Teachers express support for Cafetorium, sports space

The numbers, Charlie Schneider was at pains to point out during the April 20 Board Conversation, were preliminary— VERY PRELIMINARY. How much so?

“Back of a napkin preliminary,” the CESA 10 representative and Menomonie School Board member said. “So preliminary I don’t even want the newspaper to take a picture of them.”

We just had, though at $5.1 million as an EXTREMELY ROUGH estimate, the

See CONVERSATION, Page 10

Charlie Schneider of CESA 10 presents at the April 20 Board Conversation in the High School Library. Each color represents a different concept, from Field House to 21st century learning space and beyond. Staff photo. CONVERSATION

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Field House concept was the potentially most expensive for Stanley-Boyd district residents.

Others, such as a kitchen cafeteria move estimated roughly to $3.5 million or the building of nine additional classrooms ballparked at $4 million and a roughly one-to-five-million-dollar remodel of the open space concept, rounded out a picture of prospective future changes to the local district’s infrastructure, which Stanley-Boyd Drama Club advisor Kayleigh Steinmetz and wrestling coach Greg Burzynski seemed especially in favor of, before local district superintendent Jeff Koenig brought things back down to ground level.

“I feel the need to bring people down a bit,” he said, as those present talked excitedly of the many concepts Schneider and another CESA representative named Tony had brought for display, including 21st century learning spaces and a cafetorium review. The catch in what was being presented, Koenig told the group in attendance, was that there was “no unlimited budget” for the district, and he didn’t think it was something the school should go to referendum for.

In addition, the next two-year school funding numbers were still being ironed out at Madison, leaving much uncertainty. Board member Lance Carlson had some insights to share with the group as well.

“I might be the lone wolf in the crowd,” he said, but the district had been involved in teaching shop and other skills like home building before it had gotten away from these. “A lot of kids have no idea,” Carlson said of the after high school plan, with a diverse array of offerings the potentially best way to prepare students for their coming postsecondary reality check. Meanwhile, Schneider said the two main limits in any district were its budget and politics.

“I grew up in a wrestling community,” he said. “Literally if the wrestling coach wanted it, it would happen. The basketball coach not so much.” Major sports at the local level could have an impact as such. In the end though, they were all still concepts.

“These are all concepts we’re talking about,” Schneider said from CESA 10, with no action being taken by the school board April 20.