Advertisement Roosevelt and Franklin long have been targets for consolidation and closure, but the plan allows them to retain their identities in one combined school boundary, reducing staff and creating
efficiencies to save an estimated $260,000 a
year.
Some board members saw the administrative proposal as an opportunity to try something different, while others have yet to abandon the idea of closing at least one of the school district’s 15 elementary, middle and high schools.
Board member Neil Duresky suggested closing the two schools that would be most expensive to upgrade, then using the money saved to lease heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment for the remaining buildings.
Closing two buildings would free up about $800,000, Duresky said. The property could be kept for future needs.
Duresky said his plan would mean no tax increase, and makes sense as enrollment declines and district expenses increase.
In a letter to the board, he also said no matter how the district resolves its capital needs, enrollment boundaries probably will be affected.
Leasing equipment, a practice more common in the eastern U.S., has the potential to save the district additional funds, he said.
Board member Deb Suchla said the district does have more buildings than it needs, but “the hard part” is deciding which ones to close, as that involves families and neighborhoods.
She requested Kember bring a full list of elementary boundary exemptions, a map of elementary boundaries and statistics on the number of students per school and grade level for the 2007-08 school year to the next meeting.
New principal
A big welcome goes out to John Gevens, who officially has started as Lincoln Middle School principal.
He succeeds Larry Myhra who retired June 30 after 35 years with the district.
Gevens was the principal of Riverview Middle School in Barron, Wis.
ACT results
The Tribune earlier this week reported 2008 graduates of La Crosse, Onalaska and Holmen high schools had average ACT scores above the national average (see chart on B-2).
La Crosse had an average composite of 22.5, Onalaska a 22.8 and Holmen a 21.8.
That’s good news for those districts — and students looking to further their education.
However, a further look at the scores can yield some interesting details that might help students in the future.
Wisconsin students who took a “college preparatory curriculum” that included four years of English and three or more years of math, science, and social studies had scores that averaged 1.7 points higher across the four subject area tests than students who did not take a core curriculum for college preparation.
Nationally, students who did not take a core curriculum had scores that averaged 2.5 points lower.
The trend held true in the Onalaska School District, which had a 3.5 point difference between students who took the college prep curriculum and those who did not, said Instructional Services Director Fran Finco.
Those who had college prep course scored an average of 23.6, while those who didn’t averaged 20.1, he said.
Legislative forum
The La Crosse School Board Legislative Committee is organizing a forum Oct. 27 for those running for state office that will focus on educational topics involving the La Crosse School District. Stay tuned for a time and location.
Autumn Grooms can be reached at (608) 791-8424 or agrooms@lacrossetribune.com.
