200 attend school-funding
forum in Superior
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Representing
the Superior School District at the school-funding
reform forum were (left to right) superintendent
Jay Mitchell, business manager Jack Amadio,
and board members Christina Kintop, and
William Rehnstrand. |
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The make-up of the panel was a little different at the “Superior
School-funding Reform Community Forum” than it was at
other venues around the state, but the message was the same:
Unless the system is changed, children throughout Wisconsin
will continue to suffer as schools lay off more staff, cut
programs, and pull back on services.
About 200 people attended the forum, Jan. 31, at the Superior
High School Performing Arts Center. The panel consisted of
school district, city, and Douglas County officials, along
with 25th District State Senator Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) and
73th District Representative Frank Boyle (D-Superior).
Jack Norman, research director for the Institute
for Wisconsin’s Future, set the tone for
the evening, telling the crowd that they needed to redirect
their anger and frustration over school district budget cuts
at state—not local—officials. “Big and small,
every year school districts face shortfalls,” he said.
“But the decision on how much money the (city, county,
and school district get)is not made in Superior, but by the
state.”
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About
200 people attended the forum, Jan. 31,
at the Superior High School Performing Arts
Center. |
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Audience members had plenty of questions, most about how
units of government could help hold down property taxes. School
board member William Rehnstrand said, “Our plan B is
significant cuts” because the district has already done
the easy things. Superior Mayor Dave Ross echoed Rehnstrand,
saying, “We’ll try to stay at the rate of inflation
and then make cuts.”
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