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>> We leave it there.
UW-Madison Professor Taylor

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O'Toole, thanks very much.
>> Thanks.

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>> In the case of Wisconsin
K-12 schools, enrollment

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has been on a steady slide.
In the 20 2425 school year,

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there were 68,000 fewer
students than in 2005.

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Enrollment figures for this
year aren't tallied until

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the third week in September.
Declines in school

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populations mirror declines
in the state population and

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birth rates. School
buildings being emptied out

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is happening all over the
state, an issue lawmakers

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are hoping to address this
fall by helping districts

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consolidate.
>> Because student

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enrollment is the primary
driver of our state's

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school funding formula,
districts experiencing

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declining enrollment
receive less money in state

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aid. So to make up for this,
many districts go to

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referendum and they raise
local property tax bills to

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pay for increasingly empty
buildings. The already

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heavy burden on taxpayers
will only get worse over

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time.
>> This is especially true

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for rural districts. We
embarking on consolidation

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in the small Clark County
cities of Loyal and

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Greenwood. For more on this,
we turn to Greenwood

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District Administrator Jo
Green and loyal

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administrator Chris Lindner.
And thanks to both of you

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for being here.
>> You bet. Thank you very

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much for having us, Jo.
>> Are these enrollment

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numbers kind of the tipping
point for what prompted the

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moves to consolidate?
>> It's definitely one of

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the factors. It's a
significant factor. I think

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that, you know, when you
think about factors of why

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we look to consolidate,
it's it's the declining

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enrollment paired with the
increasing difficulty to

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hire highly qualified staff,
which is then also, you

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know, paired with creating
more opportunities for our

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kids and maintaining the
opportunities that our kids

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need to be college and
career ready when they

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leave the district.
>> What is the mood among

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residents for and families
for this consolidation?

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>> So this has been
something that has been

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talked about since 1960,
early 2000. I think it was

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approached once, if not
twice, actually had a vote

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on it, had a study done
with it, and it did not

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pass. We so it seems like
every 20 years this this

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continues to come up. And
we are at 20, 25, 26 school

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year, I believe community
members, families are, are,

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are ready to make that move.
I know there's questions

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out there. We we have done
a number of things in the

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last 2 or 3 years to help
alleviate some of the pain

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with co-opting a number of
sports. Our marching band

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is co-opt. We share some
students back and forth for

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classes. Some of your
higher end classes that may

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not run because or you run
with 3 or 4 kids. Now you

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can add some more kids to
make it a little more

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efficient for that teacher,
communities which which

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according to the advisory
vote that we had last

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spring, are for it and want
to do something moving

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forward to help alleviate,
you know, what I'll say is,

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is higher taxes and the
operating referendums.

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>> What are your opinions
of the state right now

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saying taking an interest
in helping districts,

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potentially incentivizing
districts to consolidate?

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>> Well, I it's music to
our ears that there's

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there's some interest.
There was interest years

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ago. And I think I'm
cautiously optimistic that

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they will they will take
interest in in

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consolidation. But again
you know, what I would hate

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to see is, is take the
local control away from

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consolidation is not right
for everybody. I mean, the

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school districts of
Greenwood and Loyal are are

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going down this road for
for good reason. And and

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the reasons are you know,
we have similar a similar

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tax base. We have a similar
mill rate. Neither one of

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us have debt. We're six
miles apart. We share the

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same bus service. There's a
lot of lot of things that

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make sense for our district,
but that that don't

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necessarily make sense for
every district. So I hope

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that the I hope the state
supports in there. If there

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is legislation, I hope they
support the local control

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that districts have. If
they decide that this is

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the right course of action
to to help their districts

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out.
>> Chris, thoughts on that?

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>> I would say throughout
the state, you have a lot

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of districts that are
probably watching Doyle and

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Greenwood to see what
happens there. I hear it a

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lot of superintendent
conferences or meetings,

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just that if we don't start
working together and not

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just Loyal and Greenwood,
but all our districts, we

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will be on an island by
ourselves. And it won't be.

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It will be a sinking ship
or island, whatever you

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want to say. Deserted. So
we need to work together

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and help not only survive,
but to thrive.

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>> Are you hopeful this
will this will happen. And

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when? By 2028. Is that
right?

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>> Yeah. We've been meeting
as joint boards for the

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better part of a year
regularly to, you know,

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work through this process.
And our joint boards just

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earlier this week passed a
motion, both passed a

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motion that there will be a
a binding question on the

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November 2026 ballot that
if both communities approve

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that question, then it's
it's a binding

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process to consolidate July
1st, 2028.

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>> Okay. Well, we really
appreciate you taking your

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time out today to talk with
us. Joe Greene from

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Greenwood Schools and Chris
Greenwood Schools and Chris