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Thursday, November 16, 2017 • Vol. 133, No. 20 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1
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Oregon Observer The
Village of Brooklyn
Keeping PD local gets forum support Idea of outsourcing to county ‘due diligence’ SCOTT GIRARD Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Alexander Cramer
Amanda McElroy sits atop Legend, her Gypsy Vanner/Friesian cross, both decked out in their best peacock finery. The horse fair was back after a yearlong break, and the dozens who gathered in downtown Oregon to see it were not disappointed. The parade participants dressed up for the occasion, human and equine alike.
Horsing around On the web
After a year hiatus, the Oregon Horse Parade returned Saturday. Dozens gathered around Main Street as nearly 60 participants led horses, most donned in costumes, to See more photos from the horse parade: be judged. ConnectOregonWI.com For best holiday costume, first place went to Rachel Miller, second went to Amanda McElroy and third went to Jane Gomez. For best holiday costume, first place went to Sarah Dawsons Point got second and Oregon Horse AssociaGrandahl, second went to Amanda McElroy and third tion was awarded third. went to Bridget Lockridge. Contact Amber Levenhagen at amber.levenhagen@ For best group costume, Carlson Quarters took first, wcinet.com.
Oregon School District
Closing in on a calendar for 2018-19 SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
After getting feedback from nearly 1,000 district parents, students and educators over the past several weeks, the Oregon School District policy committee is close to deciding on a calendar for next school year. After much discussion, the remaining sticking points are proposed educator professional development days and the end of the school year for
grades 9-12, committee chairperson Krista Flanagan told the Observer in an email Monday. The committee was planning to continue to meet this month with district leadership teams, including at Oregon High School, and report back to the school board with a recommendation Nov. 27. Options include adding days off throughout the school year and letting seniors out of school earlier than other classes. Creating the calendar is an annual effort that’s “more complex effort than it may seem,” Flanagan said. The committee has several parameters to work within, including a
state law mandating start dates in September and a school year of 175177 days. Also, with the passage last fall of the district’s teacher compensation referendum, educator contracts stipulate 195 working days, including five additional professional development days. To help sort it all out, the district gathers information from district administrators, staff, parents/guardians and students. This year’s process also included multiple meetings with the Oregon Education Association (OEA) and with school leadership
Keep BPD Cost: $213,644 Hours of coverage: 5,020 DCSO one officer Cost: $144,986 Hours of coverage: 1,950 DCSO two officers Cost: $277,312 Hours of coverage: 3,900 *numbers provided by Village of Brooklyn hiring a full-time chief because of the difficulty of finding a qualified part-time chief. It determined that contracting for one deputy
Turn to PD/Page 16
Oregon School District
It’s showtime OHS theatre arts class connects kids, literature SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Whether they’re destined to be the next famous Hollywood director or never see a stage the rest of their life, students in Oregon High School’s theatre arts
class are gaining valuable life lessons. The semester-long course — offered in either fall or spring — was created several years ago by OHS English teacher Mike Ducett as an elective credit. The fall class puts on a musical — this year it was Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance” — while the spring class puts
Turn to Theatre/Page 8
Inside Veterans Day photos Page 2
Turn to Calendar/Page 13
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Parent, staff survey will help make choice
“Why are we even here?” That was a common refrain at a Nov. 8 community meeting that drew about 50 people to discuss the possibility of dissolving the Brooklyn Police Department and having the Dane County Sheriff’s Office provide coverage instead. The Village Board began seeking information on the idea after police chief Harry Barger retired Sept. 4. Barger worked 30 hours per week, but some on the board want to consider
Three options