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Two New Berlin property detachment petitions prompt extended board debate over taxes and community ties
Summary
Two New Berlin residents asked the West Allis–West Milwaukee School District to detach their properties and attach to the New Berlin School District. Petitioners cited academics, extracurriculars and property-tax concerns; board members raised fiscal impacts, precedent and process. No formal decision was made at the meeting.
Two residents of properties inside West Allis–West Milwaukee School District boundaries asked the board to transfer their parcels to the New Berlin School District, prompting an extended discussion about taxes, community identity and district funding.
Petitioner John Lohman said he wants his property transferred so it is part of the district where he lives. “I’d like to change that,” Lohman said, explaining he grew up in the house at 2521 S. 124th Street and has felt “disconnected” living in New Berlin while assigned to West Allis schools. He cited New Berlin’s higher academic performance, smaller class sizes and broader extracurricular offerings as reasons for his request.
A second petitioner, John Mulling, told the board he lives about a mile from Eisenhower High School and said proximity has led prospective buyers to reject his house. “Anyone who buys my house and has kids of high school age has the right to go to that school but they can't,” Mulling said, adding that he has asked district and elected officials for help for years.
Board members pushed back on the idea that the petitions are a simple personal fix. Several members said the detachment process is intended for students seeking to attend a different district, not primarily to raise property values or shift tax burdens. The board repeatedly noted that removing property from the district reduces the tax base and can increase mill rates for remaining residents. A board member summarized that granting a detachment “would raise everyone else's taxes in our district because the revenue limit doesn't change,” and other members quantified the district’s prior losses from detachment: board members said roughly 160 parcels had been removed in earlier rounds and that the district lost about $480,000 in annual revenue as a result.
Board members also asked petitioners to address statutory criteria. One board member reminded the petitioners there are nine criteria to consider for detachment and asked Lohman specifically for an estimated fiscal effect and socioeconomic and racial composition impacts for the pupils at risk; Lohman said he did not have those figures. The board encouraged petitioners to consider open enrollment as an alternative for families seeking different schools.
The meeting record shows several board members emphasized the district's obligation to act in the interest of the majority of constituents and noted the potential precedent created by granting individual petitions. Several members said many of the neighbors who were eligible to move previously chose to remain in the district after visiting other schools.
The board did not vote on either petition at the meeting. A board member told petitioners they would receive an answer later in the month.
Ending: The petitions remain pending. The board signaled it will address the matters through the district’s formal review process and return with a decision in a later meeting.
