Germantown board approves petition to attach Hillside Road parcel under state reorganization rule

The Germantown School Board voted Feb. 17 to grant a petition that will detach a parcel at 1212 Hillside Road and attach it to the Germantown School District under Wisconsin Stat. 117.11–117.13. The board approved motions and passed two resolutions authorizing orders of reorganization following a public hearing.

Emma and Alex Gooding, who live on the boundary line, told the board the petition was driven primarily by geography and logistics. "Germantown High School is approximately half the distance from our home compared to Hartford High School," Emma Gooding said, adding that Germantown is about 6 miles from their house while Hartford is "over 12 miles." The Goodings also cited state DPI data they said show stronger and more consistent outcomes in Germantown and noted most of their immediate neighbors already attend Germantown schools.

District Administrator Dr. Doug Reuter said he did not see an adverse financial impact to Germantown from accepting the parcel. "I don't see anything that would preclude you as a board tonight to act to move forward with their request," he told trustees. Administration also noted the petition aligns with the statutory factors that guide these reorganization requests.

The board first voted to grant the transfer described in the petition and then voted to adopt resolutions authorizing the issuance of orders for reorganization that detach the territory from Holy Hill Area School District and Hartford Union School District and attach it to the Germantown School District. The board's roll calls on both motions were recorded as affirmative across the membership present; the board president said the district will execute secondary documents after the meeting to finalize the administrative process.

The petitioners said they discussed open enrollment but found there were no seats available; they also said they declined to solicit neighbor signatures to avoid disrupting other districts financially. Board members who asked questions cited GIS maps and development history, and several trustees expressed sympathy for the Goodings' point about neighborhood continuity and transportation time.

Next steps include administrative completion of the statutory paperwork and signatures on the order of reorganization; the board noted the petitioner may still work through appeals or related procedures in the other districts as those bodies complete their processes.

Votes and motions connected to this action will be filed with the board's clerk as part of the reorganization record.