Letters to the editor, Oct. 31, 2009
Lake Delton School should be done first
A few years ago, I was asked to serve on a committee to determine where the greatest need was in the Wisconsin Dells School District. After many meetings and tours of the various buildings in the district, it was clear where the greatest “need” lay.
Visiting the Lake Delton Elementary School was like taking a trip back in time. That school is in desperate need of updating. Not only is the gym old and small, but the library also served as the cafeteria.
One of the first grade classrooms looked more like a storage room than a classroom. It was extremely small, had no windows, and no storage space. Most noticeable though was the age of the school as a whole and the amount of repair or replacement needed in the mechanics of the building in order to keep it up.
Although each of the schools and even the district offices have their own set of needs, none of them added up like at this school.
The district is offering tours of Spring Hill Middle School. Perhaps a tour of Lake Delton Elementary would be worth your time.
In the end, it was voted by the committee that Lake Delton Elementary was the school where the greatest help was needed. If we are going to pass a referendum to spend money on one of our schools, it clearly should be Lake Delton.
Amy M. Hoff, Briggsville
Losing SAGE will be due to administration
I always become concerned when leaders try to use fear to push a point of view. Our school district administrator states that the reason for the expansion of Spring Hill Elementary school is to save the SAGE program. If we do not give him the funds, we will in turn lose thousands of dollars in state aid for the program.
Correction, if we lose the SAGE funding it will be because the administrator has not done his job. Our student numbers are declining and are projected to decline more. We had SAGE before when student numbers were much higher. A small bit of advice to both the school board and administrator, don’t threaten that which you know you will not or can not do.
The second reason given for the expansion is to have room for the 4-year-old kindergarten. This is a high cost program that the research has problems supporting. The interesting part, there is finally a statement about the need to hire more staff to support this program. However, they will ask for those funds later! Let’s do a cost comparison: For a district teacher with benefits, the average cost is $25 per hour times two per classroom equals $50 per hour.
A Head Start Lead teacher receives an average of $15 per hour plus an aide at $10 per hour equals $25 per hour.
A licensed child care teacher receives an average of $10 per hour plus an aide at $8 equals $18 per hour. Further, as taxpayers we do not pay the cost of a child care center, and we share the cost of Head Start programs with all taxpayers in the country. I guess I missed something in school to understand the benefits to a high cost program that only benefits a few.
Perhaps, I am missing the point. This plan by the school district will ensure continued employment for some district staff even in the face of declining student numbers and will even add a few high paying jobs or a “stimulus package” by the school board.
As I have stated before, develop a good plan that truly helps balance the needs of the students in the district, and I will become one of your best supporters. What you have now is a mess that will require more funds and will not resolve the real concerns of the future.
In closing, It would be cheaper in the long run to keep renting the building in town for the 4-year-old program. As student numbers drop and a plan is developed that includes the Lake Delton school, we will be able to develop a better long range building plan.
Daniel Defosse Sr., Wisconsin Dells
Vote yes for students at all schools
Voting yes is the vote for the students in Lake Delton, Briggsville and Wisconsin Dells. Being a teacher in two of the three communities that make up the School District of Wisconsin Dells, growing up in the Dells, and being a current resident, I am well aware of how important each school is to its community.
I am also the proud parent of two SAGE-aged children of my own, and I know how important this referendum is to the children of this district.
If the current referendum does not pass, students at Neenah Creek, Lake Delton and Spring Hill will be greatly affected, especially when it comes to class size. This is not a Spring Hill referendum, it is a district referendum. The SAGE program, which is state funded, keeps class size at 15 or fewer and brought in $560,000 in state aid this year. We have heard the negatives and positives associated with the referendum, but here is the bottom line:
1. If the referendum passes, there will be ample space to meet the requirements of the SAGE program, keeping class size at or below 15 students. Lake Delton and Neenah Creek, our smaller schools, will operate as they currently do for the foreseeable future.
2. Your taxes would not go up.
3. If we lost SAGE funding, we will not get it back.
4. All 4-year-old kindergarten classes will be housed at Spring Hill, making the $42,000 Saint Cecilia rental unnecessary.
5. The district would save $345,000 in interest by taking advantage of qualified school construction bonds.
Brian Hartley, Wisconsin Dells
Vote yes to keep classes small
I’d like to encourage area residents to vote yes on the school district referendum.
First, it is of critical importance to keep class sizes small in the district, and I am deeply disturbed that individuals out there believe that shoving 30 children in a classroom, with two teachers is an acceptable educational environment for young children. I encourage those in favor of this “option” to spend a day educating 30 children. Yes, educate; not just care for them, but inspire them, encourage them, be kind to them and teach them. Combine that with a couple of children who might have special needs and a couple of gifted children among others of varying degrees in the learning spectrum and good luck. It will be nothing short of day care.
For those of you opposed to the referendum, I ask you this — Have you taken a walk through at Spring Hill or any of the other schools? A number of individuals out there “thought” they were against the referendum, only to take the walk and are now in strong favor of it. Have you done your homework? Have you seen the teachers in closets and rooms with tiny spaces and no windows? Have you seen the classes meeting in the cafeteria? Are you simply declaring “no” from the comfort of your couch?
Parents, it is no secret that we have in the past, and continue to, run short of space in our schools and whether enrollment slightly declines or not, it won’t go away. We’ve been short on space for years. A new school in Lake Delton is not a viable option because the state mandates a certain amount of acreage that the district simply does not have.
If you own property, your taxes won’t even increase since this referendum will pick up right where the last one left off. If we don’t act now, it is quite possible that the SAGE money will have to be given up in the next couple years, which means a loss of at least $500,000 to the district. And what then? So I ask each of you to vote “yes” for the district referendum this Tuesday because it’s not only worth it, it’s what’s right.
Tara Anchor, Wisconsin Dells
DirecTV allows local channels in Dells
After 10 e-mails and four calls, DirecTV called me and changed me from Adams to Colombia County. It uses Adams County for everyone in the Dells.
Dells residents can call and change their addresses to Colombia County. Don’t let them tell you no, I and a few others have already done it. The main thing to tell them is you need school closings and weather alerts. DirecTV changed from using zip codes to using counties.
If you have an address in the Dells after you call 1-800-531-5000, you can keep the Madison stations. When the city contacts DirecTV it can be done area wide. The other towns involved should do the same. Until then each person has to call. I’ve done everything I can do to get this in motion.
Earl Laske, Colombia County, Wisconsin Dells
Cats also have to be licensed in city
In the Oct. 21 Events, on page A2, you report that a Wisconsin Dells woman was cited for an unlicensed animal, and that her cat had scratched someone.
Do cats have to be licensed? Since when?
James Johnson, Wisconsin Dells
Editor’s note: According to city ordinance 25.13, any dog or cat older than five months must be licensed yearly. The ordinance has been in place for a long time, but isn’t largely enforced on cats because they aren’t seen outside as often as dogs, according to the police department.
Fort Dells Train gathers dust
Halloween will come and go once again without the Pumpkin Train. The Pumpkin Train used the old Fort Dells train at the former Black Bart’s Steakhouse. Jack-o’-lanterns were lighted along the entire route of the train through the valley behind the Fort Dells McDonald’s. Children and their parents had a wonderfully spooky nighttime train ride.
Alas, the train is parked gathering dust as it awaits its fate. Will it be sold, dismantled and sent away? No-one knows.
We know the Pumpkin Train made a special Halloween experience to be remembered.
Bob Hunt, Friends of Fort Dells, www.foFortDells.com