Local schools gain from stimulus
By Tim Damos/News Republic
Sauk County schools would receive over $5 million in increased federal aid over the next two years under a $819 billion federal economic recovery plan approved Wednesday by the U.S. House. The House of representatives voted 244 to 188 to approve the stimulus bill, proposed by president Barack Obama. House Republicans were unanimous in their opposition to the measure. Baraboo School District Crystal Ritzenthaler said she was initially disappointed to see that only $288,800 of the $1.23 million slated for her district would be for construction grants. But she said the larger chunk that would help pay for programs such as special education would help in other ways. "If we do get more money in that pot, that will allow us to free up general operation funds to be used for capital maintenance and other things," Ritzenthaler said. Late last month, district officials put together a request for $4.5 million in federal stimulus money. Although the $1.23 million included in the House bill isn't near that amount, Ritzenthaler said it would help. Figures may change after the House measure is sent to the Senate, where a companion bill is already in the works. Any differences would have to be hashed out by lawmakers before a final bill is sent to President Barack Obama. Under bill descriptions provided by the House Committee on Education and Labor, other Sauk County school districts would receive: Reedsburg School District - $1.17 million Wisconsin Dells School District - $864,100 Sauk Prairie School District - $1.22 million River Valley School District - $647,600 Some local Schools, such as North Freedom Elementary, wouldn't benefit from a portion of the funding only available for schools that meet poverty guidelines. The House bill includes about $544 billion in federal spending and $275 billion in tax cuts, with $2.4 billion set aside for Wisconsin. School dollars are the only local tallies available right now, said Anne Lupardus, a spokeswoman for Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse. Funding for other infrastructure projects will be provided to states through federal formulas. "It's going to be largely up to the state and the county what gets funded," Lupardus said. That means projects like the $26.75 million in construction and renovation requested by University of Wisconsin-Baraboo/ Sauk County officials will likely be left to the discretion of Gov. Doyle. Although Doyle's initial project list only included funding for four-year campuses, UW-Baraboo Dean Tom Pleger has won support from city and county officials, as well as the Sauk County Economic Development Corporation. "I think it demonstrates that this is something the region would like to see," Pleger said. "It's not just the campus making the request, it's the city, county and others." Pleger said the projects — which include a $15 million environmentally friendly dorm and conference center — would go a long way toward stimulating the local economy and increasing number of county residents with baccalaureate degrees. University of Wisconsin Colleges Chancellor David Wilson also endorsed those projects Monday, writing a letter to Gov. Doyle in which he asked for $89.9 million for the state's two-year schools. Sauk County officials have also asked Doyle for $335,150 for Lake Redstone and Mirror Lake dam repairs as well as undetermined amounts for Merrimac bridge repairs. County officials also want funding to connect a fiber-optic cable loop to the worldwide Web. Doyle's initial list of 1,800 infrastructure projects included $570,000 for the Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Municipal Airport, $3.1 million to widen the State Highway 12 bridge over Dell Creek and an unspecified amount to repair the Mirror Lake Dam.