The Caledonia Village Board unanimously approved spending $15,000 for their part of a joint school study that would allow them to lay the groundwork for pulling out of the Racine Unified School District.
Caledonia is one of three municipalities looking to explore several different models for an independent school district. Sturtevant already approved their part of the expenditure earlier this month, but Mount Pleasant has yet to pass its resolution.
The 7 to 0 vote went rather quickly at the meeting held Monday. But Caledonia Village Trustee Jim Dobbs — who opposed funding a study that would have only looked at a Caledonia Independent School District — asked for assurances from the Caledonia Village Board that Mount Pleasant was going to approve spending the money on the study.
Village trustee Kevin Wanggaard explained that the Mount Pleasant Finance Committee already recommended spending the money on the study and the Mount Pleasant Village Board is expected to consider the recommendation next week.
The study will be done by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Association at a total cost of $45,000; the Villages of Caledonia and Mount Pleasant will pay the remaining $30,000.
The WISTAX study is expected to look at the following options:
- Three separate K-8 districts and a unified high school
- Three separate K-12 districts
- Caledonia as its own district; Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant as a second district
- One new unified school district
Sturtevant and Caledonia residents in April approved non-binding referendums asking if they support the exploration of a school district separate from Racine Unified, and those villages included the expenditure in their 2016 budgets.
Once Mount Pleasant approves the expenditure, WisTax will begin the study. It is expected to be completed sometime in the next four to six months.
To learn more, check out our coverage on this issue.
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