Across Wisconsin, 69 public schools have shut down within the past two years, the Wisconsin State Journal reported, and more will close in the years ahead.
The news comes amid rising school costs, limited state funding, state-imposed revenue limits and insufficient special education funding. Enrollment has also declined statewide for 11 consecutive years.
Some districts are reportedly considering consolidation — a strategy that appears to be supported by state lawmakers in the Wisconsin Assembly, which passed a series of bills in November to provide financial incentives for school districts to take such action. The state Senate has not yet voted on the bills.
Critics of the consolidation strategy argue it is not a long-term solution and argue that it only delays the issue a matter of years before districts will once again need a referendum.
