The future of Oshkosh North High School’s auditorium is on the ballot in the Wisconsin Spring Election (April 1). The Oshkosh Area School District’s (OASD) referendum includes crucial plans for North and other schools in Oshkosh in dire need of structural updates. North’s auditorium doesn’t serve the needs of the music department: It closely resembles a lecture hall, with a small stage, limited audience seating, and outdated light and sound systems.
There are 2,377 students K-12 on the North side of Oshkosh currently participating in their school music departments, with nowhere to perform. Robin Speidel, Assistant Principal at North, noted that as a result, there’s limited performance dates and a heavy reliance on the Alberta Kimball Auditorium at Oshkosh West High School.
“We have very limited access across the district to choose a date for performance because everyone is scrambling to try and get any date,” Speidel said.
Installing a new auditorium in North would relieve stress and dependence on the Alberta Kimball Auditorium and the Grand Opera House while allowing events to be held at North, like plays and school assemblies. Speidel noted the referendum would save North money, and that students could attend classes in between rehearsals if plays were held at North, instead of missing classes at the Grand.
“Financially, it [the referendum] would actually save us money. Our music and art departments have to load up U-Hauls and transfer all the stuff we have here to the Grand and back. It’s very costly. As much as our musicals are amazing over at the Grand and well-attended, we have to pay for the Grand. Days of performances, we’re making money, but it has to cover not only that day but previous days for rehearsal. It’s also off-site, so our students have to travel back and forth. If they were here at North, they could pop into a couple of classes in between their rehearsal times,” Speidel said.
The referendum would also expand North’s art department, allowing more students to take art classes during the school day.
“The current lecture hall would be turned partially into a backstage, but also into an expanded art space. So those students who love art, which is so many of them, would have more opportunities for art classes because we could have more classroom space, allowing for more classes to happen throughout the day,” Speidel said.
The referendum wouldn’t add a tax increase to the current debt levy. OASD would keep the same debt payments, but schools would be updated and more efficient to students and staff. It would also install air conditioning in all OASD elementary schools, combine Perry Tipler with South Park Middle School, and transform Perry Tipler into a pre-kindergarten center.
More information about the Wisconsin April 1 election can be found here.
