WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – The Wausau School District, the only school district in the area that hasn’t opened for in-person instruction, has seen large numbers of students leave.
School officials revealed at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting that 433 students have transferred out of the district. Materials presented to the school board said “parents are voting with their feet.”
Declining enrollment will have an impact on school funding. When a student transfers or open-enrolls, per-student state aid moves from one district to another. Under the 2020-2021 state funding formula, the basic open enrollment amount is $8,000, and just under $13,00 for a student with disabilities. Out-of-district transfers could cost the Wausau School District in excess of $3.4-million in state aid this year.
During Monday’s Board of Education meeting several parents complained about technical problems with virtual learning. Some of the district’s online portals were overloaded at the start of the school year, and parents and students complained that the district’s helpline was overwhelmed. Parents and students claimed that district-issued Chromebooks have frozen-up.
The school board voted 5-3 to resume some in-person learning starting on November 2. That decision will be reviewed based on local COVID-19 data at the board’s October 12 meeting. The Marathon County Department of Health has reported higher COVID-19 activity in recent weeks. Of the schools that have opened in Marathon County, there are 36 confirmed COVID cases. 456 people are under quarantine because of school-related cases.
Wausau East High School announced a two week hold for their football and tennis teams over the weekend. A news release from the school district last weekend said the decision was made because of “higher COVID activity within the community.” It hasn’t been revealed how many, if any, team members have tested positive. The East football team played its first game of the season last Friday. The tennis team has participated in two matches so far this fall.
