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The Fort McCoy CYSS School Support Services offers a variety of services which are designed to meet the social and economic needs of the Military Family. Check our programs/services below.
School Support FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
- What school district will my child attend?
The school district your child attends depends on what city your Family decides to live. Fort McCoy is located between two school districts Sparta and Tomah. Currently, there is military housing in both these communities.
More questions and answers will be posted after more questions are frequently asked to the SLO. |
Impact Aid Survey and the Military Child
One of the most common questions we hear is, “Why can’t I use my impact aid money?” The question is often asked because of the great misunderstanding of just what Impact Aid is, and is not. First, it IS NOT money to be used by the Department of Defense or any Family that is on a qualifying list of federally connected children. In fact, it can only be used by qualifying school districts. Second, it IS money that is paid by the federal government to local school districts in lieu of lost taxes because of the use of federal lands or property. For military Families, this money is paid to school districts because of the following qualifications:
- For military children who have at least one parent serving in the Armed Services
- Children whose parents are civilian but work on federal property
- Children residing in federal low-rent housing projects
School districts survey resident Families to determine qualifying children and then submit the paperwork of the results of that survey to the United States Department of Education (DOE). The DOE in turn determines the amount of money the school district warrants because of the attendance of qualifiers and then send the funds in installments to the district throughout the next school year. Depending upon the number of qualifying children, the amounts can be quite substantive.
The funds are placed in the district’s general fund and the district then determines how the money is to be used. Since it is in lieu of taxes that would normally be earned by the district, it often goes to supplement the normal costs of the district.
Often, because many military Families live on federal land, the money is not an addition to the district’s normal funding, but it is an enhancement to help fund the basic education of the qualifying Families.
While the purpose of the Impact Aid program is very clear-to compensate school districts for lost tax revenue due to a federal presence-not all school districts that have federally connected children choose to apply for Impact Aid funds. Because the minimum enrollment of such children must be 400 or 3 percent of the districts Average Daily Attendance, the cost of surveying and applying through the use of man-hours may be cost prohibitive for the district.
Though these funds are part of the school district’s general fund, that does not prevent any parent, especially the military parent, from becoming more active in their child’s schools. Asking questions about the funding of a school, the amount of federal Impact Aid the district receives, how educational programs are funded, and what areas the parents can become more involved with are very important.
Impact Aid is a federal program that is funded by Congressional action annually. Any support you can give to your local U.S. Congressmen on behalf of fully funding the Impact Aid program will always be helpful.
If you would like to view the latest figures on Impact Aid, the national Association of Federally Impacted Schools has published the latest figures in their Blue Book. You may download, and print it at www.nafisdc.org. |
Special Needs
To visit the Fort McCoy Exceptional Family Member Program, please click on the link: www.mccoymwr.com/soldier-family-programs/army-community-service.html
- Special Needs Parent Tool Kit - The DoD Special Needs Parent Toolkit has comprehensive information and tools that are geared towards helping military families with special needs children navigate the maze of medical and special education services, community support and benefits and entitlements. The Toolkit is broken down into six colorful modules that can be easily downloaded and printed. www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/pls/psgprod/f?p=MHF:DETAIL1:0::::SID,COHE:20.40.500.565.0.0.0.0.0,218947
- Education Directory for Children with Special Needs: http://apps.mhf.dod.mil/pls/psgprod/f?p=EFMP_DIRECTORY:HOME:0
- Parent Advocacy Coalition For Educational Rights: www.pacer.org/
- Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP): STOMP is a federally funded Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center established to assist military Families who have children with special education or health needs. The staff of the STOMP project are parents of children who have disabilities and have experience in raising their children in military communities and traveling with their spouses to different locations. www.stompproject.org
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School Support Services
School Support Services provides access to a wide range of resources to facilitate smooth transitions for students from one installation to another.
The School Liaison Officer (SLO) serves a conduit of school information and is the primary point of contact for school matters.
Our School Liaison Officer in CYSS is here for you and your Family with all facets of school life as you transition to the Fort McCoy area.
The School Support Vision: A driving force for student success.
For more information, please contact the School Liaison Officer by emailing
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The School Liaison Officer is available to help answer questions in regards to any school matters such as extracurricular programs, local school statistics, grading practices, graduation requirements, and local, state and national test results. |
College Scholarships
References:
Search for scholarships and grants: www.gocollege.com or www.fastweb.com
SAT/ACT information
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Transition Information
Transitioning to a new area can be very stressful for both the school age child and his/her parents.
The student wonders….What should I wear? Who will I sit with at lunch? What classes can I take? How big is the new school? What are the athletic opportunities?
The parents wonder…..Are the schools any good? What is the grading scale? Is there a gifted program? What do we need to do to get our child enrolled in school? Is there a dress code?
The Fort McCoy School Liaison Officer is available to discuss the education related factors that should be considered, since much of what is really important in school selection and education planning does not lend itself readily to countable numbers. These factors include questions related to school assignments; personal motivation and learning environments; extracurricular, scholastic and athletic opportunities; local school statistics; strength of parent involvement; grading practices & graduation requirements; and of course, local, state and national test results.
The list below is a transfer check list for both sending and receiving schools.
| Checklist for Student Transfers |
Sending School Checklist: 
- ___ Course Description Book
- ___ School Profile
- ___ Attendance Tardy Records
- ___ Report Card
- ___ Current Schedule
- ___ Withdrawal Grades
- ___ Transcript/Course History (with
grading system)
- ___ Class Rank
- ___ Cumulative Folder
- ___ Testing Information - Standardized
Test Scores, End of Course Test
Scores, Competency Test Scores
- ___ Health Records including Shot
Records
- ___ IEP/504/Gifted Records
- ___ JROTC Records
- ___ Guardianship/custody papers
- ___ Fees Owed
- ___ Alternative School Records
- ___ Letters of Recommendation
- ___ If available, Writing Samples
- ___ If available, At-Risk or Action Plans
for classroom modifications
- ___ If available, Portfolios
- ___ If available, Accelerated Reader
Points
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Receiving School Checklist:
- ___ Course Description Book
- ___ School Profile
- ___ Attendance and Tardy Records
- ___ Report Card
- ___ Current Schedule
- ___ Withdrawal Grades
- ___ Transcript/Course History (with grading
system)
- ___ Cumulative Folder
- ___ Testing Information - Standardized Test
Scores, End of Course Test Scores,
Competency Test Scores
- ___ Health Records including Shot Records
- ___ Birth Certificate
- ___ Social Security Number
- ___ Activities Record such as
co/extracurricular
- ___ IEP/504/Gifted Records
- ___ JROTC Records
- ___ Guardianship/custody papers
- ___ Fees Owed
- ___ Alternative School Records
- ___ Letters of Recommendation
- ___ Proof of Residency/Military Orders
- ___ If available, Writing Samples
- ___ If available, At-Risk or Action Plans for
classroom modifications
- ___ If available, Portfolios
- ___ If available, Accelerated Reader Points
- ___ If available, Service Learning Hours
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Procedural Information/Documentation Before Moving
- All immunizations are up-to-date and documented (hand carry).
- All ID cards are up-to-date and/or plan to obtain new ID cards (this includes passports, if necessary).
- Know location of all bank books, account numbers, and addresses for each account (checking, savings, money market accounts, equity line of credit).
- Know location/address of safe deposit box and have keys with you or close safe deposit box before departure (hand carry documents).
- Account for all credit cards; make a list of all account numbers.
- Inform Post Office of your address change.
- Make all final payments: rent, telephone, water, electricity, gas, trash pick-up, local taxes, etc.
- Arrange all pet documentation; be informed about state law for new community regarding vaccination and possible quarantine.
Student Records, Regulations, and Placement
- Have children's most recent school records, separate files per student (hand carry, do not pack with household goods).
- Have address of current school (or address for the location of records if school has closed) and address of new school, if determined before departure.
- Contact housing office at the new installation regarding housing availability or housing assignment to help determine possible areas to explore for educational options for children.
- Consult receiving installation for names and locations of surrounding schools.
- Consult SchoolMatters.com for school performance data.
- Consult "Choosing A School for Your Child", a Department of Education guide for further information regarding school selection.
- Contact Community Service for information on youth activity programs at your gaining installation/surrounding communities.
- Contact a school liaison representative or school counselor for further information, if needed.
- Visit websites of the State Department of Education and local school district for information on Kindergarten entry age, entry and exit testing and graduation requirements.
- Understand the process for transferring records, placement of students and school eligibility requirements for Kindergarten entrance.
- Understand receiving state's graduation requirements for high school students. Have copies of the grading system (including weighted grades) for current and receiving school which may affect your child's grade point average and a copy of course descriptions.
- Give current school adequate notice of your departure and formally process out of current school. Deliver all hand carried records to receiving school according to school policy.
- Update immunization records if necessary. Check whether a state-specific immunization form is required. If so, obtain a copy and have your doctor transfer the data so that you are ready for school registration.
- Upon arrival, provide receiving school with address of previous school so that official student records can be sent.
- Arrange a school (or schools) walk-through with the administration of the receiving school(s) for you and your children.
- Make an appointment to meet with the receiving school administrators, teachers, and nurse (if your child has specific health/educational concerns).
Emotional Needs of Children during the Move
- Involve children in the move; ask for their help, ideas and concerns.
- Answer their questions honestly. Address any concerns promptly. If you do not know the answer, say so; then research the answer with your child.
- Look at the websites of the new community and new schools with your children; older siblings can assist the younger children.
- Allow children to pack select items to hand carry to the new community.
- Recognize the efforts of children and continue to offer encouragement throughout the process.
- Acquire student sponsors for each of your children either through the receiving installation's family service or youth program or through the receiving school. Encourage your children to call, write or email their sponsor to talk about their new school and community and answer any questions. Click the Youth Sponsorship link in the left column to request Youth Sponsorship at Fort McCoy.
Helpful Websites:
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Home School
Home School information for Wisconsin - http://dpi.wi.gov/sms/homeb.html
Homeschooling Advocates Since 1985 - www.hslda.org |
Youth Sponsorship
The Fort McCoy Youth Sponsorship Program plays a very important role in the moving process. Many questions and concerns are expressed when Families move, especially when they will only be in the area for less than a year. For youth, the fear of the unknown is a scary and very real concern. Youth wonder…….
Who will be my friends?
What will my new school be like?
What activities/sports are available?
Will I fit in?
What are the other kids wearing?
Our Youth Sponsors help provide answers to these questions and much more. Their jobs are to help eliminate the unknowns. The most important part of being a Youth Sponsor is to be a “friend” to the incoming youth; to make the incoming youth feel welcome; and to help the incoming youth become familiar with Post and the surrounding area.
If you would like to request a Youth Sponsor to help you “find the way”, please fill out the Youth Sponsorship Request Form and fax, email or mail a copy to the School Liaison Officer.
FORT McCOY YOUTH SPONSORSHIP REQUEST
If you’re between the ages of 6 and 18 and are on your way to Fort McCoy, someone of the same age can help you become familiar with Fort McCoy and the surrounding communities. Click here to access the Youth Sponsorship Form. Once we receive this information, a sponsor will be chosen specifically for you. We welcome you and your Family to Fort McCoy and hope to hear from you soon! |
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Soldier/Family Programs 