(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Assembly Republicans positioned five school consolidation bills as voluntary assistance for schools with declining enrollment, aging buildings and infrastructure and financial struggles related to both that have led to a record number of referenda across the state.
Democrats, meanwhile, termed it as attacking public education by closing schools, repeating the mantra “don’t close our schools, fund them.”
The five consolidation bills that fund both statewide and local feasibility studies, provide a one-time $1,500 per student bump to funding for schools that consolidate in a three-year window and provide bumps for whole-grade sharing and levy differentials passed the Assembly to end a marathon Assembly session on Wednesday night on 54-43 votes along party lines.
The bills must now pass the Senate and be signed by Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, in order to become law.
“Going to referendum is not the only option for school boards,” Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie, said.
The measures are aimed at helping school districts use consolidation to combat decreased enrollments and aging buildings across the state. Public school enrollment in Wisconsin is expected to decline by 200,000 students by 2050. The state has seen an estimated 10,000 fewer students each year.
One bill provides a one-time $1,500 per student payment for schools that consolidate in 2027, 2028 and 2029 before providing $650 per student in the second year and then $150 per student in the next three years to help the schools through the process.
There is a statewide feasibility study and local studies costing up to $25,000.
“Conducting a study of the scope specified in the bill would be a significant undertaking for any entity (consulting firm),” the Department of Public Instruction wrote in a fiscal cost estimate. “The timeframe specified in the bill is very compressed, allowing DPI a maximum of up to four months to enter into a contract. Identifying an entity that has the capability to perform such a study would require DPI to conduct a robust request for proposal (RFP), possibly preceded by a request for information.”
The bills also include grants for districts that consolidate but have differing levy limits and school board consolidation grants of $500 per student for whole grade sharing.
“Wisconsinites want us to fund our public schools,” said Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine.
Republicans pointed to a University of Michigan study showing that student bases of 600 to 900 high school students are the best educational environment in terms of advanced placement class availability and learning environment, showing that much smaller schools sometimes do not provide the same level of course access and higher-level learning.
“The issue of declining enrollment is not going away,” Nedweski said in a statement after the votes. “There is no referendum, no funding increase, and no talking point that can reverse decades of falling birth rates. Democrats want you to believe that spending more money to educate fewer kids in half-empty buildings will solve the problem. That’s not a strategy—it’s denial. These bills offer long-term, sustainable alternatives to the endless cycle of referendums, increasing affordability for taxpayers and creating access to more learning opportunities for students.”
