Jan 11, 2026
by ANASTASIA PENCHI
DE SOTO, Wis. — A De Soto Area School District committee is finalizing its recommendation to address the district’s declining enrollment and aging buildings.
The upcoming recommendation from the 33-member Community Stakeholder Committee will likely advise the board to maintain all buildings at a minimal level for some amount of time and later add an elementary school addition to the existing middle/high school in order to create a 4K-12 campus.
The district formed the committee last year after voters rejected an operational referendum in Spring 2025. A total of three operational referendums have failed during the past two years, and that hasn’t been the district’s only challenge. An elementary principal was put on leave at the beginning of last year, but after community pushback the principal was rehired, the superintendent resigned and several incumbent school board members were not re-elected.
In late 2025, the district surveyed every household regarding four potential facility options, ranging from maintaining the status quo to consolidation:
– Continue to operate all four buildings ($24.4 million)
– Combine the two elementary schools into one building ($27-$29.1 million)
– Close Prairie View and move those students to the middle/high school ($32.3 million)
– Close both elementary schools and create a 4K-12 campus at the middle & high school ($42.7 million)
The survey results show no consensus among residents.
“We’ve got a heck of a lot to talk about,” said Holly Nickelatti, school board president and committee leader as she opened the committee’s Jan. 8 meeting. “There was not any one option that rose to the top.”
Despite the mixed survey feedback, committee members identified the creation of a 4K-12 campus as the most “fiscally responsible” path forward. They also said it is important to maintain the existing schools at a minimal level for a yet-determined amount of time.
Data reviewed by the committee indicates enrollment has dropped 13 percent over the last decade, with projections showing a likely continued decline of up to 15 percent. Additionally, a recent study identified $24.4 million in high-priority building needs over the next five years across the district’s facilities: Stoddard Elementary, Prairie View Elementary in Retreat and the De Soto Middle & High School.
Interim Superintendent Craig Gerlach expressed optimism about the opportunities a unified campus could provide.
“In the long run, it makes sense,” Gerlach said. “I think there’s solutions we haven’t even thought of.”
Committee members emphasized that while the plan involves consolidation, the needs of different age groups would be respected. Members noted that the district must help the community understand that younger students can flourish at a bigger campus, clarifying that the layout is designed so that students are not “walking halls together” with older peers.
Several committee members said tax implications remain a primary concern for residents. Nickelatti said the district plans to launch a “myth busters” campaign and create a newsletter to help correct misunderstandings and improve communication.
The committee acknowledged that a consolidated campus would require adjustments, particularly regarding parking, playgrounds and sports fields. Keeping existing elementary schools open for some time provides extra time to address challenges. While some families may resist the
closure of elementary buildings in Stoddard and Retreat, the committee believes facility improvements at a central campus could ultimately attract new families to the district.
“I think debating what people will do is such a difficult thing,” Nickelatti said.
The committee will meet once more to finalize the language of their recommendation, which they plan to make at the Feb. 16 meeting of De Soto Area School Board.
Anastasia Penchi is veteran writer who spent 13 years as a newspaper journalist and now works as a freelance writer. You may have seen her work in Coulee Region Women’s magazine, the Great Rivers Road blog and Explore La Crosse. Her passions are helping people in poverty and trying to save traditional journalism. She resides in Genoa and is a board member with Couleecap Inc. She can be reached at callmeloislane@hotmail.com.
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