Last weeks Tomah Journal (7-30-98) had an article by Steve Rundio, on the problem that has and is confronting the EKW (Elroy, Kendall & Wilton) school district. How to continue to operate a school district, with declining enrollment, including three villages who's residents want to operate and maintain their school in each of the three areas?
At the School board meeting on July27th, board members Mike O'Gara and Tim Welch said, "The district should try and continue to operate schools in all three communities." Board President Don Yanke than asked, "What do you do if you have only 20 kindergarten in all three towns" Welch responded, "If you do it right you will attract students, and that won't be a problem."
In April a referendum asking the district voters if they wanted to consolidate the district into one campus located at Elroy was roundly defeated by a 3-1 margin. Yet five months later the Administrator and School Board have not held a district wide meeting asking the voters what they would like to see done in the district. One of the board members, Mike O'Gara asked, "Did the referendum fail because of the cost or configuration?" There was not further discussion, by the board, on that point. Therein perhaps lies one of the problems. The Administrator and some of the board have their own agenda, and are not willing or interested in bringing the district into the discussion.
Today we live in an entirely different learning environment than when I was in school (1926.-38) Yet there are those who think that the way to a good education is more bricks and mortar, more busses and a higher concentration of students on one campus.
There are however, a growing number of us who think otherwise. That higher concentration of students on one campus does not better students make, but modern technology (computers) has made possible in depth learning, at home or in small schools close to home and that both students, parents and local communities benefit because of this.
This is not the age of "Making Children Go to School" This is the age as Tim Welch said of "DOING IT RIGHT SO YOU WILL ATTRACT STUDENTS"
Our state Government has seen fit to give us the right of School Choice
>http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dfm/sms/psc1.html<
so we can decide what school will give our children the better education
and then have the right to send them there at no extra cost.
Another alternative that is becoming more popular to day is:
Home
Schooling
>http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dfm/sms/homeb.html<
Charter Schools are also an alternative approach to the regular Public
Schools
>http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dlsis/edop/charter.html<
Then there is the GLOBAL SCHOOL HOUSE
>http://k12.cnidr.org/gsh/gshwelcome.html<
a WEB site devoted to bringing
students throughout the world together to share in their learning
experiences.
Wis. Dept. of Ed. has a informative WEB page at:
>http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/<
Free educational materials are available at the Federal Governments WEB
site:
http://www.ed.gov/free/
For information on getting government assistant to have your school or
librarywired for phone and computer services go to:
>http://www.slcfund.org/<
The Wisconsin Charter School Association has an interesting WEB site at
>http://www.marquette.edu/wcsa/<
The Federal Communications Commission's WEB site:
>http://www.fcc.gov/learnnet/<
has a "Learn Net" section that could be of interest to teachers and
Home Schoolers
If you would like to visit WEB sites of schools throughout the world
go:
>http://web66.coled.umn.edu/schools.html<
Welcome to SuperKids, >http://www.superkids.com/<
an impartial source of information on childrens software for parents
and teachers:
Coming next issue - NORTH TO ALASKA
PLEASE NOTE!!!
In our last report I think I overdid it by including so much information
that was a
repeat of what the designated WEB sites contained. So from now on these
reports
will carry only preview of the WEB sites mentioned. Just click on the
subject that
you want more infomation on.