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Rappel, Joseph J. / A centennial history of the Manitowoc County school districts and its public school system, 1848-1948
([1948])
Rockland, pp. 181-192
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Page 181
ROCKLAND The township of Rockland was originally a part of the original Manitowoc Rapids. It was not until 1850 that this and surrounding areas were detached from Rapids and organized as the Maple Grove township area. Rockland remained a part of J!vaple Grove until 1856 when it became a municipality by itself with a very unstable boundary line between Eaton and Rockland. The pamphlet "The Development of Town Boundaries in Wisconsin, No. 36, Manitowoc County" indicates that constant changing of this boundary line was authorized by the Manitowoc County Board of Supervisors. It was not until 1869 that the idea of following Manitowoc river as a boundary line between the two towns was abandoned in favor of the accepted sec- tion line. While the township of Rockland area was a part of the original municipalities, ;chool districts were being organized and numbered in accordance with the municipality in which that district was then located. Although there are no official records, the organization dates of the following schools seem to lndicate the first order of school district organization in Rockland: Maple Grove No. 1 (now Cato 1); Rockland ; Maple Grove 3; Maple Grove 4 (now Rockland Jt, 4); Maple Grove 5 (the former Cato Jt. 5 with Rockland); Rockland 6; Cato Jt. 7, joint with Rockland; Maple Grove 8 (unaccounted for); Maple Grove Jt. 9 (now a part of Cato Jt. 9); and Maple Grove Jt. 10 with Rockland (now part of the Reedsville district). The present district num- bering results from a filling in of missing numbers after Rockland became a town- ship by itself and as districts were organized. The present Rockland school district No. 5 is known as Rantoul Jt. 5, joint with Rockland. The organization dates for the various districts in the present Rockland township are given in each of the following school articles. ROCKLAND NO. I- Suspended Rockland school district No. I was among the last of the districts organized in Manitowoc county. It belonged originally to the Rockland joint school district No. 1 composed of the village of Reedsville and areas of farm land in Rockland and Maple Grove. It withdrew from the original district because of the high taxes raised for grade and high school purposes. The detachment was made possible by the passage of a state law in 1927 and repealed in 1939. The original petition to detach this area was filed on March 28, 1930, in con- junction with the Maple Grove No. 5 territory detachment proceedings. The peti- tion was addressed to the school officers of Rockland Jt. No. 1 (Reedsville) and petitioned them to detach the area from said joint school district bordering on said joint school district and outside of the incorporated village of Reedsville. The school officers ignored this petition, so an appeal was filed with the county superintendent of schools within 20 days after the filing of the original petition. Upon receiving this appeal, Supt. E. S. Mueller issued an order on April 30, 1930, that all of the terri- tory outside of Reedsville be detached and a new school district or districts be set up, or that the territory be attached to contiguous existing school districts. On May 30, 1930, thetown boards of Maple Grove and of Rockland ordered that two new districts be formed from the territory so detached by order ot Theý county superintendent of schools,, and that a part of the said territory be attached to Maple Grove No. 3. One of the new districts formed was Rockland school district No. 1, made up of a strip of land one-half mile wide and four miles long in sections 1, 2, 3, 4, and 11 in Rockland township. Rockland school district No. 1 has never erected a school house. Upon withdrawal from Reedsville, it has continued to send the grade children to the village schools. The first school census listed only 39 children of school age residing in the newly created school district. During its existence the yearly census average was between 40 and 50 children between the ages of 4 and 20 years. Most of the grade children have always attended the parochial schools in Reedsville according to the amount of taxes raised for school purposes. For only one year did the voters raise $200 for school purposes. The rest of the years the district raised only $100 'yearly. Records reveal the fact that for at least seven years, no school taxes -were levied! Among the signers of the original petition to detach the area outside of the village of Reedsville from Rockland Jt. school district No. 1 were John Jonas and Steve Foreyt. It was only natural then to elect these men to office on the school board of the newly created Rockland No. 1. Records reveal the fact that the original of- ficers elected in 1930 are still in office at present. The first and present school off i- cers are clerk Steve Foreyt, director John Jonas, and treasurer John W. Mahnke. 181
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