CYBERSPACE REPORTS
-EKW-N.O & LOCAL NEWS

THE ANSWER IS N.O.W COMMITTEE.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON DETACHMENT
BY "NOW" COMMITTEE

Bill, Some of this may need to be updated after the Monday night meeting. It is pretty long, but we felt it was important to be as complete as possible. Thank you for your interest and service to the public on this issue.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT DETACHMENT

The following is a list of frequently asked questions about realigning the EKW and N-O school districts through a Large Parcel Detachment as prescribed by state law. The answers represent The NOW Committeeıs assessment based on research and analysis it has done over the past 9 months. This document will be updated as more specific information regarding taxes and costs become available.

  • Q. Why should Wilton Detach from EKW and join the N-O district?
    A. The movement to Detach sprang from the belief that EKW will eventually close the Wilton school. That being the case most people feel it would be better to be in a district only a few miles from home.

  • Q. What makes you think EKW will close the Wilton School?
    A. The evidence of this has been mounting for years. € Declining enrollment, rising costs € The moving of the 7th & 8th grades to Elroy € The recent vote to move 2nd grade, which was only reversed because of the impending Detachment referendum (this was so stated by board members).

    Most area people believe that if Detachment is defeated, the Wilton school will be gradually dismantled. Grades will continue to be moved from the Wilton school until there is no economic or educational justification for keeping the Wilton school open.

  • Q. Is a referendum needed to close the Wilton school?
    A. No! The EKW School Board can close the Wilton school at any time and the community will have no say in the decision. If you think that the current School Board or any future School Board might close the school if class size continues to decrease or rising expenses make it economically too burdensome to operate, then you should vote for detachment now while Wilton still has an option to attach to N-O.

  • Q. What about the plan to build a new school in Wilton?
    A. Unfortunately this plan provides no guarantee that refurbishing the Wilton school will keep it open in the years to come. After years of bickering and stalemate the only current alternative to Detachment is one which would put the district near the maximum of its debt limit by closing down Royall high school, building a new high school in Kendall and building/refurbishing the primary schools in Elroy and Wilton. Unfortunately, such an idea will, at best, do little more than postpone the closing of the Wilton school by a few years, while saddling area tax payers with a huge debt for the next 20 years.

  • Q. Why wonıt this $10 million -$12 million spending plan work?
    A. There are many reasons € Enrollment is declining throughout the district € Families in the Wilton area continue to send their children elsewhere through school choice as they have been doing since long before Detachment was proposed. In addition, a study showed that the vast majority of Choice parents would not return their children to EKW even if a new school was built in Wilton. € EKW is not a rich district. There is serious doubt that EKW could even afford such a huge expenditure for buildings alone. But the more important question is ³where will we get the money to operate these schools? One study shows that in a few years we will not have the money to operate the existing schools even with our current low debt. € With millions going for buildings and maintaining those buildings what would be left for educational programs which is the essence of an educational system? € Since this plan includes the closing of Royall High School how do you think the citizens on that end of the district will react? Remember how Wilton felt during the last referendum to consolidate in Elroy? If this mega spending plan passes, thereıs a good chance people on the Elroy end of the district will leave for other districts in droves. € With people on both ends of the district leaving, we certainly will not have the students or the money to maintain a high school in Kendall. In a few years, we could end up with no school in Wilton, a nearly empty high school in Kendall and a huge debt. € If this $10 - 12 million dollar plan were implemented by, as some would say, ³defeating Elroy² our communities would be even more divided than they are now. This year even Mr. Keenan acknowledged that the inability to settle the building question could begin to affect educational programs. If a plan like this were forced on one or more communities, the disagreement and deadlock that we are all so tired of would only intensify.

  • Q. Why canıt Wilton parents just use School Choice?
    A. Many Wilton area parents have already opted for the School Choice program. They did so before Detachment was ever even heard of (most have gone to N-O). These parents have done this despite the hardship of having no school bus transportation for their kids. However, under the School Choice option while the children may go to N-O, all of our property tax dollars will continue to go to EKW. That is simply not equitable. Without Detachment, if parents continue to Choice out of EKW for N-O we will end up with a situation where our children go to one district while our tax dollars subsidize another district.

  • Q. Does the Wilton area really want to detach or is it just a few ³squeaky wheels²?
    A. When volunteers went out to gather petition signatures the response was overwhelming. Only about 150 signatures were needed to apply for detachment, so volunteers quit asking after 357 signed. Many, many others were not home or not even contacted, and have since told us they favor detachment. Of course, there are some who do not want to detach. They seem to think the plan to move the high school to Kendall will insure a school in Wilton. The referendum is designed to allow them to vote their opinion, and a few of them have written to the editors already. The supporters of detachment have already demonstrated their opinion with their signatures, and could more accurately be described as at least 357 ³mostly quiet wheels² trying to smoothly roll down the road NOW.

  • Q. What about other options?
    A. For years the EKW School Board has searched for a ³compromise². The only two options on the table at this point are the Mega Building/Spending plan to put a new high school in Kendall with new or refurbished grade schools on either end, or allowing Detachment of the Wilton area. The only other option proposed in the last few years was to consolidate everything in Elroy. That option was soundly defeated by the voters in referendum two years ago.

  • Q. Could the option to consolidate in Elroy be tried again? Does it have any merit?
    A. Yes, it could be tried again, and yes, it probably has a lot of merit - for Kendall and Elroy. It simply offers nothing for Wilton. The Wilton school will still close and all of our students (including Kindergartners) will be bussed a minimum of 19 miles. Consolidation in Elroy may work out great for Kendall and Elroy and thatıs fine. It simply makes no sense to drag Wilton in just for its tax dollars.

  • Q. Why canıt Wilton parents & students just go along with consolidation in Elroy?
    A. Thatıs the heart of the Detachment movement. If we're going to lose our school anyway, why not allow us to attach to a district right in our own back yard? Wilton area students and parents sometimes have an extra-ordinary burden trying to participate in after school activities in Elroy. That can result in decreased parental involvement. It also cuts into after school and after events study time. It is a long way to travel (sometimes even requiring a bus change en route). There is no doubt this has an impact on student and parental involvement. And most educators will tell you that parental involvement is a key aspect of any childıs education.

    In addition, parents on the Wilton end of the district usually have to add an additional hour travel time when picking up their children from school in Elroy and taking them to the family doctor or dentist, often located in Tomah, Sparta or LaCrosse. This can be an added financial burden due

    to lost wages.

  • Q. Is there no other plan that would keep the Wilton school open?
    A. If there was, surely by now, after all these years, someone would have thought of it. The sad fact is, that if there is another choice besides the Mega Spending/Building plan and Detachment, it is only more of the same of what we have now. And that means continued disagreement, continued ³gang up on...² / ²us versus them² mentality, continued stalemate and a continued threat to the viability of educational programs and perhaps even to the district itself.

  • Q. Some say an EK district could not make it without Wilton. Is that true?
    A. If that were true it would mean that Wilton is, in effect, subsidizing Kendall and Elroy. Fortunately, an EK district does not need Wilton to survive and even prosper. There are many districts around the state at a size similar to an EK district. Two very fine ones in our own back yard are Hillsboro and N-O.

  • Q. What would happen to course offerings and extra curricular activities in an EK district?
    A. No one can say specifically because no one knows for sure. However, EK would likely stay in the same Scenic Bluffs athletic conference and since other districts this size offer a full range of sports and other extra curricular activities there is every reason to assume that an EK district will be able to do the same.

  • Q. What will happen to the Kendall school if Detachment passes?
    A. That will be up to the EK School Board. They might decide to keep the Kendall school open. One idea that was being discussed was a K-6 somewhere between Kendall and Elroy. Certainly that option has a better chance with a board that is willing to cooperate and work together than one where the parties are trying to undercut, out maneuver or gang up on one another. But even if the Kendall school is eventually closed, residents there will be in no different situation than Wilton, Norwalk or Ontario in that the school will be just a few miles away.

  • Q. If Detachment is approved, how would it affect the Wilton area and the remaining EK district?
    A. The $10 million - $12 million spending plan is based on a Win/Lose scenario. Unlike that, Detachment offers a Win/Win alternative. € For EK, Detachment finally breaks the deadlock so the district can move forward with a sensible building plan and it finally gives the district a chance to focus more of its energies on educational programs. € For the Wilton area, it allows our students to attend a fine school district just 5 miles away and allows our tax dollars to support that district where some 35 Wilton area students are already attending. € It also strengthens the current N-O district against the difficulties associated with the inevitable declining enrollment issue. In the long run Detachment offers both districts an opportunity to improve and prosper.

  • Q. So the addition of Wilton will help the N-O tax base. How will 200 students descending on N-O affect the district?
    A. To begin with, it will not be 200 children because 25 are already attending N-O or some other district through school choice. Furthermore, the Boards should be willing to agree to allow all current Royall high students to graduate from Royall if they so desire. That could reduce the number by as many as 82. Finally, there will be some parents who will opt out of both districts and send their children to Tomah or Hillsboro for example, thus further reducing that number. It seems quite likely that the initial number transferring to N-O will be quite manageable.

  • Q. But wonıt N-O have to expand to accommodate the new students?
    A. Yes. But they were planning to expand anyway. The N-O Board wisely decided to wait and see what happens with the Detachment effort. They already have a plan available which can be implemented when Detachment passes.

  • Q. Thatıs going to cost money and N-O already has a higher mill rate than EKW. Whatıs going to happen to taxes?
    A. No one can say for sure at this point. Before there can be any hard numbers the boards have to reach an agreement at the September 13th meeting on things like the division of assets and debt. Once these agreements are reached, the State Dept. of Public Instructions (DPI) has agreed to run the numbers and come up with a set of accurate and impartial costs for both districts. However, there already was a published report on some preliminary numbers showing that taxes will go down in a NOW district. These figures need to be confirmed once the DPI can plug in the formulas.

  • Q. Will N-O add new teachers or will class sizes grow?
    A. It is much easier to plan for a block of students and hire the appropriate number of teachers. N-O already has the plans in place for added classrooms and teachers should Detachment become a reality. If Wilton students are limited to joining N-O by School Choice only, it will be more of a burden for N-O to accommodate them.

  • Q. What will happen to taxes in an EK district?
    A. Again, no one can say for sure at this point until the Boards reach an agreement and the DPI runs the numbers. It will also depend on a lot of factors such as how many schools the district will operate and what kind of building/renovation work will be done. Itıs certainly possible, if not probable that taxes in a new EK district would be lower compared to taxes in an EKW district after a $10-$12 million dollar spending spree. Again, no one knows for certain what the exact figures are. We trust that the the DPI will come up with accurate and impartial figures that all parties will accept.

  • Q. The boards meet on September 13th to work out a compromise. What if the boards canıt reach an agreement?
    A. The majority of both Boards do seem poised to work out an agreement. However if an effort is made to obstruct the process, then the voters might not have impartial, hard and fast numbers before the referendum.

  • Q. Do we have any idea now what those numbers will be?
    A. It depends on what the boards work out. However, some preliminary numbers indicate that an EK district would receive an initial windfall from the state of from $500,000 - $1,000,000 in the first year alone plus substantial amounts in the second and third years based on the 3 year rolling average due to the Declining Enrollment factor . N-O would assume 20% of the current EKW debt but would receive 20% of its assets which could amount to a net gain for N-O depending on what the boards negotiate. N-O would likely spend a mere $1.5 million for expansion.

    Taxes in a NOW District could go up the first year, but with the addition of the Wilton area tax base and the rolling average formula, they could drop to below their current levels and below EKW levels in subsequent years, especially compared to what taxes would be in EKW if the $10-$12 million mega spending plan is passed. Again, these are not hard and fast numbers. Only the DPI can give us those and only if the Boards work out an agreement. While no one knows the specific numbers, it appears likely that if Wilton stays in EKW and the $10-$12 million dollar building plan is passed taxes will go up dramatically. On the other hand, if Wilton leaves the tax effect on both Wilton and EK could be eased considerably from what taxes might be otherwise.

  • Q. Letıs assume Detachment is the best option for Wilton, N-O and EKW, what is going to happen to Wilton when it is without a local school?
    A. A local school is definitely a community asset. But it is not the only asset. Any communityıs major asset is its people. Both Wilton and Kendall have a number of fine community leaders and a large number of public spirited citizens. For years their attention has been diverted by a school issue that has been in a holding pattern. Think of the possibilities that could be created if these good people were freed up to concentrate on improving our communities and attracting new people and business.

  • Q What about real estate values?
    A. Most real estate agents will tell you that the EKW district is and has been a hard sell because the district is viewed as being in turmoil or at best in a stalemate. The situation is further aggravated by this ³gang up on...² / ³us versus them² attitude. Who wants to move into a school district where the neighboring communities are pitted against each other and the future of the schools are in question? This has a negative effect on property values and home sales and has more of a negative impact on our communities than the loss of a school building.

    On the other hand, after detachment both an EK and a NOW district could be seen as ones that have stabilized and even been invigorated. When EK is freed from this stalemate, theyıll be seen as a new district. Maybe theyıll be an innovator, maybe theyıll develop certain specialties, maybe an EK district will grow because it attracts people with the exceptional quality of its programs. A NOW district will have the advantage of being fortified by additional students, state aid and a broader tax base. It too will be able to increase course offerings and programs. The point is, once this intractable impasse in EKW is undone all kinds of good things are possible.

  • Q. But will young families want to move here if we donıt have a local school to which the children can walk?
    A. First of all, the majority of students in the state ride a bus to school, particularly in rural districts. People will look much more favorably on a 5 mile bus ride than a 19 mile bus ride. Second, most parents are concerned about the quality of education first and the location of the building second. If we have a building but canıt afford the educational programs parents demand, the word will be out and families with children will avoid our district.

  • Q. Some are saying that EKW will have to pay as much as $1 million to let Wilton leave and join N-O. Is that true?
    A. ³Pay² would be a misleading term. Since this district became EKW, Wilton has been paying taxes to the district. These tax dollars have gone to pay for buildings, supplies, equipment etc. These are part of the assets that the Wilton area has purchased over the years. Wilton has every right to take them along when they leave. Wilton is also obligated to take an appropriate portion of the districtıs debt (which would be shared by the new district). When Wilton detaches it is entitled to take with it the difference between the assets it has purchased and the debt it has incurred. And when Wilton detaches, it also eliminates the expenses of operating a distant school as well as the transportation and miscellaneous expenses.

  • Q. How would this transfer of assets be accomplished?
    A. Since Wiltonıs portion of the assets will exceed itıs portion of the debt, there are at least are two ways to accomplish this. One would be to count all the books, computers, desks, supplies etc. in the district and allow Wilton to literally pack up and take its rightful portion. The more practical solution would be for the two boards to agree on an asset value, subtract the proportionate debt, and allow EK to keep All of Wiltonıs assets and pay for them at what would likely be discounted price and paid for over time.

  • Q. Can an EK district afford this?
    A. Absolutely. Keep in mind that after Detachment an EK district would receive (depending on the number of students that transfer) up to $1.4 million dollars from the state in the first year alone because of whatıs called a declining enrollment factor. At the same time the districtıs costs would be reduced by having that many fewer students in the system. Furthermore, any purchase of the Wilton portion of the assets could be negotiated to below their actual value (bought at a bargain price so to speak) and paid off over time thus reducing the economic impact even further.

    To illustrate this, if for example, 200 students were to Detach, EK could receive approximately $1 million dollars (200 x $6800 x 75%) from the state in the first year because of the declining enrollment factor. If the cost of the Wilton assets minus the debt was negotiated to be $0.8 million dollars (possibly worth much more), paid off at 0% interest over 10 years, it would cost EK a mere $80,000 a year to buy the Wilton assets. Now, if the $1 million received from the state in just the first year was invested in T-notes or Bonds (average 6% per year) EK would earn $60,000 per year on the interest alone. Thus the cost of the assets would be a mere $20,000 per year. Plus Ek would own and have the use of all of the Wilton assets and still have $1 million in the bank at the end of 10 years. EK would also receive additional $ from the state in the 2nd and 3rd year to add to the $1 million. Admittedly, this might be a best case scenario but it doesn't take much to figure that even in a worst case situation, the economic impact on EK would be minimal.

  • Q. Youıve made a strong case for school district realignment through Detachment. But canıt we wait to see if EKW can afford to build and operate a school in Wilton?
    A. The vast majority of the people in the Wilton area know that is not going to happen. That is why such an overwhelming number signed the petition to Detach. Furthermore, there will likely never again be a chance to Detach and join another district. If we are saddled with a huge debt no district is going to be interested in us.

  • Q. But will they let us go?
    A. Despite some past disharmonies, we believe in the basic decency of the people of Kendall and Elroy. Yes, they will have some misgivings. Thatıs understandable. And after all weıve been together 30 years through thick and thin.

    But now that it is time for Wilton to move on, we believe that our neighbors and friends in Kendall and Elroy will, for the most part, have no inclination to hold us against our will. We think the majority will support us, wish us well and remain our friends and neighbors. Since Detachment can benefit all of our communities we will all be free to create a new future based on cooperation and a positive relationship.

  • Q. OK, where do we go from here?
    A. First of all, the School Boards need to cooperate and reach an equitable agreement on the key issues concerning Detachment. € Next, people need to have information to make an informed choice. They also must realize that this is very likely to be our one shot at this option. If Detachment is defeated we will have no more choices except for what is forced upon us. € Then we need to get out the vote. Detachment must pass by a majority in each district. € Perhaps most importantly we need to set aside the ³gang up on...² and ³us versus them² approach. Our communities can thrive if we work together, if we find ways to help each other grow and prosper. Of course there will always be competition between communities for jobs and people but such competition should spur us on to better ourselves, not try to undermine the other guy. € Finally, we need to advocate our position with respect for those whose opinions differ from ours. Remember, people on both sides of this issue believe they are doing what is best for their community. Even though we believe differently as to how to accomplish that goal, we must acknowledge the sincerity of other viewpoints on this matter. We need to treat all people and viewpoints with the same respect we want for ourselves.

    Thank you for taking the time to learn about this very important issue. If you would like to help, send contributions, questions, comments and offers of help to:

    The Now Committee
    Box 308
    Wilton WI 54760
    Phone 435-6152

    Authorized and paid for by The N.O.W Committee,
    Kenneth Korbernick - Treasurer - 9/10/99 Kenneth Korbernick- Wilton - Treasurer.

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