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Caledonia to further examine secession
By Brent Killackey
Journal Times
CALEDONIA - They're still thinking about secession in Caledonia.
On Tuesday night, the Village Board moved a step closer to authorizing a feasibility study of leaving the Racine Unified School District and forming a new district. It agreed to have the Community Development Authority work with the Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance to finalize a scope of services, which would specify what the village wants the Alliance to examine.
Depending on the study parameters, the cost would range between $15,000 to $50,000 - although a range of $15,000 to $30,000 seemed most likely, village officials said.
The Village Board would need to approve the scope of services brought forward by the Community Development Authority.
The meeting dates were not immediately set, although the Community Development Authority was expected to meet later this month.
"They've had the most recent experience in this to where they know what they're doing," said Trustee Kevin Wanggaard.
Additionally, as a nonprofit organization, the alliances charges for its time and expenses without trying to make a profit, he said.
The study will examine the benefits of forming a separate school district, Wanggaard said, adding that while everyone wants Unified to succeed, there are some questions that need to be answered.
"I think it's a positive step and it will answer questions, and, hopefully, Unified will work with us and not against us," Wanggaard said.
At Tuesday's meeting, the board received more than 100 additional signatures on a petition that has been circulating in support of a feasibility study, Wanggaard said. That brought the total to 479 signatures.
Seceding from Racine Unified was explored several years ago, but the idea was dropped after supporters found Caledonia's status as a town prevented progress on the matter. After Caledonia became a village on Oct. 25, 2005, the idea of forming a school district resurfaced.
A number of community leaders previously have acknowledged that Racine Unified's current performance on standardized tests and low graduation rates have hindered efforts to attract businesses and jobs.
Earlier this year, then-Village President Jonathan Delagrave and the Community Development Authority considered recommending the addition of an advisory referendum to the April 3 general election ballot. The discussion of conducting a feasibility study stems from those referendum discussions.
"The village completed an economic development plan last spring and one of the components that was in the plan was the issue of public schools," Delagrave said earlier this year. "It has been my idea for a long time to pursue the answer to the question on whether it makes sense for Caledonia to have an independent school district."
Delagrave did not seek re-election as village president. His successo, Ron Coutts, appointed Delagrave to the Community Development Authority.
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