From our readers

Peshtigo Times Editor:

The recent Sept. 21 front page story about the new Marinette School District Budget was great news for the taxpayer.

School board leaders talked about how changes in Madison enabled them to balance the budget for the first time in recent memory, cut expenses by $590,150 and at the same time and most importantly, keep everyone working without teacher layoffs. In this economy and with dwindling federal and state aid, this type of improvement is hard to come by.

The article also mentioned the outstanding work at Garfield School. which was recognized by the state. This shows the professionalism and dedication of teachers in the district.

As much as this year’s budget is an improvement, the board missed an opportunity to improve things even more. Main cost savings in the new budget was a new requirement that employees pay a portion of their benefit premiums. However some teachers said they also had to accept a higher deductible to keep health insurance expenses low.

The district contract calls for continued use of WEA Trust (owned by the teachers’ union) for health insurance coverage. In other communities WEA Trust raised premiums by as much as 9 percent. What was the increase in Marinette? I imagine in order to hold the line on expenses, WEA and the district came up with a compromise, increasing deductibles to keep increases minimum while maintaining WEA as a provider.

This is an additional indirect expense for teachers that could have been avoided if all the tools in Gov. Walker’s budget bill had been used.

When I contacted the district office, I was told that an insurance broker was used for the companies who would bid along with WEA Trust for the district benefits. However the bid was incomplete, so the district had to negotiate with WEA Trust alone for those benefits. Ultimately they came up with the accepted plan, the one raising deductibles.

What if there had been at least two bids? The MacIver Institute in September reported that 23 school districts in Wisconsin with over 73,000 students saved over $16 million, or over $730,000 per district, by just using competitive bids.

One district, faced with an almost 9 percent increase from WEA Trust, waited for the Governor’s bill to pass and then accepted other bids. In June they accepted a bid almost 3 percent below the previous year.

Why didn’t Marinette actively seek more bids?

A district spokesperson said next year there will be competitive bids. Hopefully this important cornerstone tool will create more savings.

I believe it is important for district teachers to understand that if all the tools had been used the increased deductibles may have not been needed. In other districts savings from competitive insurance bids alone have resulted in enough savings to lower class sizes, hire more teachers, and set aside money for merit raises as well as reducing taxes for the tax payer.

It was not the intent of the Governor’s bill to unduly burden teachers and other public employees, and it doesn’t need to be that way.

Not only schools are affected by the budget bill tools.

In the September 28 Peshtigo Times was a story about a Marinette County committee being told a pending price hike would add 18 percent to the $37,000 a year the county is already paying for each employee on the health insurance family plan. Perhaps some of the sacrifice that obviously will be asked of employees can be reduced by using all the tools available. The article on county benefits was very specific and revealing in nature, the type of openness needed to inform the public.

That same information should be readily available from the school district, but it was not. I asked why specific budget information was not available on the district web site and was told I could request a copy and they would mail it to me. In this day and age of the computer when everyone wants transparency, something should be done to improve this aspect of the district.

Incidentally an activist reporting group, Sunshine review.org, actually grades the openness of district reporting from minutes, agendas, budgets etc. for all school district websites around the country. Marinette’s grade was “D minus.” In defense, “D” was the average grade for all school districts in Wisconsin.

The Marinette School District budget was a good one financially, a huge improvement and as the front page article said, “We were able to maintain class size and continue the SAGE program. There were no layoffs. The financial condition of the district is good. Revenues equal expenses and we did not need to take from the fund balance!”

That is wonderful, but I believe the district can do better. To improve, the district just needs to use all the tools and be more sensitive to the teachers. They have endured enough and sacrificed this past year and it is time for them to concentrate on teaching and for the district to use all the tools to protect them and the taxpayer. That is why the Governor’s bill was written the way it was. In the next budget, please use all the tools provided.

Gerry Wrench,

Marinette

Editor:

Thanks to Lee’s Family Foods and Eagle Express Truck Stop for allowing Boy Scout Troop 1054 to use their facilities this year for our annual Popcorn Fundraiser. Our Troop would not be able to offer the program it does without the support of the community and businesses like these. Their generous support of community organizations like ours is very much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Keith D. Schroeder, Scoutmaster

Peshtigo Boy Scout Troop 1054

Times Editor:

Re: Marinette Co. Forestry & Parks Committee

I’ve been a landowner in Marinette County for a long time. I have continued to research information relating to “trail closings” since your last meeting.

I have read the Wisconsin All-Terrain Vehicle Laws dated 2011. I have not found anything remotely suggesting trails should be closed “because there MAY be” an accident one day.

Safe and prudent drivers will not cause accidents. It is very hard to come by a prudent driver even in cars and trucks. An example: Simple stop sign. DO WE ALL, 100% of the time, come to a full and complete stop before continuing on our way in our cars, trucks, ATV or snowmobile? DO WE ALL follow the exact posted speed limit?

The minutes of the Parks Regional meeting, held March 2010, does not say anything about safety, closing trails/roads, etc. Eighteen months later, signs show up. Something is very wrong when something like this happens....

Regarding the Dun-Good Snowmobile/ATV Club, we were told that “30 members 100% agreed” with the trail closings. This is unfounded as there are an average of only 18 members that attend the meetings, AND there was no vote taken (according to published meeting minutes).

This is opening of hunting season and people are driving past signs because they have been driving on these roads for over 70 years. I believe people should be able to go on these roads, as before, with their cars and trucks in order to access hundreds of acres of Marinette County forest land. (Roads that are presently closed unless you are riding an ATV or snowmobile.)

After talking to a lot of people (including four Marinette County Forestry & Parks Committee members), in my opinion, we were all surprised about the trail closures.

When the dust settles down, I can only hope that cool heads will prevail and that cars, trucks, ATVs and snowmobiles will once again share the trails/roads (both named and numbered roads) safely!

Earl McGregor,

Green Bay/Dunbar

Letter to Editor:

Thank you Principal Kelly Casper for “making it happen.” Taking time from your busy schedule to help us celebrate our 45th class reunions this past weekend. Allowing us to gather as a group at Coleman High School to watch the Friday night homecoming football game made our reunion weekend even more enjoyable. Thanks again.

We would also like to wish the best of luck to all the Coleman sports teams.

CHS Classes of

1966 and 1967

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