Oshkosh is still Unhappy

Town of Black Wolff residents gathered at the town hall to hear
Oshkosh school Superintendent Ron Heilmann talk about the school
facilities plan for the district.
Lakeside Elementary parents pack Black Wolf town board meeting
Not happy with school board's plan to bus students to Merrill, North

AMANDA M. WIMMER
of The Northwestern October 9, 2007

Lakeside Elementary School parents who do not want their children to
attend Merrill Middle School or Oshkosh North High School packed the
Black Wolf town board meeting Monday.


More than 100 parents showed, many donning a pin that said Merrill and
North with a slash through them, to express their concern about the
Oshkosh school district's evolving 10-year-facilities plan.

If passed, the plan would have students living in the area bordered by
25th Avenue to the north, the Canadian National railroad tracks to the
west, Lone Elm Avenue to the south and Lake Winnebago to the east, go
to Merrill and North. Those students now attend Lakeside, South Park
Middle and Oshkosh West High School.

"They may not let us speak, but we can be visual," said Bill Kies, a
Lakeside parent who handed out the pins at Monday night's meeting.

Oshkosh school district Superintendent Ron Heilmann came to Monday's
meeting to give a presentation about the facilities plan. Heilmann
talked about the details of the Public Management Partners report,
which came out last October. The consultant's report recommended
school closures and boundary area shifts in order to create equity
among schools in the Oshkosh school district.

Kies, along with other Black Wolf community members, pressed members
of the town board to support the community and stand up against the
Oshkosh school district.

"I think we need town support to help us as a force," Kies said. "I
think the town of Black Wolf needs to display that they aren't
pleased."

However, town chairman Frank Frassetto said he thinks citizens will
have a better chance of being heard if they go to the Oshkosh school
board meetings and speak for themselves.

Kelly Spanbauer, who spoke at Monday's meeting, said she feels
Lakeside families are being treated unfairly.
"I feel that we are going to be taking the brunt of what the Oakwood
area was not able to accept," she said.

The plan that affects Lakeside families came after the board's
rejection of a plan, known as Option E, that would have balanced
attendance areas at the high schools by transferring some students who
attend Oakwood, Franklin and Roosevelt Elementary schools into the
North attendance area.

Parents and community members say it doesn't make sense to send
children from the southernmost part of the district to the
northernmost schools.

Wednesday the Oshkosh school board will hold a workshop to further
discus the Lakeside attendance area option as well as an option that
would take parts of the community around Roosevelt and send those
students to Merrill and North, Heilmann said.

A public forum will be held Oct. 17, which will give community members
an opportunity to speak about concerns. The Oshkosh school board could
vote as early as Oct. 24 on an attendance area plan.

But Heilmann told parents Monday that even the possible vote on the
attendance area plan on Oct. 24 isn't final.

"They can vote on parts (of the plan) in concept and they reserve the
right to change (the plan) in the end," Heilmann said.