Schools

Dozens Rally in Support of Nicolet Referendum

Backers say passage is key to maintaining quality of education.

With about a month to go before the Nicolet School District's referendum appears on the ballot,  about 40 people took part in a rally Thursday night aimed at helping educate the public about the measure.

The rally at the Jewish Community Center in Whitefish Bay was organized by Nicolet Forward, a group pushing for passage of the referendum, which calls for raising the district's revenue limit by $2.15 million in each of the next five years.

Signup sheets were posted around two walls of the room for people to volunteer to help get the word out about the need for a referendum. The group is looking for:

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  • Neighborhood captains to help drive door-to-door campaign efforts;
  • People to make phone calls to remind residents to vote;
  • Writers to work on letters to editors and contribute to blogs;
  • Drivers to help get disabled and elderly people to the polls; and
  • People to deliver yard signs.

Among those attending the rally were School Board members Marilyn Franklin and Kelly Herda. Mort Gradsky, who is running for a seat on the board in the April 5 election, also was there, as was teachers union president David Quam.

Lulah Colan, a world history and psychology teacher at Nicolet, said she was at the rally because she doesn't want to see Nicolet fall out of competition with other schools.

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"I moved here because of the school district," she said. "Nicolet needs a referendum to stay competetive."

Added special education teacher Gene Macken: "We need to keep the quality of education high and class sizes are important."

Nancy Martin is a former PTO member at Glendale-River Hills, one of the elementary schools that sends students to Nicolet.

"Our schools are the foundation for the future," she said. "I have a son who will be at Nicolet next year and we moved to the district because Nicolet had an excellent reputation. I don't want to see it deteroriated."

Libby Gutterman, who opened up the rally by introducing the speakers, said that there is a group called Students For Our Future that is registering 18-year-old Nicolet students to vote.

Also in attendance was District Administrator Rick Monroe, who reminded the audience that he is techincally "on duty" 24 hours a day, so he cannot tell people how to vote but can only educate them on the issue.

On the other hand, board members are only considered "on the clock" when they are attending board and committee meetings, so they can encourage voters to support the referendum.

on Fox Point-Bayside Patch in early Februrary explaining why Nicolet needs this referendum.


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