Great news!
The vote total — 1,234 to 674 is impressive also.
I haven’t found an in-depth newspaper report on the vote yet, but WBAY also has a good story on how the health of schools and the health of communities are intertwined. In a similar fashion, Ken Krall at NewsoftheNorth.Net writes about “A time of discontent in the Northwoods.
In another arena, another school district is facing breaking up. Wausaukee residents will vote Aug. 19 to see if they can afford to keep operating. Recently, two referendums failed in Arbor Vitae.
Rhinelander voters on Sept. 9 will be deciding not on an operating budget per se, but rather whether the 1950s-era school buildings need remodeling.
I didn’t see anyone from the Department of Public Instruction with Doyle on the trip north, probably because of the reception they would receive. The current funding formula leaves the schools here against the wall. But the legislature seems ho-hum about the situation.
We hear about Wisconsin values, traditions and quality of life. Support for public education must be at the base of who we are and who we want to be. From the Northwoods to Milwaukee, schools are essential to preserving and expanding everything that we value about our communities and state. The people of Wausaukee figured that out. I think the people of Madison will come to a similar conclusion in November. I hope our elected officials join them and improve the school finance system in the next legislative session.
Thomas J. Mertz
AMPS 