Great location, ample space and finally a use for that site. Sounds like a win-win to me.

It's a wonderful place for a new school, which is so badly needed. Finally that facility is being used!

all the plug ins for the slots. track already be up and running. and only 8+ million wasted . i don't have kids and currently 60% of my taxes go to schools. another 1% here and another 3% there equals a lot of %'s that are of no value. the great voters of hudson area voted for a negative state senate, house and governor get them to pay for it. this is progress equal to the dean knutson memorial public library.

Cool. Imagine the prospect of Hudson teachers of history, political science/civics, journalism, social studies etc. taking advantage of an awesome curriculum development opportunity for their students from the Four Feathers casino fiasco that ended in a congressional investigation of Interior Secy Bruce Babbitt (and their new high school):
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/icreport/babbitt.pdf
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/1998/9804.worth.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/cf122197.htm
http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/2005/articles02/bruce_babbitt.htm

Ah is it me or has everyone forgotten the price to build the school and how that will effect our taxes. How convenient of the school board not to show those estimated projections.

good idea. We need to continue to keep up with the needs of Hudson's children. Taxes may go up a bit but less than most people think they will when spread over all the taxpayers. Good going school board!

The property currently pays about 90,000 a year in property taxes that wil need to be collected from residents. The City, which is looking to cut police postions for budget issues will be shorted and will need to raise taxes on the city residents to offset the taxes that will no longer be collected for the property. City of Hudson residents get an extra tax increase in this case.

Finally, a constructive use for the failed dog track site. The Hudson School Board's vote primes the pump for more than bricks and mortar. This reflects the school board's strong commitment to the future of education to benefit Hudson and the region. This investment in education may prime economic development in ways the dog track never could have done. I am retired, live on a fixed income, no children in school and favor the board's investment in education. The school board negotiated a price significantly less than the original cost. Of course, the collapsed real estate market helped.

The school board has made a wise forward thinking decision that will reduce school costs in the future by buying thier expansion property at a great price in these economically challanged times.

Think we need ALOT more info before we do any voting on this! Don't want it to end up like the UU purchase, and what is the plan for that in this market? Is the dog track on city water? Can it handle the volume it will get when it is full of staff and students. This is just the purchase of the land, how much is a proposed school being built and what are they planning for a school? This opens up way more questions then they have answers. It shouldn't go for a vote until a proposed cost of a new school is added in.

Let's not get the cart ahead of the horse here. The city residents have the last say in this, and given the current state of the economy, it's a LONG shot that is passes. Let's not forget this is the same school board that bought land which cannot be used for what they intended, and now it's probably worth about 50% less then the purchase price. I have no confidence in them, and I'm very surprised how many clones do.

All Right, How many members of the current school board, were on the school board when the land purchase you're criticizing took place? This is NOT the same school board any more than the Obama administration is the same as Bush's.

TH3, you're wasting virtual ink. The only key leader of the "just say no" bunch who showed up left after about 15 minutes last night. There's no sticking around to get facts or even listen to thoughts.

For instance, it's not that the UU property is undevelopable. It just can't have a high school-sized building with it's own sewerage treatment plant (which it what would be needed). I have no doubt that at some point, McMansions will fill up that real estate just like all the other hills and dales. Some developer will buy the property for a song and abracadabra, property taxes. More than the dog track.

But understanding takes actual listening, then - actual thought, and then - actual reason.

And then there's the "I don't have kids, why should I have to pay for it" crowd, who don't realize we all wish we hadn't educated them, either because they just demonstrate what a waste it can be...
Good gravy these people are tedious.

Actually the number of positive people that understand the issues involved and are forward thinking is encouraging.

Thank goodness this School Board is looking after the ever growing student population in Hudson. The elementary school my child attends has five first grade classrooms this year. The number of students is increasing. Something has to be done.

I can't understand. This area has voted for and demanded less government but yet you are arguing for more taxes against everyones basic need shelter. You are demanding that you are more important and everyone else has to pay for your wants. This area follows the bachmann idea knutson/harsdorf/skooter if it is for ME it is good make the slaves pay for it. If you follow bachmann all schools should be privately owned and operated. It is the only thing I would ever agree with her. Pay to play or stand up and say you support the Democrats that all people are supported fairly and receive fairly or go away. Not ME ME ME!

Sorry Mike!

Seriously kk can you get the spelling right. It is Knudson with a "d". And the city will be hurt. The dog tracks are part of the City. The property on UU is not. So becsuse the school board wants city sewage those city residents are going to be taxed more than reported. So far the tax increase is only on the land not on tearing down the current building and building new. Why don't they expand on the current high school? There is from there and it would be less money. As a tax payer of the City 90,000 will be lost tpt the tax base and that will effect services given to the city. So we lose 90,000 and then pay more in taxes to build a brand new school. I want to see more space too so i ask again why not add on? Act 10 puts a cap on property tax increase so if the city can't raise taxes and with property values going down, and now the possibility of a bug loss to our tax base I fear there will be serious cuts made at a city level. Funny the school board keeps spending and the City is cutting. Thankful someone is thinking about our pocket books!

I just wonder...
The voters here decided that it was Ok that Walker/Harsdorf reduced school funding. As a result of this, the teachers got a new health care plan that is much worse than their previous plan. I know of several teachers that want to leave the district as soon as possible, I also know from the school of education that many of their students (anecdotal evidence) do not plan to teach in Wisconsin. It could well be that a new school is not needed, because there may not be enough teachers around to teach in such a school. Hudson and Wisconsin created a very hostile environment for educators, calling them thugs etc., and who would want to work in such an environment?

Ask the district office how many applications were received for job openings...it's probably several hundred/opening. If WI graduates want to move to other states to teach, let them; grads from out-of-state colleges will come to WI for a job. A job is a job...college grads are more concerned with a paycheck.

The unemployment rate is outrageous. Let them retire I am more than certain there are plenty of graduates out there looking for work. For every one teacher that leaves there are at minimum 2 waiting for that job!

How many of you here blogging have lived in Hudson your entire life and went through the school district? Then off to college and back to Hudson? I've been here for 44 years and watched this town grow into a city. I remember when the dog track was shoved down our throats. I've watched school referrendums held during non-election times in order to get all the school 'clones' there with the hope of most people not showing up. I received a good education through the Hudson School District and my children have too. And not once did my kids come home saying the school was ugly or overcrowded. They adapted to their surroundings, and as a result they are striving in their respected fields. I agree that at some point Hudson will need a new HS, but given the state of the economy now is NOT the time to be buying land. I don't care what a great deal you think you are getting, or what the rates are. Mortgage rates are at an all-time low and housing is still in the tank. Why is that? If rates are great and affordability is high, why are people not buying? Because people may have learned a tough lesson buy getting in over their heads. And now is the time to show your constituants that you are living like the rest of us should be; within our means.

Interesting comments Mr. Nelson, coming from someone who lives in New Richmond. Maybe you should tell the good people of Hudson how that $93 Million referendum is working for you. New Richmond has the highest percentage of people in foreclosure in all of St. Croix County. In fact I heard from a very reliable source that you have an entire neighborhood in foreclosure. Now that's what I call taxing yourself into prosperity!

Funny you should ask. At the annual school district meeting, we voted to reduce the budget by 2.5 percent. This should result in a small tax increase. My property taxes were down two years ago and went up a bit last year. We are definitely seeing taxes climb hundreds of dollars a year like the local, anti-education borderliners were telling us on their local blog and in letters to the editor.

They were also predicting people fleeing from the district because of these mythical exploding taxes. Fact is the 2011-2012 kindergarten class is a record high. It broke the record set by the 2010-2011 kindergarten class which broke the record set by the 2009-2010 K class.

The fact is the NR district probably passed it's referendum at the right time. The referendum was based on bids when building was booming. The actual bids were done when the building sector was hurting for work. On top of the low bids, the were federal government stimulus programs that pay the interest on the building debt.

As far as neighborhoods in foreclosure, I would agree that many houses are empty with for sale or rent signs in the high grass yards. There are many building lots in NR -- around 800. Not much building happening. Not much property tax increases happening. Lots of state of the art educational facilities for families thinking about their kids and getting them prepared for the future.

Pretty cool...thanks for asking.

Funny you say that taxes haven't gone up much. I hear they have escalated quite a bit. Perhaps you are an anomaly, which wouldn't surprise me.... I've never seen a town go bankrupt when a private business expands, but you can't say the same when a local school district decides to spend like drunken sailors. New Richmond has the worst real estate market in the county. New Richmond has the highest percentage of bankruptcies in the county. New Richmond has the highest percentage of foreclosures in the county. I don't think we're going to let our school board do the same thing to Hudson. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Professor, not sure where you are getting your hearsay about taxes. Keep in mind that the $93 million school project is in the New Richmond School district. I live in Richmond Township and likely have a different tax impact than residence of the city. I'm speaking about my tax bill.

I don't think the city of NR's bankruptcy problem stems from the schools. The city of NR is alomost maxed out in its borrowing capacity. That's a different issues than the school district. They are separate government entities. The tax impact on city residence is likely the result of spending by the city government. We are not experiencing the in the township.

As I pointed out above, it is the school idstrict's charter to plan for the future. It is the voters' decision to determine what that future looks like via the referendum process. If the voters choose not to go with the dog track, that is the way it goes. The voters in the NR district voted for the $93 million referendum and I have not seen a significant increase in my property tax bill since the project started.

Well I stand corrected Mr. Nelson. Thank you for setting the record straight. Your school board members must be smarter than I thought. Just imagine borrowing $93 Million with no tax increase! Heck they should have borrowed $200 Million at that rate! And I just know that the poor children of Hudson are going to be totally out performed by the kids in New Richmond now that you have such glorious facilities. Did you get new, more qualified teachers with the upgraded facilites or do you have the same people teaching in a newer building? Just curious....

Professor, I'm guessing from your bitterness and invective, that no one teaching in public schools are qualified. I believe 18 teachers quit or retired at the end of the 2010-2011 school year and another 25 were hired. The majority of them to mean the expanding demand in the lower grades.

It's cerainly a positive point that you throw out about the competition between districts. Isn't it exciting that schools in western Wisconsin are meeting such high standards of achievement.

I think, if the NR district had borrowed $200 million, I would have definately seen my taxes increase. Frotunately, the administration, school board and voters in the district are conservative minded and keep the pocketbooks of us taxpayers in mind.

Hey, it life is too tough in Hudson, you can always move to NR. There are excellent buys on houses and the schools are great.

Say "Howdy!" to MaryAnn and Ginger for me.

So your taxes stayed the same at $93 Million but would have gone up at $200 Million? Sounds like some funny everyday math to me. I never said there weren't competent teachers in Hudson. My point is that a new building doesn't make for a better education and I challenge you to prove that it does. And don't get to worked up about the high standards of achievement in western Wisconsin. Unless every student takes the ACT then any comparison that you make has definite flaws.

I didn't say my taxes stayed the same. I said they went down one year, up the next and will likely take another dip.

Of course new buildings don't make for a better education. I just the school district couldn't find an old building to move into the district to use for schools. I went to the old HHS school and I grew up to be a law-abiding, taxpaying citizen. Since our free-market economy is creating all these service jobs that don't require much education, I suppose we only need pencils and a slate board to instill the needed knowledge to survive.

Aparently, you and I don't share the same level of bitterness towards the public education system. It worked for me. Sorry that it didn't work out for you. You know how it goes, out of the millions of kids they run throw the public school system, they all aren't going to turn out to be Steve Jobs or George Bush or Ayn Rand. Most of them are going to be taxpaying, law abiding citizens.

Perhaps you are of the religious believe where they keep coming back in the next life till they get it right. Just remember, whatever your faith or believe, Jesus loves you.

Mr. Nelson please stop putting words in my mouth. That is not a very productive way to present your point of view in a debate. A debate which you happen to be losing, which is why you resort to such behavior. Better luck next time my friend!

I didn't know we were having a debate. I was discussing it's the job of a school board and school administration to chart the future course of a school district and how it is up to the voters via the referendum process to approve or turn down said proposed future vision. There really isn't much to debate there. That is how the process works.

As to how my property tax bills have been impacted by the $93 million school referendum in the New Richmond school district, there's no debate there. As to whether or not a student learns better in a new school, that would depend on the student. Some could get the education in a pup tent and do great things. Others could be individually tutored in the Taj Mahal and end up a peanut vendor in North Hudson.

Let's face it Professor, we are moving towards an education system where more and more of a child's education will take place in public spears. Karl Marx pointed this out long ago when he said, "“The education of all children, from the moment that they can get along without a mother's care, shall be in state institutions.”

I can envision a time in the near future where schools will have pre-natal classrooms for pregnant mothers to come in to sit on their prayer rugs and listen to tapes of Frances Fox Piven reading from the qu'ran in Spanish.

We all know that to achieve, we need thought. That is what public education provides. It's not the size of the building, it's the heart of the community. Remember, it takes a village.

Guys and Gals I am stepping in and asking you to stop being personal but stay with the good and bad of this. Hudson has the history of less government /taxes. We all know that borrowed money is separate from general budget and tax levied. So the only question for hudson school residents is are you will to pay more for--------? I offer yes to a point then you pay to play or elect in the upcoming recall a representative that is progressive.