W A S H B U R N C O U N T Y
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INSIDE
June 24, 2015
Wednesday, June 24, 2015 Vol. 126, No. 45 • Shell Lake, Wis.
We e ke nd w atch
Northwoods Blues Festival @ Spooner “The Night Town” performed @ Shell Lake Cakes at the Lake @ Hunt Hill, Sarona Duck for the Oyster Barn Dance @ Sarona See calendar on page 6 for details
Fascination
75¢
Rodeo BBQ and awards Page 2
Frogs and salamanders Page 15
Three-year-old Collin Stoessel found the model railroad to be the most interesting thing at the Railroad Memories Museum in Spooner. He and his family were visiting the museum for the Railroad Heritage Festival held Saturday, June 20. See more photos on page 2. - Photo by Larry Samson
End of the season banquet for softball team Page 16
BREAKERS
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SHELL LAKE — The Shell Lake District annual meeting is set for Saturday, June 27, at the Shell Lake Community Center. Exhibits and social time begins at 8:30 a.m. with the meeting starting at 9 a.m. Lisa Burns, Washburn County Land and Conservation Department, will have a presentation on shoreline buffer zones. Other highlights include Rob Burski, dragonfly gardens; Craig Roberts, Wisconsin DNR; and Amanda Kostner, The Green Frog Co. — from SLD
Early copy, please SHELL LAKE — With the Fourth of July holiday approaching there will be an early deadline for advertising and news articles for the Wednesday, July 1, edition of the Register. All copy is due no later than noon on Friday, June 26. The newspaper office will be closed on Friday, July 3. Please remember to check your email listing to see if the Register’s email you are using is news@wcregisternewsroom.com. — Editor
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“Over 10 centuries” of teaching experience lost, ad says Thank-you to retired, resigned and nonrenewed staff is latest development in Spooner school controversy Gary King | Editor SPOONER - A group called Friends of Spooner Schools placed an ad this week thanking teachers who have retired, resigned or not had their contracts renewed, noting the school district is losing “over 10 centuries (1,000-plus years) of experience.” It is the latest development in a standoff between some parents, teachers and community members who are concerned over the budget cuts and alleged poor treatment of teachers by administration that have led to resignations and parents opting to open enroll their students in other school districts. Spooner administration and school board
members are attempting to deal with a projected $900,000 budget deficit. School board members asked Administrator Michelle Schwab to lead them in making budget cuts. Some have felt her plan goes too far but Schwab has said that without the cuts the district will either have to go to referendum to ask voters for more money or explore consolidation in several years, which would scatter the district’s 1,300 students. “When you look at the current laws related to the Affordable Care Act, the increase, the increase in health insurance premiums, the ongoing cost of operating our buildings and then where our community is located … all of those play into the types of revenues we can get in,” Schwab said. Former teacher Andrew Melton said the issue goes beyond budget cuts, claiming he and other staff felt “bullied” by the administration. He
See Thank you ad, page 3
Spooner charter school dissolves Alleged implication of district control attempts Danielle H. Moe | Staff writer SPOONER – On Monday, June 8, the SAVE Academy, by its board of directors, unanimously resolved to dissolve SAVE Academy and wind up its affairs. This information and more was shared via a press release from the SAVE Academy, Inc. SAVE Academy was a charter school that entered a five-year contract or charter with the Spooner Area School District in 2013. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction defines charter schools as public, nonsectarian schools created through a businesslike contract or charter between the charter governance board and the sponsoring school board or other chartering authority. The Wisconsin charter school law gives char-
ter schools freedom from most state rules and regulations in exchange for greater accountability for results. The charter defines the missions and methods of the charter school. The chartering authority holds the school accountable to its charter. The charter school motto is “Autonomy for Accountability.” SAVE’s decision to dissolve began with the SASD requesting meetings, information and renegotiation of the five-year contract in January of 2015. “To the impression of the SAVE Board and its Administrator and employees, the District, bluntly, began to insist that it had dominance over SAVE’s process and the SAVE entity that had been developed to that point, largely autonomous from the District,” states the SAVE Academy, Inc. press release. SAVE reports it was compliant to the district’s
T h e Reg i st e r i s a co o p e rat i ve - o w n e d n ews pa per
See Charter school, page 3