Update: Walz, area schools, and the recovery bill
There's a lot of back story behind Congressman Walz's invitation to Rushford-Peterson Schools Superintendent Ehler to watch President Obama's address to Congress and to meet with leaders while in DC. It's documented in the press release below.
Rushford residents initially took shelter in their high school, but it too flooded and the Red Cross set up a shelter in the empty TRW building.
In a story no long publicly accessible to non-subscribers (but preserved in part in a BSP post), the Post Bulletin noted that Congressman Walz had plans to travel to Iraq the day after the downpour that triggered the flooding, but canceled his trip in order to visit the flood stricken area. From the PB:
U.S. Rep. Tim Walz got up early on Sunday, Aug. 19. He was heading to Iraq and wanted to finish packing for the trip.
But those plans would soon be disrupted by news of the massive flooding in southeast Minnesota.
Within hours, Walz was heading east toward flood-stricken areas, his trip to Iraq canceled. His first sight of the scope of the devastation came when he reached Rushford, a city of 1,700. There, he found a city underwater -- except for a small, dry bit of land.
"It was pretty dramatic," Walz said. "There was a small island with one church, a part of the school and a city building that was dry, and 15 feet away there were probably half a dozen boats docked, picking people up and shuttling them in and out."
. . .Since the flooding, Walz has made virtually daily visits to the flood zone -- at least six visits in the first week alone. Along with the state's two senators, Walz lobbied for an expedited disaster declaration, so that federal dollars could start flowing to flood victims.
When Rushford was in need of a fire truck because all its trucks were damaged by flooding, Walz's staff called around and arranged to have a tanker delivered from Esko, Minn.
As the flood waters receded, the town worked to get the school ready for opening day. For Ehler, it was an unexpected twist for a job he had begun less than two week before the water rushed into the building. The Strib reported:
It wasn't the way new Superintendent Chuck Ehler expected to begin his tenure with the district, which enrolls 685 students at Rushford's elementary and high schools and the middle school in nearby Peterson.
But Ehler was philosophical. "In some respects, it's been invigorating from the standpoint that it does test your abilities," he said in his office Friday. "You go into overdrive and try to make the best decisions."
With the lower level of its main school complex swathed in sewage and mud, its school buses swamped by rising water and scores of families suddenly homeless, Rushford-Peterson was perhaps the school district hardest hit by the flash flooding that struck the region without warning.
The Star Tribune noted that the schools opened on schedule in School begins for Rushford's kids amid flood debris
As students reported for the first day of class in the Rushford-Peterson schools on Tuesday, plastic sheeting sealed off the high school building's lower level. Powder that attacks mold and mildew coated the choir room in ghostly white as the flood's dank stench hung in an unusable classroom.
Upstairs, the bathroom sinks and drinking fountains were wrapped in plastic, because the tapwater still was unfit to drink.
But with so much of life disrupted by the devastating floods that struck southeastern Minnesota last month, the school's leaders were determined to open classes on schedule.
Walz returned to Rushford in Oct 2007 and got an earful from the superintendent, according to the Tri County News:
WaIz seemed firmly in Ehler's corner [about the school's needs].
"These are not 'nice to have' things," WaIz said, "these are necessities. If you're going to replace computers or books for this year's classes, they have to be done.
"This is where we can play a role in this and get some answers," he added.
In some ways, the flood has been a test of leadership for both Walz and Ehler.
Flood damage wasn't the only issue for the district; its building is nearly 100 years old. The Rushford school district looked to Walz when the recovery bill began to be crafted,as the TriCounty News reported in Could Obama economic stimulus plan help R-P district schools? The Winona Daily News picked up the story in Rushford-Peterson hoping for federal funding for new school.
Walz fought to keep education in the recovery bill, as we noted in the post Walz takes lead on restoring education cuts in stimulus bill,
During this district work break, Walz toured another one of the First District's school in need of an upgrade.The Mankato Free Press reported in Walz tours USC school:
The United South Central School Board asked area property owners to approve a referendum to replace the district’s crumbling 76-year-old school and was turned down three times in three years.
The school district’s
representative in the state House, Rep. Tony Cornish, asked lawmakers
twice to cover half of the $25 million cost of a new K-12 school in
Wells and was refused twice. Hoping the sixth time, and the federal
government, will be the charm, USC is now hoping a solution to their
building problem will come from the federal economic stimulus bill to
be signed today by President Barack Obama. With the cost of the school project now
expected to be at least $28 million, School Board Chairwoman Christie
Wetzel would love to see $20 million or more in federal stimulus
funding come to the district. But even $14 million would eliminate half
the burden on taxpayers, possibly making it realistic that they’d see a
bond referendum as affordable. “It’s so hard right now to predict with the economy,” Wetzel said. “... I’d have to say we’d need half the money.” Congressman Tim Walz toured the school
Monday, agreed that the need for a new building was undeniable, but
couldn’t offer anything close to a guarantee the school will receive
that sort of a contribution from the stimulus bill. Walz, a former
teacher at Mankato West High School, played a role, however, in
guaranteeing that the district will at least have a shot at some money. The House bill contained $20 billion for
school construction projects. The Senate version had none. Walz helped
line up a total of 46 House Democrats who sent a letter to
congressional leaders saying school funding needed to be restored to
the compromise bill, and $6 billion was put in the final $787 billion
bill. . . .
The Star Tribune has posted an article about the Ehler trip to DC, and the comment section is ripping on the Rushford school's need for resources. Too bad they didn't listen to conservative state legislator Tony Cornish, who gets it about schools in the Free Press article:
But after touring the
school in Wells, [Walz] thinks it would be an excellent use of the federal
funds to get a new school built. Not only is it needed, it would create
a substantial number of construction jobs and provide lasting economic
development benefits by improving the educational opportunities of
students there. “We think this is exactly the type of project that fits the bill,” Walz said. Cornish, R-Good Thunder, agreed. “I can’t think of a better place to spend these dollars than education — a core function of government,” Cornish said. [emphasis added]
We hope Ehler speaks up in DC for all rural schools--and that people listen. More on the UCS story from KEYC-TV in Walz: Stimulus Bill Could Help Revive Area School. [end update] The press release from Walz's office: strong>WALZ TO BE JOINED BY RUSHFORD-PETERSON SUPERINTENDENT WHEN OBAMA ADDRESSES JOINT SESSION OF CONGRESS
Rushford-Peterson school in dire need of recovery funds to create and save jobs through school reconstruction
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congressman Tim Walz announced he has invited Rushford-Peterson Schools Superintendent Chuck Ehler to hear President Obama address the Joint Session of Congress to be held on February 24, 2009. Rushford is located in northeastern Fillmore County.
Walz, who like all Members of Congress received only one additional ticket to the Joint Session said, “I chose to invite Superintendent Ehler to highlight not only the jobs that will be saved in the Rushford-Peterson schools because of the Title I and special education recovery funds coming their way, but also because of the potential to create jobs by reconstructing a school that is in a dire state of disrepair.”
Walz toured the Rushford-Peterson High School shortly after the 2007 flooding which damaged the already crumbling 1906 structure. In December alone, the district spent more than $17,000 to heat the aging, inefficient building. Because of the flood, the small community of Rushford lost part of its property tax base and the community continues to be unable to support a bonding referendum to rebuild the school.
Superintendent Chuck Ehler said, “We have the tremendous task of providing a quality education for all students during these difficult economic times. Our children are one of our greatest resources, and it is our duty and responsibility to provide them with an education that will prepare them for an ever-changing global economy and world.”
“Schools across the State of Minnesota and the nation need financial resources to continue providing education for our future,” continued Ehler. “In our situation, we also desperately need a modern facility that assists us in supporting our educational mission, rather than diverting precious resources from the task of educating our children.”
Dr. Charlie Kyte, Executive Director of the Minnesota Association of School Administrators observed, "You cannot cut your way to success. To have a strong future economy, the current generation of children must be able to compete in a global economy. Funding for education in the American Recovery Act will help preserve the jobs of our excellent teachers and will create new jobs as we retrofit school buildings to be more energy efficient."
The Walz office will be arranging an opportunity for Superintendent Ehler to meet with federal Department of Education officials to discuss ways the Rushford-Peterson school might get funding for the reconstruction of the school while he is in Washington DC next week.
“Imagine how many jobs we could save if the Rushford-Peterson heating bill was cut in half every month,” continued Walz. “Making this school more energy efficient would not only create short-term construction jobs, but also save enough money long term to keep more teachers teaching in their classrooms.”
President Obama will address the Congress on the 24th of February in a State of the Union-style address. Obama’s first official State of the Union will happen in early 2010.
Congressman Walz and Superintendent Ehler will be available via conference call immediately after the speech to share their reaction to the address. Details TBA. For interview requests prior to February 24, please use the contact information listed above.
Video of the Rushford-Peterson High School is available here (click “A Case for Change”): http://www.r-pschools.com/rp/newschool Photo: Rushford's high school, as flood waters recede in August 2007. Credit: Star Tribune. Our own posts under the tag "Minnesota August 2007 floods" begin right here. A worthy chronicle offlood and recovery news since August 20, 2007.
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