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Petitions to Detach a Small Territory from a District

Wednesday, January 19, 2022


As a reminder for district administrators on reorganization requests--specifically detachment and attachment of small territory initiated by the owner--there are several processes that school districts may consider reorganizing (browse our Public School District Reorganization webpage). As summarized in Wis. Stats. 117.12(2), a small territory, owner-initiated petition may be filed by either a majority of the electors residing in the territory proposed to be detached or the owners of 50 percent or more of the territory proposed to be detached, as measured by the territory's assessed valuation divided by its assessment ratio.

Process Due Prior to February 1

Petitions for the detachment and attachment of any small territory must be filed before February 1 with the clerk of the school district to which the territory is currently attached. The petition must include a description of the parcel or territory proposed for detachment, and this description must be sufficiently accurate to determine its location in the school district in which it is located, as certified by the clerk of each town, village or city within which all or part of the parcel or territory is located. The petition must also state the number of pupils residing in the territory who were enrolled in the district to which the territory is currently attached, as certified by the district clerk (use the most recent third Friday in September or second Friday in January count). The petition should be filed personally or mailed directly to the clerk of the school district to which the territory is currently attached.

Appeals of School Board Decision to Deny Detachment are Due Prior to March 15

Appeals of School Board decisions on small boundary detachments and attachments are due to DPI prior to March 15. The School District Boundary Appeal Board consists of a three-member board with one member from a small, medium and large district, while each CESA has a representative that serves a two-year term (review school district boundary Appeal Board evaluation criteria). Note that, in recent years, there have been very few appeals with most detachment/attachment requests being handled at the local level.