As documented by Thomas Reeves in "Racine: Growth and Change in a Wisconsin County," Racine Unified School District has its origins in the Wisconsin Legislature. In 1959, Wisconsin school districts were directed to provide high schools by either joining districts with existing high schools or by establishing one of their own by 1962. Accordingly, a Citizens' Committee was formed in eastern Racine County to study school consolidation issues. The members eventually recommended the formation of a K-12 unified district. Their proposal was endorsed by the state Department of Public Instruction and the Racine City Council. Additionally, town and village boards representing 24 school districts unanimously favored the plan. On April 4, 1961, voters approved consolidation with a 17,415-15,083 vote, and people from all walks of life pulled together to create a successful educational system. For many years, RUSD maintained a national reputation for excellence. Presently, a group of Caledonia residents is engaged in a misguided, divisive undertaking that seeks to undo what previous generations established.

Important decisions should be based on facts rather than misperceptions. A misguided assumption of the secessionists is the belief that half of Caledonia children do not attend RUSD. This statement was repeatedly echoed throughout the recent campaign for secession. For example, a June 22, 2008, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article (Racine Section, page 3R) quoted village resident Kathy Burton as saying, "Residents who pay taxes into RUSD are paying for a service, but if half of our kids aren't using that service, why not pay for one we'll actually use?" Burton further stated in the same article that she had anecdotal evidence supporting her claim.

The following evening at Olympia Brown Elementary School, Dale Knapp and Todd Berry of The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance presented information regarding a secession feasibility study which was commissioned in 2007 by the Caledonia Village Board at a cost of $30,000. They estimated that 360 students residing in Caledonia attended private schools and 204 open-enrolled in other districts. These numbers are not insignificant, but are far short of the "one-half" myth. In fact, Caledonia enrollment in RUSD has increased in the last three years. In 2006-07, 2,373 Caledonia children attended RUSD. In 2007-08, Caledonia enrollment was 2,745 and, in 2008-09, official September enrollment of Caledonia residents was 2,909, an increase of 537 students.

The divisiveness of the secession movement is reflected in the rationale of http://suburbanracineschools.info, the Web site created by Caledonia residents promoting separation (The Journal Times, Jan.16, 2007, page 7A). The Web site states, "The taxpayers of eastern Racine County have poured millions of dollars into a system that has shown little or no positive impact. The lack of impact is compounded by the fact that many programs developed by RUSD are targeted to the children that reside in the city. The children of Caledonia, Mount Pleasant, Wind Point, Sturtevant and the other small communities are left to fend for themselves." This incendiary rhetoric, infused with just-beneath-the-surface issues of race, class and poverty, implies that thousands of retired and current RUSD employees and Board of Education members have been incompetent and ineffectual for 47 years. Even more offensive is the suggestion that children in the City of Racine are in some manner different, that current and former students of RUSD have accomplished little or nothing, and that thousands of children have been "left to fend for themselves."

Sadly, the secessionists have promoted division instead of unity and cooperation. Caledonians should neither reject RUSD nor alienate the city and then expect good will and beneficial agreements with the city regarding issues such as water/wastewater services, city jobs, and cultural amenities. A constructive step in redirection of their energy could begin with studying the example of community leaders in 1962.

Elizabeth Lampark, 5929 3 Mile Road, Caledonia, is a retired Racine Unfied School District teacher. She taught English at Horlick High School and Gilmore Middle School and was an educator for 33 years.