Two School Districts in Rural Central Wisconsin Moving Through Consolidation Process

Thursday, August 20th, 2026 -- 10:00 AM

(Avery Martinez, Wisconsin Public Radio) -Two school districts in rural Wisconsin are facing a tough choice, consolidate and improve opportunities and finances, or stay separate and risk going it alone.

According to Avery Martinez with Wisconsin Public Raio, for School District of Loyal Administrator Chris Lindner, it’s a crossroads. A referendum in November will determine if the process to consolidate with the School District of Greenwood moves forward.

There are vocal supporters and opponents in both districts, located in central Wisconsin’s Clark County. Lindner said he understands some of the hesitation on consolidation. The two districts have been rivals in the past.

Lindner, who grew up in Greenwood, was against it himself several years ago. But, he said times have changed. “I believe in the survival of our districts, but I also believe in the survival of many rural districts, something needs to be done,” Lindner said.

He’s felt that for some time, reinforced by education conferences he’s gone to with Greenwood Administrator Joe Green. Lindner said they’ve consistently heard something from other district leaders: “’A lot of eyes on you two.’ Because it seems like whatever happens here, if it does go forward, we’ll be the poster boy.”

If Loyal and Greenwood are successful, they could provide a blueprint for future rural districts that face dropping enrollments, lower budgets and other challenges, according to Lindner.

“I will do whatever I can do to make that happen,” he said. “If it doesn’t go through, I’m not in the mood to go look for another dancing partner at this stage.” At those same conferences, Lindner said he’s heard many Wisconsin school districts are searching and struggling to find ways to meet their local needs.

Many face problems with operating referendums, he said, and budgets. “You’ve got to be as efficient as you can with your funds, but you’re still not enough,” he said. And, Lindner said the reality is that the world of rural education is different from even five years ago and not just in Loyal and Greenwood.

“You’ll see more and more of this in the area, or in the state,” he said. Lindner feels consolidation works well for Greenwood and Loyal because the towns are only 6 miles apart. “Neither have any debt, use the same bus service,” Lindner said. “There’s just a lot of things that work in our matter.”

But, Lindner isn’t sure what the impact will be if they fail, locally or statewide. Rural schools have been facing funding and operating problems in Wisconsin for some time. State records show that over the past two decades, more than 600 public schools have closed.

Nearly 40 percent of them were located in small, rural counties. PBS Wisconsin recently talked to two rural schools that had to shut down. Earlier this year, a school board in Dodge County voted to completely dissolve the school district before 2027.

Lindner said he’s heard from other rural superintendents that districts must work together to stay alive. “You need to do that,” Lindner said. “Otherwise, you just can’t do it on your own. That’s the way it is.”

Lindner said declining enrollment and population shifts play a role, with a growing Amish and Mennonite community opting for homeschooling. “And just parents not having as many kids or any kids, you can definitely see our enrollment, both of our enrollments decline,” Lindner said.

The district is also losing students to rural virtual academies, sometimes called RVAs, which allow students to take classes virtually online, Lindner said. “We do have our own RVA, but it’s amazing that we still see other kids go off to other RVAs,” Lindner said.

Greenwood and Loyal have floated consolidation for years; the first proposal was in 1960, Lindner said. There have been at least four other attempts as recent as 2006. None passed, he said.

Then, in 2023, Green asked Lindner if there was a way for the districts to “bring the wall down” and work together on whatever they could. That lead to combined sports teams, drama clubs and classes with students from both districts.

But,  Lindner had a rule. “We’re not going to use the word consolidation,” he said, saying he was worried about how people would react. Until the first joint Greenwood and Loyal school board meeting.

“First thing out of someone’s mouth in the community was, ‘Why are we talking collaboration, not consolidation?’” Lindner said. In April 2025, the dual board started a consolidation study, after a local vote in both communities showed support for a possible district consolidation, according to the study’s website.

If the districts decide to move forward, they will follow an 18-month timeline, according to Lindner. A referendum going to voters in November will advise the board on a potential resolution.

If that resolution passes, which could be voted on in December, locals could petition for a binding vote in April of 2027, according to the Loyal School District. “When we talked about going into consolidation, we talked about two big things: student opportunities, and then saving money, taxpayer money,” he said.

The study predicts that by the 2028-29 school year, there would be about 71 seniors in high school of the new combined district. The class would be made of 42 students from Loyal, and 29 from Greenwood.

“It probably won’t be unicorns and rainbows for everyone. But I think that’s something that needs to be done,” Lindner said.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.