With temperatures kissing the 90-degree mark this weekend on the path around the Falls, it was time to break out a fan.
Working outdoors in the heat generated perspiration. Taking a break indoors in front of a fan sounded like a good idea. After checking through a collection of four fans in the basement, it became apparent they decided this winter was a good time to die.
If the truth were told, at least a couple had quit working some time back but were left in the collection just in case there might have been a problem with a switch or some other issue that could easily be fixed. Unfortunately, they never did get scheduled for a DIY session on the basement workbench.
Nothing lasts forever. Hopefully, some of the local retailers will not have sold out of their seasonal supply.
Speaking of things that don’t last forever, that is a topic that will have some attention with the upcoming August referendum. We have touched on the outdoor facilities and the site work at Abrams, which will be part of one of the questions placed before the voters.
The other question asks for the authority to exceed the state revenue limit. To provide a little background, school districts have had to operate under revenue limits since the 1993-94 school year. A district’s revenue limit is the maximum amount of revenue that may be raised through state general aid and property tax for the majority of the annual budget.
When the law went into effect, the spending per student in Oconto Falls was less than the state average. The maximum revenue limit the following year, and each year since the limits went into effect, was capped at an amount less than the average for all school districts in Wisconsin.
Over the years that led to some budget challenges as priorities had to be set. Special care was taken to make decisions that had the least effect on classroom learning opportunities for students. Eventually, those decisions take a toll.
One of the options was to delay major maintenance projects. Two of the most expensive maintenance projects include roofs and parking lots. The maintenance staff did a lot of DIY work on roofs when leaks sprang up. One of the biggest areas of concern is where roofs attach to higher walls, such as next to a gym.
One critical roof that needed attention was the one over the original gym at the high school. That roof was replaced as part of the recent energy project. The work not only prevented leaks but also improved the insulating quality.
The authorization to exceed the revenue limit question that will be before the voters will ask for an additional $400,000 for the next three years. Roof repair projects, beginning with the highest priority first, will be part of the plan for using those funds.
The highest priority will be the roof over the high school library. That roof is now 20 years old. It is a large, rubber roof with a number of failed fasteners holding it to the wood surface below. This spring, a leak during a heavy storm damaged a number of books in the library.
With the failed fasteners, the roof will flap with heavy wind conditions. A loss of that roof during a storm would be very serious. Ironically, when the high school was first built, it had large sections of flat roof. Shortly after the construction, a portion of the roof blew off.
Eventually, the long-term solution was to build a pitched roof over the original flat roof. One lost roof in the history of a building is one too many. We are keeping our fingers crossed that history does not repeat itself.
Another component in the revenue limit proposal is to provide greater student computer access. Going back to the 1993-94 school year, the use of computer technology was almost nonexistent. The world has changed in the two decades since that time. Use of technology is woven into almost every work field and almost every aspect of the learning process. Access is critical to prepare students for the world they will face the rest of their lives.
Coincidentally, this week the district’s annual network update is scheduled. Most school offices are shut down for the week, because little work can be done without that network.
Having a break can be healthy. Celebrate the Fourth. If the computers don’t work, we hope your fans do.
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