Wisconsin school districts will be eligible for $2,000 per student extra in funding for the first year if a series of bills in the state are passed into law.
A group of Republican lawmakers are pushing the bills as the state’s K-12 student population declines by an estimated 10,000 students. The state’s largest school district, Milwaukee public schools, saw a total enrollment drop of nearly 30,000 students (32.8%) between 2006 and 2024.
The five consolidation bills were introduced Wednesday by lawmakers.
They include a bill for a statewide consolidation feasibility study, a $25,000 grant for each district to conduct its own consolidation or shared services study, grants for districts that consolidate but have differing levy limits and school board consolidation grants of $500 per student for whole grade sharing.
The bills come after legislative Republicans announced they would be pushing for legislation to encourage school consolidation in early September.
