Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly

By Katherine Michalets Freeman Staff BROOKFIELD — When the Huang family was looking to relocate from Naperville, Ill., to Wisconsin for work, they jumped online and began to research schools to determine where they wanted to buy a house. Brookfield East High School stood out in particular because of its academics and its track program, said moth- er Lienna. She said the school was an important factor in their search for their new home. The family worked with Shorewest Realtor Mike Koll- mansberger to find the right home on Peppercorn Circle in Brookfield in 2013. Now, son Shane is graduating and head- ed off to Brigham Young Uni- versity and daughter Harriet will be entering the 10th grade. Kollmansberger said in his experience it's often when homebuyers are moving to a new state that the school plays a significant role in their home searching and purchas- ing criteria. "If someone is focusing on one district, they are willing to pay more to get into that dis- trict," he said. Overall Waukesha County is viewed as having strong school districts. "They are not used to really good public schools like we have in Waukesha County," Kollmansberger said. Mike Ruzicka, president of the Greater Milwaukee Asso- ciation of Realtors, said the difference in the Waukesha County school "districts is really a matter of degrees." "It's kind of an age-old fac- tor and a major factor, espe- cially for younger married couples," Ruzicka said of school districts playing a role in home buying. From renting to buying Often when a young couple makes the transition from renting to buying, they plan for their future family. "They often pick a school district over how close they are to their job," Ruzicka said. "Apartment dwellers a lot of the time will pick between their job and where their social life is." As they age and decide to move into suburbia, an area with good schools tends to be at the top of the search list, he said. For parents with older children, such as 10 years and older, they will tend to stay in the area so the district stays the same. "They have made their deci- sion a long time ago and aren't going to change it," Ruzicka said. The GMAR has launched an initiative to work more closely with metro-Milwaukee school districts, including Waukesha. Waukesha School District Superintendent Todd Gray said he has prepared some information booklets to pro- mote the district that can be given to real estate agents and parents to highlight aspects of the district's schools. Right now, Gray is working on finding a time for district administrators to meet with real estate agents. "We have a quality school system," he said. "Realtors need to know that." If a family wants to get a closer look at a district school, Gray said a principal will work with them. Some students can also get into a school of their choice through open enrollment, if a seat is available and they meet certain criteria, Gray said, adding Waukesha aims to meet the students' needs. Ruzicka said the GMAR wants to get realtors exposed to the schools so they are also able to sell them along with the home. "They are really excited about it," Ruzicka said of school districts. "They are opening up the schools." www.shorewest.com www.gmar.com www.waukesha.k12.wi.us Email: kmichalets@conleynet.com Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove • Page 3 JULY 2015 P R E S E N T S UNIQUE TASTES, SIGHTS, SOUNDS & COLORS FROM ALL OVER A S IA JULY 11 & 12 10 A M - 10 P M SA TURDAY AND SUNDAY VETERANS PARK Milwaukee's Lakefront 1010 N. Lincoln Memorial Drive FEATURING ADULT $7 ($10 AT GATE) KIDS 5-12 $4 ($5 AT GATE) KIDS BELOW 5 FREE • Middle Eastern Dancers • Children's Cultural Area • Shopping Bazaar • Asian Food • Bollywood Disco King Bappi Lahiri • Taiko Drummers • Lion Dancers • Hmong Dancers BUY DISCOUNTED TICKETS $4, $7 ONLINE NOW! A portion of proceeds CFOFàUTUIF ALS Association 8JTDPOTJO$IBQUFS www.asiafestmlw.com | 262-518-2037 | facebook.com/asiafestmilwaukee • Martial Arts BUY DISCOUNTED TICKETS $4, $7 ONLINE NOW! )(%"'%%% &*%%#%! '()*))) 244657002 Your News, not Milwaukee's The first 13 Weeks for just $30 • Elmbrook school news • East and Central sports coverage • Local columnists Mark Belling & Jessica McBride • National brand coupons each week "Hey Brookfield!" The Freeman has you covered! YES! Start my subscription to The FREEMAN for the first 13 Weeks for just $30! Su Su b b s s cr cr i i b b e t e t o o ... ... Tuesday through Saturday Delivery When sending a check, send it with this form to: The FREEMAN 801 N. Barstow P.O. Box 7 Waukesha, WI 53187 For faster service, call 262/542-2500 or visit www.gmtoday.com/wfpromo Name ____________________________________________________________ Mailing Address____________________________________________________ City, State, Zip ____________________________________________________ Phone____________________E-mail __________________________________ ❏ My check payable to The FREEMAN for $30 * (13 week subscription) is enclosed ❏ Please bill me ❏ Bill my credit card (circle one) Credit Card__________________________________Expiration Date_________ Signature ________________________________________________________ *Offer good for new subscribers only (an individual who has not been a subscriber to The FREEMAN within the last 60 days.) Delivery to Waukesha County addresses only. SC:housead RC: 3M30 Elmbrook drops federal school lunch program Charles Auer/Freeman Staff Lienna Huang and her children Harriet and Shane with their dog, Tobi, outside their Brookfield home. By Lauren Anderson Freeman Staff BROOKFIELD — When students from the Elmbrook School Dis- trict's high schools return in the fall, their lunch experience will look a little less like a traditional cafeteria and more like a food court. Taking cues from popular restau- rants the cafeterias will offer fresh- ly-made sandwiches like those stu- dents might find at Subway, pizza by the slice, standard fare from the grill and more. "We're trying to offer the things they're accustomed to in the con- sumer world," Food Service Direc- tor Cheryl Peil said. "You don't want it to have a school lunch feel." Fueling the changes is the schools' departure from federal school lunch guidelines, with both Brookfield Central and East opting out of the national program next year. A response to the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act require- ments, which placed new calorie restrictions and portion size limi- tations on school lunches, schools have seen pushback from students in recent years. Many complaints center on the smaller portion sizes — which some say are inadequate for active teenagers — as well as lower sodium levels and mandato- ry servings of fruits and vegeta- bles. District officials say the new standards have contributed to a decline in overall student meals and some waste, with students tossing out unwanted fruits and vegetables. Between 2010 and 2014, the Elm- brook district has seen a 6 percent decline in lunch participation. While dropping the school lunch guidelines, Elmbrook will still adhere to the National Dietary Guidelines, which district officials say allow more flexibility. Peil said the goal is to create a better overall lunch experience for students. "We're looking forward to it," she said. "It will be very exciting for the high school kids." Elmbrook received about $188,000 last year in state and fed- eral funding, which in part sup- ports the district's free and reduced population. The district will now incur the cost of feeding those students. A 50-cent per meal increase, com- bined with an anticipated increase in participation, will help make up the revenue, district officials said. The Oconomowoc Area School District is also eyeing changes to its high school lunch program, cit- ing concerns with the allowable portion sizes and variety of food. If approved by the School Board, the high school would be removed from the national lunch program to allow for a program that is bet- ter-tailored to Oconomowoc High School, district Director of Com- munications Kate Winckler said. The district is currently request- ing proposals for lunch providers to help with the transition. Study: Students buying far fewer lunches The local opt-outs reflect a larger trend of students' reported dissat- isfaction with federally mandated lunch standards. A 2014 National School Nutrition Association study indicated that students nationally are buying about 1 mil- lion fewer lunches per day than two years earlier. While the Mukwonago Area School District has discussed opt- ing out of the program in recent years, Superintendent Shawn McNulty said the School Board has decided to continue with it. "However, they also agreed that we should continue to monitor the changes closely," he added. "If the increased guidelines will signifi- cantly lower the number of stu- dents that are participating in the lunch program, they will want to explore other options." McNulty said some students con- tinue to express concerns with the guidelines, but the food service staff has done "a fantastic job" with school lunches. "(It's) tough to beat the quality and quantity of food our students get for the price they pay," he said. "Our kids get a great lunch for $2.70." Email: landerson@conleynet.com District officials say guidelines discourage participation, cause waste Open house — open school Real estate agents and school administrators working together

• Cover