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• St. Croix Central School Board asks for community input

By Laura Kruse, RiverTown Staff

On Monday night, about 20 people met in the St. Croix Central Elementary School Library to discuss their hopes and fears for the future of the District.

The School Board is hosting four community gatherings to talk about how the District should proceed in the coming years. All District residents are welcome to share their thoughts with School Board members and District Administrator David Bradley.

Monday's was the first meeting of the series. People present included those new to the District, retirees who have lived in the area for decades, parents of graduates and alumni. Teachers at SCC as well as teachers from other schools who live in the SCC District offered their thoughts as well.

The evening started with a welcome by Bradley. He invited those present to serve on a facilities committee to investigate possible solutions for short-term space needs, as more classrooms will be needed for the 2009-10 year.

A talk by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman was shown. In it, Friedman discusses his concerns for this generation that will be entering the global economy.

After the film ended, those present split into groups to discuss a list of questions provided to them by Bradley. They started off by talking about Friedman's concerns and their solutions for those issues.

The next prescribed questions were what are you most proud of about the District, what are your fears and concerns and what are your hopes and dreams.

All present had the opportunity to give their input. Once all had spoken, the answers were ranked in order of importance by the group.

People mentioned that they were proud of teachers and staff, student achievements and community building among other things. A few of the fears brought up were teacher-to-student ratio, economy concerns, turmoil in the District and lack of space.

The Board will use the information gathered at their strategic planning initiative, set for Nov. 15.

The second meeting of the series was held on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Warren Township Hall.

The final two meetings are set for next week. From 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 13, a meeting will be held in the High School Library. The final meeting in the series will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Hammond Township Hall, located at 1816 County Road E. Those unable to attend the meetings can still have their voices heard. Comments can be left at the SCC Web site at www.scc.k12.wi.us by clicking on the left hand link "Community Input Needed." Additionally, comments can be mailed to the District office or to pkatner@scc.k12.wi.us.