SHAWANO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – A school choice debate is brewing in northeast Wisconsin and at the core of the issue is a question regarding ownership.
Specifically, who exactly owns the old Mattoon Elementary School building.
Vying for that title is two different entities.
“The town of Mattoon, which says they’ve owned the building since the 1960s,” explains C.J. Szafir, Executive Vice President of the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty. “Or the Antigo School District and they say they own the building.”
Szafir, whose organization has intervened on behalf of community group Shepherd’s Watch, and in turn the village of Mattoon, joined the John Muir Show on Wednesday to provide an update on the issue.
He says the elementary school closed back in 2016 and since then area families have had little options nearby.
“What happened is you have all these kids in elementary school that were being bused long distances to go to a different public school,” explains Szafir.
Now, community group Shepherd’s Watch has expressed interest in purchasing the building.
The group says they have envisioned short-term plans of transforming the space into some sort of a community center.
“But eventually wants to turn it into a private school,” he explains.
The Village of Mattoon has expressed interest in the proposition, which would give families nearby an opportunity for schooling in the area.
Not everyone is on board, though.
“Antigo School District will not sell it to Shepherd’s Watch, because they do not want to sell it to anybody who is going to use it for a choice or charter school,” says Szafir.
The issue has seemingly reached an impasse and is now headed towards a hearing later this month.
“We think that parents should be empowered to choose the school that they want to,” he explains.
According to Szafir, a ruling can be expected sometime next month.
The full interview can be found here.
