Dear Editor:
It came to my attention that Dodgeville School District (DSD) had a net chg/decline of -118 students in the 2024-25 school year due to open enrollment (153 transferred out, and 35 transferred in). Per open enrollment records, there was a net -93 student decline in 2023-24, and a net chg of -94 students in 2022-23. So why are Dodgeville students leaving for other districts? Statistics show several reasons why students transfer out or into a different school district. Number 1 reason is for the “best interest of pupil.” Interestingly, the 2nd highest reason is due to being “bullied or harassed.” Education is for the students so if we have stellar schools and no problems, why would our resident students want to go elsewhere? And of course it does impact the District’s financial health. I believe Dodgeville budgeted $1,651,600 to reimburse nonresident districts for our students who transferred out. No amount of referendum monies will sustain this yearly loss. Is the administration and board researching this net loss of students? Is it due to bullying, curriculum, teaching, etc? Dodgeville schools offer 50+ extracurricular activities and athletics so it’s doubtful this is the reason students are leaving.
Nancy Mueller Dodgeville, WI