To the editor,

Thanks to Rep. Zimmerman for the opinion column in the July 27 Star Observer presenting his views on school funding. (We never get anything like that out of Sen. Stafsholt or other Republican legislator in western Wisconsin.) I would point out, however, that Zimmerman seems to forget or ignore the many years beginning with Scott Walker when public school funding was reduced or inadequate to meet inflationary cost increases or modernization in operational and maintenance needs.

He suggests: (1) run schools as a business, and (2) require consolidation among smaller districts. Public schools are not “businesses” that should be managed to “make money.” They were established to educate our children and make them useful members of society. The value received is in the benefits and improvements education makes to our quality of life physically, economically, and socially.

School consolidations are not new. Following my high school sophomore year in 1949 three of our local-area high schools were forced by the state (Wisconsin) to consolidate. No doubt many similar consolidations have taken place. It would seem logical that there may not be many districts left where consolidation would provide cost savings that are not more than offset by serious logistical issues.

High schools become part of a community’s societal fabric and when closed there is a negative effect, especially in more-isolated rural communities. What if today someone in Madison decided that Ellsworth, River Falls, and Hudson high schools should consolidate in the name of financial efficiency? What a ruckus that would cause. As Rep. Zimmerman suggests, the sharing of some special teaching or administrative services may be worth considering, but education is a societal function that we should be willing to pay for. If our present Legislators do not want to adequately and reasonably fund it, then let’s elect some who will.

Lou Greub

River Falls