Notes from the district administrator

Referendum

On April 4, our community will be making a major decision on the future of not only our school, but our community. April 4 is the date for every person 18 years old or older to exercise their right to vote. Our school district will be asking for approval to exceed the revenue limit by going to an “operational referendum.” This referendum would allow us to maintain current educational programs, staff and facility maintenance. As we take the next month to inform the community on why we need this, I can come up with one answer: our students, who are the future of our community.

I have heard questions of why we need an operational referendum and there are multiple reasons. Here are a few: In 1993 the state implemented a revenue cap, which limited school district’s ability to increase funding without an operational referendum. The revenue cap is based on enrollment, prior year revenue and expenses, and equalization aid. Over the past 20 years, the Loyal School District has had declining enrollment, just as 80 percent of Wisconsin school districts. We took a hit this year of 30 students, but enrollment looks to level off for the next four to five years, then take another dip after that.

Since 2014, our district has had an operational referendum to help meet operational costs. Each year, the district balances the budget by cutting costs and implementing energy conservation, and through staff attrition. However, recent cost increases and declining enrollment have impacted the district’s ability to maintain operations at the current level of $675,000 per year., If you would like more information, please go to the district’s website where you find an information sheet, “frequently asked questions” area and other general information concerning the referendum.

The district will be hosting an informational meeting on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. in the district conference room and Wednesday, March 22, at 7 p.m., prior to the regular monthly board meeting in the district conference room. Please join us at either of these meetings for more information on the operational referendum.

For our students, our staff and our community, please vote on April 4.

Collaboration between Greenwood and Loyal

The Loyal and Greenwood school districts have formed an agreement to work together to provide an efficient collaboration that will provide the resources for both districts’ students and staff to thrive, not just survive. A joint committee has been formed consisting of board members and administration from both districts. The joint committee has met four times this year to plan the staff collaboration in-services. With these meetings there has been a lot of progress in establishing a good working relationship among the boards, administration and staff. The teaching staffs have come together twice, with the third time on March 1.

What has been established in these collaborations of staff has been relationship building sessions. The staff members were split into groups according to what grade level or department they teach in. The second and third collaboration sessions have and will deal with gathering knowledge and discussion centered around building the culture of both districts to ensure student learning and the improvement of learning for both students and staff.

Mr. Green and I both focus on ways we can continuously improve on our teaching and learning strategies. Never being satisfied is the common theme for the both of us. Both administrations have worked together to establish a uniform calendar and schedule that will allow the two districts to do more with their teachers and students.

Our administrative team has worked on several areas to work together to share resources. For example, we participated in a joint ACT bootcamp, a joint Future Business Leaders of Americasponsored Milwaukee Bucks trip and we are hosting nationally-renowned speaker Terrence Talley to come and speak to our elementary, middle school and high school students and a night session for our community and parents.

The committee and administration have also worked on doing more activities together such as looking at co-oping more sports than in previous years. The districts already co-op in both middle school and high school wrestling, cross country and softball. This spring we will have a cooperative middle school baseball team and in the fall of 2023 middle school football will also join as one. Starting in the fall of 2024 both high school football programs will become one.

With more and more athletics coming together for the two districts, the committee felt that there should be a separate mascot and colors for the combined teams. This has been brought up the last two years with the softball co-op not having an identity. Both districts will keep their own mascots and colors; it will still be the Loyal Greyhounds and the Greenwood Indians when apart, but when we have a co-op sport we will now be known as the Wolves. The Wolves came about by surveying the middle school and high school students from both districts to come up with their idea of a mascot. Eighty-seven students entered their idea for a mascot. The top three most common mascots were chosen to be voted on by the same students. The top three mascots were the Wolves, Patriots and Eagles. After roughly 150 votes, the Wolves had 51 percent, Patriots had 26 percent and Eagles had 23 percent.