State lawmakers propose study of school districts statewide on consolidation

As school districts struggle with budgets that can't keep up with inflation, inadequate state funding and declining enrollment, two state legislators have proposed action that could help. State Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Delafield) and state Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood) introduced the bill Nov. 10. It seeks to study the potential for school district consolidations statewide. The study would include looking at school district boundaries, existing school district facilities, staffing levels and salary scales, the population of school-age children in each district, as well as revenue limits and current overall spending, the bill's text said. The bill comes at a time when school districts statewide are increasingly turning to referendums to help meet shortfalls — whether in their operational budgets or for capital projects. More: Wisconsin schools are facing fiscal cliffs, closing buildings and going to referendum. How did we get here? What would the study entail? The study would result in a report and recommendations to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, which would subsequently submit the report to the Legislature. It would include information such as the conditions of existing school district facilities, current and projected population of school-age children in each district. Recommendations for potential consolidations would consider efficiencies, geographic feasibility and economic viability, the bill's text said. For each recommended school district consolidation, the report would include information such as the municipalities within the district, the estimated enrollment of the district and the location of and grade levels served by each school building in the district. The bill also would require the DPI to submit a request to the Joint Committee on Finance for funding to accomplish the study by July 1, 2026, the bill's text said. Why study school consolidations? Quinn said the bill is to help start a conversation about continued declining enrollment and population declines in the state and how to address that topic. "We've got these school districts that developed during a time when communities were growing, and I know there's been some consolidation over the years. We've gone from one-room schoolhouses to districts, but I still think there's a lot of opportunity and potential, especially as communities continue to pass referendums, that we have to do that deep dive and say the way we've always been doing business, does that make sense anymore? That's what this study, I hope, will show us as taxpayers and as lawmakers," Quinn said. "Instead of just this natural decline of who can pass a referendum and who can't, let's give communities tools to really look at real data to have these conversations, these potentially tough conversations," Quinn said. Duchow said legislators have been having conversations "for quite a while now" about declining enrollment in schools and the state's shrinking population. She said that while some school districts, like Kettle Moraine and Waukesha, are being proactive by closing schools or considering closing schools, district consolidation is different due to the research that's required. "Some of that gets to be expensive, and that's why we thought it would be better if the state could do an overall study and then people could use that information to determine what their next steps would be," she said. She noted that in some cases consolidation is likely not feasible. "In rural parts of the state it's not going to work because there's just no one nearby to consolidate with, where in more populated areas it would be easier," she said. DPI spokesperson Chris Bucher said in an email that the department is analyzing the legislation and intends to provide testimony on the bill when it is up for a hearing. The Assembly Committee on Education has a public hearing scheduled to talk about the bill Nov. 11. Have any districts locally had conversations about consolidation? There has been at least some preliminary consolidation talks among school districts in western Waukesha County. In August, the Arrowhead Union High School District and its seven K-8 feeder districts agreed to pursue a financial analysis associated with potentially consolidating at least some of those districts. Arrowhead School Board President Kim Schubert said in an email that the districts are still discussing who will be part of the core team of individuals participating in the financial analysis. The specific consolidation scenarios to be analyzed are also still being discussed, Schubert said. Contact Alec Johnson at 262-875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.