Only one choice for La Crosse school consolidation?

Why didn’t they say so sooner? When the La Crosse school district sent a survey to parents about possible school consolidation earlier this year, it asked people what they thought about combining Central and Logan High schools. The survey asked voters if they would be likely to approve combining the schools at the old Trane Company headquarters. A majority of those surveyed supported the district’s idea. But what the survey didn’t say is that if a referendum is not passed, La Crosse’s two high schools would still be combined. That news came from La Crosse’s superintendent over the weekend. He told parents of district students in an email that if a November referendum is not passed, all La Crosse high schoolers would go to Central, while middle schoolers would be moved into Logan. That seems like important information that should have been shared as part of the survey, and may have led to different results. The question should have been, “Would you rather combine La Crosse’s high schools at Trane or at Central?” That seems to be the only choice. Is it possible Superintendent Aaron Engel hadn’t considered moving students to Central at the time the survey was sent? Maybe, but that seems unlikely. Ultimately the decision will be up to Engel, but perhaps the district should send another survey to ask about consolidation again, this time making clear what the options really are.