Advertisement
The automated message for a vote earlier this year in Toledo, Ohio, is a case of technology gone wild, La Crosse school officials said.
“It is not us,” La Crosse Superintendent Jerry Kember said. “We would never do anything like that. It is not appropriate or legal (for the school district).”
With the La Crosse Public Library’s help, the phone message was traced to Committee for Schools, a group that supported Toledo Public Schools’ successful March 4 levy.
The group, which is separate from the school district, used FLS Marketing in Toledo to advocate the measure, said group treasurer Angela Jordan.
An FLS Marketing spokes-man said live calls were made for the levy last spring through a contract with Winning Connections in Washington, D.C. He could not explain why La Crosse residents now were receiving calls.
The La Crosse School District has a $18.5 million referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot to repair heating, ventilation and air conditioning, upgrade safety and security, and address other facility needs.
If approved, the district will draw $3 million from its fund balance and accept an estimated $600,000 in HVAC equipment from Trane Co. — enough for three schools — for a total project of about $22 million.
