Representatives from the Assembly Committee on Education unveiled a bill package from the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Funding during an executive session aiming to consolidate small school districts and increase efficiency.
Assembly Bill 441, “A Shared Service Aid for School Districts,” allocates $2 million to schools in order to share administration between different districts. If no schools apply for the program or choose not to opt in, the money will not be used.
“When the need arises I think these districts will take advantage of them, I think there’s a board of consensus that we do have a lot of school districts that are very small, both from a financial efficiency standpoint and also academically,” Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay, said. “All of these bills are sort of leaning towards allowing districts to be more efficient to consolidate when it’s necessary.”
Representatives also discussed a program to support funding for schools who have multi-grade level classrooms. These schools could enter a “grade sharing agreement” and consolidate districts by combining students of like grades in one school. Schools that apply would be given an additional $150 per student.
However, some representatives were concerned with this initiative, believing it may harm — rather than help — some small school districts’ enrollment.
“If a school district enters into an agreement there’s going to be passionate parents. If I’ve got one student going to elementary out in Granton, and another one going to Neillsville, maybe I will take them both to Marshfield,” Rep. Don Vruwink, D-Milton, said. “There could be some unintended consequences.”
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