2025 at Bishop Noa Home in Escanaba surrounded by his loving family and was the son of John and Edith Mae (Peterson) Schwalbach Ken graduated from Escanaba High School in 1957 1960 and have celebrated 65 years of marriage together this year Ken was a builder at heart and began his career with building CAPP Homes and then to Tri-State Homes In 1965 in Soo Hill out of his garage Ken began crafting beautiful kitchens for his clients which would be the beginning of Schwabach Kitchens which is still in operation today by his son Ken Jr In 1970 Ken moved Schwalbach Kitchens to Northgate Home Center The Escanaba location was very successful so Ken decided to open another location in Marquette in 1978 In 1988 Ken acquired the Amana Radar Range franchise and it was so popular that cooking classes were offered to use the new appliances In 1991 Schwalbach Kitchens moved to downtown Escanaba joined him in the family business and after 10 years sold him the business in 2003 he wanted to get back into the home building business and just focus on homes He continued to sell homes until his retirement at age 82 He loved lighting a cigar and taking a nice ride especially through Ludington Park or on his side by side in the fresh air He could be found watching any sporting event that involved Michigan Wolverines Green Bay Packers and especially his grandkids sporting events Ken loved to sing and quite often he would break out into song at Bishop Noa Home and everyone would join in He loved life and would say “One Day at a Time” to his family you can play hard,” and he led by example Ken is survived by his wife Barb Schwalbach of Gladstone; daughters Pam (Randy) Tauke of Gladstone Leanne (Tony) Vandermissen of Escanaba; son Kenneth and Alex; 11 great-grandchildren; and brother Tom Schwalbach of Rockford he was preceded in death by siblings Richard The family would like to send a heartfelt thank you for all the love and care he received while Ken resided at Bishop Noa Home Copyright © 2025 Ogden News Publishing of Michigan | https://www.dailypress.net | 600 Ludington St. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Those challenges hammered home to her the importance of having people who work in schools at the same table with state decision-makers. “Our primary job is to elevate worker voices in those decision-making spaces whether that be with a school board or school administrators with contract negotiations or with community members,” Scott-Schwalbach said “We talk about the reality of public education and we clarify perceptions about what students need when they come into our spaces to learn and grow with us.” The passion to bring together as many voices as possible has led to some of Scott-Schwalbach’s pinnacle moments leading the OEA the organization has strengthened relationships that have helped secure additional supports for funding and structures in public education such as the educator apprenticeship program The OEA also leveraged its membership to develop five-year strategic metrics for legislative agendas and advocacy priorities.Scott-Schwalbach also established NEON a leadership development program for new educators and established a summer leadership development program for newly elected local leaders The OEA also realized a 25% increase in new hires joining the union over her four years.In the OEA’s offices in Tigard she also oversaw a project to develop and install a museum-style timeline detailing key moments in the organization’s history dating back to 1858 The timeline also chronicles moments in state and federal educational history providing an eye-opening look into the evolution of the profession.Like any good leader and advocate Scott-Schwalbach has learned some valuable lessons of her own along the way despite the desire to make change quick and immediate That anyone can be a leader and to help build leadership skills in others Clarity is critical.They are lessons she started learning at Pacific and in those camps and farm fields those lessons inform her thinking about what might come next.“Sometimes we look at certain jobs and we think I could never be a state leader or a local leader.’ I see people every day doing amazing work who come from a huge variety of backgrounds,” she said “It has reminded me that any of us can do really amazing things in any role that we’re in “It’s not that I have some sort of magical powers or magical skillset I’ve learned from the teams that I have worked with And this job is giving me a chance to deepen skills that I never thought that I would develop.”           Copyright © Pacific University all rights reserved | Legal Disclaimers This article originally appeared at JBartlett.org. switching public schools is surprisingly difficult State law gives students only a few options The one easy way is to enroll in a chartered public school if one happens to be nearby and a good fit Every other option is obstructed by a series of hurdles that cannot be cleared without the approval of public school officials More than a dozen states offer a better way: K-12 open enrollment which lets students attend public schools other than their residentially assigned ones New Hampshire lets school districts reassign students to a different district under limited circumstances Districts have to designate a school as an open enrollment school Yet districts that do this can prevent their own students from going to another district’s open enrollment school To fix this, legislators have introduced three proposals–House Bill (HB) 741, Senate Bill (SB) 101, and SB 97– that would significantly improve the state’s open enrollment law by letting students attend public schools other than their residentially assigned one There are two types of open enrollment: cross-district open enrollment lets students attend schools outside their assigned school district while within-district open enrollment lets students attend schools other than their assigned one that are inside their school district A strong open enrollment law must be statewide, meaning that school districts must admit all transfer applicants so long as extra seats are available. Currently 16 states have strong open enrollment laws HB 741 and SB 101 would establish statewide cross-district open enrollment policies which would let students enroll in any public schools with extra seats. Both of these proposals boast strong transparency provisions at the state and district levels taxpayers and families have open enrollment information at their fingertips If either of these proposals is codified, New Hampshire would be the 17th state to adopt statewide cross-district open enrollment S.B. 97 would establish a statewide within-district open enrollment law, letting students attend schools that are outside their assigned catchment area, but inside their district. If codified, New Hampshire would join 14 other states, including Delaware All of these proposals would significantly strengthen New Hampshire’s open enrollment law. However, the best of them–H.B. 741–would launch New Hampshire’s policy from 25th place to 5th place nationwide per Reason Foundation’s open enrollment best practices putting the state on par with leaders in open enrollment Additionally, Ready Colorado’s 2018 report and the California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office’s 2016 and 2021 reports found that students used the state’s cross-district open enrollment program to access specialized courses such as Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate classes especially when compared to non-participants Open enrollment doesn’t just help students. It can help districts improve as well. Research from California, Ohio and Wisconsin showed that competition between school districts can encourage them to improve These data show that open enrollment can be a win-win for students and school districts As California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office wrote in its evaluation of that state’s District Choice Program “home districts often respond to the program by taking action to gain clarity about the priorities of their communities and by implementing new educational programs We also found that the home districts most affected by the program have made above-average gains in student achievement over the past several years although the role of the program in these gains is difficult to determine.” The evidence from other states strongly suggests that statewide open enrollment would achieve two long-sought goals in public education: elevate individual student outcomes and improve district public schools For Comments, Questions, Or Complaints aboutour articles please contact us TOWN OF ERIN — Austin Cordell and James Schwalbach won election to the Erin Town Board over Bradley Bautz and Thomas DeMers on Tuesday night Cordell led the way with 1,120 votes (36.05%) followed by Schwalbach See all of our spring general election results here Read more of our election coverage at gmtoday.com/elections 10 things to know this week from the WOW counties (Waukesha Ozaukee and Washington) sent on Sundays Get the latest Washington County news delivered every day so you don't miss out on updates Have Washington County breaking news alerts sent to your inbox as they happen Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: America's Education News Source Sign up for our free newsletter and start your day with in-depth reporting on the latest topics in education Support The 74’s year-end campaign with a tax-exempt donation and invest in our future Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter However, educators and lawmakers should consider options for advancing school choice far more broadly. One potential opportunity: strengthen and expand K-12 open enrollment which allows students to attend public schools outside their residential zones as long as space is available.  The latest national polling from EdChoice showed that 79% of Democrats 75% of Republicans and 73% of independents with school-aged children support open enrollment.  There are two types of public-school open enrollment: within-district, which lets students transfer to schools inside their assigned district, and cross-district, which lets students enroll outside district boundaries. The hallmark of a strong open enrollment law is that all districts must participate so long as schools have open seats available Since 2021, nine states have codified strong open enrollment laws, including Oklahoma, Kansas and West Virginia it wasn’t just red states: six were red or leaned red three leaned blue and three were purple states have very successful open enrollment laws; others have elements of successful public school transfer programs In Delaware, whose program ranked seventh in Reason Foundation’s report, about 22% of public school students used open enrollment during the 2020-21 school year to find an alternative that was the right fit for them.  Kansas codified its strong open enrollment laws in 2022 with a Democratic governor. Preliminary reports show that more than 1,500 students used the state’s cross-district open enrollment program just launched in 2024.  Colorado illustrates how strong open enrollment laws can enjoy success in states where other forms of school choice may struggle to gain traction open enrollment is a winning political issue for the right and left that can benefit the tens of millions of students in public schools Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Jude Schwalbach is an education policy analyst at Reason Foundation and author of the report “Public schools without boundaries,” which analyzes every state’s K-12 open enrollment policies We want our stories to be shared as widely as possible — for free Please view The 74's republishing terms. By This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Sign up for free newsletters from The 74 to get more like this in your inbox This annual awards ceremony honors outstanding individuals and organizations who have made a significant positive impact on Macon County DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University alumni and boosters were honored on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at the annual Heart of Illinois Community Foundation Do Something Great Awards brought together community leaders from across Macon County.  Millikin alumni Sophie Schwalbach, founder of The Nick Project fire safety non-profit organization, was chosen as the Outstanding Young Philanthropist. Former Millikin Board of Trustees Chairman John Skeffington and his wife were selected as the Robert and Bev Ketenbrink Community Commitment Award winners.  The Outstanding Young Philanthropist Award recognizes service by an individual or organization of individuals under age 40 who demonstrate outstanding commitment to the community through direct financial support Sophia was recognized for her annual Millikin campus initiative created in memory of her late brother who died during a fraternity house fire in 2000 an event where students receive free fire ladders Sophie's leadership with "The Nick Project" received special recognition from the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance for establishing a reoccurring community event focused on fire safety and prevention efforts.  She was nominated by Millikin Director of Campus Life Residential Communities Nicole DeLiberis who works closely with Sophie for each year’s Nick Project events This year’s Nick Project event will occur on Monday in the Doug and Diane Oberhelman Center for Leadership Performance in the University Commons.  I nominated Sophie because she is an incredible human being and has the passion in their heart to help others,” Nicole said “Millikin has benefited from her dedication and motivation to help students get the education they need when it comes to fire safety awareness I knew I would meet many incredible people Sophie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Millikin in 2019 and earned her MBA in 2020 where she also volunteers as a member of ADM's Women's Employee Resource Group (ERG) committee with a focus on the Dress for Success program.  18-year-old me had the courage to go into every office at Millikin and beg for help to start The Nick Project I just knew I had to do something in memory of my brother I would not be here today without the support of the individuals at Millikin University “My journey with The Nick Project has allowed me to grow into the person I am today; however there is not a single day that goes by when I wouldn’t give it all up for my brother to be here.”  The Robert and Bev Ketenbrink Community Commitment Award is presented to an individual or a family with a record of exceptional generosity demonstrated outstanding civic or charitable responsibility and leadership that has encouraged and motivated others toward roles in philanthropy.  As President and CEO of Skeff Distributing Company, Inc. John and Susie have been incredibly active in Macon County nonprofit organizations and activities John also serves on the Millikin Board of Trustees and has served as Chairperson.  “John and Susie have been visible mainstays at major community celebrations and sporting and recreational events for many years in the Decatur community There is scarcely a community non-profit organization or important community effort that has not been significantly boosted by John and Susie,” Jim said “My wife Sue and I met John and Susie a little over four years ago when I became President of Millikin University John served on our board for nine years and was our board Chair – my boss – from 2021 to 2023 and I’ve benefited from John’s guidance and counsel on several occasions in the last four years We are also blessed to have them for their support of Millikin in a myriad of ways not the least of which is having their two sons – Brendan and Peter – as graduates of Millikin.” The Skeffingtons have also supported many Millikin initiatives, including the Millikin Fund Millikin President Jim Reynolds introduced the Skeffington at the awards ceremony.  “John and I are truly honored and humbled to accept this award and you never know when that challenge is going to be your next volunteer opportunity that led me to work for Race for the Cure and come together,” Susie said “Not only did the community support these organizations For all of you who have given your time and talent to the community or for those of you who are about to become our new volunteers Left to right: Bradley Bautz (incumbent) Austin Cordell TOWN OF ERIN — The April 1 general election is just under two weeks away and there are several contested races across Washington County including the election for two seats on the Erin Town Board four candidates are running for the two seats The Daily News reached out to all four candidates with the following questions and below are their responses (in the order they will appear on the ballot): Daily News: Why are you running for Erin’s Town Board DeMers: I would like to see new voices on the board but keep the values of our history while allowing for positive change in the future We need someone who is able to listen to all sides of arguments with an open mind then uses those voices to make critical decisions that would benefit the WHOLE town have worked for multiple businesses in Erin have been a very high level referee in soccer (assisting in critical decision making) who will listen and make those critical decisions so that Erin can remain a hidden gem in Wisconsin Bautz: I’ve chosen to run for town board because I have a strong commitment to serving my community and helping make decisions that will improve the lives of our residents I’ve seen opportunities for growth and improvement in areas such as infrastructure I believe that with my skills in communication I can be an effective voice for the people of our town My goal is to ensure that all residents feel heard Schwalbach: I am semiretired and I feel it is time to give back to the community I love I am willing and able to give of my time to serve my community in this capacity A quote that has challenged me is “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” — Edmund Burke This has prompted me to get involved with our local community and serve to the best of my ability Cordell: I am running for the town board position to have a direct role in how our community is shaped for the future I want to be someone everyone feels comfortable coming to and asking any questions they may have I will be transparent with the people of Erin Daily News: What qualities make you an ideal candidate for the position DeMers: My ability to listen to others and not just hear them is the most important thing that I can bring to the board and the president of the Wildlife in Need Center I have been faced with tough decisions but have experienced observing the big picture before making critical decisions The transparency of sharing why I made a decision is also essential for growth and trust within any town or organization A couple other key qualities that I hold are that I am friendly and my morals and integrity mean everything to me Bautz: I have shown leadership and strong communication in obtaining a number of agreements to benefit the town residents I am very community focused with a commitment to the welfare of the community ensuring that decisions reflect the needs and values of the town’s residents I negotiated for another 20 year inter-municipal agreement with the City of Hartford we will continue to have fire and paramedic service We obtained a new funding formula which will save taxpayer dollars We have a new contract with the Village of Richfield for fire and paramedic service along with building inspector services to the town As the supervisor in charge of the Erin Go Braugh Park the town partnered with Erin Baseball to construct a new park pavilion The town used part of our ARPA funds for the construction of the bathroom with the rest of the building funded and constructed by Erin Baseball SIGN UP Schwalbach: Doing the right thing no matter what it costs you I have lost good friends in this community for standing up for what is right For following the rules and following through on tough situations When you are in leadership you may not have a lot of friends Friendships are put aside when dealing with issues that affect a whole community I also firmly believe in transparency in government Total honesty in government is needed at all times My conservative views are in line with most of this community and county I’ve been told that I am so conservative that I make John Wayne seem like a liberal My years of business experience should be helpful My common sense approach to resolving issues will be a benefit to town issues and needs And my calmness in the heat of battle is one of my strengths Cordell: As a local business owner in Erin I bring skills and experience needed for this position I have balanced and managed budgets larger than the towns budget successfully I have navigated challenges strategically and capitalized on positive growth year after year I also have provided leadership for teams to meet and exceed set goals Daily News: What do you believe are the biggest issues facing Erin right now and how do you propose solving them the biggest issue facing Erin is the question about St Patrick’s church and keeping a gem and staple of our community We also are faced constantly with decisions about changing our town to allow for more people to live there through multi-family homes and apartments what I will do to help in solving these problems is to I will hear all voices and sides before drawing a conclusion I will make a decision that is best for the community My role is to be the voice that brings prosperity and level-headedness in controversial issues Bautz: Development of the town has long been a concern preserving as much agricultural and rural area as possible This is a huge part of our 2035 Comprehensive Plan We need to modernize our aging fleet of equipment Emergency Services is very important as well We have more area in the town greater than 5 miles from a fire station than any other town in the county We would need to study to see if changes should be made Schwalbach: The main responsibility of government and government officials is to maintain the infrastructure and overall safety and livability of a town The condition of the town roads has been an issue for some time now Seems to me as though in this climate it always will be a big issue The current hot topic is about allowing the building of condominiums in our community for the profit of one couple and said couple using some of the profits to rebuild Saint Patrick’s Church and donate said property to the town The taxpayers who live closest to this proposed development should have the most say in this matter the neighbors closest to the proposed development are against this proposal this current proposal to build condos and change town policy to allow it would not affect my property or my views of our beautiful countryside if proposed condominiums and or multifamily units were to be built on a lot next to mine how would we stop further building of this kind We most assuredly would not be able to stop it We really need to follow the golden rule on this kind of issue There are communities who would welcome this kind of growth They already have the roads and infrastructure to support the influx of more traffic and all that entails The citizens like myself who have worked and saved for many years to live in a community such as we are blessed to do so should have a say in what is built in their own backyard As far as Saint Patrick’s church is concerned and if it be the will of the people of this town we should rally together and restore it for the town’s needs Cordell: One of the biggest issues that has been brought to me would be how the town is perceived With that I mean many people do not feel they are heard I want it to be publicly known that I will listen to every individual situation brought to me or the town Another large issue with the town is how it spends our taxpayer dollars I will do everything I can to make educated choices and vote on how our budget is used I will be conservative and make sure all options are explored but for the direct impact it will have on the people of our community long term See all of our election coverage at gmtoday.com/elections Read more of our election coverage at gmtoday.com/elections Previous elected/appointed positions: Erin Town Board Supervisor 2002 2010 on the Washington Co Multijurisdictional Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee 2002-2008 and Economic Development Work Group 20022008 Director of Emergency Management 2003-Present Years living in Erin: Lifelong resident of the area Previous elected/appointed roles: Multiple board of director positions Previous elected/appointed roles: President of the Board of directors for the Wildlife in Need Center since 2019 Occupation: Business owner/ Office Equipment Previous elected/ appointed roles: Erin School policy committee Kristin Kolodge (Schwalbach) graduated from Michigan Tech in 1995 with her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering After attending Women in Engineering during Summer Youth Programs Michigan Tech was the only school she applied to Kolodge’s career started as a contract employee for Chrysler and was hired on directly several months later working to create the human-machine interface (HMI) process and lead safety investigations and campaigns She became Chrysler’s point of contact with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Kolodge completed a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Michigan Dearborn She shifted into a new role as executive director of driver interaction and human machine interface at J.D where she served as a global thought leader for HMI Kolodge was promoted to vice president for auto benchmarking and mobility development Power’s practice leader for the industry-renowned automotive quality studies that provide insight into the customers’ experience with their vehicle.  “MTU taught me how to figure things out and not back away when there is not a clear path forward,” she said “So many of my career assignments have been ones in which the script was yet to be written and I can say that those assignments are the ones in which I have the most pride.” Kolodge has authored or co-authored numerous publications on HMI and related topics She was also responsible for the creation of emPower Me and emPower Community Employee Resource Groups at J.D which are respectively focused on personal/professional development and giving back to the local community Kolodge’s Michigan Tech experience was shaped largely by her affiliation with Delta Zeta sorority  “The organization taught me so many life skills that remain relevant to me today Who knew how many transferable skills you can learn from building Winter Carnival statues team motivation Kolodge has maintained close ties with Michigan Tech She is a member and president emerita of the Michigan Tech Alumni Board of Directors she has been an active recruiter of Tech students and served on the Michigan Tech Career Advisory Board.  “My reasons to stay engaged with MTU may be selfish in nature,” she said “I thrive on the energy that comes from the engagement with MTU whether the engagement is on campus or supporting the University from afar I want others to experience the life-changing growth that I did while at MTU and that growth continues to occur through my interactions with the University today.” Kevin Smith still takes pride in their "no rules" policy after completing the silver jubilee to his marriage with Jennifer Schwalbach Smith who recently celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary in April gushed to the press about their journey so far and that's probably why it's worked so well for 25 years," Kevin reflected in his chat with People They first got linked when she interviewed Kevin for USA Today about the release of his Clerks comic book the two started talking through email and then “all-night phone calls," before they made their relationship official The couple then tied the knot at Skywalker Ranch with Jennifer two months before the birth of their daughter Harley Quinn Smith Jennifer then entered the acting industry and appeared in Kevin's movies her first being 2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back—which also marked the film debut of their daughter Harley "I spend a lot of time on the road and doing gigs elsewhere and whatnot and over the 25 years she's traveled with me a bunch and then lately she stays home to watch the dogs and stuff like that," Kevin said in the recent interview "She's been there shotgun through 25 years of this and she's always been gracious about taking a back seat to it," he went on He concluded the shoutout to 25 years together "When you're married to an artist — an artist who lives with his or her head up their a** thinking about the whole world has to know what I think and feel' — I would imagine that must be irritating to live with But she's lived with it for a quarter century." When it comes to open-enrollment data, however, researchers and policymakers are often left in the dark. Only 13 states are required by law to collect data on open enrollment, and only three states publish these figures regularly little is known about a key policy that affects students and public schools nationwide Participation is strong; more than 450,000 students in these three states used open enrollment to attend public schools other than their assigned ones during the 2021–22 school year the latest data from these states provide four key takeaways about open enrollment: Many students choose schools other than their residentially assigned one nearly 177,000 students used cross-district open enrollment while almost 273,000 used the within-district option to choose a different school (see Table 1) Table 1: 2021–22 Open-Enrollment Participation in Arizona Note: Wisconsin’s open-enrollment data include students who transfer to online schools in other districts The state doesn’t disaggregate these students from cross-district transfers who attend schools in person Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Open enrollment also makes up an important component of these states’ education marketplaces and is one of the most common methods of school selection When compared with other school choice options in these states—such as charter schools or private school scholarships—open enrollment holds its own accounting for approximately 36 percent of the 1.3 million students who used public funds to participate in school choice during the 2021–22 school year (see Figure 1) Figure 1: Open Enrollment Is a Desired Choice Option open enrollment holds a comparable share of students in the marketplace of school choice options Students using publicly funded school choice in 2021–22 And these numbers are increasing. According to the Florida Department of Education and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction open-enrollment participation increased by 4 percent and 3 percent respectively during the 2022–23 school year 2022–23 data from Arizona are not yet available.) Open-enrollment participation grew in these states even as more families used publicly funded scholarships to pay for private school tuition The latest data show that these open-enrollment trends are also evident in Florida and Arizona (see Figure 2) Figure 2: Students Leave Districts for Greener Pastures Academic quality is a substantial factor in students transferring outside of their residential districts most students move to districts ranked as A or B Cross-district transfers by district rating 2021–22 80 percent of Arizona’s transfer students and 72 percent of Florida’s chose school districts rated as A or B 67 percent of Arizona’s students and 91 percent of Florida’s attend districts rated A or B Open-enrollment transfers in these states generally avoided school districts rated lower than B Wisconsin doesn’t use a letter-grade system to rate its school districts the Badger State rates them on a 100-point scale and assigns them to one of four categories: “significantly exceeds expectations,” “exceeds expectations,” “meets expectations,” and “meets few expectations.” The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction also reports more detailed and nuanced open-enrollment data than Florida and Arizona Those two states show only how many students transfer into each district shows the number of students who transfer into and out of each school district as well as the number who apply to transfer into and out of them Districts with better ratings experienced net transfer gains while lower-rated districts lost students on net Figure 3: Poorly Rated Wisconsin Districts Lose Students School districts in Wisconsin rated as average or below average experienced a net loss of more than 54,000 students in the 2022–23 school year Districts rated better than average or excellent enrolled 13,000 more students Wisconsin cross-district transfers by district ranking 2022–23 Despite receiving the lion’s share of transfers Wisconsin school districts rated as “meets expectations” or lower experienced a net loss of more than 54,000 students School districts rated as “significantly exceeds expectations” or “exceeds expectations” increased their enrollments by more than 13,000 students during the 2022–23 school year the smaller number of transfers to the highest-rated school districts does not necessarily reflect a lack of applications Not every transfer application is approved because Wisconsin school districts can reject transfer applications for such reasons as insufficient capacity and insufficient special-education program capacity This means that even if school districts have the physical space to accommodate transfer applicants citing an arbitrary definition of capacity Transfer applicants with disabilities are often rejected. Similarly, more than 2,000 Wisconsin students were rejected because they had disabilities. Although federal law prohibits school districts from denying services to students with disabilities who live within their boundaries they routinely reject transfer applications from students with disabilities at a higher rate than their peers without disabilities open enrollment can be a lifeline to school districts whose enrollments are declining By combining open-enrollment data provided by state education agencies with data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) that classify school districts by location (city it’s possible to examine open-enrollment participation by school-district locale these data provide insight into how different regions in these states are impacted by open enrollment (see Figure 4) Figure 4: More Transfers to Rural Districts in Wisconsin Than Arizona and Florida While city districts are most preferred among transfer students in Arizona and suburban districts are most favored in Florida Wisconsin’s rural districts receive a higher proportion of students who take advantage of open enrollment Open-enrollment participation by locale 2021–22 most students used open enrollment to transfer to urban and suburban school districts rural school districts attracted the second-largest share of transfer students when compared to other locales in the state This is partly because Wisconsin’s school districts are generally smaller and more numerous making them more accessible to out-of-district students than is the case in Arizona or Florida Wisconsin has about twice as many school districts as Arizona and six times as many as Florida rural school districts bolstered their enrollments with more than 29,000 transfer students (see Figure 5) Rural school districts are further broken into three categories: Rural fringe districts are those nearest to both urbanized areas and towns; rural distant districts are farther from urbanized areas but are closer to towns; and rural remote districts are those farthest from both towns and urbanized areas Figure 5: Rural Districts on the Fringe of Cities and Towns Benefit from Transfers While rural fringe districts in Wisconsin did not receive the most transfers they experienced the largest net gain from open enrollment receiving nearly 2,500 additional students Cross-district transfers to rural school districts 2021–22 rural fringe districts benefited more from open enrollment than other types of rural school districts This makes sense because rural fringe school districts are the nearest non-urban transfer options for many suburban families Policymakers have three key issues to consider as more students take advantage of open-enrollment opportunities While families and receiving school districts can establish designated bus pick-up locations just over district boundaries this option is only available to students whose families can drive them to those locations These transportation challenges combined with long commutes mean that open-enrollment participation in rural areas or small towns will generally be lower than in urban and suburban districts state policymakers can modify regulations that needlessly impede students from transferring they can stop allowing school districts to prevent other districts from transporting transfer students across district boundaries Policymakers might also do well to reconsider how to fund capital projects While local levies often paid for these projects in the past school districts will have a harder time convincing local taxpayers to approve new bonds when their children don’t attend their residentially assigned school This illustrates that policymakers in states with robust school choice policies need to rethink how capital projects are funded which require that all applicants be admitted policymakers could take a closer look at school districts’ admissions processes to ensure that district schools are open to all students Open enrollment is the most common form of school choice in Wisconsin and the second-most common in Arizona and Florida Students tend to transfer to school districts with higher rankings While open-enrollment participation is often concentrated in urban and suburban regions it is also beneficial to students in rural areas or smaller towns the playing field isn’t level for all students because those with disabilities tend to be rejected at higher rates and districts can and do reject applicants for dubious capacity reasons Wisconsin is currently the only state that fully shows how open-enrollment transfers affect school districts If more states were to emulate that state’s transparent reporting practices families could learn which districts are in high demand gain more understanding of open-enrollment programs and make informed decisions about this choice option Jude Schwalbach is a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation This article appeared in the Fall 2024 issue of Education Next Schwalbach, J. (2024). The Hidden Role of K–12 Open-Enrollment Policies in U.S. Public Schools: Detailed data from three states shed light on opportunities and barriers Spring 2025 Education Next is a journal of opinion and research about education policy Subscribe Today Sign Up Today Program on Education Policy and GovernanceHarvard Kennedy School79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138Phone (617) 496-5488Email Education_Next@hks.harvard.edu The filmmaker spoke to PEOPLE at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 on July 27 about getting in touch with his longtime friend Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty; Gary Miller/WireImage Colin and CheyAnne Schwalbach plan to open Schwalbacher Brewing in Amsterdam next month AMSTERDAM - Amsterdam transplants Colin and CheyAnne Schwalbach are taking a chance on the city with plans to open Schwalbacher Brewing next month who has been brewing beer for the better part of the last decade Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Reach Indiana Nash at inash@dailygazette.net or @Indijnash on X.  SCHENECTADY — Soroptimist International of Schenectady is hosting its annual Garden Tour on June 15 from 10 a.m Email notifications are only sent once a day Have the latest local news delivered every morning so you don't miss out on updates Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Have the latest food and drink articles delivered to your inbox every Thursday Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates Sign up today to receive email newsletters of local daily obituaries Get the Register Star and Daily Mail E-edition delivered directly to your inbox Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account many companies are currently pushing through long-planned mass redundancies and site closures in addition to VW Baunatal and Opel/Stellantis this particularly affects the automotive suppliers Schaeffler and Continental The latest IG Metall contract in the metal and electrical industries which guarantees two years of “industrial peace,” has given management the green light Continental plans to close its sites in Schwalbach am Taunus and Wetzlar by the end of 2025 Some of the workforce there are to move to Frankfurt or Babenhausen with 630 jobs also being destroyed at the Frankfurt site One hundred and ten jobs are also to be cut in Babenhausen Continental is cutting 1,200 of the remaining 8,000 jobs in the region and 1,100 workers are to be forced to relocate Continental plans to cut 7,150 jobs worldwide in order to reduce personnel costs by €400 million annually an important manufacturer of drive technology has also announced job cuts in Schwalbach am Taunus Schaeffler only took over Vitesco Technologies Group AG the automotive supplier spun off from Continental Schaeffler announced 139 job cuts at Vitesco in Schwalbach The company plans to cut 3,700 jobs across Europe wants to “utilise synergies” and “increase the savings potential to €290 million per year” over five years—in other words: lay off employees There is great anger and a willingness to fight among those impacted A faint reflection of this can even occasionally be seen in the local press a young Continental worker from Wetzlar told Hessenschau regional news programme “All our plans for the future have been turned upside down now have a child and wanted to build a house Another called it a “slap in the face,” adding “It’s sad that this is coming to an end.” Employees in administration research and development have been particularly hard hit In the protests and warning strikes of recent weeks and months, the workforce has been almost totally united. There can be no doubt about their determination to fight. However, IG Metall is refusing to lead the necessary fight. It made this clear with its latest wage agreement where it committed to preventing industrial action at least until the early elections in February has been a deputy chairwoman on Continental’s Supervisory Board for years at an annual salary of €270,000 With its officials in the pay of management IG Metall blocked any resistance three and a half years ago when Continental destroyed over 10,000 jobs and flattened its large Aachen plant Many still remember the dispute at Continental in Karben and other branches in Hesse At no point did IG Metall organise serious industrial action uniting workers at all locations it helped ensure the closure of one location after another Karben will also be finally wound up next year Workers must draw definite conclusions from this experience independent rank-and-file action committees to overcome the division fostered by IG Metall between sites groups and sectors and unite all employees The ultimate goal must be to take control of such important global production companies themselves to put them at the service of society and to expropriate their current owners These owners and their managers are waging a ruthless class war The so-called “social partnership” has turned into a one-way street: The trade union ensures that any resistance is nipped in the bud The attacks on jobs and wages are part of a global capitalist offensive and a new wave of trade war paving the way for armed conflict The captains of industry and shareholders belong to a class of the super-rich This applies above all to Maria-Elisabeth Schaeffler and her son Georg Schaeffler who are in 27th place on the list of the 500 richest Germans The Schaeffler family is also the main shareholder of Continental AG and recently acquired its spun-off automotive division Vitesco The management boards of both companies were paid bonuses totalling millions Continental shareholders decided to pay out around €440 million in dividends 46 percent—more than €200 million euros—will once again end up in the Schaeffler family’s bank account Both Continental and Schaeffler owe the origins of their wealth to crimes committed under Nazi rule culminating in the Second World War The origins of the Schaeffler fortune also goes back to the Nazi era which was officially founded in Herzogenaurach in 1940 actually had a Jewish predecessor: the “Davistan Krimmer Plüsch und Teppichfabriken AG” owned by the Frank family which was quickly renamed “Wilhelm Schaeffler AG,” also produced armaments for the Wehrmacht during the war and profited from the proximity of its owners the direct ancestors of the current owners the struggle in defence of jobs and wages is once again inextricably linked to the fight against war and military rearmament It must be waged internationally and on a socialist basis IG Metall stands on the other side in this struggle We therefore call on all Continental and Schaeffler employees: Take part in the formation of rank-and-file action committees Get in touch via Whatsapp message at +491633378340 or fill out the form below CheyAnne and Colin Schwalbach sit together inside their new business Schwalbacher Brewing on East Main Street in Amsterdam CheyAnne and Colin Schwalbach stand inside their new business Colin Schwalbach stands at the beer tap line at his new business Bite-sized is a regular feature highlighting local food festivals AMSTERDAM - Amsterdam’s Schwalbacher Brewing is set to open on Thursday CheyAnne and Colin Schwalbach stand together behind the bar inside their new business previously starred in Smith's 2016 film 'Yoga Hosers' and 2019's 'Jay And Silent Bob Reboot' Kevin Smith has revealed that he tried to cast his daughter Harley Quinn Smith in his new film but she refused citing nepotism as the reason The 4:30 Film is a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age movie According to a synopsis: “During the summer of 1986 three 16-year-old buddies spend their Saturdays sneaking into movies at the local cineplex When one of the guys invites the girl of his dreams to see an R-rated film all hilarity breaks loose as a self-important theatre manager and teenage rivalries interfere with his best-laid plans.” In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Smith opened up about wanting to cast his daughter for the lead role in the film since his wife – Jennifer Schwalbach Smith – considers Harley to be very similar to her father but when asked if she was interested in the role the actress – who previously starred in Smith’s 2016 film Yoga Hosers and 2019’s Jay And Silent Bob Reboot – she declined the opportunity ‘You don’t think I’ve got enough nepo baby shit to deal with online He went on to share that the role ended up going to Harley’s boyfriend Austin Zajur Zajur previously worked with Smith on 2022’s Clerks III [Austin Zajur] was more Kevin Smith than Kevin Smith Harley is the not the first actor to discuss the “nepo baby” title. Recently, Billie Eilish‘s mother, actor Maggie Baird, responded to claims that her daughter and son Finneas are “nepo babies” Elsewhere, Emma Roberts has said that her famous relatives have actually caused her to be turned down for jobs in Hollywood in the past “I’ve lost more jobs than I’ve gained from being in the business,” she told Flaunt magazine “People have opinions and sometimes maybe they’re not good opinions of people in your family I know I definitely have lost a couple of jobs because of it.” Kevin Smith and daughter Harley Quinn Smith attend Los Angeles Premiere Of Lionsgate’s Clerks III held at TCL Chinese Theatre on August 24 Roberts also previously spoke about the difficulty of people assuming she has it easy and ignoring the failures that she has had to endure she said: “I think there’s two sides of the coin you have a leg up because you have family in the industry’.” “But then the other side to that is you have to prove yourself more if people don’t have good experiences with other people in your family Lily Allen has also recently spoken out against the ‘nepo baby’ concept “I feel like young girls get it harder with the nepo baby thing,” she said “I don’t really see people calling out sons of famous actors – not that they should be called out I don’t think anyone should be called out for wanting to follow their dream.” Willow Smith, meanwhile, has admitted to feeling a sense of “insecurity” about the term The world’s defining voice in music and pop culture: breaking what’s new and what’s next since 1952 We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money The family of Edward "Ed" Schwalbach created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Made with love by funeralOne We use cookies on this site. By continuing to browse without changing your browser settings to block or delete cookies, you agree to the UW-Platteville Privacy Policy. whose works each express their interpretation of decades of changing landscapes and changing relationships between farmers and their fields will be featured in the Schwalbach Gallery on the UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus a subset of “Long Time Passing,” a 52-piece installation the pair are showing across the upper Midwest through 2023 will highlight multiple pieces by each artist. The full exhibit will be installed at River Arts Center in nearby Prairie du Sac starting in late August the works from Condon’s series “American Pastoral” present vast rural views that echo the change in landscape as it shifts from family farm to industrial agri-business and Ortner-Blake’s richly detailed paintings in “Mom’s Reminiscences” view midwestern family farm life from the 1930s through the 1970s through the eyes of her mother. Together their works offer a focus on the struggles joys and challenges of Midwest farm life.    Condon’s modern abstract works give her perspective on the changing landscapes and physical structures of Wisconsin’s fields and farms incorporating both her view as an artist and an advocate for small family farms and the challenging political and economic climate they face along with information and reflections on modern agriculture and farming are included in her book “Agriculture All Around – Agriculture Run Aground.”   Ortner-Blake’s paintings present a view of life on the family farm through her mother’s reminiscences and the memories of her own childhood among 13 siblings The adventures of her young days are her strongest memories,” says Ortner-Blake and this series of paintings reflects the stories she has long shared with the family The preview show will be on campus through the month of July. The Schwalbach Gallery on the UW-Platteville Baraboo Sauk County campus is open weekdays during regular campus hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m More images of both Condon’s and Ortner-Blake’s works can be found via their individual websites – robertacondon.com and lorraineortner-blake.com.  the dream of becoming a teacher started in the third grade when she decided she wanted to be a third-grade teacher she aspired to be a fourth-grade teacher —and so on from there and it became a desire to help students reach their full potential.” Eileen was named president of Mount Mary College in 2009 after a stint as the school’s acting president Mount Mary is celebrating 100 years as a college in 2013 and will change its name to Mount Mary University to reflect its growing number of graduate students She began her career at the school in 1993 as a part-time teacher in the English Department she taught in the Milwaukee public school system for 25 years especially teaching English to urban high school students,” she says “I loved introducing them to great literature and then helping them think creatively and critically about the issues that great literature addresses.” She has served several education advocacy groups and has written a book Value and Validity in Action Research: A Guidebook for Reflective Practitioners a brilliant man who never even had the opportunity to go to high school started education funds for us when we were very young,” she says “He wanted us to be able to go to college These funds were to pay our tuition at only one place — Marquette University.” Favorite book:  Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Someone past or present she’d like to have dinner with: Toni Morrison Favorite Marquette memory:  The discussions she had in philosophy courses This was during the time of the Vietnam War the Civil Rights and Environmental Movements when professors made philosophical questions come alive and be resounding relevant Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Ray left home with twin brother Richard to join the US Army They were released from service after two years,and Ray returned to Appleton to work on the family farm Ray had a sweet tooth and enjoyed a good piece of rhubarb pie and sweet corn straight out of the family garden He was a prolific gardener and enjoyed giving his amazing tomatoes away to all 1 niece Mary and 1 nephew Edward as well as many other relatives and friends brothers Edward and John Schwalbach and 2 nephews John “Mike” Schwalbach and Thomas Schwalbach Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors « Back of Rockford passed away early Saturday morning 2013 in her home surrounded by her loving family She was a fourth grader at Marsh Elementary School and was in choir and involved in Brownies swimming and fishing were among some of her favorite activities Sophie is lovingly survived by her parents Tom and Kay Schwalbach (Mimi & Papa); her aunts and uncles Abby and Adam Budd; Jeff (Rhonda) Schwalbach; Bob and Holly Enichen and their children Charley and Heidi Gneiding; Mark (Sue) Hunt and their children Sophie is predeceased by her maternal grandparents radiant little girl that had a wonderful zest for life wrestling with her brothers and playing with her pet gerbil Matilda She enjoyed swimming & fishing at the Lakehouse She played the piano and composed her own song 'Oh God You're in My Heart' which she performed at the Cor Mariae Center in Rockford her aunts & uncles and all of her cousins She was particularly close to her cousins Abby and Adam who were constantly by her side whenever possible She was a life-force to be reckoned with and fought valiantly with little complaint for almost two years against this terrible disease that cut short her promising life so much sweetheart and you will always be in our hearts We would like to thank the caring nurses and staff at SwedishAmerican Home Health and OSF Hospice as well as the Drs and staffs at UW Children's Hospital in Madison Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis Memorial service will be at noon on Thursday 4509 Highcrest Road with Pastor Jane Eesley officiating on Wednesday at Christ United Methodist Church and will continue on Thursday from 10:30 a.m memorials may be made to Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative 17th Bethea Drive Ossining New York 10562 (this is the closest foundation working towards finding a cure for Sophie's disease please put Sophie's name in the memo line) Jude Children's Research Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis TN 38105 or UW Health American Family Children's Hospital daughter of the late Joseph and Lila (Steidl) Schwalbach 1970 and have celebrated over 50 years of marriage Susan loved collecting horses and enjoyed her former job at the Darboy Club Susan is survived by her husband Raymond; siblings: Ellen (Len) Opsteen Frank (Peggy) Schwalbach; sisters-in-law: Mary Lou Schwalbach and Mary Ann Heckner; a special cousin Lenny (Debbie) Opsteen; long-time friend Theresa Baker and numerous other family members and friends Susan was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers: Joe Schwalbach and Tom Heckner A graveside service will take place in the spring Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox and more info about our products and services © 2025 CNBC LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Division of NBCUniversal Data also provided by Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — In light of the triple homicide in Pine Hills two weeks ago community members have been calling for change to address youth gun violence faith leaders often say kids and teens need faith and a job to help them stay out of trouble If children and teens have those three things in their life then they are less likely to get in trouble He was kicked off the basketball team at Robinswood Middle School because he had a 1.3 GPA He spent the first 13 years of his life sleeping on a couch in a one-bedroom apartment “I just knew I didn’t want to be poor,” Schwalbach says outside his old middle school in Orlando “I was going to do whatever it took to make money and to be successful.”  Eric is now a high school teacher and coach He credits his success to a mentor he had as a teenager and love to other kids who were just like him my mother was drinking.” It’s a job he knows he can’t do alone Thursday night he connected with Joe Standley who has been in and out of jail for drug addiction and assault Standley is with an organization called Takeover Joe goes into prisons and neighborhoods to talk to anyone who will listen about staying on the right track “We are trying to help people find their purpose,” Joe Standley from Takeover says “If we can get that message to people as young as possible to plant that seed and a better path of life than the one I went down.” When Eric’s not out looking for others to mentor or help he’s out checking on his kids that he helps he’s checking on 19-year-old Jacarri Leath He wasn’t at his grandmother’s home in Winter Garden either also known as “Bulldog,” was shot twice in the leg from a neighborhood conflict.  While driving up and down the streets of a Winter Garden community looking for Bulldog Eric’s reminded of others who are no longer here the 16-year-old that was killed and buried across town was killed right there,” pointing out his pickup truck Some private schools were in session Friday Eric found Bulldog in the chapel at his West Oaks school there has to be faith or belief in another power Bulldog not only is in school but also learning construction he helped his mentor build a fence for a handicapped person “Need a job to keep you from bad choices making bad decisions,” Jacarri Leath “Job is very important to help you like to do things after high school.” but if Eric who also goes by “Hope Dealer” then he believes it can keep other teens not just alive but on a path to thrive wherever they may be GRAND CHUTE — Fox Cities developer Tom Vandeyacht has purchased the 72-acre property known as the Schwalbach farm at the northeast corner of Lynndale Drive and Northland Avenue Vandeyacht, operating as Versatile Real Estate Ventures, paid $3 million for the property, according to records kept by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. He intends to build apartments on the land, though not for at least five years while he focuses on Bridgewood Luxury Apartments The Schwalbach farm had been in Vandeyacht's sight for the past four years "My plan is that it will be one beautiful apartment community with high-end apartments where people are moving out of their homes to move into the apartments," Vandeyacht told The Post-Crescent The property is zoned single-family residential Town Board and neighbors to the north might have something to say when the time comes Grand Chute's director of community development said that before anything is built on the property there needs to be some community outreach and master planning done "There's a recognition that there's an existing single-family neighborhood there and that there will need to be some sort of transition between that and anything that's other than that whether that's multifamily or commercial," Patza said The Schwalbach farm stands as an island of farmland bordered by development: single-family homes to the north and west and businesses and industries to the south Land zoned for industry and multifamily residences lies to the east Patza said the development of the Schwalbach farm will include a residential component but it also could include some commercial development along Lynndale and Northland "The market is going to drive that to some extent," Patza said Elections: Grand Chute Supervisor Jeff Ings faces challenges from Tim Bantes and June Johnson in primary A misconception in the community was that the Schwalbach brothers — Ed and twins Ray and Richard — had agreed to donate their property to St Vandeyacht learned that wasn't the case and saw an opportunity to purchase the property from Richard Schwalbach after his brothers had died Richard Schwalbach has full use of the land for five years "He rents it to Fox Valley Tech because he has control over it for five years," Vandeyacht said Schwalbach wasn't interested in talking to The Post-Crescent for this story Vandeyacht developed Lake Park Crossing Luxury Apartments and Parkside Luxury Apartments in Appleton and Pendleton Park Luxury Apartments and Cobblestone Creek Townhomes in Neenah "We're working on the numbers all over again right now," he said Vandeyacht said contractors have moved more than 100,000 yards of material in preparation for the Bridgewood development He anticipates the construction will be a five-year project Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke.