We have received a couple of questions about the Wakanda program. Thank you. Here they are:
Q. I thought the 4K was a two-year trial period and then had to be self-supporting. Is an addition or new building part of the formula to be
self-supporting?
A. The 4K program was implemented with the help of a two-year startup grant from the DPI with the understanding that it would become
self-sustaining. The program is elf-sustaining. It is popular by choice, not mandate. Children are not required to attend. The 4K program has
actually resulted in additional revenue for the district. Our 4K population is located in community-based child care facilities and other
schools. Prior to the implementation of 4K in Menomonie, we were losing enrollment to other districts. Once four-year-olds started in another
community they often stayed in those districts. Additionally, young families are drawn to live in a district with a quality 4K program. Currently,
the need for space is being driven by an increase in enrollment in K-2, not by the 4K program.
I also continue to hear concerns that a small expansion at Wakanda will threaten Downsville or Knapp. Not in my opinion. The Board seems satisfied with its decision to protect those schools. What I do think is that a failure to act on Wakanda prevents the board from ideally addressing long-range needs at Downsville and Knapp. They are pretty good schools, but there are maintenance and program issues that should be addressed to make them great. Unfortunately, because they are pretty good, their needs are nowhere near an emergency. On the other hand, the overcrowding at Wakanda is serious. If an addition is not on line by 2011-2012, those problems will crowd out lesser concerns and delay a good long-range look at how we can complete planning for all schools in the district. The Board has established a comprehensive long-range planning effort as a goal and a directive, but residents here are familiar with the history of what happens when a single issue crisis dominates board work. It makes it hard to get other things done. My opinion is that a quick resolution of the Wakanda issue through a small addition allows the board to immediately get down to the business of re-examining school improvements in all campuses, including Downsville and Knapp, which seem to be healthy, positive school communities interested in getting stronger and better.
Those are my opinions. Everyone is invited to attend a public hearing at 6:00 p.m. on Monday when the Wakanda addition will be discussed and the board will speak. Please attend if you have questions. With that in mind, rather that make up a Q and A column, let me shift gears and talk
about process via the story of Cotton the Dog.
Look at the white dog in this picture. He is missing a hind leg. The dog's name is Cotton. Cotton came in to our lives two years ago. We were up north over Labor Day. My wife, Beth and her folks had gone up and I was to follow on Saturday. The first day they were there, Cotton came through the camp. He was as close to being dead as a dog could be and still walk. He weighed about 30 pounds less than he does in the picture. His ribs were almost poking through and he had lost part of his hind leg, leaving a bloody stump. Cotton was starving to death and in obvious pain.
My mother- and father-in-law, Corinne and Joe, guessed that his leg had been caught in a trap and he had chewed it off. They spotted Cotton first. Loving animals, they tried to help, but were limited in mobility. They get around pretty good, but there are oxygen lines involved, and they were not about to chase a dog around the yard. When Beth arrived, they informed her that the dog had established a regular circuit to check on the cabin. They made plans to provide food. He was very weak but allowed them to approach. He wolfed down some hot dog bits and milk. When finished, he wandered off.
By the time I arrived, Cotton was coming regularly for food. As the weekend drew to a close, it was agreed that we could not abandon the dog. The consensus ended there. I had managed to find a shelter open on the weekend that would take Cotton, but Corinne and Joe were adamant that Cotton was not going to a shelter. They feared that in his condition, with no owner, he would be put down. Beth is allergic to dogs. Our house was out as an option. I told Joe, "There is no other choice." He disagreed. Joe put his foot down and said he would take the dog back to his home in Appleton. With all due respect, I had to wonder, "How are you going to do that?"
Corinne and Joe said, "We'll manage."
They had a van, so we moved around the luggage and the oxygen bottles and put a blanket in and made it as cozy as possible. With a little coaxing, and nudging, and pleading, we managed to get Cotton over to the back hatch. He let Joe and me pick him up and put him in the back of the van on the blanket, even though we could tell that it hurt him. We had some chewable Tylenol. I got three or four and smeared them with butter. Cotton took them down, sipped a little milk, and they were off. Beth and I were concerned about her parents' ability to tackle a long drive while taking care of a sick animal, but they were determined to rescue him.
That night we received a call from Appleton. They had arrived. Cotton was safe. Later that week they found a vet who worked with the dog at cost. He dressed the wound and prescribed an antibiotic. Cotton had a parasite, too, and they took care of that. During his recovery, Cotton proved to be a devoted, gentle, loyal dog with a wonderful disposition. We found out that he was an Australian Cattle Dog, a breed known for its loyalty and unswerving will to work and serve its masters. Cotton loved staying with Corrine and Joe, but there was a problem. There was already a dog in the house. After a month or so, two big dogs in a little house was not working. The good news is that Cotton had thrived under Corinne and Joe's care and put on twenty or thirty pounds and was in good shape. He also picked up his name. Corinne is a quilter. Cotton was a natural. He had turned in to a beautiful dog with a pretty white coat with black spots.
The day was coming when Cotton would have to leave, but we didn't know where we were going to find him a home. We shared the story with friends of ours. A woman we know who spends time with animals helped. She knew a family that had one rescue dog and might be interested in another. They agreed to look at Cotton if we could get the dog over from Appleton. Corinne and Joe were game. A date was arranged. They loaded Cotton up for his final ride in their van and hauled him back to my house. It was early November by then and chilly. Cotton could not come in the house, but we arranged a little bed with blankets in the garage. We were fearful about what kind of barking or mischief he would do in a cold garage. He seemed to sense what we needed. He went to his little bedding near the door and stayed there all night without a peep. We checked on him regularly. He was always fine, but we would find him right up against the door as if he were listening to the conversation inside the house. The next day the adoptive family came. They brought their dog to see if the two dogs would get along. They took the dogs for a walk, returned and said they wanted Cotton.
You can see that they took great care of Cotton. He had to have a true amputation, but he never said a word about it. Thinking about this story propelled me to reconnect with the family and ask how Cotton is. Here is what the "Mom" says: "Thanks for the note. Cotton is doing great, he's a happy guy. The only "problem" is that he follows me around the house so closely that he's never more than a few inches from my feet, so I'm always tripping over him! I just love him."
One thing I did not tell you is that during the rescue when I was putting him in the van, I bumped him. He nipped me. After he nipped me, if dogs could be embarrassed, he was. He felt badly that he had nipped his friend. He was trying to tell me he could not help it. He was a good dog in pain, under stress.
Sometimes when we talk under stress, we nip each other. It does not mean that we are bad dogs. One of the things I am proudest of is that, as a school community, we have been able to work through a lot in the past year and a half without taking the nips too personally. School is important. Differences of opinion cause stress. It is a different stress than what Cotton felt, but it is stress. The enrollment and overcrowding at Wakanda has put us in a jam. In order to gain the two classrooms that we need, I am recommending that we take away a music room. I am recommending that we put the early childhood class off campus for a year. Beyond that, it appears that the Board agrees that we need an addition to prevent the same problem from occurring the year after. That is going to cause stress. There is some pain over this decision. They will get by, but affected teachers and students will have to adjust in order to make this work. Taxpayers will feel some stress because of the addition. Without it, we could reduce taxes slightly. With it, things will stay the same. The Board and I have felt a few bites on this. Probably some of the people I have had to explain these difficult decisions to have felt a few nips from me, but I think as we get to know each other better, it has become clearer that, as Thomas Jefferson preached, a difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.
I hope this plan goes through so we can move to an ideal position which allows the board to engage in true long-range planning instead of short-range reacting. As we work through this, let's think of each other the way I think of Cotton. We are good work dogs trying to get our jobs done or protect our interests. Sometimes we might nip a little bit, but we share a common goal of Protecting the family, which, in this case, is the school community.