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KUSD superintendent: district lost roughly 3,000 students since 2018, open-enrollment outflows cost about $4.6 million
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Weiss told the Kenosha Unified School District board that enrollment in the districtattendance area fell about 3,000 students from around 25,000 in 2018 to roughly 22,000 in 202526#8211; open-enrollment outflows cost KUSD an estimated $4.6 million and KUSD compares favorably to some peer districts.
Dr. Weiss told the board that enrollment in the district attendance area has declined substantially over recent years, dropping from more than 25,000 students in 2018 to about 22,000 in 202526#8211;a loss he placed at roughly 3,000 students.
"So that's a drop of 3,000 students overall in the boundaries of KUSD," Dr. Weiss said, framing the trend as a major factor in district planning. He said increased family choice (charter, private schools, homeschooling) and demographic shifts contribute to the decline.
He gave a financial snapshot tied to open enrollment, explaining how payment flows work and the district's net cost. "For the 25/26 school year...if it's a regular education student, [the sending district] receives just over $10,000, 10,102," he said, and later summarized KUSD's net cost at about $4,600,000. He compared KUSD's net losses with peer large urban districts, noting Madison, Racine and Green Bay had larger net losses and higher net costs in his snapshot.
Board members used the data to put referral and strategic-planning conversations in context; Dr. Weiss said the district still aspires to its stated vision to be "Wisconsin's top performing urban school district" and that the enrollment data will inform upcoming strategy work.
The superintendent's report served as background for later agenda items, including budgetary planning and community outreach on possible referenda.
Speakers quoted: Dr. Weiss (Superintendent).
