MONROE - School district administrators from Belleville, Monticello and New Glarus are meeting Feb. 17 to determine whether the issue of consolidation should move forward or be put to rest.
Dr. William Conzemius, New Glarus' interim administrator, arranged the meeting after school board members questioned whether more discussion is in order.
"The meeting is to get a handle on where the boards are coming from," Conzemius said.
The New Glarus School board wants to know if residents in the school districts are interested in consolidating, or whether interest expressed at a well-attended public meeting on consolidation Feb. 1 in New Glarus was simply a function of the people who attended, Conzemius said.
A study on consolidating Belleville, Monticello and New Glarus school districts, conducted by Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX), analyzed the fiscal implications of merging the three districts.
The first presentation of the study in Belleville in September 2009 was not well attended, even by school board members, said Monticello School District Administrator Karen Ballin.
A meeting of the administrators would help "get a read on where each of the three districts are," she said.
Monticello's school needs are different than those in Belleville and New Glarus, Ballin said.
"Our need is not space and not immediate. Our need is financial," she said. "In these uncertain times, you never know when the state might pull the rug out from under you."
Not knowing what the state will be able to contribute to school districts in the future makes budgeting for the school district difficult, Ballin said.
The state funding to schools was climbing at about 3.5 percent per year, and schools saw a $275 increase per student in 2009-2010. Cuts in the state budget for 2010 and 2011 slowed increases to $200 per student. That cut has caused more schools to think about consolidating, according to Dale Knapp, who helped prepare the WISTAX consolidation study.
From attending the New Glarus consolidation study meeting on Feb. 1, Ballin said she got the impression that New Glarus' needs are very pressing.
At that meeting, Conzemius explained that the New Glarus student population had outgrown their school buildings and that the board was struggling with some major maintenance problems at the elementary building.
Belleville school district Administrator Dr. Randy Freese attended the Feb. 1 meeting also. Belleville is expected to have a 5.3 percent increase in student population in the next five years. The state average is 1.4 percent.
"It's my impression that what we (administrators) will be discussing, are there next steps, and what might they be? And, are there some other follow-ups that we as superintendents might do?" he said.
Conzemius said the administrators will discuss more than fiscal issues specifically connected with consolidation.
"If there is a consolidation, one of the primary concerns is the high school and its options - where it would be located, does the district need a new one located some place in the district, or an addition to one that is most centrally located?" Conzemius said.
He said it's logical that a larger school has more academic options, but school identity would also be at stake in a consolidation.
"It forces people to think about maybe no longer being the mascot - the Wildcats, or Ponies or the Knights.
"It's pushing for a reality check. Is there really an interest? Do people want their high school kids in a different athletic conference, playing Oregon and McFarland?" he said.
Conzemius said information coming out of the administrators' meeting will be taken up by the New Glarus School board at its next meeting Feb. 22, and that the board may choose to hold a special meeting with the public again to review the information.
Dr. William Conzemius, New Glarus' interim administrator, arranged the meeting after school board members questioned whether more discussion is in order.
"The meeting is to get a handle on where the boards are coming from," Conzemius said.
The New Glarus School board wants to know if residents in the school districts are interested in consolidating, or whether interest expressed at a well-attended public meeting on consolidation Feb. 1 in New Glarus was simply a function of the people who attended, Conzemius said.
A study on consolidating Belleville, Monticello and New Glarus school districts, conducted by Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX), analyzed the fiscal implications of merging the three districts.
The first presentation of the study in Belleville in September 2009 was not well attended, even by school board members, said Monticello School District Administrator Karen Ballin.
A meeting of the administrators would help "get a read on where each of the three districts are," she said.
Monticello's school needs are different than those in Belleville and New Glarus, Ballin said.
"Our need is not space and not immediate. Our need is financial," she said. "In these uncertain times, you never know when the state might pull the rug out from under you."
Not knowing what the state will be able to contribute to school districts in the future makes budgeting for the school district difficult, Ballin said.
The state funding to schools was climbing at about 3.5 percent per year, and schools saw a $275 increase per student in 2009-2010. Cuts in the state budget for 2010 and 2011 slowed increases to $200 per student. That cut has caused more schools to think about consolidating, according to Dale Knapp, who helped prepare the WISTAX consolidation study.
From attending the New Glarus consolidation study meeting on Feb. 1, Ballin said she got the impression that New Glarus' needs are very pressing.
At that meeting, Conzemius explained that the New Glarus student population had outgrown their school buildings and that the board was struggling with some major maintenance problems at the elementary building.
Belleville school district Administrator Dr. Randy Freese attended the Feb. 1 meeting also. Belleville is expected to have a 5.3 percent increase in student population in the next five years. The state average is 1.4 percent.
"It's my impression that what we (administrators) will be discussing, are there next steps, and what might they be? And, are there some other follow-ups that we as superintendents might do?" he said.
Conzemius said the administrators will discuss more than fiscal issues specifically connected with consolidation.
"If there is a consolidation, one of the primary concerns is the high school and its options - where it would be located, does the district need a new one located some place in the district, or an addition to one that is most centrally located?" Conzemius said.
He said it's logical that a larger school has more academic options, but school identity would also be at stake in a consolidation.
"It forces people to think about maybe no longer being the mascot - the Wildcats, or Ponies or the Knights.
"It's pushing for a reality check. Is there really an interest? Do people want their high school kids in a different athletic conference, playing Oregon and McFarland?" he said.
Conzemius said information coming out of the administrators' meeting will be taken up by the New Glarus School board at its next meeting Feb. 22, and that the board may choose to hold a special meeting with the public again to review the information.