‘This might not be the right time’
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
More than 50 people crowded into the Washburn Public School board room Monday night for a public meeting that focused primarily on the proposed school renovation.
The Washburn School Board members and superintendent heard from over a dozen area residents during Monday’s proposed tax increase meeting, which delved into the school’s proposed 36-percent levy increase.
The majority of the increase in the preliminary budget is credited to an additional 18 mills being levied in advance of a potential renovation. The $3.5 million renovation, which has not yet been approved, includes installing an elevator to make stair-access-only areas of the school handicap accessible and creating a secure entrance point.
Jill Weise and her daughter Kayla Buckley, a former Washburn student, addressed the board and advocated for the need for handicap accessibility throughout the school.
Buckley, who has had over 30 major surgeries over her lifetime, leaving her in a wheelchair or on crutches during much of her schooling, said she relied on friends to help her get around, and sometimes she still struggled.
“I fell multiple times going to the bathroom,” Buckley said. “Incredibly painful.”
