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Board approves consent agenda, votes to withdraw from Dane County consortium and approves virtual-school transfer requests — all actions unanimous
Summary
The McFarland School Board unanimously approved a set of routine business items and took three additional unanimous votes: to withdraw from the Dane County School Consortium, to authorize the superintendent to vote for dissolution if called, and to accept recommended student transfers from virtual academies back to resident districts.
The McFarland School Board unanimously approved a set of routine and business items and took three additional unanimous actions affecting regional workforce programming and virtual learners.
On the consent agenda, the board approved minutes and financial transactions including general fund vouchers and purchasing card reports. The agenda item presented the general fund vouchers as numbers 183302 through 183558 and 293216 through 293256 and purchasing card transactions dated January 2025 through February 2025.
The board then voted, 5-0, to withdraw from the Dane County School Consortium interagency agreement. Board members also authorized the superintendent to vote in favor of dissolving the consortium if a formal dissolution vote is called by participating districts; that authorization also passed 5-0. The district and others explained the consortium’s fiscal agent, Monona Grove School District, has said it cannot continue in the fiscal-agent role and no other district volunteered to assume that role. If the consortium dissolves, the transcript indicates grant administration responsibilities will shift to individual districts; McFarland said it will work with the Department of Workforce Development and intends to maintain its youth apprenticeship programming, including supporting its CTE coordinator.
Finally, the board approved requests to transfer students from WECA/Destination Career Academy and Insight School of Wisconsin back to their resident districts for lack of engagement, under Wisconsin statutory procedures cited during the presentation. The board approved the recommended transfers unanimously; board materials listed the affected students by grade: one second grader, one fourth grader, one fifth grader, one sixth grader, three seventh graders and seven eighth graders.
All actions recorded on the agenda were approved on unanimous 5-0 votes at the meeting.
Votes at a glance - Consent agenda (minutes of 03/03/2025 meeting; general fund vouchers 183302'183558; vouchers 293216'293256; purchasing card transactions dated January'February 2025): approved 5-0. - Withdrawal from Dane County School Consortium interagency agreement (90 days'notice to June 30 deadline): approved 5-0. Board also authorized superintendent to vote in favor of dissolving the consortium if a dissolution vote is called: approved 5-0. - WECA/Destination Career Academy and Insight School of Wisconsin recommended student transfers back to resident districts for lack of engagement (statutory authority cited): approved 5-0. Affected students listed by grade (2nd:1; 4th:1; 5th:1; 6th:1; 7th:3; 8th:7).
Procedural and budget notes: district staff told the board that, should the consortium dissolve, grant administration and fiscal responsibilities would shift to districts and that McFarland will need to make short-term arrangements to administer its youth apprenticeship program funds and support its CTE coordinator. The board discussed fundraising and budgeting generally for other items on the agenda but took no additional financial action at this meeting.
The meeting adjourned after those actions; the board set a public agenda item for April 7 for the committee recommendation on school naming.
