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In recent years, the school district has closed both the Ridgeway and Dakota elementary schools, though both reopened as charter schools. The loss of rural, community public schools has been a sore subject in the district that encompasses parts of southern Winona and the communities of Dakota, Homer, New Hartford, Richmond, Wilson, Pleasant Hill, Wiscoy, Hart and Warren.
It’s a subject that District 4 school board candidates Kelly Herold and Greg Fellman have both talked about, in debates and in interviews during their campaign. Both Herold, the incumbent, and Fellman, the challenger, have lamented how WAPS has sacrificed rural areas of the community to save money in the past during tight economic times.
In an era of budget deficits at the state and in the school district, whoever wins the seat will likely face decisions that could impact communities in much the same way District 4 has. They will face ongoing tension between the district and its teachers.
Enrollment, finances and school closures
Kindergarten enrollment is lower than expected this year, continuing a trend decade-long trend in which enrollment has dropped by about 1,000 students.
The drop in enrollment — and coinciding decline in district revenue — has reawakened the debate over whether the district has too many buildings. Fellman thinks the district does, and should seriously consider closing schools.
“One thing I’ve consistently proposed is to look at how many buildings we have,” he said. “All the school board has done in the last few years is increase the number of buildings we have.”
Fellman was a member of a capacity reduction committee that recommended the closure of Madison and Central Elementary schools. The board instead closed the rural schools. Fellman said he knew if Dakota and Ridgeway were closed, they would become charter schools. He suggested the use of grade-level elementary schools in the district to reduce the cost of having six buildings.
Herold’s position is to not close schools, unless there is overwhelming evidence that the action would save the district money. He recommended instead that the district look first to scrapping the use of a four-period day, cut some administrative positions by moving toward grade-level elementary schools, and even possibly moving to a four-day school week.
All issues are on the table, but he said he’d like to pursue all other avenues besides closing schools first. He said closing schools tears communities apart, and will make passing future referendums harder in the future.
“Keeping schools open is just the healthiest thing for the whole community,” he said.
Fellman has touted his financial background as accounting director at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare in La Crosse, Wis., as a reason voters should chose him. Herold challenged Fellman’s experience, stating that his opponent’s background is not necessarily applicable. He said Fellman operates with almost an “open checkbook.”
“He runs a golden goat, the medical industry, where money is not the issue,” he said. “It’s a whole different game over here.”
Not so, said Fellman. The nonprofit Franciscan Skemp has tight government control of its finances, he said, and its budgetary needs are similar to a school district, because its two major expenses are the same: employees and buildings. No one on the board has a financial background, a void he said needs to be filled.
“To live within a budget is something I don’t think the district and this school board knows how to do,” Fellman said.
District relationships
Another central theme within the campaign has been how to best repair relationships among the board, administration and the teachers’ union. Last school year, the union filed a record number of grievances against the district, highlighting discontent and distrust teachers have with district leadership. The conflict came to a head when teachers overwhelmingly passed a vote of no confidence against Superintendent Paul Durand in April.
Herold made a campaign promise at a candidate forum Wednesday at City Hall, stating he would take off every Friday from his position as a Winona State University professor to go to classrooms and meet with teachers. Getting into the buildings and speaking face to face with the faculty is the best way to improve relationships within the district.
“I want to continue to build trust and camaraderie in the school district,” he said.
That promise was dismissed by Fellman at the debate. Herold has been on the board for four years, Fellman said, and if he was worried about relationships in the district, he shouldn’t have waited until he was up for re-election to come up with solutions. He said that if voters wanted someone to improve relationships in the district, they should choose him.
“We’ve watched as (relationships in the district) have not gotten better over the last four year,”
Fellman said. “I’d like to think I’d be the catalyst to bring things together and bring about some change.”
KELLY HEROLD
AGE: 47
LIVES: Pickwick
WORKS: Professor of communication studies at Winona State University.
GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: Elected to the Winona School board in 2004 and is the clerk-treasurer. He is on the negotiations and legislative committees and his school responsibilities are Jefferson Elementary, the Winona Area Learning Center and Community Education.
GREG FELLMAN
AGE: 51
LIVES: Pickwick
WORKS: Controller-accounting director at Franciscan Skemp Healthcare in La Crosse, Wis.
GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE: Has worked on a WAPS budget redesign committee and a capacity reduction committee. Ran for one of two open at-large board seats in 2006, losing to John Goplen and Stacey Mounce-Arnold. He ran for the District Four seat in 2004, losing to Herold.
CaptnTony wrote on Oct 10, 2008 9:54 AM: