HARTLAND, Wis. — The Arrowhead Union School District is considering eliminating open enrollment after two failed referendums. The district says it is now looking for ways to save money and move from two buildings that house the high school down to one.
Watch: Couple wants open enrollment as Arrowhead School Dist. considers eliminating it
The district currently serves around 2,000 students, with about 14% coming from outside the district through open enrollment — double the state average of 7%, according to district officials.
"When we start thinking about our enrollment situation, Arrowhead has been accepting a lot of non-resident students for a lot of years, and that has been artificially keeping our enrollment at a number where it wouldn't be if we were just servicing Arrowhead resident families," Superintendent Conrad Farner said.
If open enrollment is eliminated, the district projects enrollment could drop to around 1,500 students over the next five years. This reduction would allow the district to consolidate from two high school buildings to one. They say this would save between $750,000 to $1 million annually.
"That administratively is the only thing we can think of to do to get everyone under one roof," Farner said.
The consolidation plan stems from the district's inability to secure funding for building repairs through referendums. District officials say eliminating open enrollment would not eliminate the need for a future referendum, but it could reduce the size and cost of such a measure.
Not everyone supports the potential change. Community members like Jane DeSmidt, whose grandchildren attend area schools, value the choice open enrollment provides for people in public schools.
"I think there are many good schools in the area. I think you should be able to select," DeSmidt said.
Paul DeSmidt echoed concerns about the financial motivation behind the proposal.
"We would not want them to eliminate open enrollment for a sake of a financial decision," he said.
The school board introduced the discussion at its recent meeting, but has not made any final decisions. Board members say they are still analyzing potential cost savings before determining how to move forward.
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