Committee Recommends Single Site, Expansion of Trevor Grade School 

The District’s Facilities Committee presented its recommendations to the Board of Education at the June 3rd Board meeting.

Committee members Deb Barr, Randy Batassa, Michelle Bossong, Kaet Johnson, Cole Marshall, Rebecca Potter and Christie Rosol presented the following recommendation:

“We recommend that our facilities be contained on the District-owned property in Trevor.Further, we recommend that the current Trevor facility be dedicated to upper grades and the new building or addition be dedicated to lower grades.”

Committee members explained that their recommendation was based on the greater acreage at the Trevor site, current energy consumption, school buildings’ age, size and configuration.The Committee also used the results of a Community Survey, a District Staff Survey which the Committee created and distributed, the Town of Salem Draft Land Use Plan for 2035, Enrollment Projections reported by Information Management Systems, the District Strategic Plan and utility and maintenance costs provided by the District.

The Committee pointed out that the modular classroom units on the Wilmot site were placed there under a Temporary Occupancy Permit which expires in 2010.The Kenosha County Board of Adjustments has given the District notice that the permit will not be extended.Neither school building has the capacity to house these four classes so the situation will become critical in two years.

Speaking on behalf of the Committee, Rebecca Potter recommended that the Wilmot property be sold or leased when the new addition was ready.

Help Wanted by Tom Steiner, Board President

It seems like summer had just begun and now it is almost over.  The merging of the Wilmot and Trevor schools this past year has created a lot of extra work for everyone in the school district.  I am happy to say that the transition from two 4K-8 schools to our current 4K-2 and 3-8 schools was much smoother than I thought it could be.  This is attributable to the hard work and dedication of the administration, staff, parents and students.  With all this hard work, time has flown by and soon, school will be back in session.  Before our schedules fill up as they always do during the school year, I thought I would give fair notice of the upcoming school board election.

Next April, our District will possibly have two new faces.  Long time board members Lynn Jaeger and Marcie Badtke will be up for election and may not run again.  If Mr. Jaeger and Mrs. Badtke do indeed step down, our District will lose two fantastic board members whose input and experience will be missed.  This creates a need for community residents to step up to the plate in December to fill out the paper work to be placed on the ballot and run for the school board in April.  If you are a civic-minded individual interested in a position long on responsibility and short on pay and benefits, and if you are determined to provide the children of this District with the tools they will need to be productive citizens, this is the job for you. 

Fear not if you have no knowledge or experience with public education.  It is sometimes better if you do not.  There are plenty of experienced people on staff to provide technical information and there are plenty of seminars directed towards school board members to get you up to speed quickly.  Those inexperienced in public education will likely ask questions like “Why do you do it that way?” or “Does that program really work?” or “How do you know it works?”  These questions usually have logical answers.  There are times, however, when programs outlive their usefulness and no one notices until these questions are asked.  The more experience one has in public education or the longer one stays on a school board, the less likely one is to ask these important questions because of the distractions of more urgent issues.  Therefore, you see, new board members are good for the District.  In addition, a board works best when there is a diversity of interests, experiences, skill sets and length of service among its members. 

Good sound judgment is the main commodity needed for this job.  If you have an open mind, thick skin and experience in business management, technology, human resources, general contracting, contract law or any other field you feel is relevant, please consider running for the school board.  Our board meetings are the third Tuesday of the month and we have an additional meeting on the first Tuesday of the month during the school year.  There are also some committee meetings from time to time.  Most importantly, you should be committed to making sure the children of this District receive a high quality education in the most efficient way possible.  Feel free to contact the school or your favorite school board member if you have any questions.  I will also be at school events throughout the year where I would be happy to answer your questions about this or any other issues involving the school district.  We need your help.  Thank you.

Board Expands 4K to Five Days per Week

In a move to increase consistency and learning time for the District’s youngest students, the Board of Education voted in June to expand the four-year-old kindergarten program to five days per week.  (Previously, there was no school on Fridays for four-year-old students.)

Wilmot Primary Center Principal, Teresa Curley stated, “We are very excited about expanding the program to five days because it will give us the opportunity to offer additional educational opportunities.  This will give children more time to develop academically and socially.”  Classes will be held Monday through Friday, with morning and afternoon sessions of three hours each.

Students in the Trevor-Wilmot District may attend this program at no cost.  Four-year-old students from outside the District may enroll on a weekly tuition basis.  For further information, call Teresa Curley at 862-6461.

Board Holds the Line on School Fees

In a world where prices for a gallon of gasoline and just about everything else keep going up, the Board of Education has decided to “freeze” lunch and school registration fees for the 2008-09 school year.
Breakfast will continue to be $1.00; lunch for primary students at Wilmot will remain at $2.15, lunch for 3-8 pupils at Trevor will remain at $2.35.  Adults will continue to pay $2.80 for a school lunch.
School registration fees remain at $15.00 per student with a Family Cap of $30.00.