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An enewsletter from Senator Jon Erpenbach – 4-25-08

Wisconsin Heights School District Struggling for Options – The Wisconsin Heights School District has had a declining enrollment and has struggled financially with the state imposed revenue caps, less students, failed referendums, and lack of new housing developments. This situation has created the “perfect storm” for Wisconsin Heights which has struggled for years financially and according to the News-Sickle-Arrow the district is projected to have a $725,000 deficit for the 2008-2009 school year. Monday night at 7:30pm the Board will discuss options which include consolidation. This situation is dire for many schools like Wisconsin Heights, prompting Senator Erpenbach to once again to call for a reevaluation of state funding for public schools. An Erpenbach proposal would include elimination of current sales tax exemptions and an overall lowering of the sales tax, shifting school funding from property tax to sales tax.

Door to Door Sales In Full Swing – Now that the snow has melted, door to door sales in our neighborhoods have once again begun. Crews from all over the United States have began their pilgrimage to our neighborhoods soliciting money door to door. In addition, crews are recruiting teens and college students for jobs. Senator Erpenbach would strongly discourage employment with a traveling sales crew because employees do not even have the basic employee rights that they would working part-time at McDonald’s. In addition, traveling sales crews have been known to harbor felons from other states seeking anonymous travel. Erpenbach is the author of Malinda’s Law, a bill which has failed to pass the state Assembly for three consecutive sessions that is named for the daughter of a constituent killed while working on a traveling sales crew. Malinda’s Law creates some standards for employees and employers of traveling sales crews in Wisconsin. Political opposition has come from the industry and a few sympathetic Representatives. Resources on Traveling Sales Crews can be found at the Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection at www.datcp.state.wi.us

Mount Horeb Explores Options for High School – The Mount Horeb School Board and the Mount Horeb Village Board met in the first of six meetings to explore options for the best site for a new high school. According to the Mount Horeb Mail, six new parcels were revealed at a public meeting this week to change the comprehensive plan for the village that would include a new high school. Building a new high school will require a referendum. To meet the deadline for a November referendum, the two Boards will have to make a decision by September. For more information visit the Mount Horeb Village website at http://www.mhasd.k12.wi.us/

Celebrate Earth Day Every Day – While the festivities for Earth Day have wound down, we can make every day Earth Day by making small changes in out lives. Conserve water with low flow toilets and shower heads. Eat fresh, locally grown produced from your farmer’s market or better yet grow your own garden. Ride a bike when you can and save money on gas as well. Switch to energy efficient light bulbs, which often last five times as long. Recycle all you can with your local community. Use reusable bags and cut back on the bags you use at the grocery and other stores. Plant a tree in your yard to make your property beautiful and reduce carbon emissions.