Loyal board asks for more info as district continues to weigh consolidation

By Valorie Brecht As the Greenwood and Loyal school boards have met jointly and discussed what it would look like to actively move toward consolidating the two districts, more and more questions have surfaced, including what the timeline should be and how much actual savings there would be through sharing facilities and staff.

After reviewing a study done by Robert W. Baird and Company on the potential financial impact of consolidation, the Loyal School Board was left with many questions, and passed a motion directing the administrators of both school districts to attempt to answer at least some of those questions. At the Nov. 20 board meeting, board president Dennis Roehl made a motion for Loyal District Administrator Chris Lindner and Greenwood District Administrator Joe Green look into four items: 1) two different start dates on the timeline for consolidating, 2) the cost savings of consolidating, 3) a ballot question for an advisory referendum and 4) a two-building Baird study.

Roehl included Item 3 in his motion because the board had expressed interest in trying to get a question ready for the April 1, 2025, ballot. It would be an advisory vote, meaning it is non-binding and merely intended to help the school board gauge the opinion of the electorate. In order for a question to appear on the ballot, it would need to be submitted to the district’s lawyer by Jan. 20. The board would need to approve the question first.

Roehl’s motion came on the heels of a roughly half-hour discussion on the Baird study and a public comment expressing concern about the pace at which the board was moving. Tim Froeba, city council member and local business owner, spoke at the beginning of the meeting. He wanted to know what had come out of the closed joint board meeting held Nov. 4 after the boards heard the results of the Baird study.

“What happened at that meeting, or because that was in closed session you can’t disclose that?” asked Froeba.

“We were just kind of seeing once, what does it look like for next steps with employees, staff members… What does that look like? Where are we moving?” said Lindner.

“OK. Is the faculty being involved in any of these discussions so they know what’s going on? Because I’m sure they’d like to know,” said Froeba.

“So, that is what tonight is going to have that discussion of — where are the next steps in this process,” Lindner replied.

Froeba also mentioned that the study indicated consolidation would not have to go to referendum to be approved (with the exception of if one of the school boards requested it or 10% of the electorate petitioned to have one).

“I think it should go to referendum. The school district uses taxes to run the building, to pay all the wages — this needs to go to referendum, no questions about it,” said Froeba.He also asked if the board had considered how many students the districts might lose, should they consolidate. He figured some families would choose to open-enroll to Spencer, Neillsville or other nearby communities, which is a big deal when the district receives $11,325 per student.

“I just think you’re pushing this too fast. You need to sit back, take your time. You got six, eight years or whatever. You

Please see Loyal, page 16 Greenwood School Board story also on page 16