HUSTISFORD, Wis. — The Hustisford School District's future is uncertain as the administration decides how best to try and stay open.
The district consists of two schools and about 240 students, grades K-12. After the most recent school board meeting, the superintendent said they need more money to keep the lights on.
The school board is facing a $1.6 million deficit, something interim superintendent Todd Bugnacki said forces them to put a vote out to the community for an operational referendum in April so they can function for two years, and then decide to dissolve or consolidate.
Parent Alyssa Cloninger hopes voters approve it.
"I cried. I had a really hard time with that information," she said. "It's heartbreaking to see how much these kids love this school and what that could mean for them in their future."
Watch: Parent heartbroken as rural Dodge County school faces dissolution or consolidation
Cloninger's son is living with autism, something that scared her at first when it came to finding the right school for him, but Hustisford helped him thrive.
"They care so deeply about these students, they show up at all of the events, and they're cheering these kids on!" she said. "It's heartbreaking. It is. What it could potentially do to this community, not to have a school in this district—it is impactful on another level."
She said the small class size, one-on-one time with teachers, and tight-knit community make this place special.
Bugnacki said state funding changes are one of the main problems.
"Consolidation is probably the best opportunity to increase the likelihood of keeping the school in the community," Bugnacki said. "Something is broken with the system. You're not going to point it at any one particular person, or entity, but certainly the state this year has pivoted, and it's put school districts in a bind."
To dissolve means there would be no school in town. To consolidate means a campus could remain, but they'd have to combine with other nearby districts.
Both Bugnacki and Cloninger said change is inevitable. They understand property tax increases are not desirable, but to tide them over for now, for their kids, they believe anything that keeps a school in town is the best option.
"This school has completely turned my idea of what a future could look like for him [her 10-year-old son Forrest], turned it into something that I am excited about," Cloninger said. "I am excited to see where he goes after high school."
At the Jan. 19 school board meeting, the board will vote on adding an operational referendum option on the ballot for the spring election in April.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
