Madison, WI — Representative Shannon Zimmerman (R–River Falls) voted for a package of bills yesterday to assist school districts with declining enrollment, consolidation, and future educational opportunities. Representative Zimmerman issued the following statement after yesterday’s floor session:
“Wisconsin’s demographics are changing. Families are having fewer children, birth rates have fallen, and as a result, our statewide enrollment has dropped sharply. Over the past decade, Wisconsin has lost more than 60,000 students,” Representative Zimmerman said. “Yet we’ve maintained nearly the same number of schools and buildings. This isn’t a failure; it’s simply a reality we must face head-on.”
“Consolidation does not mean giving up on our communities,” Representative Zimmerman added. “It means ensuring every student, no matter their zip code, has access to a full and competitive curriculum. It means putting more dollars into classrooms instead of redundant administration and under-utilized buildings. And it means reducing, or even eliminating, the operating referendums that taxpayers are increasingly asked to shoulder.”
The package of bills introduced by Representative Zimmerman and his colleagues offers school districts the tools needed to implement consolidation and improve the state’s education system. Assembly Bill 645 will provide school districts with a reimbursement of up to $25,000 for consolidation feasibility studies or whole grade sharing studies. These studies are designed to help school districts explore consolidation as a way to address declining enrollment.
School districts that decide to consolidate will also benefit from Assembly Bill 644, which will provide state aid for consolidated school districts. Districts would receive $1,500 per student in the first year and $650 per student in the second year. Raising the amount of consolidation aid provided to school districts is a vital way to support them during a challenging process.
The school consolidation package now heads to the State Senate for consideration.
