District officials make the case for tech ed referendum

At a time when it’s not uncommon to hear laments that America doesn’t make anything anymore or that many young people don’t know what to do when a basic household item breaks, the School District of Rhinelander is hoping voters will support a $26 million referendum aimed at modernizing the district’s technical education facilities.

It’s about training the next generation of workers and ensuring all students learn necessary lifelong skills, district officials said during a public information session Wednesday evening at James Williams Middle School.

It was the first three informational meetings scheduled in the run-up to the April 2 vote. The final two sessions are set for 6 p.m. March 6 in the Rhinelander High School library and 9 a.m. March 20 at the Hodag Dome.

The question to appear on the ballot is as follows: “Shall the School District of Rhinelander, Oneida, Lincoln, and Langlade Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $26,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and facility improvement project consisting of: construction of additions and renovations at Rhinelander High School, including for technical education, classrooms and labs; construction of additions, renovations, safety, security and site improvements at James Williams Middle School, including for technical education and classrooms; district-wide capital maintenance, infrastructure improvements and accessibility updates; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?”

According to Bob Thome, the district’s director of business services, the $26 million project would translate to an extra $29 of property taxes on a $100,000 home.

Wednesday’s session began with a presentation detailing the years-long process that has brought the district to this point. 

It began in 2021 with an assessment of the current facilities and staff meetings held to better understand building needs. It continued in 2022 with a series of meetings with local industry partners. These sessions were particularly helpful, according to district superintendent Eric Burke, because it allowed industry leaders to speak directly with educators about the skills they are looking for in new hires.

Then there were a series of tours of other schools around the state so Rhinelander officials could see how other districts are delivering technical education to their students and what might work locally.

In September 2023, after nearly two years of study, the school board directed that a community survey be conducted to gauge voter interest in potential renovations and upgrades.

After over 75 percent of respondents said they would definitely or probably support a capital project/tech ed referendum, the board formulated and approved the language for the referendum question.

As they did during informational meetings held in advance of the community survey, school officials stressed that the district’s current facilities are aging — dating back to 1974 in the case of James Williams Middle School and the late 1950s in the case of  Rhinelander High School — and much of the equipment is more than 60 years old and no longer used by local industry/business partners.

Also, tech ed classes — where students learned a wide variety of skills such as how to design and manufacture wood, metal and plastic products, auto and small engine repair, the ins and outs of circuits, home construction, among  many other things — have become increasingly popular with young people.

It was explained that all seventh-grade students are required to take a technical education course so that they have some exposure to potential careers in this sphere and learn important lifelong skills, but many are interested in delving further into more advanced tech-related topics.

As a parent of two middle school students, Ryan Ourada, the district’s director of instruction, has seen the value of technical education instruction firsthand.

He noted that his children “engage with that coursework at some level and those are the courses that they tend to talk about and are showing interest in as far as the future,” he said. “It’s really neat to see that manifesting not only as educator but also at home now.”

The tech ed hubs in both the middle school and high school are bursting with activity and creativity but students are constrained by a lack of space as well as antiquated equipment, he noted.

“There’s a lof of great energy around this and a lot of great skills being developed, not only within the tech education (sphere) but problem solving and they’re applying all those other academic skills that we teach throughout the school day,” Ourada said.

On a daily basis, JWMS technology and engineer instructor Paul Oppman watches as students learn to use unfamiliar equipment, dream up their own unique designs, cope with setbacks and solve problems. 

“When something doesn’t work a lot of the kids look at me like I’m crazy,” he noted. “I tell them, no, we’re going to troubleshoot and find (the problem).”

Instead of starting over or providing the student with a new item, Oppman said he shows them how to figure out why the item didn’t work the first time. 

“We’re going to figure out if it’s a wire that’s not hooked up or something,” he explained.

The district’s industry partners have stressed that these foundational skills — problem-solving and collaboration being very high on the list — are pivotal to success in real-world industry jobs.

Workers who can collaborate and know how to approach and resolve problems can be trained to operate nearly any type of equipment, they’ve told local educators.

As Oppman noted, skills learned in tech ed translate to all sorts of aspects of adult life.

“I always tell the kids you’re probably going to live in a house, hopefully, and probably drive a car or some sort of vehicle,” he said. “These are things they can use in everyday life. To me, it’s very important. Some teachers have a passion for math or science but, to me, it’s the everyday, logical things that are so important.”

More information on the referendum can be found on the district website — https://www.rhinelander.k12.wi.us/district/referendum.cfm.

If the referendum passes, work on the improvements and additions would begin in the spring of 2025. 

Heather Schaefer may be reached at [email protected].