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West Bend stands behind its schools
Posted: 10/13/2009 11:16:36 AM
About 1,000 parents, grandparents, students, educators and alumni of West Bend Public Schools told the board of education Monday night that they support continued investments in public education.
Students rallied before the meeting and then joined forces with the others who crowded a high school gymnasium to show they are concerned about further, deeper cuts that will be enacted if the board opts not to adequately fund the schools as allowed under state law.
The district’s financial adviser, Bob Borch, recommended the board fully fund its schools as allowed because otherwise, under the state's outdated school funding formula, the district will be compromised in its ability to adequately fund its schools in the future.
Borch told the board what educators already know – you can’t run a school like a business. That’s because funding for education is dwindling at the same time demand is growing. West Bend has done so much with so little historically, he said, there’s not much discretionary spending to cut.
The school board has until October 26 to set its levy.
The outpouring of support for West Bend Public Schools came after the district’s annual meeting, when a crowd demanding a zero-tax increase besieged the board. The result of a zero-tax increase would result in elimination of the arts and vocational/technical education, increased class sizes and a severe reduction in classroom support, to list just a few of the outcomes. Those opponents were in the minority at Monday’s meeting.
The middle school choir (music is one of the programs on the chopping block) started off with a song before the school board came in, then sang the national anthem as the board arrived. The crowd went wild, and continued its strong support for West Bend Public Schools throughout the meeting.
More than 20 West Bend educators stood ready to address the board to attest to the important role the schools play in the community, and those who had the opportunity to speak received support in the form of cheers from the standing-room-only crowd. Teachers Richard Prost, Jack Chamberlain, Sally Heuer, Philip Ourada, Timothy Harder and Christopher Kraly all talked from their unique perspectives about the important role a well-rounded education plays in a student’s life.
Throughout the evening, the message was the clear: West Bend’s schools are valued by the community. Said one resident, “Sure, there are people who can pay for private lessons, private education. But that’s not what we’re about. We want every child to have opportunity.”
