I just love the lefty spin of the Daily Fish Wrapper! ;) Rapids needs seasoned, adaptable leaders on School Board: Our View Mar. 28, 2014 | wisconsinrapidstribune The Wisconsin Rapids School District faces declining enrollment and with it falling state aid; last year, it cut 21 full-time equivalent positions, some through attrition, in response to a $3.4 million budget shortfall. And while the fiscal picture has improved, this gives a sense of the very high stakes voters face on Tuesday in choosing representatives for the School Board. The choice? Two long-established incumbents seeking re-election and one bomb-throwing outsider seeking to change the dynamic on the board — and, indeed, in the state education system. We see value in bringing a different perspective to the often-unified board. At the same time, though, we see red flags in the rather partisan and ideological approach challenging candidate Jim Scott brings to this race. Some impressions of the candidates: • As School Board President, John Krings played a role in fostering the Business-Education Partnership Committee, formed in 2012 and facilitated by Incourage Community Foundation, which ties together five South Wood County school systems with employers to promote practical job training. An employee of the paper industry, Krings offers a view into what is still clearly a key industry here, if a dramatically smaller one than it once was. • Incumbent Sandy Hett, who is now the board’s clerk, in a guest column published by Daily Tribune Media on Wednesday, made a strong case that Wisconsin Rapids schools are succeeding when measured against other districts in the region. Hett also touted the community involvement of students and professionals in the district, something which will be well-known to residents. She is a veteran board member and, frankly, at times has tilted too much toward the status quo. But she has also been a leader on the board, serving as an officer and an making herself accessible to the public to explain board decisions. • Our concern is that Scott, who has run for the School Board in the past, appears most focused on two policies that are not even primary concerns of the local school board. He is a vociferous advocate for the expansion of the state’s school voucher program, and an equally fierce opponent of Common Core State Standards, the educational benchmarks adopted by Wisconsin in 2010, which districts have spent considerable time and money on implementing since then. The problem is that Wisconsin Rapids cannot cancel Wisconsin’s adoption of the standards. And resisting implementation would risk harming the district’s standing relative to competing Wisconsin districts. We hope and expect that our School Board leaders will keep a close eye on Common Core implementation
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 01:39:03 +0000
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