Amid a noticeable dip in student numbers, Wisconsin’s public schools face a paradox: fewer students do not equate to lower operational costs. A recent study reveals that while enrollment has declined over the past decade and a half, expenses remain unyielding.
According to the Department of Public Instruction, public school enrollment in Wisconsin has decreased by over 9% in the last 15 years. This trend is largely attributed to falling birth rates, explained Sara Shaw, deputy research director at Wisconsin Policy Forum, during an interview on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” She noted, “as they lose students, they also lose the funding that would come with those students,” creating financial pressure on school districts.
Shaw co-authored the study examining the implications of declining K-12 enrollment and the financial quandaries schools encounter as they strive to provide services with diminishing funds. The report highlights a drop of roughly 80,000 students since 2011, a 9.2% decrease, with predictions of continued decline.
Despite the shrinking student population, the number of public schools in Wisconsin has only fallen by 3.2% in the same period. Erica Turner, a professor of education policy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, emphasized the misconception that fewer students equal savings. “If you have a class of 25 kids and five students are no longer there, you still need a teacher and you still need a school building,” she pointed out.
Interestingly, the report also uncovered that staffing levels have risen by 7% despite lower enrollments. The increase is most notable among paraprofessionals and non-classroom roles such as administration and counseling. School leaders attribute this higher staff-to-student ratio to a growing need for special education, English language learning, and mental health services.
Expenditure on special education is increasing across Wisconsin. Federal mandates require public schools to provide these services, yet funding falls short, as Turner remarked, compelling schools to compensate through their budgets.
The state currently covers only 35% of special education costs, an amount that both educators and advocates argue is insufficient. A budget proposal that would have increased this reimbursement rate to 42% for the 2025-26 academic year, and 50% for 2026-27, was recently rejected by the state Senate.
Some districts move to closing, consolidating schools
Faced with dwindling enrollments and constrained budgets, some districts are considering closing schools or merging districts. Last November, Republican legislators proposed bills to encourage such consolidations, but the Senate did not approve them.
The most recent district consolidation in Wisconsin occurred in 2018, when Friess Lake and Richfield Joint 1 School Districts merged to form the Holy Hill Area School District. Former Superintendent Tara Villalobos recalled the challenges to Education Week, stating, “We had a lot of huge rocks that needed to be moved.”
More common are school closures and mergers within districts. The Waukesha School District, the state’s seventh-largest, is currently consolidating and closing several schools after community discussions. Superintendent James Sebert reported a 25% decline in enrollment, with a 2% annual decrease anticipated over the next decade.
Following public feedback sessions, the school board decided to close two elementary schools and one middle school. Sebert expressed confidence, saying, “We think we can continue to have great results, and just do it in fewer buildings.”
However, not all reactions were positive. A parent shared with FOX6 News that some community members felt blindsided by the decision.
Shaw acknowledged the deep community ties to local schools, noting, “the hardest animal to kill is the school mascot,” due to the identity and pride associated with schools. Despite these challenges, Sebert is pleased that the Waukesha School District will be debt-free as of April, eliminating the immediate need for revenue-raising referendums.
Yet, many districts across the state may have to resort to operating referendums to bridge funding gaps, which might not always succeed, leading to “troubling gaps in funding between districts,” as highlighted in the report.
“This problem is not going away,” Shaw concluded.
