Letters to the Editor

The Wisconsin Heights School District has been engaged in continuous improvement practices for the last four years.  Part of this effort to improve our organization included growth in the area of community engagement.  This process was launched in April of 2018 when our school district hosted a three-day “Future Search” that included over 90 community stakeholders.  Below are the top five strategic priorities that were identified by this team over 12 hours of collaborative work. 1. Recruitment, retention, and appreciation of staff and administration 2. Community collaboration – local government, businesses, parents, and citizens 3. Pro-active, positive marketing and branding of the school district 4. One-site school campus 5. Private and public partnerships for improved funding Our School Board and administrative team have kept these priorities at the forefront and have tangible results to show in each area.  We are proud of how the District has continued to evolve with a growth mindset, despite once-in-a-lifetime challenges like a global pandemic and a 1000-year flood.  The Wisconsin Heights School District community should beam with pride in knowing that student achievement results have improved and our staff retention rates are better than ever. The community showed undeniable support for the School District by approving a 27-million-dollar referendum to build a new elementary school and remodel an aging infrastructure at the high school facility.  This work will commence on or around May 1, 2021.  Also, at the forefront of the School Board’s long-range facility planning was an auditorium because it, too, was widely discussed by participants at the 2018 Future Search.  Ultimately the Board decided not to include this question on the November 2020 ballot.  However, historically low-interest rates and an 18-month construction window have compelled the Board to send an auditorium question to voters on April 6, 2021.  It has been estimated that capitalizing on the construction mobilization would save the District over 2.2 million dollars vs. waiting five years to attempt to build the auditorium. The District understands that residents have already experienced a tax increase because of the successful referendum in November of 2020.  We are happy to report that our average interest rate for this project has been locked in at 1.64%.  Compared to our pre-referendum projection of a 3.2% interest rate, this will save taxpayers $4,650,665 in interest over the 20-year life of the loan.  These savings will be realized in the form of less tax collections and will not result in the District having additional dollars to spend. As a school district, we encourage you to cast an informed ballot on April 6, 2020.  We are confident the Wisconsin Heights School District will continue to Reach New Heights as time moves forward.  The public may find more detailed information on the District’s website at https://www.wisheights.k12.wi.us/reaching-new-heights-together/ or by attending the virtual public information meeting on Tuesday, March 16, at 5:30 p.m.     Jordan Sinz District Administrator Wisconsin Heights School District   To change our current situation where some voters don’t have a fair voice in selecting their state government, Wisconsin needs to prevent gerrymandering of voting districts by requiring a non-partisan, independent commission to redraw the legislative district maps.  A majority of Wisconsin counties (both red and blue) have passed a referendum or resolution in favor of this. Seventeen states already use an independent commission to draw legislative district maps. The Iowa model (in use for 40 years) has career civil servants, not politicians draw the maps and they are prohibited from using voter data to rig the districts. Census data due this July will be used for redrawing our district maps.  The method/algorithm used must be transparent and open to the public not done in secret as was the case 10 years ago. To get impartially drawn maps now and in the future, contact your legislators now and tell them you want fair maps drawn by a non-partisan commission based on the Iowa model.  It is easy. Search for: Contact Information for State Senate and Assembly. Click on: Find Your Legislator. Enter your address in the search bar on the map page. Contact by email, letter or phone message.   Wendy Carlson Roxbury   State Senator Howard Marklein is the co-chair of Wisconsin’s budget committee. Before he was elected to the legislature, he spent his professional career as a certified public accountant. I am glad that we have a CPA watching over the state’s checkbook. When the U.S. Congress passed the CARES Act last year, the intent of the Paycheck Protection Program was for employers to get the funds tax-free. Those PPP funds have been a critical lifeline to help businesses keep their doors open and pay employees. In December, Congress took action to make sure this emergency assistance was not taxed at a time when so many businesses are shutting down. Thanks to Senator Marklein’s leadership, the state will not send an unexpected tax bill to businesses already struggling to survive. Recently passed legislation will federalize Wisconsin tax policy related to PPP loans so they are treated the same for federal and state taxes. As a CPA myself and a member of the Wisconsin Institute of CPAs, which advocated for state conformity with the federal tax policy, I know just how much this means to Wisconsin businesses. Thank you for pushing to make much-needed PPP loans tax-free.   Austin Ayers Dodgeville   Every 10 years, the lines defining Wisconsin’s legislative and congressional districts are redrawn using data from the most recent US census. If this redistricting is done openly and reasonably, following recommendations of county boards and municipalities, and is based on common sense geography, Wisconsin voters get a fair chance to elect representatives who share our concerns. In 2011, the majority party drew the district lines in secret, ignoring recommendations of the counties and municipalities, which essentially cut out the voices of millions of voters. Many observers think that Wisconsin has the most unfair electoral maps in the country. 2021 is our chance to right this wrong. See Wisconsin Fair Maps Coalition for information and advice for more action. For now, please call your state legislators and senators and urge their support for fair, nonpartisan redistricting to restore the health of democracy in Wisconsin. Let’s demand fair maps.   Tom Sullivan Prairie du Sac