A fateful year for the school district, 25 years ago

The 1991-92 academic year was one of the most chaotic in the La Crosse school system with school leaders and citizens arguing for most of the year about busing plans and socio-economic balance, and leading to attempts to recall six of the nine school board members.  Four people actually were removed from the board during a special election in the summer of ’92.  At the start of the school year, Charles Miller was board president and John Parkyn was vice-president.  Miller lost in the regular April election, and Parkyn was recalled.  Dick Swantz was superintendent…a job he had held since 1977, the year of the previous La Crosse school board recall.  David Johnston was assistant superintendent, and Woody Wiedenhoeft was district business manager.  Future superintendent Jerry Kember was the supervisor of fine arts.  The busing and boundary plan was introduced in October of ’91, to help balance the number of rich and poor kids in each school after the 1992 opening of two new schools, North Woods and Southern Bluffs.  Classes were scheduled to end on June 5th of ’92, just a month before the recall elections.  Twenty-five years ago, yesterday in La Crosse.