Jan. 14, 2019 – West Bend, WI – Last December more than a dozen parents and students spoke before the West Bend School Board with regard to the impact and importance of Pathways Charter School in West Bend.
The School Board determined a final decision to dissolve Pathways Charter School would be made Jan. 28, 2019.
It appears, according to documention posted on the School District site that a recommendation will be made for Pathways to be eliminated.
Click HERE for the rest of the report.
Interesting. Pathways takes 0.74% of the budget and helps 58 students, but no matter, it must close.
It saddens me to see government education being so cookie-cutter and if your child doesn’t fit in, too bad. Innovation is lost in the West Bend School District. We once had a school board that was conservative and really cared about better education and yes, choices. Again, lost here.
The numbers from the WBSD don’t seem right. From DPI website it says the cost per pupil in 2016-17 was $9663 or $11,565, depending on what is included.
Are they comparing apples to apples? I’d like to hear their rationale, if they will do it.
I have taken advantage of alternative school options for both of my kids in order to compliment there learning style and best prepare them for life after high school.
I appreciate the Pathway program because it took an average student and made him excel. It offers customized school according to his interest, keeps him engaged and it translates how the subjects they study into real life. I think this program deserves to be renewed, as well as promoted. So many people don’t understand what charter school is and how it works. The programs featured and benefits are not marketed well.
As a Realtor, WBSD is not a sought after district in compared to other schools in the area. If this program was explained and marketed better it could be a model for other school districts. Kettle Moraine school district now has a waiting list for there similar program KM Explore. WBSD has started and stopped alternative learning programs like virtual school, make a commitment and excel.
I am struggling with the math presented in section (A) of the superintendents review. It states the cost of Pathways for the 2018-2019 school year is $409,715. It then states that the cost per student for the 2018-2019 school year at Pathways is $10,926. Section (B) indicates there are 58 students at Pathways. This creates a $223,993 discrepancy between the stated cost of the school and the back of the envelop calculation of 58 students at $10,926 per student ($633,708). Either the cost per student is overstated or the cost for the school year is understated. As a tax payer, I question why this would be presented to the public in this manner as it invokes more questions than providing answers. It also leaves me wondering about the other numbers provided and which of the two above figures it is based upon.