Report (pdf) - School Management Services

The Project Consultants further conclude that, as student enrollment
decline continues in the School District of Bruce, Ladysmith-Hawkins
School District, and Weyerhaeuser Area School District and, as a result,
programs and services—of necessity—decline, the leadership of the two
school districts (Ladysmith-Hawkins School District is not currently so
classified) can anticipate that there will be heightened losses of students
through attrition in the future. Attritional losses of students, in turn, will
confound School Boards and District Administrators in accurately projecting
a subsequent year’s enrollment, staffing, and budgeting.
2.6 Open Enrollment
Open enrollment is a variable that can significantly impact the short-term
and long-term enrollment, financial, program and service, and staffing
viability of Wisconsin school districts and, as a result, was examined by the
Project Consultants in conducting the Consolidation Feasibility Study.
The State of Wisconsin authorizes parents to enroll their youngsters in an
alternative school district to the one in which they reside—providing there is
sufficient space available in the receiving school district to accept such inmigrating
students. If a school district experiences a larger number of “outmigrating
students” than “in-migrating students,” the school district’s future
could be jeopardized through losses in enrollment, finances, staffing, and
programs and services.
Based on information provided by the school district’s administration, the
Project Consultants learned that, in 2007-08, the School District of Bruce
currently enrolled +7 non-resident students who had “in-migrated” from
other school districts and reported -40 resident students had “out-migrated”
© Roger Worner Associates, Inc.
37