Monona Grove -- Stand Together or Split Apart?

A reader posed the following question:
"Would you consider a stream on the split of this district? I know that this has been talked about in the past but is it time to revisit this as a possibility?"


This question comes up frequently.  The animosity between Monona and Cottage Grove is exhausting at times, and it is not a surprise that people turn to this option as a solution.  However, there are several obstacles that must be considered.


First, the tax money that comes into the district is currently 55% from Monona and 44% from the Village & Town of Cottage Grove combined.  Therefore, each community is contributing about half of the tax dollars for funding.
The actual data from the district for 2009 is:
Monona = 55%
Village of Cottage Grove = 28%
Town of Cottage Grove = 16%
Other = 1%


Second, the DPI must approve any district splits and their history on this is to deny these requests.  Wisconsin has a large number of school districts and the budget issues facing all of them mean districts should consider consolidating, rather than splitting.


The reality is that both Monona and Cottage Grove need what the other community brings to the district.  Cottage Grove has 70% of the elementary population in K-5.  Monona has 20% and open enrollment make up the remaining 5%.  State funding is tied to enrollment and whether or not it is increasing or decreasing.  Recent trends have shown growth in Cottage Grove, which has helped the district.  It is not likely that the Monona community could support a stand alone district with only 20% of the student population down the road.


While Monona has plenty of building space to house Monona students, Cottage Grove doesn't have a high school.  Consider the $30 million price tag of Glacial Drumlin School and it is not likely that Cottage Grove can come up with the funding to build a high school in the near future.


The district website posts updates from Board President Susan Fox.  The April 8, 2010 update includes the following paragraph:
Over the past couple months, some citizens have raised the issue of a possible split of the district between Cottage Grove and Monona and asked for copies of the split study completed in 2005 by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance.  Please note that both the construction of Glacial Drumlin and the changes in state law make the results of the study invalid today. The Program Impact Report, however, remains applicable, and the impact of a split on programming would be substantial. The Board reaffirmed the importance of keeping the Monona Grove School District intact.


If splitting the district is not a viable option, then we must turn the discussion to what we need to do to repair our district and maintain the strong level of programming we have been known for in the past.  How can we bring the communities together instead of tearing them apart?  Who is up for the leadership task to accomplish this very difficult goal?  Do we have the right school board in place to get the job done?


The Monona Grove School District belongs to all of the citizens and students in both communities.  It is time for the board to listen to all of its constituents and make responsible decisions for the future.  Every single person in this district should pay attention to what the board is doing right now and let them know whether or not they're on the right track.


Contact the board at mgsdboard@mgschools.net.  Messages are automatically copied to the superintendent.