After weeks of watching from the sidelines and wondering what the School Board was going to do with the district and the scenario plans, I feel that the City is effected by this decision and some of these effects should be pointed out.
Now that Scenario 7 has been approved (although open-ended) it brings with it some serious concerns in regards to property and assessments within the city. I have looked at the map for all of the different grade levels to find that housing that used to be appealing because of the proximity to a school will no longer have that appeal. Prime examples would be Casey Meadows on the west side. The developer of that subdivision got to watch his property values drop off with the approval because even though this subdivision will be directly adjacent to Carl Traeger, NONE of the people buying houses there will be able to send their children to that school. ALL of the new students in that area will be bused to Read and Merrill. Does that sound right? No, and it doesn’t stop there. The entire Westhaven area will be effected because they will no longer be able to walk to Traeger either. That includes the families buying on Woodstock (the street directly to the east of Traeger).
Oshkosh just went through a complete revaluation of properties less than 2 years ago and those values were partially based on proximity to schools. Now those K-3 students in Westhaven will be bused to Shapiro rather than walk out their back door. Even my property will be effected (not my children though as they will all be 4th grade or higher by the time these schools are reconfigured) because K-3 in my neighborhood will be bused to Oakwood rather than be able to walk to Traeger.
With this change and the subsequent drop in property values, will mean less taxes collected throughout the city (Westsiders are not the only ones involved).
Does anyone think that the school district and city administration have discussed this? Not to my knowledge. If they have, it has NOT been discussed by the Council. But it sure should be. This is a large problem brewing and should be addressed before long term changes are made. There are many lives that are affected by a reconfiguration that has not been studied or proven in communities of our size. Sure, it has been done in smaller cities that are about 1/3 the population of Oshkosh, but not in comparable cities. Do we really need to be the “crash test dummies” on this? (I am using that term loosely) Is there a better way? I know that this has been discussed at length on other sites, but I am really concerned that the decision makers are not willing to listen to common sense. They sure were not swayed by anything said at meeting because they labeled the “complainers” as “NIMBY” and just did what they wanted anyway. Perhaps the city should step in and get involved before it is too late.
What do you think? Comments can be left here, or Michelle has started a discussion on her site too. Here is a chance to sound off. Politics are not involved so save your personal attacks for other sites. I will approve any comment on topic whether I agree or not.
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20 comments:
Kent,
After I am sworn in I plan to request that the Common Council conduct a formal workshop addressing the issue of the impact of public school reform on municipal development. Perhaps one of the sitting Councilors can request it before I do.
Like most people in town, I have mixed feelings about Scenario 7. One of the reasons I personally have mixed feelings is because I have not heard or seen city officials talking about the impact of potential school closures on our ability to redevelop parts of our city. It may turn out that Scenario 7 is good for redevelopment--we just don't know yet. That's why we need to have some kind of public forum in which our community development professionals (including the city manager) can give us their views on the potential impacts of the reforms.
Kent,
This topic will be interesting to follow. If implemented, every kid attending public school in Oshkosh will someday have to ride a bus. EVERY KID.
One gentleman introduced a great idea. How about making West HS a combo elementary and middle school, and build a new HS on the west side. This will require boundary changes, but not anything on the order that's called for in Scenario 7.
Secondly, if this proposal goes to the voting contingent in Oshkosh it will be soundly defeated. Then what? The citizens are not behind this plan.
Lastly, why do North and West have to be so equal? The city is not growing to the north. It's growing to the west. Let's plan for that, and not try to ship people across town just because there is a school there. Address the issue where the issue needs to be addressed-- west of highway 41.
I don't even know where to start with the comment from 9:36. There are so many different things blatantly and patently wrong with that statement...
10:21, please, tell me, what's wrong with it. You only have three items you have to address. Let's hear them.
Thanks Tony, it is nice to know that the gap will get bridged at some point. I appreciate your interest and involvement.
I will be looking forward to any information that is generated from this workshop. I would hope that I am not the first to make the connection to property values but it hasn't been mentioned to this point.
Thanks again.
Tony, it will likely be years if ever before I vote for you for an office higher than Oshkosh Common Council. However, I did vote for you for the Common Council. I'm glad to see you checking in here, and glad to hear you are planning on hitting the ground running. Get this workshop set up ASAP. For the rest of us, do you know what we are going to see on TV when we watch this? A bunch of "deer in the headlights", that's what. The city and the school district, work together? Whatever are you talking about? We've never done that before! We should start a pool to see how many pairs of eyes just sit there blinking...
Someone correct me if I am wrong BUT......
at one time wasn't the school board part of the city council?
time for the history buffs to come out of the woodwork?
Now we will have the university controlling the city.
"Now we will have the university controlling the city."
Oh, for Pete's sake. Can we retire this meme already? Oh noes, the university is going to take over the world!!
Give it a rest.
Also, to anonymous up there: "every kid" will not have to ride a bus. If you live across the street from Read, for example, you can still walk to Read. Not a whole lot's changed there.
"The city is not growing to the north. It's growing to the west." - That's the whole point. North High is undercrowded while West is overcrowded, hence the need to shift some students across the river. Now, where those students should come from is certainly debatable... but I don't see what's so hard to understand about why there's a need for the shift.
11:15am, are you aware of the capacity differences in the 2 high schools? Are you aware that if we stopped open enrollment this past year both high schools would be near the same % capacity? Are you aware that both high schools were at the same % capacity in 2005? Are you aware that in 1999 administration projected the North enrollment to be down to 1000 kids by 2007 due to the lack of growth on the North side. They missed by 400 kids. Just some facts to consider.
if we stopped open enrollment this past year both high schools would be near the same % capacity?
So why can't ONE solution be STOP OPEN ENROLLMENT???
What would that cost 0 ZERO $$$$
UWO wants 97M from the state taxpayers
OADS wants 46M
Good Luck
Some os us just want a JOB and food on the table!
I think we should dissolve the city charter. No more city. No more running water, no more street upkeep, no more police protection, library, sewer system, electricity, buiding code oversight, no more schools, none of that. Let's live like they did on Little House on the Prairie. That's what I want.
what is OADS?
Taxpayers fund 95% of city worker healthcare costs. Anybody wanna guess what that costs each of us Joe Lunchbuckets each year!?
Yup. 87% of our city taxes go to wages and benefits for employees. Thats where the first point of focus should go. Are we REALLY getting our moneys worth?
OASD
You can add $50 mill the city wants and the 1/2 percent sales tax I am sure Harris will ask for again.
6:59, I think you're OshGuy in other bloglands, you tell us. Are we getting our money's worth? You certainly don't think so...you have made this exact post a million times over. And I find it hilarious on how you can use a discussion about the school boudary issue as a way to complain about city workers. Ask Kent for a new thread. Wait, don't. We're sick of that one. We've heard it before.
NO its OADS..........
O shkosh
A rea
D umb
S hits that are on the BOE.....
if they think taxpayers will approve a 46M referendum with the current #7 scenerio !
NEW THREAD PLEASE???
Subject:
DON'T BUY PEPSI IN THE NEW CAN!
Don't buy Pepsi in the new can. Pepsi has a new "patriotic" can
coming out with pictures of the Empire State Building , and the
Pledge of Allegiance on them.
However, Pepsi left out two little words on the pledge,
"Under God."
Pepsi said they didn't want to offend anyone.
In that case, we don't
want to offend anyone at the Pepsi corporate office, either!
So if we don't buy any Pepsi product, they will not be offended
when they don't receive our money that has the words
"In God We Trust" on it.
Or, you know, not.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/undergod.asp
UHMM, 10:49, YOU ARE DUMB.
IT HAS BEEN PROVEN THAT PEPSI TASTES BETTER WITHOUT THE RELIGION.
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