Board approves College Kickstart pilot and cooperative agreement with La Crosse and Western Technical College

The Onalaska School District Board on Dec. 9 approved a cooperative "6603" agreement with the School District of La Crosse to pilot College Kickstart, a January–May program that places eligible students (IEP-team decisions) in college classes at Western Technical College.

Shelby Canon, the district’s transition coordinator, described the pilot as a seven-week sequence: a college-success course followed by a seven-week college-level course (students may choose a psychology three-credit option or a 3D printing option), and supplementary instruction on campus navigation, disability-services use and transportation. Shelby said the pilot aims to reduce social, emotional and logistic barriers that keep students with disabilities from participating in postsecondary education; she cited the district’s Indicator 14 follow-up data and said the program will collect additional outcome data over time.

District staff described estimated student costs for Western credits: the psychology plus college-success combination was presented at about $640 per student, and the 3D printing plus college-success option at about $480 per student; final cost sharing with La Crosse will be proportionate to participation. Transportation plans include some self-transporting students, MTU bus passes (with district help), and district transportation for return trips when needed. Shelby said the pilot will begin Jan. 1 and run through May 16 and that participating students must meet IEP-team eligibility and have space in their schedules (primarily seniors). The board moved and approved the cooperative agreement on a motion that referenced the statutory authority; trustees asked staff to verify statutory wording and noted that the transcript’s statutory citation and language appeared to mirror state statute phrasing.