"We do have our own wants and needs:" Does the Village of Caledonia need its own school district?

CALEDONIA (WITI) -- The Village of Caledonia is revisiting the idea of creating its own school district. The initial effort fizzled out six years ago, but supporters say it's time to try again.

Currently, the Village of Caledonia is part of the Racine Unified School District. In order for the village to leave, voters in the district would have to approve a referendum, and the Racine Unified School Board would have to approve Caledonia's departure.

Supporters say the village should have the final word -- not Racine school officials.

Brian Dey once served on the Racine Unified School Board. Now, he's pushing for Caledonia to go in a different direction and create its own school district.

"We're big enough. It's been an ongoing effort. There's been a lot of work done behind-the-scenes," Dey said.

In 2008, a similar push fell short when supporters failed to gather enough signatures to put the issue to a vote. Dey says the village has blossomed since then, and is ready to support its own school system.

"We are incorporated. We do have our own wants and needs," Dey said.

Neighbors listened on Monday, August 25th, as Dey made his pitch during an informational meeting.

Village officials say they want to do more research before voting on a resolution to support a new school district.

"The first thing we have to look at is if it`s even feasible. Do we have the buildings? How much money is it gonna cost? There`s a lot of questions that need to be answered and this is the starting point of looking into that," Caledonia Village President Bob Bradley said.

Dey says the biggest obstacle would be getting the Racine Unified School District to sign off on Caledonia's departure.

"From the numbers, we provide 25% of the revenue. They`re never going to even entertain the fact of us doing it," Dey said.

That's why Dey says the village needs state lawmakers to give residents the power to decide.

Dey says he's hoping the Wisconsin State Assembly will take up the issue in the upcoming spring session.

FOX6 News reached out to the Racine Unified School District for comment on this story -- but our messages were not returned.