1
00:00:01,235 --> 00:00:02,903
thing.
>> All right. We leave it

2
00:00:02,970 --> 00:00:04,671
there. Don Millis, thanks
very much.

3
00:00:04,738 --> 00:00:07,241
>> Thank you. Have a good
weekend.

4
00:00:07,307 --> 00:00:10,377
>> In other news, dozens of
school districts around the

5
00:00:10,444 --> 00:00:14,081
state asked voters for $1
billion in ballot

6
00:00:14,147 --> 00:00:16,650
referendums in the latest
spring election. Much of

7
00:00:16,717 --> 00:00:20,153
that money was just to keep
the schools open and

8
00:00:20,220 --> 00:00:22,723
operating. But many of
those referendums failed.

9
00:00:22,789 --> 00:00:26,026
And that means some schools
in rural Wisconsin will

10
00:00:26,093 --> 00:00:28,996
permanently close. Here and
now. Reporter Steven Potter

11
00:00:29,062 --> 00:00:33,200
has this report on rural
school closures.

12
00:00:33,267 --> 00:00:35,469
>> Thousands of the state's
public schools are closing

13
00:00:35,536 --> 00:00:38,839
for summer break. But there
are two schools set next to

14
00:00:38,906 --> 00:00:41,708
farms in central Wisconsin.
>> We had to make the

15
00:00:41,775 --> 00:00:43,710
difficult decision to shut
the doors of two of our

16
00:00:43,777 --> 00:00:46,346
rural schools.
>> That won't reopen next

17
00:00:46,413 --> 00:00:49,716
fall or ever again.
>> This is definitely the

18
00:00:49,783 --> 00:00:52,719
worst day of my career as
an educator, and I think

19
00:00:52,786 --> 00:00:54,655
it's one of the darkest
days in the history of

20
00:00:54,721 --> 00:00:56,757
Portage.
>> Josh Swain is the

21
00:00:56,823 --> 00:00:58,659
district administrator for
the Portage Community

22
00:00:58,725 --> 00:01:02,396
School District. He says
the decision to close two

23
00:01:02,462 --> 00:01:04,431
elementary schools, one in
Marquette County, the other

24
00:01:04,498 --> 00:01:07,534
in Columbia County,
couldn't be avoided.

25
00:01:07,601 --> 00:01:11,572
>> Purely for budgetary
reasons. And that is

26
00:01:11,638 --> 00:01:13,740
something that's going on
all over the state.

27
00:01:13,807 --> 00:01:16,810
>> Swain says. They did try
to keep Lewiston and

28
00:01:16,877 --> 00:01:19,913
Endeavor elementary schools
open as long as they could.

29
00:01:19,980 --> 00:01:22,282
>> The issue is funding,
right? We just don't have

30
00:01:22,349 --> 00:01:24,551
the funding to be able to
do that.

31
00:01:24,618 --> 00:01:26,787
>> After a referendum
asking voters for more

32
00:01:26,854 --> 00:01:29,623
money failed this spring,
the school district made

33
00:01:29,690 --> 00:01:33,293
the difficult decision.
Portage isn't alone. Last

34
00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,896
year, school districts in
several rural counties such

35
00:01:35,963 --> 00:01:40,901
as Dunn, Vilas, Jefferson,
Richland, Juneau and others

36
00:01:40,968 --> 00:01:44,404
all closed at least one
school the year before that.

37
00:01:44,471 --> 00:01:47,374
Another handful of schools
in other, lesser populated

38
00:01:47,441 --> 00:01:50,511
counties also closed. And
earlier this spring, the

39
00:01:50,577 --> 00:01:53,013
Hustisford School Board in
Dodge County voted to

40
00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:55,249
completely dissolve the
school district, which

41
00:01:55,315 --> 00:01:58,151
means the elementary,
middle and high schools

42
00:01:58,218 --> 00:02:01,488
will all close this year.
Education experts say that

43
00:02:01,555 --> 00:02:04,558
the impact of school
closures on small

44
00:02:04,625 --> 00:02:07,728
communities is very painful.
>> A rural school is the

45
00:02:07,794 --> 00:02:10,697
heart and soul and the
identity of a community.

46
00:02:10,764 --> 00:02:12,966
>> Bradley Karl studies
rural school systems for

47
00:02:13,033 --> 00:02:16,103
the UW-Madison, Wisconsin,
Center for Education

48
00:02:16,170 --> 00:02:19,006
Research. He says that part
of the reason that small

49
00:02:19,072 --> 00:02:21,942
rural schools are so missed
when they close is because

50
00:02:22,009 --> 00:02:25,612
they do so much so well.
>> Things like small class

51
00:02:25,679 --> 00:02:28,282
sizes and strong
relationships between

52
00:02:28,348 --> 00:02:31,118
teachers and students, and
strong relationships

53
00:02:31,185 --> 00:02:33,387
between school districts
and employers in the

54
00:02:33,453 --> 00:02:35,022
community.
>> Services beyond the

55
00:02:35,088 --> 00:02:37,658
regular school day are
important for working

56
00:02:37,724 --> 00:02:39,826
parents.
>> School districts also

57
00:02:39,893 --> 00:02:42,496
provide after school care,
before school care, and

58
00:02:42,563 --> 00:02:45,199
summer programs, and that
has an economic impact in

59
00:02:45,265 --> 00:02:47,701
terms of allowing families
to work.

60
00:02:47,768 --> 00:02:50,237
>> Schools in rural areas
can also be a social hub

61
00:02:50,304 --> 00:02:52,873
for the community.
>> Everyone goes to the

62
00:02:52,940 --> 00:02:55,142
basketball games on Friday
night or the football games

63
00:02:55,209 --> 00:02:57,644
on Friday night, but it's
so much more than that, too.

64
00:02:57,711 --> 00:02:59,913
It's going to the theater
productions and the

65
00:02:59,980 --> 00:03:02,583
homecoming parades.
>> School closures are not

66
00:03:02,649 --> 00:03:05,652
unique to rural areas. Over
the last 20 years, more

67
00:03:05,719 --> 00:03:09,022
than 600 public schools
across Wisconsin have

68
00:03:09,089 --> 00:03:12,693
closed, but nearly 40% of
them have been in small,

69
00:03:12,759 --> 00:03:16,930
rural counties of less than
100,000 residents. In all,

70
00:03:16,997 --> 00:03:20,567
that's around 250 rural
schools that have closed.

71
00:03:20,634 --> 00:03:23,036
Like in Portage. There's
just not enough money to

72
00:03:23,103 --> 00:03:25,305
keep the doors open. And
that's usually because

73
00:03:25,372 --> 00:03:28,408
there are fewer students
enrolled.

74
00:03:28,475 --> 00:03:30,310
>> Two thirds, maybe three
quarters of the rural

75
00:03:30,377 --> 00:03:33,080
districts in Wisconsin. As
is the case around the

76
00:03:33,146 --> 00:03:35,716
country, are facing
declining enrollment. Given

77
00:03:35,782 --> 00:03:38,585
the way we fund schools,
declining enrollment means

78
00:03:38,652 --> 00:03:40,988
declining revenue from the
state.

79
00:03:41,054 --> 00:03:42,856
>> Figures from the
Wisconsin Department of

80
00:03:42,923 --> 00:03:45,726
Public Instruction show
that student enrollment in

81
00:03:45,792 --> 00:03:49,363
public schools has declined
roughly 7% over the last

82
00:03:49,429 --> 00:03:53,066
two decades. Population
experts agree that this is

83
00:03:53,133 --> 00:03:56,336
a nationwide problem,
largely due to shrinking

84
00:03:56,403 --> 00:03:58,705
birthrates.
>> Declining enrollment is

85
00:03:58,772 --> 00:04:01,942
real, and it's a challenge.
>> Jeff I.D. knows the

86
00:04:02,009 --> 00:04:03,744
problems facing rural
school districts better

87
00:04:03,810 --> 00:04:06,747
than most. He's the
executive director of the

88
00:04:06,813 --> 00:04:10,184
Wisconsin Rural Schools
Alliance.

89
00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:13,420
>> 70% of the schools in
the state are rural, so we

90
00:04:13,487 --> 00:04:16,390
have a lot of rural schools.
Not the majority of the

91
00:04:16,456 --> 00:04:18,859
students are within our
rural areas, but that's a

92
00:04:18,926 --> 00:04:22,062
large footprint in
Wisconsin.

93
00:04:22,129 --> 00:04:24,965
>> I.D. says rural schools
are doing their best.

94
00:04:25,032 --> 00:04:27,467
>> They are working their
buns off. They're working

95
00:04:27,534 --> 00:04:30,137
hard to do the best they
can with the resources that

96
00:04:30,204 --> 00:04:32,306
they have.
>> He adds that what the

97
00:04:32,372 --> 00:04:35,909
state provides in per
student funding isn't 100%

98
00:04:35,976 --> 00:04:39,146
of what a school needs to
operate, so they pull in

99
00:04:39,213 --> 00:04:41,682
money from local government
and property taxes to make

100
00:04:41,748 --> 00:04:45,285
up the difference. And over
the years, more and more

101
00:04:45,352 --> 00:04:49,056
small and rural communities
are having to go to ballot

102
00:04:49,122 --> 00:04:51,458
referendums to ask
residents for more money to

103
00:04:51,525 --> 00:04:55,429
keep their schools open.
>> I do see school

104
00:04:55,963 --> 00:04:59,900
referendums at this time as
a continuing trend,

105
00:04:59,967 --> 00:05:03,804
unfortunately. I'm hoping
one day that it becomes an

106
00:05:03,871 --> 00:05:06,640
anomaly and not a need.
>> Another major factor is

107
00:05:06,707 --> 00:05:09,276
the rising cost of
everything from gas for

108
00:05:09,343 --> 00:05:11,712
busses to heating and
cooling costs, to building

109
00:05:11,778 --> 00:05:14,147
and even playground
maintenance, as well as

110
00:05:14,214 --> 00:05:16,783
school supplies and the
need for new technology.

111
00:05:16,850 --> 00:05:19,219
It's simply becoming more
and more expensive to

112
00:05:19,286 --> 00:05:21,889
educate students.
>> But I think everybody's

113
00:05:21,955 --> 00:05:24,024
struggling with the funding
formula that we currently

114
00:05:24,091 --> 00:05:26,527
have.
>> Swain and ID agree that

115
00:05:26,593 --> 00:05:29,396
changes to the state's
school funding formula are

116
00:05:29,463 --> 00:05:32,399
needed, like a per student
rate increase tied to

117
00:05:32,466 --> 00:05:34,501
inflation. That was part of
the school funding formula

118
00:05:34,568 --> 00:05:37,671
more than a decade ago. But
state lawmakers

119
00:05:37,738 --> 00:05:39,606
discontinued the practice
back during the Great

120
00:05:39,673 --> 00:05:41,775
Recession.
>> We need to make sure

121
00:05:41,842 --> 00:05:44,545
we're doing the best we can
to meet the rate of

122
00:05:44,611 --> 00:05:46,947
inflation. We haven't done
that for many years.

123
00:05:47,014 --> 00:05:49,416
>> If inflationary
increases had continued

124
00:05:49,483 --> 00:05:53,187
from 2009 to the end of
this biennium, we would not

125
00:05:53,253 --> 00:05:58,025
have a gap of it's $3,573
per student that we would

126
00:05:58,091 --> 00:06:02,129
have gotten in state aid or
in that per pupil revenue.

127
00:06:02,196 --> 00:06:05,265
>> But in order for there
to be a change in the

128
00:06:05,332 --> 00:06:07,267
school funding formula at
the state level, state

129
00:06:07,334 --> 00:06:09,770
lawmakers and the governor
would need to agree on what

130
00:06:09,837 --> 00:06:12,606
those changes would be.
>> There's a lot of

131
00:06:12,673 --> 00:06:14,708
challenges in a rural
district. Also. There's a

132
00:06:14,775 --> 00:06:17,744
lot of really great things
about a smaller rural

133
00:06:17,811 --> 00:06:19,746
school.
>> In the state Assembly.

134
00:06:19,813 --> 00:06:22,316
Democrat Karen DeSiato
represents the area that

135
00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:24,718
includes the Portage
Community School District,

136
00:06:24,785 --> 00:06:27,821
where those two schools are
closing. She says schools

137
00:06:27,888 --> 00:06:32,826
are a draw for residents.
>> When a school falters,

138
00:06:32,893 --> 00:06:36,296
especially in a very small
rural community, it affects

139
00:06:36,363 --> 00:06:40,367
everyone. If a school is
not there in a smaller

140
00:06:40,434 --> 00:06:44,304
community, it discourages
people to live there.

141
00:06:44,371 --> 00:06:46,607
>> DeSiato is open to
changes in school funding.

142
00:06:46,673 --> 00:06:49,676
>> Our budgets are based on
our values. As

143
00:06:49,743 --> 00:06:53,146
Wisconsinites. Our values
are to support our kids in

144
00:06:53,213 --> 00:06:56,517
public education and we are
not doing that.

145
00:06:56,583 --> 00:06:58,752
>> Across the political
aisle. Republican State

146
00:06:58,819 --> 00:07:01,755
Representative Lindy Brill
from Sheboygan Falls says

147
00:07:01,822 --> 00:07:05,058
state budgets need to be
balanced.

148
00:07:05,526 --> 00:07:07,961
education is a priority in
our state, which I do

149
00:07:08,028 --> 00:07:10,330
believe our future
generations is a priority,

150
00:07:10,397 --> 00:07:12,132
then we need to figure out
where we're cutting

151
00:07:12,199 --> 00:07:15,035
elsewhere.
state school funding

152
00:07:15,102 --> 00:07:17,237
formula.
>> I do think we are well

153
00:07:17,304 --> 00:07:19,473
overdue to look at it now.
That doesn't mean a

154
00:07:19,540 --> 00:07:23,277
complete overhaul, but I do
think we need to figure out

155
00:07:23,343 --> 00:07:26,747
if this is the best way to
serve the state.

156
00:07:26,813 --> 00:07:29,650
compromise, school boards
and administrators will

157
00:07:29,716 --> 00:07:33,220
continue to struggle and
keep asking voters for more

158
00:07:33,287 --> 00:07:35,856
money.
day, we still need to

159
00:07:36,723 --> 00:07:38,725
balance the budget. And we
don't we don't have the

160
00:07:38,792 --> 00:07:41,662
money to do it.
>> And in many cases, it's

161
00:07:41,728 --> 00:07:43,730
all but certain that rural
communities will keep

162
00:07:43,797 --> 00:07:49,136
closing schools. Reporting
closing schools. Reporting