This week the Ad Hoc meeting focused on the rubric design that we will be using to score the remaining options. Ideally this rubric would have been designed prior to the elimination of options, but that was not done in this scenario and that is ok. The hard part is that it makes it very easy to try and adapt the rubric scoring and weighting to match a desired scenario. I did not get the feeling that was being done, however some of the discussions did focus on how the scoring would be applied to the remaining options. I think that for the most part Craig and the committee tried to stay away from that thought process, but it is hard to do.
I was late for the meeting due to a work issue, so I missed the 45 minute discussion on transitions. Thankfully, I picked a good meeting to be late for. Some of the other items being discussed are busing, costs, neighborhood schools and programming in addition to 3 or 4 others.
Each of these items will have a scale from 1-5 that we will use to rate how we think they apply to a given scenario.
At the March 17th meeting, yes we are meeting on St. Patrick's Day, we will be making final tweaks to the rubric and then running some of the dismissed options thru the scoring system to show the committee how it works. I excited to see this in action and to use an objective scoring system.
If you have any questions about this process please direct your inquires to me or any other committee member. We can provide you with most of the answers to your questions or can get them most likely.
Lastly, the discussion of when would we be ready to go to the public came up. Based on the conversation it appears that we will be scheduling the public forums for late April or early May. This would allow us time to go thru our process of narrowing the choices for the public forums as well as allow us to discuss the feedback from the forums before we go to the school board with our recommendations.
Just a reminder that no matter what recommendations this committee makes or does not make the ultimate decision is going to be made at the board level. Therefore, once the committee make it's recommendation to the board please contact all board members with your thoughts and concerns. The more district residents that provide feedback at both the forums and directly to the committe and board the better in my opinion.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Feb. 25th Business Services Meeting
This week must have been the week for the marathon school board committee meetings as the Business Services meeting Wednesday did not end until about 9:00. However, we were able to accomplish quite a few things this month.
The primary accomplishment was that we forwarded to the board a recommendation to approve the contract with McKinstry that the committee has been working on with them for the past several months. The total of the contract has not been finalized as on the day of the meeting Mark Scullion was notified that an insulation contractor would be able to perform work on the Taylor Prairie roof to fix the leaking issues. Therefore the recommendation was as stated in the FIM’s, approximately $1.53M, and a not to exceed for Taylor Prairie of $450k.
The reason for the urgency of including Taylor Prairie was so that it could be included in the financing bidding that will begin upon board approval. If the Taylor Prairie work costs exceed the $450k amount or if they cannot result in additional energy efficiency then they will not be included in the final recommendation to the board.
From my personal perspective, my thoughts are that this is a very worthwhile project and contract. I did vote to approve it; however I am leery of paying for anything thru savings. In this scenario, I think the financing will work, but it still makes me nervous.
We were to review an initial budget reduction list, but do to the fact that there were some staff cuts and those individuals had not all been notified that item was tabled until the next meeting. This will also allow the administration team more time to review revenue estimates and the cut list.
Next we reviewed the transportation bids that the district received. After much discussion regarding the bids it was decided to stay with the current bus service configuration. Monona routes will be serviced for the next 5 years by Badger Bussing and the district will continue to operate the routes in Cottage Grove. This option offers the best service and cost benefit for the district at this time.
We reviewed the start and end times for the 2009-10 school year. The changes are that Grade 5 at Glacial Drumlin will have their start time moved back to match the rest of the building. As a result they will be dismissed at 3:00 and the bus riders will have supervision in the building until the rest of the building is dismissed.
The last item of discussion was to review the walk zone for the 5th grade students. The major part of this focused on the Glacial Drumlin impact. Due to the changes in start times if we change the walk zone for the 5th grade it will result in a more uniform policy for the Glacial Drumlin building. Additionally, there is a potential for some additional transportation savings.
The remaining items were tabled due to the late hour of the night. We will meet again on April 1st. Yes April Fools Day.
The primary accomplishment was that we forwarded to the board a recommendation to approve the contract with McKinstry that the committee has been working on with them for the past several months. The total of the contract has not been finalized as on the day of the meeting Mark Scullion was notified that an insulation contractor would be able to perform work on the Taylor Prairie roof to fix the leaking issues. Therefore the recommendation was as stated in the FIM’s, approximately $1.53M, and a not to exceed for Taylor Prairie of $450k.
The reason for the urgency of including Taylor Prairie was so that it could be included in the financing bidding that will begin upon board approval. If the Taylor Prairie work costs exceed the $450k amount or if they cannot result in additional energy efficiency then they will not be included in the final recommendation to the board.
From my personal perspective, my thoughts are that this is a very worthwhile project and contract. I did vote to approve it; however I am leery of paying for anything thru savings. In this scenario, I think the financing will work, but it still makes me nervous.
We were to review an initial budget reduction list, but do to the fact that there were some staff cuts and those individuals had not all been notified that item was tabled until the next meeting. This will also allow the administration team more time to review revenue estimates and the cut list.
Next we reviewed the transportation bids that the district received. After much discussion regarding the bids it was decided to stay with the current bus service configuration. Monona routes will be serviced for the next 5 years by Badger Bussing and the district will continue to operate the routes in Cottage Grove. This option offers the best service and cost benefit for the district at this time.
We reviewed the start and end times for the 2009-10 school year. The changes are that Grade 5 at Glacial Drumlin will have their start time moved back to match the rest of the building. As a result they will be dismissed at 3:00 and the bus riders will have supervision in the building until the rest of the building is dismissed.
The last item of discussion was to review the walk zone for the 5th grade students. The major part of this focused on the Glacial Drumlin impact. Due to the changes in start times if we change the walk zone for the 5th grade it will result in a more uniform policy for the Glacial Drumlin building. Additionally, there is a potential for some additional transportation savings.
The remaining items were tabled due to the late hour of the night. We will meet again on April 1st. Yes April Fools Day.
Feb. 24th Ad Hoc Committee
The Feb. 24th meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee to Study Grade Configuration was a very interesting meeting. The Chair, Craig Gerlach, decided to take a step back and slow down the process. I think this was a very good move and one that was very much needed. Mr. Gerlach reviewed the charge of the committee as directed by the board president, John Kitslaar. He then reviewed a few points on Roberts Rules of Order. So far our meetings have been very informal and will now begin to follow these normal meeting procedures.
Mr. Gerlach also stated that he will begin building for the next meeting, on March 3rd, a criteria scale or scoring rubric to review all options that the committee reviewed. We will be going back and reviewing the options that have been dismissed and those remaining. This will give us an objective scoring system to judge the options.
We also reviewed a document from Mr. Gerlach that looked at the capacity of the 5 middle and elementary schools in slightly different fashion. It looked at the building capacities with a range attached to them. This was calculated by taking the number of sections of a grade times the class size goal for the low end and the number of sections times the class size maximums for the high end. This provides us with the following:
Cottage Grove – 455-525
Glacial Drumlin – 904 – 988
Maywood – 224 – 273
Taylor Prairie – 364 – 424
Winnequah – 483 – 538
This does not take into account the impact on common areas like the gym and cafeteria, but does provide a better idea of what each school can actually hold. Also, it was mentioned by a committee member that Winnequah’s capacity may be higher depending on grade configuration and actual number of rooms needed for specials like special ed., OT/PT, gifted/talented, etc.
Lastly, we held a lengthy discussion regarding which set of population numbers we would use for our analysis as we move forward in this process. The district presently has an applied population study conducted for them by the University of Wisconsin to help them make decisions. The study presents four different models to choose from, the baseline model, the 2 yr. trend, the 5 yr. trend and the kindergarten model. Each of these models has advantages and disadvantages to them. 2 of them are fairly aggressive in Monona and rather passive in Cottage Grove and 2 are exactly the opposite.
At a previous meeting I presented numbers that averaged the 4 models together. My rationale behind doing this was that it would take the advantages and disadvantages of all 4 models and present a more median approach and would not favor one community over the other.
As Mr. Gerlach started this discussion he stated that he recommended the 4 model average, but that he would like to discuss it with the committee. After a lengthy discussion and 3 different motions it was decided that we would use the 5 yr. trend model as our main source of estimation going forward.
On a side note, I will state that I would have preferred the 4 model average because it is the fairest option to both communities in my opinion. With that being said I am thankful that we have made a decision on which set of population estimates we will use. In the end I think one of the committee members said it best, and I am paraphrasing because I cannot remember the exact quote, “No matter which model we choose, we will be wrong.” This is true in my opinion because the applied population is an inexact science and while the estimates are valid they will never be exactly perfect.
The next meeting is set for Tuesday, March 3rd.
Mr. Gerlach also stated that he will begin building for the next meeting, on March 3rd, a criteria scale or scoring rubric to review all options that the committee reviewed. We will be going back and reviewing the options that have been dismissed and those remaining. This will give us an objective scoring system to judge the options.
We also reviewed a document from Mr. Gerlach that looked at the capacity of the 5 middle and elementary schools in slightly different fashion. It looked at the building capacities with a range attached to them. This was calculated by taking the number of sections of a grade times the class size goal for the low end and the number of sections times the class size maximums for the high end. This provides us with the following:
Cottage Grove – 455-525
Glacial Drumlin – 904 – 988
Maywood – 224 – 273
Taylor Prairie – 364 – 424
Winnequah – 483 – 538
This does not take into account the impact on common areas like the gym and cafeteria, but does provide a better idea of what each school can actually hold. Also, it was mentioned by a committee member that Winnequah’s capacity may be higher depending on grade configuration and actual number of rooms needed for specials like special ed., OT/PT, gifted/talented, etc.
Lastly, we held a lengthy discussion regarding which set of population numbers we would use for our analysis as we move forward in this process. The district presently has an applied population study conducted for them by the University of Wisconsin to help them make decisions. The study presents four different models to choose from, the baseline model, the 2 yr. trend, the 5 yr. trend and the kindergarten model. Each of these models has advantages and disadvantages to them. 2 of them are fairly aggressive in Monona and rather passive in Cottage Grove and 2 are exactly the opposite.
At a previous meeting I presented numbers that averaged the 4 models together. My rationale behind doing this was that it would take the advantages and disadvantages of all 4 models and present a more median approach and would not favor one community over the other.
As Mr. Gerlach started this discussion he stated that he recommended the 4 model average, but that he would like to discuss it with the committee. After a lengthy discussion and 3 different motions it was decided that we would use the 5 yr. trend model as our main source of estimation going forward.
On a side note, I will state that I would have preferred the 4 model average because it is the fairest option to both communities in my opinion. With that being said I am thankful that we have made a decision on which set of population estimates we will use. In the end I think one of the committee members said it best, and I am paraphrasing because I cannot remember the exact quote, “No matter which model we choose, we will be wrong.” This is true in my opinion because the applied population is an inexact science and while the estimates are valid they will never be exactly perfect.
The next meeting is set for Tuesday, March 3rd.
Feb. 23rd Athletic Field Use Meeting
This past week has been a whirlwind both personally and professionally, hence the reason for the delay in this post.
I attended the Feb. 23rd meeting of the Athletic Field Use Ad Hoc Committee. As a first time viewer of this committee I found it very interesting and informative. The committee focused mainly on the alternative options for the Soccer teams for both the upcoming seasons and future seasons. Ahuska Park will be a viable option for the short term, but the City of Monona is looking for a long-term tenant for the park and a youth football group may be that tenant. This does not mean that the school district will not use the park, but they may not be given the same priority status as they currently enjoy.
The Village of Cottage Grove Recreation Dept. gave an update on Fireman’s Park and its availability starting for the 2010-11 school year. Fireman’s Park is looking to have a Championship Field in addition to other soccer practice fields at its facility. This may allow the school district the ability to host WIAA State Tournament games, which we cannot host presently. This would be a real nice perk for the soccer teams if it all comes together. Some of this will depend on the ability to raise funds for some of the amenities a Championship Field would require.
The committee also discussed the green space at Glacial Drumlin and its potential future uses. A lot will depend on how the grass comes in this spring as to its availability this year. In future years it will have to be determined exactly how much space is there and how best to lay out that space. There is a potential to use it for both football and soccer.
Lastly, they discussed the High School Track. The track will be patched this spring. After it is patched a determination will be made to either paint the patches or paint the entire track. Additionally it was stated that the track will need to be replaced real soon. Further discussion was held regarding exactly when that would be, but it was stated that the future date would depend on what damage is discovered when the patch repairs begin. It was also discussed if the repairs would be done at the same time as the football field, but nothing definitive has been decided.
I attended the Feb. 23rd meeting of the Athletic Field Use Ad Hoc Committee. As a first time viewer of this committee I found it very interesting and informative. The committee focused mainly on the alternative options for the Soccer teams for both the upcoming seasons and future seasons. Ahuska Park will be a viable option for the short term, but the City of Monona is looking for a long-term tenant for the park and a youth football group may be that tenant. This does not mean that the school district will not use the park, but they may not be given the same priority status as they currently enjoy.
The Village of Cottage Grove Recreation Dept. gave an update on Fireman’s Park and its availability starting for the 2010-11 school year. Fireman’s Park is looking to have a Championship Field in addition to other soccer practice fields at its facility. This may allow the school district the ability to host WIAA State Tournament games, which we cannot host presently. This would be a real nice perk for the soccer teams if it all comes together. Some of this will depend on the ability to raise funds for some of the amenities a Championship Field would require.
The committee also discussed the green space at Glacial Drumlin and its potential future uses. A lot will depend on how the grass comes in this spring as to its availability this year. In future years it will have to be determined exactly how much space is there and how best to lay out that space. There is a potential to use it for both football and soccer.
Lastly, they discussed the High School Track. The track will be patched this spring. After it is patched a determination will be made to either paint the patches or paint the entire track. Additionally it was stated that the track will need to be replaced real soon. Further discussion was held regarding exactly when that would be, but it was stated that the future date would depend on what damage is discovered when the patch repairs begin. It was also discussed if the repairs would be done at the same time as the football field, but nothing definitive has been decided.
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