State Steps in to Protect Children

By Joanne M. Haas

Bloomer School District voters will decide November 7 whether to build a new middle school to replace one that is so deteriorated and unsafe that the state has stepped in to protect the welfare of the students.

Voters in this Chippewa County community north of Eau Claire also must decide whether to exceed state-imposed revenue controls so the district can afford to correct the most immediate hazards and keep the school open until a new school is completed.

The district currently has no place to move the middle school students. In an extraordinary move, State Superintendent John Benson in September ordered the immediate closing of two classrooms and the closing of the entire school by January 16.

His action followed an inspection by DPI and the State Department of Commerce that found peeling paint - some of which contains poisonous lead - unsafe open stairways, hazardous wiring conditions, fire safety violations, unprotected steam pipes, inadequate ventilation and other dangers.

Prior to the DPI's involvement, the school board was reviewing plans to remodel the facility rather than tear it down and build a new one. But Benson strongly questioned whether the proposed $3.5 million remodeling plan could correct all the problems in the school.

On September 18, the board did a turnaround, and agreed to advance a proposal for construction of a new school. Four previous referendums to build news schools in Bloomer have been rejected.

The November 7 referendum will no longer include an option to remodel the 1921 school. The board also changed architects, dropping William Anderson of The Design Partnership, who had pushed the $3.5 million remodeling plan before the state orders came down. The board hired SDS Architects of Eau Claire with the duty of designing a new school. The board voted to pay the firm $2,500 right away and 5.9% of the construction costs upon completion.

Can't ignore the problems

Bloomer Superintendent Doug Martin said voters could no longer ignore the problems.

"Before, people didn't realize the deterioration problems of the building," he said. "So in the past, people could vote no on a building referendum. Things were working." Now, he said, "I don't think 'no' is an option for people."

In addition to the health and safety concerns, Martin said, the middle school building "is not the best education facility."

Community discusses recalls

Several days after the DPI issued its orders in September, several hundred people attended a nearly four-hour emotional school board meeting. While there were calls to change the referendum question to reflect new construction, the majority of the board stuck to the renovation route, angering some citizens to the point of discussing recall elections.

No place for students to go

In order to comply with DPI's orders and provide a safe learning environment for children, it appears voters will have to release the board from state-imposed revenue limits. The district has no money in its budget or any additional room for the 256 middle school students in the other two district buildings. It may be forced to spend an estimated $200,000 to $800,000 or more for portable classrooms.

If the district does not comply with the state orders, it risks losing up to 25% in state aid. Out of $6 million, that comes to a loss of $1.5 million.

"That would be the worst case scenario," said DPI's Mike Boerger, adding Benson wants to work with the local officials. "There's not a lot of time. They've taken too much time already. They need to comply."

Controversy has led to resignations

Since 1999, the controversy surrounding the aging middle school has triggered the resignation of two superintendents and the recall of two school board members who supported new construction instead of renovation. Martin, who worked as principal and teacher in the middle school for 24 years, is new to the superintendent's role this year.

Complicating the situation is the fact that enrollment is dropping. Martin estimates enrollment in the three district schools - elementary, middle and high - to be about 1,125 this year, down from 1,186 in 1996-97. The district's mill rate was $9.56 in 1999-2000, about $1 less than the state average. The district, which has no long-term debt, is about two-thirds state funded. Its fund balance of less than $1 million is all committed.

There are manufacturing jobs in Bloomer, but the community of 3,000 people is affected by a struggling farm economy. Voters are reluctant to raise their property taxes.

Hit hard by revenue caps

The 1993 state revenue control law links state school aids and spending limits to enrollment. Declining enrollment districts such as Bloomer are hit hard because school aids drop with enrollment. The result is districts must find ways to stretch declining budgets to maintain programs and buildings while other costs - such as utilities and salaries - rise. The only way around the spending cap is voter approval.

Code violations not corrected

The DPI orders followed repair orders from Thomas Pritchett, a Department of Commerce industrial hygienist who in February was referred to the district to check on non-compliance with a 1999 repair order for the ventilation systems in the high school as well as complaints from middle school parents regarding student illnesses.

"It was determined that absolutely nothing had been done to establish compliance with the noted violations from the previous inspection," Pritchett wrote in his report ordering the district to comply with the 1999 citation by May 15, 2000.

Problems not unique to Bloomer

Stressing he was voicing only his opinion, Pritchett said the building problems now gripping Bloomer are not unique. Revenue controls play a role when districts that do not get voter backing to spend more must choose between structural needs and school programs. Often, he said, the buildings lose and problems mount.

"What happens is when there are cost overruns, short on revenue, they cut back on maintenance," Pritchett said. "Maybe a roof isn't attended to - ultimately it leads to moldy tiles and all kinds of stuff.

"The deterioration factor, in my opinion, is not worth it," he said. "The revenue caps are a good thing in a certain way. But in the long run . this is not a good learning environment. Bacteria are being spread."

Pritchett links the revolving door in the administrator's office to the lack of compliance to the 1999 report.

"In the meantime, I also got complaints from 27 parents about ventilation and air quality issues" in the middle school, Pritchett said.

He learned that the ventilation system was removed in the 1980s - a common action during the energy crisis days.

"There is none. All you have is windows," he said.

Kids, teachers getting sick

"Kids were getting headaches. Kids come home and they are exhausted beyond belief. . Some days, it is really hot or cold. . And because there is no ventilation, the bacteria just keep spreading around each other. Teachers were getting sick," Pritchett said.

So Pritchett wrote another inspection report, this time ordering new superintendent Martin to fix the problems by November 15. Then, in mid-August, he and DPI went back and found lead paint peelings.

"That really puts a new spin on things," he said.

The remodeling plan from the Eau Claire-based architect Bill Anderson of Design Partnership called for moving students from one floor to another while the renovation work was under way. With the discovery of lead paint, that is not an option.

"There is no way that anyone can be in there when they renovate," Pritchett said. "There is no safe exposure level for kids."

Posted October 2, 2000