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Rite of spring: Waiting for summer school sign-up

JANESVILLE — Betty Milam was first in line Monday. She arrived at 6 a.m.

Like so many others, Milam was registering her kids for summer-school swim classes. She had to be in class at Blackhawk Technical College by 8, so she wanted to be sure she wouldn't have to wait behind a crowd, she said.

Hundreds of parents made similar sacrifices Monday at the Janesville School District's Educational Services Center. They knew that if they didn't get in line the first morning of summer-school registration, they might not get their children into swim class. Or some of the other in-demand classes, such as pottery.

The district announces the time that registration opens, but parents who don't realize how fast classes fill might find they can't get their children into classes they wanted.

Bethany Rose said she didn't get her kids into swim class one year, so now she always lines up.

"It sucks when it's your first child in school, because you don't know that you have to be here," Rose said.

There are other ways to get swim lessons in Janesville, but summer school is the cheapest. The fee for most classes is just $7. A few classes, such as cooking, have additional fees to cover materials.

"It's the best bargain in town," said summer school Director Steve Huth.

The line moved 10 minutes before the scheduled 7:30 a.m. start on Monday, and Milam was in and out in a minute or less. Four clerks handled the applications and collected money. Several years ago, only one clerk was assigned to the task, and the lines were longer, Huth said.

"I was down here at 6:53 this morning and was surprised to see 30 people in front of me," said Julie Dodd, who was there to register her son for pottery and a magic class.

She needed to get out of there by 7:45, she said, so she could take her son to school.

Several parents stood in line with sleepy-looking children.

The hallway at the ESC was jammed with waiting parents for a time. But there was no waiting by 9 a.m., Huth said, and 800 registrations had been received by lunchtime.

It was truly first come, first served. Parents in the hallway came from all walks of life, including a banker and the school district's athletics director, whose office is just down the hall.

The summer school schedule was sent home with students five days in advance, and it was posted on the district's Web site last Wednesday, Huth said.

The Janesville School Board has asked Huth to investigate an online registration system. Huth said he was unable to do that this year because of the district's computer-system problems.

Huth said he'll work on it for next year, but he wants to make sure that any new system is as efficient as the old one. And as fair. The students who need summer school the most often come from families that don't have Internet access, Huth said.

Online registering could help those who can't afford to take off work to stand in line. Huth said people solve that problem now by having someone else deliver their registrations.

"The conflict of whether you can or can't come has been handled through friends helping friends. We think that has worked out pretty well," Huth said.

The wait didn't seem to be arduous for most.

"They're always so organized here," said Pam Carlson, who has been doing this for 11 years. "Even though they have a long line, it goes pretty fast."

Lisa Hansen has been lining up every year for 15 years. She was hoping to sign up the last of her four children for a cooking class. It had a fee in addition to the $7, but she wasn't complaining.

"It really is a good deal," she said, and the line moves quickly.

Hansen said she had difficulty getting to the ESC in the past. She worked the night shift and had to go home to get her kids off to school first. Now, she's laid off, she said, which makes things easier.