Abbey Machtig:

The Madison School District has big plans to update 10 of its aging schools using taxpayer dollars if voters approve a $507 million referendum in November.

But those plans don’t take into account the current decline in student enrollment, and there is no plan, for now at least, to close or consolidate any schools. 

For one thing, district officials expect enrollment to bounce back as Dane County grows. For another, they say, the improvements can’t wait.

“That isn’t the motivation for this referenda and these facility changes right now,” School Board President Nichelle Nichols said of student enrollment trends. “It is literally based on just the age and condition of our buildings and wanting them to get updated.”

Student enrollment in the district dropped off during the COVID-19 pandemic from a high of around 27,000 to 25,547 in 2022. It’s now at 25,565 students. 

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More on the fall tax & $pending increases referendum amidst declining enrollment.

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The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”

My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results

2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results 

Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.

“An emphasis on adult employment”

Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]

WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators

Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results

Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.

When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?