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Hopes, concerns discussed before consolidation vote
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| By: Amber Gieseke |
October 28, 2009 |
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Three Chetek students discussed the pros and cons of the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser consolidation and shared their thoughts on the topic. Left to right are senior Brandon Zeman, student council president, freshman Paula Omtvedt and sophomore Josie Reisner.
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With Tuesday's special referendum to vote on the Chetek-Weyerhaeuser consolidation, a number of Chetek and Weyerhaeuser students and faculty were given the chance to share their thoughts, worries and hopes for the future.
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Geoffrey Snyder and Taylor Traczyk, both juniors at Weyerhaeuser, and senior Brandon Zeman, sophomore Josie Reisner and freshman Paula Omtvedt, Chetek students, spoke on what they think about the referendum.
Traczyk, who went to a few informational meetings and toured the Chetek schools, said her first reaction to the consolidation is that "it's scary and really, really sad" to think their school may close and they'll have to go elsewhere for school.
"It's sad that we're the first class that wouldn't graduate as a Wild Cat," Traczyk continued, "but it has to be someone's class, and why not us?"
The Chetek students said they would be glad to welcome new students into their classes.
"New classmates and teammates are fun," noted Reisner. "Small classes don't allow us to work in groups, which is something I really enjoy about our larger Spanish classes. With a consolidated district, we'd have a larger student body and fewer, if any, classes with low enrollment, which would allow us to learn from each other more often."
The students agreed it may be awkward at first, with the Weyerhaeuser students hanging out with each other and the Chetek students doing the same, but after a while, mingling would happen and it would be fine.
"It would be different," said Snyder. "Not in a bad way, though."
"Change is always scary," agreed Traczyk. "Change can be good, but scary, and it'd be easier to go through it with people we know."
"We want to stay together as a school," added Snyder. "Being all alone would make it an even tougher transition. We've been together this long and we'd like to stay together."
Reisner, Omtvedt and Zeman agreed.
"If I were in their position, I'd want to be with my classmates, too," said Reisner. "I would never want to be in their position, though."
Zeman pointed out that Chetek could head down that road if the consolidation falls through.
"Schools across the state are needing to consolidate. To expect taxpayers, especially small town taxpayers, to fork over that amount of money is harsh when the state aid is expected to decrease," he stated. "To not take the two schools and put them together is financially foolish. It doesn't make much sense to pay for two of everything when we could consolidate and create more opportunities and save money."
The last thing on the students' minds is the mascot and color situation.
"I think education is more important than the school's mascot," said Omtvedt. "I don't think anyone should be worried about that right now; we need to be thinking about creating a better education for all students."
Snyder wants that education to be in Chetek.
"I've looked at other schools in the area, and I don't want to go to them," he enthused. "I'm one of the furthest from Chetek, and even that doesn't change my mind."
The two Weyerhaeuser students said they would be more worried if the consolidation doesn't go through.
"We'd be starting from scratch, and we may all be split up," said Traczyk.
"I hope it goes through," said Snyder. "We want to be in control of our future."
Zeman pointed out that the day-to-day student may not notice much change, but the schools would see a boost in funding and be able to offer more opportunities and more courses.
Weyerhaeuser Principal Rhonda Coggins agrees, adding, "The Weyerhaeuser students will gain opportunities in scheduling. We offer most classes, but only in one section, so there isn't much flexibility.
"From what I've seen, it's been difficult for all age groups-including the kindergarteners who are asking if they'll be here [in this building] next year," Coggins said. "The unknown is hard to deal with. To relieve those fears, we need to have a positive plan in place."
Dennis Richards, the interim superintendent in Weyerhaeuser and formerly Black River Falls superintendent, doesn't see a financial problem with the consolidation.
"I brought an outsider prospective to it and can give opinions that only an outsider can," he noted. "It is clear to me that the right decisions have been made to move forward with this consolidation. Weyerhaeuser's limited amount of debt makes this a viable relationship. We can equalize taxes to make sure Chetek residents don't suffer because of the consolidation."
As far as transportation goes, Richards doesn't think it will pose much of a problem.
Black River Falls covered approximately 465 square miles (the consolidated district would be about 290 square miles), and they were able to keep the bus rides under 60 minutes, with a few exceptions.
"Transportation is always a concern," said Richards, "but it's workable if you assess the routes and have the right amount of routes. The rides can be kept under 60 minutes."
After the joint school board voted to consolidate without going to referendum, a petition to go to referendum was filed in August by Weyerhaeuser residents. Chetek's referendum will cost approximately $10,000, and Weyerhaeuser will pay around $7,500.
Annie Huiras, one of the initiators of the petition to go to referendum, said she is still glad there will be a referendum.
"I've been hearing a lot of rumors [about the consolidation] that aren't true," she noted, "but at least the people get to vote. I'd like to dispel the rumors, but I'm on my farm most of the time and don't get out into the public much."
Heather Olesiak, who also petitioned for a referendum, was unavailable for comment.
In the eyes of Chetek freshman Omtvedt, "If it benefits them, they should come, and if it helps our school along the way, that's even better. We all need to help each other."
The referendum is Tuesday in both Chetek and Weyerhaeuser school districts. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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©The Chetek Alert 2009
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