is instead charted through University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha and governed by its own Governance Council, elected by parents.
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“Hard to put into words what today meant for so many of us,” the school said in a social media post after welcoming students Sept. 1 on opening day. “We are so incredibly proud, so happy, and so excited for what comes next. This is just the beginning.”
At the same time, much about Wauwatosa STEM hasn’t changed, starting with many of the students and teachers. Administrators estimate about half of the more than 170 registered students previously attended the school when it was housed at Wilson. The rest of the students come from Brown Deer, Brookfield, Racine and communities in between. At least six staff members who previously worked for the STEM school when it was part of the school district transferred to the newly independent school for its inaugural year.