Letter to the editor: school board

Letter to the editor:

I’m a tireless supporter of our K-M school system. It’s the core of our community and our future. I encourage everyone in this community to support the school in every way that they can. We need to ask tough questions, listen carefully, and then apply common sense.

I have learned...by going to school board meetings... the board is not willing to do business openly, or to accept public input. I attended a particular meeting where they made major budget reductions, eliminated a music teacher and changed the requirements for the school nurse, essentially dismissing the nurse. The nurse issue was strategically buried in the budget and even she wasn't aware of it. The other issues were only allowed five comments, for a limited time period, followed by a vote. No questions were answered, the only reply given...after the board adjourned, was that the brevity was necessary in order to avoid taking up too much of the board's time.

I heard about the dismissal of our long time athletic director/dean of students. I visited the superintendent and a board member. The most definitive answer that I got was "We can do better/' Their "better" was to replace the single employee with two separate employees (they had previously eliminated a teacher for budget reasons). The A.D. recently didn't even know that a team was not school affiliated and renting the gym...he ran them off. Our past AD/DS held both positions necessary to have solved the upcoming prom/HVL problem, and I believe he would have foreseen and solved it before it even became an issue. Where is the "better"?

Four nurses, who had all been employed by our school system, came to a board meeting to explain that they all felt bullied by the administration. The superintendent reportedly replied something to the effect that they didn't have a definition of bullying to work with. We are a school system...surely there is a dictionary somewhere! It should never be up to the person accused of bullying to define bullying!
At the last parent teacher conference I was appalled that there are no longer report cards available due to a "paperless" program. The women at the door each had a laptop computer to retrieve the information needed to send us to find the teachers. ($ paper vs. $ two computers?) Teachers no longer had the printout of my child's assignments and grades, so we were not able to discuss any of the important aspects of my child's work that help us to review her progress, to solve problems and identify strengths. I left in frustration while my wife continued to visit teachers. She says that several teachers told her they were also very frustrated and weren't being listened to.

In the newspaper, I learned the naming rights to our athletic field were sold in exchange for a price in excess of a half million dollars. The income from selling the name of OUR athletic field went not to our staff, nor to our building. Rather, it is designated, along with a sizable contribution from our school funds, to install a previously unidentified need-artificial turf!!! I wonder how much good this contribution could have done for the school in some other application, what the future upkeep, repair and replacement cost will be. All to replace that wonderful natural turf that we have carefully developed and which is perfectly satisfactory at any other school where we compete. The superintendent reportedly plans to raise money with the new field. It is going to take a lot of money to replace more than half million dollars in addition to our tax contribution that we could have invested in our PRIMARY business...education. I am an unwilling investor in a business endeavor that I never even knew about. I don't believe in it.

At the newspaper office I reviewed many past superintendent articles and school board minutes. The latest date that I could find in the articles was 2013. Some years ago we built a new elementary school to meet our needs as far into the future as we could project. But it was also built with a plan farther into the future. That building was originally designed to be much bigger than we built, then it was scaled back, rooms were eliminated, but the utilities were kept the same because someday we would need the additional space. When we moved the kindergarten program, the school had been built to accept the addition. We outgrew the classrooms and pulled out those original plans, added those rooms, and continued with a proven plan that was good and full of foresight. The pod design has often been touted as a great design that has served us well.

We hired/elected new leaders but they didn't learn from that great success story. We built a middle school to meet our current needs. Although it is a spectacular building that serves us well now, I have never heard of any plan for when our enrollment exceeds the capacity of this building. I believe that we outgrew the elementary school before the first eight years had passed! Have we followed our leaders down a short sighted path?

I have attended meetings and listened, tried to speak with our administrators, listened to our teachers, and talked to students, both present and past. I have reviewed the information, and thought about the things that I observed and heard. I concluded that our present need is to make a comprehensive plan far into the future. It is completely reasonable to see a plan made to take us at least forty years into the future. That plan could be modified as needed in the future, but for us to continue investing in building modifications and staffing changes without such a plan in place is often wasteful (we just spent a lot of money to rebuild the high school offices, create a secure entry system and reconstruct the visitor parking lot. The paint is barely dry, and they want to move it all to the other side of the building). To have our school directed by a long string of superintendents that come to town, pursue an agenda, and then leave in a few years (we will be paying the health insurance for the last one, for some time to come). To have them directed by a group of people from our community who serve with the best of intentions, but come and go as priorities and elections determine, and who usually have limited or no experience as an educator. When THOSE people run our district THEIR way, often ignoring the public and the teaching staff who have made this school what it is through their lifetime devotion, and when the teachers are so intimidated that they can't even use a piece of paper. It is time to stop the train. Stop it right now, right here, and don't move anywhere until we solve our problems and make a GOOD plan that is supported by the teachers and the community.

The day has come when we need to listen to the voice of experience...the teachers, and to train our superintendent and our school board in the direction that we want them to manage OUR business.  After these problems are all solved, there will be ample time to make any needed changes to our facilities. This is the time to vote a resounding "NO!" To finally get the attention of the people who need to learn to listen to the real professionals who devote their lives to our business, and to us-the owners.

    Jim Brumfield
                Kasson

Letter to the editor: school funds

Letter to the Editor                                                                                      

I am confused…no, I am disappointed…actually, I am upset and have been since 2007.

On Tuesday April 24, 2007 Independent School District 204 (K-M) held a special election authorizing the issue of general obligation bonds in the amount of $5.2 million for the acquisition and betterment of school facilities, including improvements to the elementary school and junior-senior high school.  The issue passed. 

Perhaps you will remember that the purpose of the election was to add classrooms to the elementary school, make improvements to the science rooms at the junior-senior high school and perform some deferred maintenance to our schools.

Let’s look at the issue of the science classroom improvements.  One month before the election, on March 21, 2007, Mr. Grant in his “K-M Update” column wrote;  “The science classroom plan is being planned with flexibility for new classrooms or renovated ones dependent on the success of the middle school vote.  If the middle school plan does not get public approval, the dollars assigned for the renovation will be used for additional science classrooms.  A new middle school would allow present middle school classrooms to be utilized for new science room spaces.” [The middle school referendum was held June 19 and also passed.] 

Again in his “K-M Update” on April 4, 2007 Mr. Grant wrote; “The School Board proposes to modernize the present science classrooms and add new science classrooms.  The degree to which that occurs will depend on whether a new middle school will be approved on June 19.  If a new middle school is approved by the voters, the classrooms in the middle school wing will be converted to new science classrooms.  The present science classrooms would then be renovated for regular classroom use.  If the middle school is not approved, the need for more science classrooms will be accomplished by adding new science classrooms to the high school site and modernizing some of the present science rooms and renovating others for additional classroom use.” 

The language on the printed election ballot was necessarily brief.  However, as I read the aforementioned information before the April 24, 2007 referendum, I assumed that information presented by the District Superintendent in a formal “K-M Update” column printed in the official district newspaper would be an accurate “official” use of approved taxpayer dollars.

Later that year in Mr. Grant’s performance evaluation by the Board, it was stated; “The board was in general agreement the K-M superintendent did an outstanding job in being the primary spokesperson to the public for the two recent successful bond referendums.  Ellingworth said she felt Mr. Grant exceeded his expectations in working with the public and community on the bond referendums and was also outstanding in board relations.  Board member Mark Packard said he believed Grant had a lot of credibility with the public, which was a factor in passing the referendums.”  This evaluation confirms to me that Mr. Grant’s columns were an accurate representation of the board’s official stated use of the referendum dollars.

On June 19, 2007 the Independent School District 204 (K-M) voters approved the middle school referendum.  You can imagine my surprise when the six new classrooms appeared on the west end of the junior-senior high school.  To me that borders on misappropriation of taxpayer approved dollars, ethically at least.

On February 8, 2011 the board will be asking for $8.975 million to upgrade the high school.  Some of the upgrades planned are upgrades to the old middle school wing. Voters, in my opinion, had already approved money for upgrades to this wing in 2007.  A large portion of the 2007 referendum funds appear to have been diverted to build new classrooms rather than to renovate the existing wing contrary to published intentions.

Is there any integrity in our district?  Is there any accountability in our district?  I intend to VOTE NO on any upcoming bond election, and I urge others to also VOTE NO, until there is better accountability of how our tax dollars are spent.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
If your inclination is to vote NO like me, I suggest you make it a priority to get out to the high school on February 8, and make your vote count.  Historically special elections (referendums) do not get the number of voters participating as do general elections.  Many times, I believe, this results in a predicted outcome.  Perhaps this is another indication of our district administration’s integrity.


                    Jerry Berg
                    Kasson

K-M High School Design shows remodeling, new construction

This graphic shows the areas of the high school that would be remodeled and where the new construction would be located if the proposed $8.9 million bond referendum is approved by the voters of K-M School District #204. All of the work would be done on the north and east side of the buildings.

A majority of the project will include a food service area, new and remodeled, kitchen and serving area and storage/receiving at a cost of $1.9 million. The kitchen/cafeteria area will be where the shop and ag rooms are currently located.

The ag and wood labs and vocational rooms would be relocated to an area that was the K-M Middle School. Some of that will be new construction and middle school classrooms will be converted into labs.
The district will receive $6 million in aid for the project and the other $3 million comes in the form of tax impact from the district residents.

For an individual owning a $150,000 home the estimated annual tax increase for 21 years is $50 per year. For a $350,000 home the impact is approximately $117.

For commercial property valued at $200,000 the tax impact is estimated at $108. For ag property valued at $200,000 the impact is $58.  For an individual owning homestead ag property valued at $800,000 the estimate is an increase of $158.

The district intends to hold informational meetings in the future. The special election will take place Tuesday, February 11 at the K-M High School.

The K-M School master plan was done by HSR Associates, Inc. of LaCrosse. The light blue is remodeling and dark blue is new construction. The red line shows where the remodeling and new construction takes place.

Diet Time

This is the time of the year when the weight loss and fitness places go crazy. After all, who didn't consume more food and treats over the holiday?

I was raised to clean my plate and it's not very often I leave the table with food on my plate. Whatever size portion I get in a restaurant, it's gone. At least that's the way it use to be.

The older we get the less we eat. It's that way for me anyway and perhaps that is because we are not as active. I eat more slowly and am not at all shy about requesting a take home box.

I tend to shy away from buffets because I feel obligated to get my money's worth. I can't do that any more either, especially for a noon meal. Fill me up at noon and a half hour nap is a necessity before being able to accomplish anything the rest of the afternoon.

Some of these companies advertising for weight loss on the radio and television try to make the concept  technical and make a person buy the expensive food they sell to boot. I think there are two key ingredients: Change eating habits and exercise! Then you have to deal with the mind over matter issue.

Kasson-Mantorville residents should be the healthiest around. We have two quality workout places in Xtreme Fitness and Anytime Fitness plus Community Education offers many fitness activities. During the warmer months we have the walking/biking trails. I would look into one of these  before ever calling on Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. Then you have the Adkins diet, South Beach Diet and  soup diet. The list goes on. Beware of any scheme for losing weight that has the word "diet" in it. Watching your diet is more sensible.

Stick with the local offerings and local people who are interested in a healthier you. Don' let those commercials get you down.

DCI needs YOUR input

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* A special section committed to.....

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