Waunakee to Withdraw from Dane County School Consortium; District to Manage Youth Apprenticeship Grant Directly

Michelle, the district's career-and-technical education leader and Youth Apprenticeship coordinator, told the Waunakee Community School District Board on April 7 that the Dane County School Consortium (DCSC) has been unable to secure a fiscal agent and cannot continue operating after June 30 unless one appears.

The board voted to accept Michelle's recommendation to withdraw from the consortium and support dissolving it so the district can receive Youth Apprenticeship grant funding directly through the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin. The board also approved staff requests to provide operational support, including hiring a part-time administrative assistant to process apprenticeship paperwork and data.

The decision matters because the state-funded Youth Apprenticeship program supports students placed in employer-mentored pathways to high-skill, high-demand careers. Michelle told the board Waunakee's Youth Apprenticeship enrollment has grown from about 31 students in 2010 to 72 this school year and that conservatively the district expects roughly 85 students next year. She said Waunakee now has the largest number of youth apprentices among…