West Bend School Board Plays Guilt Card with Community

As the April 7 election draws near, West Bend School Board members remain united in their support for the $68.8 million referendum.

Fifth-graders from Fair Park, Decorah and McLane elementary schools will move to Badger and Silverbrook middle schools, respectively. Fair Park fifth-graders would move in 2009, Decorah in 2010 and McLane by 2011. In addition, the district discussed purchasing another trailer for Fair Park Elementary to handle the immediate student growth.

To accommodate the fifthgraders moving to Badger, classroom space would be made available in the Badger pool area and the presentation centers at Silverbrook. The Badger pool would be filled in time for the start of the 2009-10 academic school year to create more classroom space. Classroom populations, though, would increase.


OK, LET'S CLARIFY some things here...

I was at the prior work sessions and board meetings. This is the scoop.

1. Our school district has 1100 employees, only 500 of whom are teachers. DOESN'T THAT CONCERN YOU? Did our school board make any cutbacks to show they are sincere with our district finances before asking for referendum money? NOPE.

2. Split shifting and trailers and transition, oh my! Guess what? We might have to join the rest of the world. KNOW WHY? Because we have consequences for the deferred maintenance that have now caught up with us. SO BE IT until we take care of WHAT WE HAVE.

3. Though the district is claiming we need to, sadly, fill in Badger Pool to make room for more classrooms, in a prior meeting they had determined the COST TO FILL IN THE POOL WAS TOO EXORBITANT. Therefore, laying flooring over the pool and doing the same was more cost effective. Know what the REAL REASON behind the pool issue is? The school board couldn't get the CITY OF WEST BEND to assist with maintenance and upkeep. Well, you do what you have to do. Cover it up, get some classrooms in there, and move on. Why hasn't this been worked into the referendum before asking for $$$ for a new school and ridiculous high-tech security systems we can't afford. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out....

4. The Board is using the sad ADA compliance issue to shame us further. Puhlease. We have been in this state for YEARS. Again, why did this happen? Why aren't we sinking our teeth into this issue instead of asking for referendum money for a new school and high-tech security systems, etc. (sound familiar? read #4 above) Why aren't we looking at what DID NOT GET DONE AND DO IT before killing the community with this outrageous referendum? See #6 below.

5. We don't even take care of what we have. If you walked into someone's home that had paint peeling off of walls, piles of messy "junk" stacked in closets and spare bedrooms, unfixed cracks in walls and an overall feeling of "who cares", would you lend them the money to put on new siding? Build a new roof? Landscape? I think not. The same applies to this referendum.

6. Let's not forget that the school board just took it upon themselves to spend nearly $1K of our district money to purchase land for a school that has not been ok'd by the community in this referendum. Perhaps we could have done some long-overdue maintenance with that money? Here we go again...

By the way, the $10 per month quote does not compute. Add on the estimated bonding and the math is, not surprisingly, oddly different than the school district is quoting in their mailings. But don't take MY word for it. Email Brian Dasher bdasher@west-bend.k12.wi.us or call him at (262) 335-5403 and ask him to explain the figures to you.

The West Bend School Board thinks it can guilt and shame the community into voting yes on the referendum.

The only guilt and shame that should be recognized is upon our School Board.

Vote NO until they get it right.