Last night (12/21) the board met for the sole purpose of discussing & voting on the Maywood/Winnequah Consolidation. The vote to consolidate passed on a 5-2 vote with Manning and Ace voting against.
As I stated during the meeting there has been a committee that included district residents that put this recommendation forward. This issue has been researched and discussed for over 2 years. Last year the Administration and teachers supported this move. The opposition to it came from the parents.
When we discussed this possibility a year ago my 1st concern was that there would be minimal impact to the students. The teachers and administration assured us that there would be no significant drop off in the education the students received. Based on this the move to consolidation became a very valid option.
Then consider the financial savings and efficiencies that come with consolidation the move became very viable. It may be simplistic, but common sense and practicality influence my decisions more than feelings and emotions. I am very good at seperating those 2 influences during the decision making process.
I understand the emotions that many Monona residents have about this move, but I think if most of those individuals would remove emotion from the decision they would agree this is a must for the district given our financial outlook. I think many have realized this based on the fact that we had only a handful of residents at the listening sessions or at last nights meeting.
Closing a school is not an easy decision, but in this case it is the most logical conclusion given our finances. I value saving jobs and programs much more than I value saving a building.
Now that Maywood will be closed, I see no logical reason to move administration or any other program there at this time. In my opinion the next step is to ask the tax payers for the authority to sell Nichols if a buyer approaches the district. Without that authority no buyer will seriously consider the Nichols property for development. Hopefully the voters will give the board this authority, but I also hope that the board will not move to accept just any offer.
I hope that this helps explain how I came to my decision.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Upcoming Monona Library Events
On November 17th, libraries across the state took photos of a day in the life of their libraries. We invite you to watch the slide show. We think you will be delighted and impressed with what you see. Say Cheese Wisconsin!
Winter Craft Project Extravaganza!
Sat, December 11, 2:30pm – 4:00pm.
Jennifer invites you to drop in between 2:30 and 3:30p.m. to make a colorful, creative, crafty creation using a heaping table load of supplies! Come create, glitter, glue, and craft something fun, wintry and wonderful to keep, display, or gift! For Children ages 3 to 10 years old.
READ to a Dog!
December 13. Call 222-6127 to reserve a 20 minute slot. For beginning and independent readers (ages 5 to 10) who want to read a book or a chapter to one of our trained, licensed listening dogs.
Chilly Days and Snowflakes Storytime!
Tue, December 14, 2:00pm – 2:30pm Winter is here! We will be reading wonderful winter picture books - including The Snowy Day - and doing a special Snowy Day craft. Be sure to join us for the fun!
Storytime Sign up for the January / February 2011 session of storytimes begins December 13. In the meantime, check out "Storytime Live" on our Kids & Families webpage.
Winter Craft Project Extravaganza!
Sat, December 11, 2:30pm – 4:00pm.
Jennifer invites you to drop in between 2:30 and 3:30p.m. to make a colorful, creative, crafty creation using a heaping table load of supplies! Come create, glitter, glue, and craft something fun, wintry and wonderful to keep, display, or gift! For Children ages 3 to 10 years old.
READ to a Dog!
December 13. Call 222-6127 to reserve a 20 minute slot. For beginning and independent readers (ages 5 to 10) who want to read a book or a chapter to one of our trained, licensed listening dogs.
Chilly Days and Snowflakes Storytime!
Tue, December 14, 2:00pm – 2:30pm Winter is here! We will be reading wonderful winter picture books - including The Snowy Day - and doing a special Snowy Day craft. Be sure to join us for the fun!
Storytime Sign up for the January / February 2011 session of storytimes begins December 13. In the meantime, check out "Storytime Live" on our Kids & Families webpage.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Post season football
As I am watching the Badgers beat NC State in hoops it got me to thinking about the Badgers and Packers football teams post season.
The Badgers should wind up in the Rose Bowl at the very least, although I am holding out a very faint hope for the National Title game. I think that it is unlikely for Oregon to lose to Oregon State, I do think that Auburn will finally lose a close one. Unfortunately if that happens then TCU will slide into the title game.
With this said, I would love to see the Badgers face a team like Auburn or Oregon. While I do fear their offensive speed against our defense I would love to see our running game against their defenses. I think our big athletic offensive line would open up some huge holes.
My prediction for the Badgers is a Rose Bowl game against the Stanford Cardinals.
As for the Packers I still think they win the division and make the playoffs. I see them being tied with the Bears going into the final game against the Bears with the winner taking the division crown. If this scenario plays out then I think the loser will be out of the playoffs. If the Packers get to the playoffs I think they will 1 game and then exit. Making the playoffs would be a major accomplishment given their injuries. If they do make the playoffs then McCarthy should be coach of the year without question.
On another Packer note....Many have been critical of Ted Thompson for some of his moves or non-moves (especially in free agency). I think he and McCarthy are in such agreement on how to build a team that they both deserve huge pats on the back from Packer Nation. Losing Grant, Barnett, Burnett, Tauscher, Finley, etc. should have doomed their season. The fact that they had the depth on hand and the ability to get the team to rally says a lot about each man's ability to recognize and maximize talent.
Go Oregon State and South Carolina and everyone the Bears play!!!
The Badgers should wind up in the Rose Bowl at the very least, although I am holding out a very faint hope for the National Title game. I think that it is unlikely for Oregon to lose to Oregon State, I do think that Auburn will finally lose a close one. Unfortunately if that happens then TCU will slide into the title game.
With this said, I would love to see the Badgers face a team like Auburn or Oregon. While I do fear their offensive speed against our defense I would love to see our running game against their defenses. I think our big athletic offensive line would open up some huge holes.
My prediction for the Badgers is a Rose Bowl game against the Stanford Cardinals.
As for the Packers I still think they win the division and make the playoffs. I see them being tied with the Bears going into the final game against the Bears with the winner taking the division crown. If this scenario plays out then I think the loser will be out of the playoffs. If the Packers get to the playoffs I think they will 1 game and then exit. Making the playoffs would be a major accomplishment given their injuries. If they do make the playoffs then McCarthy should be coach of the year without question.
On another Packer note....Many have been critical of Ted Thompson for some of his moves or non-moves (especially in free agency). I think he and McCarthy are in such agreement on how to build a team that they both deserve huge pats on the back from Packer Nation. Losing Grant, Barnett, Burnett, Tauscher, Finley, etc. should have doomed their season. The fact that they had the depth on hand and the ability to get the team to rally says a lot about each man's ability to recognize and maximize talent.
Go Oregon State and South Carolina and everyone the Bears play!!!
Absence
I have received a couple e-mails/comments from individual(s) complaining about my lengthy absence. Well to those individual(s) I say GET OVER IT.
I started this blog about 2 years ago to update people on my status as I ran for the board. This was never supposed to be a full time job. I have way to many things going on in my life to worry about posting on a blog daily. Do I wish that I had the time to post more? Most definitely. However, behind work, school board meetings and family I don't have the time very often.
My family already takes a back seat most of the time to work and my school board duties. I say this as I am sitting at a hotel in Springfield, IL. I refuse to give away any more of my time when I can be spending it with my family. I will post when I have the time and I feel I have something to say.
I do appreciate those that have followed/read my blog over the past 2 years. It is good to know that at least a few people are interested in my opinions.
Jason
I started this blog about 2 years ago to update people on my status as I ran for the board. This was never supposed to be a full time job. I have way to many things going on in my life to worry about posting on a blog daily. Do I wish that I had the time to post more? Most definitely. However, behind work, school board meetings and family I don't have the time very often.
My family already takes a back seat most of the time to work and my school board duties. I say this as I am sitting at a hotel in Springfield, IL. I refuse to give away any more of my time when I can be spending it with my family. I will post when I have the time and I feel I have something to say.
I do appreciate those that have followed/read my blog over the past 2 years. It is good to know that at least a few people are interested in my opinions.
Jason
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monona Library Event
Karen Wendt asked me to post the details for this event, so here it is. I will post future events that the library is putting on as she sends them to me, so please check back for details and please try to attend an event when you have time in your hectic schedules.
Tellabration: Enjoy an afternoon of Storytelling,
Music, Refreshments, & Fun!
Saturday, November 20, 2010, 3:30 to 5p.m.
Family Fun event. Free. All ages welcome.
Razzle-Dazzle Tales and Fun!
Marge Loch-Wouters tickles the ears of her listeners with razzle-dazzle tales and fun. Her fall-down funny stories and expressive faces have produced laughs aplenty from kids in schools and libraries throughout thestate. Her comically funny stories, many based on children's books and folklore, invite kids in as participants and tellers.
¡Ay chihuahua!
Storyteller Kay Elmsley-Weeden engages and mesmerizes audiences with stories and activities
that could make tortillas dance! Blending English and Spanish, Kay draws kids and adults into her comical and interactive tales from the Spanish speaking world. ¡Ay chihuahua!
Ten Pounds of Wiggles!
Karen Wendt mixes words with a sprinkling of puppets, a dash of sign language, a pinch of music, and a pound of wiggles to bake up a story of delight for children and grownups. Karen says, "I love seeing the kids telling stories so I often invite them up to help. They become characters in the stories." Enjoy a story-dessert of Apple Pie at the end of the evening with one of Karen's favorite personal tales.
International… Interactive… & Entertaining!
Sadarri and Rick Saskill will amaze you with a unique blend of music, movement and language. This is story-play at its very best! Pack your bags for an exciting global adventure. Want to learn rock, paper, scissors the Indonesian way? What about a story in sign language?...A mini international parade?...Or maybe an action song from Mexico? Whether it’s in Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Swedish or English, this talented couple provides hand-clappin', finger-snappin', foot-stompin' FUN for the entire family.
Monona Public Library
1000 Nichols Road, Monona, WI 53716
Karen Wendt: kmwendt@mononalibrary.org
Register: 608-222-6127, www.mononalibrary.org
Walk-ins welcome.
Sponsored by The Friends of the Monona Public Library
If you need special accommodations to attend, please call 222-6127 one week in advance.
Karen just sent me these also:
Baby & Me Storytimes;
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 10:45a.m. (closed Nov 25)
Picture Book Storytimes;
Tuesdays, Nov 16 to Dec 14: 10:15a.m.
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 9:15a.m.
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 10:50a.m.
Toddler Storytimes;
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 10:00a.m.
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 9:15a.m. (closed Nov 25)
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 10:00a.m. (closed Nov 25)
Tellabration: Enjoy an afternoon of Storytelling,
Music, Refreshments, & Fun!
Saturday, November 20, 2010, 3:30 to 5p.m.
Family Fun event. Free. All ages welcome.
Razzle-Dazzle Tales and Fun!
Marge Loch-Wouters tickles the ears of her listeners with razzle-dazzle tales and fun. Her fall-down funny stories and expressive faces have produced laughs aplenty from kids in schools and libraries throughout thestate. Her comically funny stories, many based on children's books and folklore, invite kids in as participants and tellers.
¡Ay chihuahua!
Storyteller Kay Elmsley-Weeden engages and mesmerizes audiences with stories and activities
that could make tortillas dance! Blending English and Spanish, Kay draws kids and adults into her comical and interactive tales from the Spanish speaking world. ¡Ay chihuahua!
Ten Pounds of Wiggles!
Karen Wendt mixes words with a sprinkling of puppets, a dash of sign language, a pinch of music, and a pound of wiggles to bake up a story of delight for children and grownups. Karen says, "I love seeing the kids telling stories so I often invite them up to help. They become characters in the stories." Enjoy a story-dessert of Apple Pie at the end of the evening with one of Karen's favorite personal tales.
International… Interactive… & Entertaining!
Sadarri and Rick Saskill will amaze you with a unique blend of music, movement and language. This is story-play at its very best! Pack your bags for an exciting global adventure. Want to learn rock, paper, scissors the Indonesian way? What about a story in sign language?...A mini international parade?...Or maybe an action song from Mexico? Whether it’s in Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Swedish or English, this talented couple provides hand-clappin', finger-snappin', foot-stompin' FUN for the entire family.
Monona Public Library
1000 Nichols Road, Monona, WI 53716
Karen Wendt: kmwendt@mononalibrary.org
Register: 608-222-6127, www.mononalibrary.org
Walk-ins welcome.
Sponsored by The Friends of the Monona Public Library
If you need special accommodations to attend, please call 222-6127 one week in advance.
Karen just sent me these also:
Baby & Me Storytimes;
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 10:45a.m. (closed Nov 25)
Picture Book Storytimes;
Tuesdays, Nov 16 to Dec 14: 10:15a.m.
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 9:15a.m.
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 10:50a.m.
Toddler Storytimes;
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 10:00a.m.
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 9:15a.m. (closed Nov 25)
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 10:00a.m. (closed Nov 25)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Letters from the Public
This post is a compilation of letters received by the school board. This is by no means all of the letters and instead only those who have responded to my request to post them here. I believe I have sent all members of the public a follow up asking if I could post their letter, but if I have missed anyone I apologize and will post your letter if you resend it to me. If anyone else would like me to post a letter on their behalf please send it to me.
I am not giving an opinion on these letters. I urge you to review both sides of this issue by looking at the MGEA and MG District websites.
Lastly, I gave the authors the option to include their names. Some agreed and some declined, but I decided to be consistent and not publish any names. So without further ado.....
________________________________________________________________________
There are Districts across the State that are settling for 0% increases in contracts. I'd like to see MG join them. You represent 65% of my taxes. 5.??% is one "raise" I don't want.
Thanks,
________________________________________________________________________
MG School Board:
I am writing regarding the teachers' contract. I generally support whatever teachers want; I think that in general they are underpaid and undervalued for the important work they do. That said, my purpose in writing is to ask that you not allow their current "job action" of "working the contract" to affect your negotiations. I think the worst thing we can do -- worse than letting the kids and the district continue to suffer because of the teachers' "action" -- would be to reward the union for this unethical tactic; if we do that, I'm sure we can expect more of the same in the future.
Thanks for considering my point of view.
______________________________________________________________________
in the next contract I would say be sure one of their required duties
is to write letters of recommendation for students. Not sure why this
would be an optional duty, seems like they could fit it into their
day.
So there's no 'other duties as assigned" on a teacher's job contract,
like there is in every job I've ever had? (asked in a follow up e-mail)
______________________________________________________________________
Please don't give in! I just read where teachers in the MGSD are basically using extortion to get what they want, by not writing letters of recommendation for students. There aren't words to express my disgust. All around us people are losing jobs, being paid less, and having to pay more for everything. Dane County and State workers took a pay CUT!
Isn't writing a letter a part of their JOB? I know you won't believe this, but I do NOT have any ax to grind with teachers. It's the union and the greed they exhibit that makes me sick. I worked for the WI Retirement Fund and I know teachers get paid well and have a very good retirement package. I implore members of the MG School Board to demand those teachers do the job they are paid to do, and do it well. If they don't, let them go out on strike. You could rehire replacements in a few days. There are thousands of people in the Madison area with the proper credentials.
Many other school boards (like Madison) don't have a backbone. They laid off some poor (almost minimum wage) kitchen workers so they could afford to give a RAISE to the teachers. There should be a special place in hell for people who do that. And if you go to binding arbitration, all some person does is compare your offer with the others that have already ALL gone up. Until some school board shows some real courage, it will never end. Please think about the people who are struggling and have to pay the bills. But more importantly, please think of what the teachers union is doing to the students. Students are nothing but pawns in their sick game, and I implore you again to do the right thing. Just say NO to removing the retirement adjustment off the table.
THANK YOU!!!!
P.S. A reply would be welcomed!
_____________________________________________________________________
Hello,
The recent article published in the Herald-Independent is informative and revealing.
There is no rational reason for continuing the practice of having teachers’ compensation and benefits be much better than that enjoyed by virtually all of the district taxpayers who pay the bills.
The strategy of phasing out of today’s structure into a more reasonable and sustainable structure in the future is a good one.
The Board and Superintendent need to be strong in their resolve to bring needed change to our district.
People, like me, who are retired and on a fixed income, can no longer tolerate the unfairness of the current compensation and benefit programs.
Thank you,
_____________________________________________________________________
Again, I just copied and pasted these. I offer no opinion on them one way or the other. I only post them here, so that everyone can see what some of the e-mails say that the board is getting.
Jason
I am not giving an opinion on these letters. I urge you to review both sides of this issue by looking at the MGEA and MG District websites.
Lastly, I gave the authors the option to include their names. Some agreed and some declined, but I decided to be consistent and not publish any names. So without further ado.....
________________________________________________________________________
There are Districts across the State that are settling for 0% increases in contracts. I'd like to see MG join them. You represent 65% of my taxes. 5.??% is one "raise" I don't want.
Thanks,
________________________________________________________________________
MG School Board:
I am writing regarding the teachers' contract. I generally support whatever teachers want; I think that in general they are underpaid and undervalued for the important work they do. That said, my purpose in writing is to ask that you not allow their current "job action" of "working the contract" to affect your negotiations. I think the worst thing we can do -- worse than letting the kids and the district continue to suffer because of the teachers' "action" -- would be to reward the union for this unethical tactic; if we do that, I'm sure we can expect more of the same in the future.
Thanks for considering my point of view.
______________________________________________________________________
in the next contract I would say be sure one of their required duties
is to write letters of recommendation for students. Not sure why this
would be an optional duty, seems like they could fit it into their
day.
So there's no 'other duties as assigned" on a teacher's job contract,
like there is in every job I've ever had? (asked in a follow up e-mail)
______________________________________________________________________
Please don't give in! I just read where teachers in the MGSD are basically using extortion to get what they want, by not writing letters of recommendation for students. There aren't words to express my disgust. All around us people are losing jobs, being paid less, and having to pay more for everything. Dane County and State workers took a pay CUT!
Isn't writing a letter a part of their JOB? I know you won't believe this, but I do NOT have any ax to grind with teachers. It's the union and the greed they exhibit that makes me sick. I worked for the WI Retirement Fund and I know teachers get paid well and have a very good retirement package. I implore members of the MG School Board to demand those teachers do the job they are paid to do, and do it well. If they don't, let them go out on strike. You could rehire replacements in a few days. There are thousands of people in the Madison area with the proper credentials.
Many other school boards (like Madison) don't have a backbone. They laid off some poor (almost minimum wage) kitchen workers so they could afford to give a RAISE to the teachers. There should be a special place in hell for people who do that. And if you go to binding arbitration, all some person does is compare your offer with the others that have already ALL gone up. Until some school board shows some real courage, it will never end. Please think about the people who are struggling and have to pay the bills. But more importantly, please think of what the teachers union is doing to the students. Students are nothing but pawns in their sick game, and I implore you again to do the right thing. Just say NO to removing the retirement adjustment off the table.
THANK YOU!!!!
P.S. A reply would be welcomed!
_____________________________________________________________________
Hello,
The recent article published in the Herald-Independent is informative and revealing.
There is no rational reason for continuing the practice of having teachers’ compensation and benefits be much better than that enjoyed by virtually all of the district taxpayers who pay the bills.
The strategy of phasing out of today’s structure into a more reasonable and sustainable structure in the future is a good one.
The Board and Superintendent need to be strong in their resolve to bring needed change to our district.
People, like me, who are retired and on a fixed income, can no longer tolerate the unfairness of the current compensation and benefit programs.
Thank you,
_____________________________________________________________________
Again, I just copied and pasted these. I offer no opinion on them one way or the other. I only post them here, so that everyone can see what some of the e-mails say that the board is getting.
Jason
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Upcoming Events
The Curriculum committee is meeting next Tuesday night at 7:30 at the District Office. We will be discussing the 9th grade Biology/Honors Biology and the proposed 10th grade Chemistry/Honors Chemistry. The Chemistry classes are being proposed to begin with the 2011/12 school year.
The Monona Grove School District Annual Meeting is being held next Wednesday night at 7:00 in the High School Auditorium. Jerrod Rossing,Director of Business Services, will present the budget.
The following week on Wednesday the 13th we have the regular board meeting.
Finally, I will be attending the open house at Cottage Grove Elementary, so that my daughter can give me the guided tour of her school. She loves to be the tour guide.
My family and I will also be attending the Cottage Grove PTO Fall Festival this Saturday. If you are looking for something to do on Saturday, stop by and support the PTO. I know they would appreciate it. Hopefully they are serving hot chocolate as it is not supposed to be very warm.
The Monona Grove School District Annual Meeting is being held next Wednesday night at 7:00 in the High School Auditorium. Jerrod Rossing,Director of Business Services, will present the budget.
The following week on Wednesday the 13th we have the regular board meeting.
Finally, I will be attending the open house at Cottage Grove Elementary, so that my daughter can give me the guided tour of her school. She loves to be the tour guide.
My family and I will also be attending the Cottage Grove PTO Fall Festival this Saturday. If you are looking for something to do on Saturday, stop by and support the PTO. I know they would appreciate it. Hopefully they are serving hot chocolate as it is not supposed to be very warm.
Monday, September 27, 2010
MGEA Negotiations
As I have stated I am not about to post my feelings/thoughts on the ongoing negotiations between the district and the MGEA. Peter and Jessica have discussions on their blogs.
I will provide links that the public can review and formulate their own opinions:
MGEA
President's update
Teacher Update Flyer from School Board
Herald Independent
There are probably others I could find, but these will provide lots of information for everyone to read up on. Please provide your feedback to both the MGEA and the Board to give them your thoughts and opinions. We have received some feedback.
If you have any direct questions please give me a call and we can discuss.
I will provide links that the public can review and formulate their own opinions:
MGEA
President's update
Teacher Update Flyer from School Board
Herald Independent
There are probably others I could find, but these will provide lots of information for everyone to read up on. Please provide your feedback to both the MGEA and the Board to give them your thoughts and opinions. We have received some feedback.
If you have any direct questions please give me a call and we can discuss.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Badgers Offensive Preview
It is time for my review of the upcoming Badger football season. I see this team in much the same light as the Packers. Great offense, questionable special teams and defense.
The O-line returns 5 starters and a couple others who have some substantial playing time. Many of the pundits are calling this group the best in the Big Ten. I think that they are capable of being one of the top 5 lines in the country. With tackles like (MG grad) Carimi and Oglesby anchoring the line the offense is well stoked to run block or pass protect.
The receivers look like they can go 5 deep. Toon is the unquestioned #1 receiver. He has all of the makings of a guy who will play on Sunday's. It looks like Kyle Jefferson has been found. He took the last couple of years off after a great freshman debut. Hopefully he can fulfill some of the promise he flashed previously. Lance Kendricks will extend the run of mismatches from the H-back/Tight End position.
At running back the Badger return Heisman Candidate John Clay. Clay is reported to be healthy and in better shape. I am projecting him to get about 1400 yards. Not sure that will keep him in the Heisman talk, but it will lead to many wins. Monte Ball is a more than capable back and will get some key carries. Zach Brown is still around for depth, but probably won't get many touches as Clay and Ball will carry the load. The remaining few carries may come from James White. White is a great speed back with the size to help him handle the pounding of running between the tackles. Expect White to surprise some defense with at least one game where he breaks off 2 or 3 long runs after Clay and Ball have worn out the defense.
Scott Tolzein is back at QB for a 2nd year. While Tolzein is not the flashiest QB out there he is very sound foundamentally. He takes care of the ball and delivers it to the open receiver. Behind him you have Curt Phillips and Jon Budmayr. Phillips is coming of ACL surgery and may not be able to play right away. Budmayr has lots of potential, but has not yet had the opportunity to show it in a game. I am hoping that the Badgers can get a big lead in 1 or 2 of the non-conference games and Budmayr gets some reps. If Tolzein goes down the Badgers will take a step back just from the lack of experience behind him.
I will preview the defense soon.
The O-line returns 5 starters and a couple others who have some substantial playing time. Many of the pundits are calling this group the best in the Big Ten. I think that they are capable of being one of the top 5 lines in the country. With tackles like (MG grad) Carimi and Oglesby anchoring the line the offense is well stoked to run block or pass protect.
The receivers look like they can go 5 deep. Toon is the unquestioned #1 receiver. He has all of the makings of a guy who will play on Sunday's. It looks like Kyle Jefferson has been found. He took the last couple of years off after a great freshman debut. Hopefully he can fulfill some of the promise he flashed previously. Lance Kendricks will extend the run of mismatches from the H-back/Tight End position.
At running back the Badger return Heisman Candidate John Clay. Clay is reported to be healthy and in better shape. I am projecting him to get about 1400 yards. Not sure that will keep him in the Heisman talk, but it will lead to many wins. Monte Ball is a more than capable back and will get some key carries. Zach Brown is still around for depth, but probably won't get many touches as Clay and Ball will carry the load. The remaining few carries may come from James White. White is a great speed back with the size to help him handle the pounding of running between the tackles. Expect White to surprise some defense with at least one game where he breaks off 2 or 3 long runs after Clay and Ball have worn out the defense.
Scott Tolzein is back at QB for a 2nd year. While Tolzein is not the flashiest QB out there he is very sound foundamentally. He takes care of the ball and delivers it to the open receiver. Behind him you have Curt Phillips and Jon Budmayr. Phillips is coming of ACL surgery and may not be able to play right away. Budmayr has lots of potential, but has not yet had the opportunity to show it in a game. I am hoping that the Badgers can get a big lead in 1 or 2 of the non-conference games and Budmayr gets some reps. If Tolzein goes down the Badgers will take a step back just from the lack of experience behind him.
I will preview the defense soon.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Packers Outlook
How much hype can the pundits’ heap on the Packers? Depending on which talking head you listen to the Packers are Super Bowl bound or the team to beat in the NFC. I think that they will be good, but I am not willing to place them with either of those labels. Instead I view them as one of about 4 teams that will be pretty good in the NFC and have a chance to get to the Super Bowl.
Let’s start with the defense because this will be a huge question mark to start the season. Overall depth at cornerback with Al Harris coming off injury is a major concern. It is time for the likes of Pat Lee, Jarrett Bush and Brandon Underwood to show that they are more than Special Teamers. I am not too concerned about Bigby not signing yet, as I think draft pick Morgan Burnett will have better stats by the end of the year regardless. This kid was a steal in the 3rd round.
The loss of Johnny Jolly hurts the overall depth more than anything. I am not as sold on 2nd round pick Mike Neal as the Packers are. I think he will get quite a bit of playing time, but not sure if that is a good thing. I expect much more out of B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins this year. Ryan Picket will be his usual steady self. Justin Harrell could very likely be given his walking papers if his back flares up again. He might provide some depth if he could stay healthy, but I think it is a 100-1 shot that he does.
The strength of this defense is in the front 7 and the LB’s are a huge reason for that. The D-line does its job and eats up blockers allowing the LB’s to make plays. Matthews and Barnett will have similar numbers to last year, although Matthews may not have as many sacks. Brad Jones played well and should continue to growing into the position. A.J. Hawk will never live up to the hype placed on him coming out of college. He is a good 4th linebacker, but will never be the star many thought he would be. Brandon Chillar and Brady Poppinga provide solid depth, but one or 2 of the young guys will have to make a few plays when given the chance.
On offense there are 2 critical pieces and the 1st piece directly impacts the 2nd. Coach McCarthy needs to set starting 5 on the line early in camp and let them develop some chemistry. I start Clifton, Colledge, Spitz, Sitton and Tauscher, with 1st round pick Bulaga replacing Clifton when he gets hurt (because you know he will). How this unit performs will determine if the 2nd concern becomes an issue.
If the line is unstable again, then Rodgers is going to spend lots of time running for his life or on his back. If he goes down then, so do the Packers hopes. Flynn just does not pass as a capable backup. Rodgers should have a stellar season and my guess is he is in the top 5 in yards and TD’s. The weapons on the outside in Jennings, Driver, Jones and Nelson give the Packers depth. You add in the continued growth of Jermichael Finley and Spencer Havner and you have great options to throw to.
Depth at running back is adequate, but nothing stellar. Ryan Grant will get is 90 – 110 yards a game and have 1200 on the year. Brandon Jackson and Gregg Lumpkin will both get pushed by James Starks for playing time. Jackson will probably keep his 3rd down role with Lumpkin and Starks fighting to be the primary backup. The Packers will get enough from the running game to keep defenses honest and will lean on it when they build a lead.
The main sources of competition are the Cowboys, Saints and Vikings. I think Atlanta will also have a good year, but don’t think they are quite in the same realm as the other 4. The Vikings season hinges on Brent coming back, but we all know he will. Yes I know I misspelled his name. With Brent and Romo under center for the Vikings and Cowboys, both will choke in the playoffs just like in the past. So as I see it the main concerns are the Saints, injuries and the Packers reading the press clippings. The Packers will finish 10-6 or 11-5. Both will be good enough to get them to the playoffs and probably a home game or two. If they keep their heads on straight and stay relatively healthy (i.e. Rodgers is under center) then I think they will win 1 playoff game and have the chance to get to the Super Bowl.
This is my take on the upcoming season as training camp approaches.
Let’s start with the defense because this will be a huge question mark to start the season. Overall depth at cornerback with Al Harris coming off injury is a major concern. It is time for the likes of Pat Lee, Jarrett Bush and Brandon Underwood to show that they are more than Special Teamers. I am not too concerned about Bigby not signing yet, as I think draft pick Morgan Burnett will have better stats by the end of the year regardless. This kid was a steal in the 3rd round.
The loss of Johnny Jolly hurts the overall depth more than anything. I am not as sold on 2nd round pick Mike Neal as the Packers are. I think he will get quite a bit of playing time, but not sure if that is a good thing. I expect much more out of B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins this year. Ryan Picket will be his usual steady self. Justin Harrell could very likely be given his walking papers if his back flares up again. He might provide some depth if he could stay healthy, but I think it is a 100-1 shot that he does.
The strength of this defense is in the front 7 and the LB’s are a huge reason for that. The D-line does its job and eats up blockers allowing the LB’s to make plays. Matthews and Barnett will have similar numbers to last year, although Matthews may not have as many sacks. Brad Jones played well and should continue to growing into the position. A.J. Hawk will never live up to the hype placed on him coming out of college. He is a good 4th linebacker, but will never be the star many thought he would be. Brandon Chillar and Brady Poppinga provide solid depth, but one or 2 of the young guys will have to make a few plays when given the chance.
On offense there are 2 critical pieces and the 1st piece directly impacts the 2nd. Coach McCarthy needs to set starting 5 on the line early in camp and let them develop some chemistry. I start Clifton, Colledge, Spitz, Sitton and Tauscher, with 1st round pick Bulaga replacing Clifton when he gets hurt (because you know he will). How this unit performs will determine if the 2nd concern becomes an issue.
If the line is unstable again, then Rodgers is going to spend lots of time running for his life or on his back. If he goes down then, so do the Packers hopes. Flynn just does not pass as a capable backup. Rodgers should have a stellar season and my guess is he is in the top 5 in yards and TD’s. The weapons on the outside in Jennings, Driver, Jones and Nelson give the Packers depth. You add in the continued growth of Jermichael Finley and Spencer Havner and you have great options to throw to.
Depth at running back is adequate, but nothing stellar. Ryan Grant will get is 90 – 110 yards a game and have 1200 on the year. Brandon Jackson and Gregg Lumpkin will both get pushed by James Starks for playing time. Jackson will probably keep his 3rd down role with Lumpkin and Starks fighting to be the primary backup. The Packers will get enough from the running game to keep defenses honest and will lean on it when they build a lead.
The main sources of competition are the Cowboys, Saints and Vikings. I think Atlanta will also have a good year, but don’t think they are quite in the same realm as the other 4. The Vikings season hinges on Brent coming back, but we all know he will. Yes I know I misspelled his name. With Brent and Romo under center for the Vikings and Cowboys, both will choke in the playoffs just like in the past. So as I see it the main concerns are the Saints, injuries and the Packers reading the press clippings. The Packers will finish 10-6 or 11-5. Both will be good enough to get them to the playoffs and probably a home game or two. If they keep their heads on straight and stay relatively healthy (i.e. Rodgers is under center) then I think they will win 1 playoff game and have the chance to get to the Super Bowl.
This is my take on the upcoming season as training camp approaches.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Brewers Trade Deadline Thoughts
Let’s talk sports. The MLB trade deadline is only 3 days away, the NFL starts training camps this weekend and college football kicks off their camps shortly. Finally something to get excited about, as the whole World Cup passed by without watching more than 5 minutes total.
Do the Brewers blow up their hitters and focus on adding as many quality arms as possible now or do they ride the year out and try to remake themselves in the offseason? I don’t think there is any way they will trade Prince Fielder in the next 3 days. His value will be greater in the offseason when they would have a better chance of landing 2-3 young power arms.
Part of my concern with Prince is that I don’t see many people willing to take on his future contract demands. If the $200 million the Brewers offered is not enough then who will give him his big payday? The Yankees, Angels, Mets, Cardinals and Phillies all have 1st base covered for the foreseeable future. The Dodgers have a good one that lacks Fielders power. The intriguing option may be Boston. The Red Sox have Youkilis at 1st and Beltre at 3rd. Both are getting up there in years, so they may be willing to buy high. I doubt that the White Sox, Cubs, Rangers or Orioles (previous big spenders) would be willing to bite at his demands. Lastly, Prince won’t sign a contract knowing he will be a full-time DH from the beginning of the deal. It may happen later in the deal, but not starting it.
A lot of talk has centered on Corey Hart and the big year he is having. While I agree his trade value may never be higher I think the Brewers will regret trading him if they do. He is back performing at a level which many expected him to be at. He is a 25/25 guy for the next 5-7 yrs. He is a good defensive outfielder and by most accounts he wants to be a Brewer. That has to count for something.
Trading Hart is like trading Tony Gwynn Jr. in my opinion. They gave up on Gwynn without giving him a chance and got pretty much nothing for him. Had they kept Gwynn they could have traded Hardy for an arm instead of Gomez who has lots of talent, but nothing that says he will put it all together.
This runs counter to conventional wisdom, but I would trade a guy like Bush or Riske or Hawkins or Hoffman to teams needing pitching for the stretch run. I would also consider trading Counsell and Edmonds. Getting a young player in A or AA for any of those guys would be something I would jump at. Then promote another young guy from our farm and give them a chance. Our young players have had their ups and downs, but the experience they have gotten is invaluable and the rest of the year needs to have one eye on next.
I will have a post about the Packers and Badgers soon.
Do the Brewers blow up their hitters and focus on adding as many quality arms as possible now or do they ride the year out and try to remake themselves in the offseason? I don’t think there is any way they will trade Prince Fielder in the next 3 days. His value will be greater in the offseason when they would have a better chance of landing 2-3 young power arms.
Part of my concern with Prince is that I don’t see many people willing to take on his future contract demands. If the $200 million the Brewers offered is not enough then who will give him his big payday? The Yankees, Angels, Mets, Cardinals and Phillies all have 1st base covered for the foreseeable future. The Dodgers have a good one that lacks Fielders power. The intriguing option may be Boston. The Red Sox have Youkilis at 1st and Beltre at 3rd. Both are getting up there in years, so they may be willing to buy high. I doubt that the White Sox, Cubs, Rangers or Orioles (previous big spenders) would be willing to bite at his demands. Lastly, Prince won’t sign a contract knowing he will be a full-time DH from the beginning of the deal. It may happen later in the deal, but not starting it.
A lot of talk has centered on Corey Hart and the big year he is having. While I agree his trade value may never be higher I think the Brewers will regret trading him if they do. He is back performing at a level which many expected him to be at. He is a 25/25 guy for the next 5-7 yrs. He is a good defensive outfielder and by most accounts he wants to be a Brewer. That has to count for something.
Trading Hart is like trading Tony Gwynn Jr. in my opinion. They gave up on Gwynn without giving him a chance and got pretty much nothing for him. Had they kept Gwynn they could have traded Hardy for an arm instead of Gomez who has lots of talent, but nothing that says he will put it all together.
This runs counter to conventional wisdom, but I would trade a guy like Bush or Riske or Hawkins or Hoffman to teams needing pitching for the stretch run. I would also consider trading Counsell and Edmonds. Getting a young player in A or AA for any of those guys would be something I would jump at. Then promote another young guy from our farm and give them a chance. Our young players have had their ups and downs, but the experience they have gotten is invaluable and the rest of the year needs to have one eye on next.
I will have a post about the Packers and Badgers soon.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
R.I.P. Maggie
Yesterday I put down one of the most compassionate and trusting dogs to ever walk this earth. This post is not about how hard this was, but about what I have learned from this experience.
1. I learned how trusting Maggie was until the end.
2. I learned how a soon to be 9 yr old deals with the death of a pet that has been with her since the day she was born.
3. I learned how much Maggie touched the lives of our friends’ kids. Maggie was such a mellow dog that many of our friends kids learned how gentle dogs could be. She helped many kids over their fears of big dogs.
4. I learned that when I eat I always take bites in a manner that would leave the last bite for Maggie.
5. I learned that I don’t need to do this anymore.
6. I learned how strong my wife and daughter are in the face of a tough situation.
7. I learned that no matter how much I thought I was in control of the house that I was in fact last, behind Sydney, Maggie and Linda.
8. I learned how different it is to come home and not be greeted by all her excitement.
9. I learned how compassionate the vets are when they deliver bad news.
10. I learned that no matter how well you think you are prepared for this…you are not!
1. I learned how trusting Maggie was until the end.
2. I learned how a soon to be 9 yr old deals with the death of a pet that has been with her since the day she was born.
3. I learned how much Maggie touched the lives of our friends’ kids. Maggie was such a mellow dog that many of our friends kids learned how gentle dogs could be. She helped many kids over their fears of big dogs.
4. I learned that when I eat I always take bites in a manner that would leave the last bite for Maggie.
5. I learned that I don’t need to do this anymore.
6. I learned how strong my wife and daughter are in the face of a tough situation.
7. I learned that no matter how much I thought I was in control of the house that I was in fact last, behind Sydney, Maggie and Linda.
8. I learned how different it is to come home and not be greeted by all her excitement.
9. I learned how compassionate the vets are when they deliver bad news.
10. I learned that no matter how well you think you are prepared for this…you are not!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Recent Absence
I have been absent for a while as I took a week off for vacation and then it took a week to catch up with work and school board items. There has not been a lot of activity over the past 2 weeks for the school board. On Wed. the 16th the Policy and Curriculum committees had their 1st meetings. On Wed. the 23rd Business Services had their 1st meeting. The link for all the agendas is:
http://www.mononagrove.org/board_committees.cfm
This week we have a closed session to meet regarding the Superintendant's annual review (an agenda won't be out until later today). We all have individual evaluations that we complete and then we meet to compile them into 1 formal document. This is pretty much the same process we followed last year, although the form used is slightly different.
The other item of note is that interviews for the next Business Services Director took place last week. This process continues on as Craig looks to replace Mary Ellen as quickly as possible, but also with the best person available. This position is so vital to all school districts that it is more about getting the right person than it is about filing the position quickly.
Our next board meeting is scheduled for July 14th. Have a great 4th of July weekend.
http://www.mononagrove.org/board_committees.cfm
This week we have a closed session to meet regarding the Superintendant's annual review (an agenda won't be out until later today). We all have individual evaluations that we complete and then we meet to compile them into 1 formal document. This is pretty much the same process we followed last year, although the form used is slightly different.
The other item of note is that interviews for the next Business Services Director took place last week. This process continues on as Craig looks to replace Mary Ellen as quickly as possible, but also with the best person available. This position is so vital to all school districts that it is more about getting the right person than it is about filing the position quickly.
Our next board meeting is scheduled for July 14th. Have a great 4th of July weekend.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Teacher Negotiations
I was catching up on the H-I from this past week and was reading Sunny's Column. I take exception with the characterization that the board is not involved in the process or aware of how the process is working. That is not the case in my opinion.
Because of the sensitive nature of this discussion I WILL NOT make comments or posts regarding it after this. If you have questions please contact me directly and I will provide as much information as I can. Just be aware that we are restricted in what we can discuss and I WILL NOT stray anywhere close to crossing that line.
I know that will seem like the easy way out to some, but be assured that it is not. However, there is a process for these negotiations and I will not in any way do or say anything that would impact them negatively.
Jason
Because of the sensitive nature of this discussion I WILL NOT make comments or posts regarding it after this. If you have questions please contact me directly and I will provide as much information as I can. Just be aware that we are restricted in what we can discuss and I WILL NOT stray anywhere close to crossing that line.
I know that will seem like the easy way out to some, but be assured that it is not. However, there is a process for these negotiations and I will not in any way do or say anything that would impact them negatively.
Jason
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
June 2nd Special Meeting
We have a special meeting this week. We will have a closed session to hear from the district's attorney regarding teacher negotiations. We will also hear from Barb Waara and her recommendation on the future of the Food Service Dept. We will discuss the possibility of outsourcing this function for the upcoming year.
The recommendation will be to outsource the food service dept. The proposal is very enticing and seems to be strongly recommended by the administration and the union.
The recommendation will be to outsource the food service dept. The proposal is very enticing and seems to be strongly recommended by the administration and the union.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Alt School Location
At this past Wednesday's board meeting we approved changes to student fees and the purchase of new computers. The big change in the student fees is that the sports fees are $60/sport and the increase of the nursing fee associated with the MATC program from $25 to $200. This fee is still short of the $375 fee the district pays, but it does help offset the costs. The computers are part of the 5 year replacement cycle and are an annual expense. Bill Herman tried once to go to a 6 year replacement cycle, but had lots of problems, so he went back to a 5 year cycle.
We also discussed the changes in the board's meeting schedule now that the standing committees are back for this next year. We will meet once a month on the 2nd Wed. of the month beginning with our June 9th meeting. Committee meeting dates and times will be determined once the committee chairs are in place.
The biggest topic of discussion in my opinion centered on where to house the Alt. school next year. The Alt. school is currently housed in a rented facility that needs improvements and frankly they have outgrown the space. It has been assumed that the Alt. school would move into Nichols. The costs for this move is more than anticipated due to some concrete work that needs to be done to make the 2nd egress functional. The other possibility mentioned was using space in the lower level at Winnequah.
I think it is extremely ironic that we are even discussing Winnequah as a valid option. During the past few months we have heard many parents state that it was unacceptable to have 4k students in the same building with 5th graders and now we are going to consider putting 3rd graders in a building with high school students. The board has to make this decision at the May 26th meeting, so there is no time for public input, but I am not sure we need any given the strong feelings we heard about putting kids who would have been 5-6 years apart in age. Imagine the reaction if we put kids that are even further apart in age in one building.
I would rather see the Alt. school in Nichols where it has its own identity. There will be some that say we can keep the elementary and high school kids separated, but that is false as explained by Ann Schroeder and Mark Scullion. The reason is that the down stairs bathroom would be used by both groups of students. The additional part that scares me is the security of the building. Right now everyone enters thru the main door by the office. If the Alt. school goes in then they would enter thru the downstairs doors. This to me creates a potential security risk that is unnecessary in an elementary building.
The estimated costs for both buildings will be discussed further on May 26th. The initial estimates are $20K for Nichols and $10K for Winnequah. The other variable in this discussion is that we won't hear on the report for Nichols by D.L. Evans until the June 9th meeting. No matter what is decided it may be a one year solution. Given all these moving pieces I still feel that for next year Nichols is the better option.
Also, for those that are going to tell me we need to save that $10K, I would argue that if we are willing to dip into fund balance for $190K this year that we surely can for $10K next year. I hope that no board member would use this as justification for voting to move the Alt school to Winnequah.
Again, this just drips of irony that we even discuss this as an option. I hope that the same people who felt it was unacceptable to have the 4k and 5th graders in one building are just as outraged at the thought of putting an 8 yr. old 3rd grader in the same building as an 18 yr. old senior. If there is not the same outrage then it will truly indicate that the concern is not for the students, but to keep Maywood open at all costs.
We also discussed the changes in the board's meeting schedule now that the standing committees are back for this next year. We will meet once a month on the 2nd Wed. of the month beginning with our June 9th meeting. Committee meeting dates and times will be determined once the committee chairs are in place.
The biggest topic of discussion in my opinion centered on where to house the Alt. school next year. The Alt. school is currently housed in a rented facility that needs improvements and frankly they have outgrown the space. It has been assumed that the Alt. school would move into Nichols. The costs for this move is more than anticipated due to some concrete work that needs to be done to make the 2nd egress functional. The other possibility mentioned was using space in the lower level at Winnequah.
I think it is extremely ironic that we are even discussing Winnequah as a valid option. During the past few months we have heard many parents state that it was unacceptable to have 4k students in the same building with 5th graders and now we are going to consider putting 3rd graders in a building with high school students. The board has to make this decision at the May 26th meeting, so there is no time for public input, but I am not sure we need any given the strong feelings we heard about putting kids who would have been 5-6 years apart in age. Imagine the reaction if we put kids that are even further apart in age in one building.
I would rather see the Alt. school in Nichols where it has its own identity. There will be some that say we can keep the elementary and high school kids separated, but that is false as explained by Ann Schroeder and Mark Scullion. The reason is that the down stairs bathroom would be used by both groups of students. The additional part that scares me is the security of the building. Right now everyone enters thru the main door by the office. If the Alt. school goes in then they would enter thru the downstairs doors. This to me creates a potential security risk that is unnecessary in an elementary building.
The estimated costs for both buildings will be discussed further on May 26th. The initial estimates are $20K for Nichols and $10K for Winnequah. The other variable in this discussion is that we won't hear on the report for Nichols by D.L. Evans until the June 9th meeting. No matter what is decided it may be a one year solution. Given all these moving pieces I still feel that for next year Nichols is the better option.
Also, for those that are going to tell me we need to save that $10K, I would argue that if we are willing to dip into fund balance for $190K this year that we surely can for $10K next year. I hope that no board member would use this as justification for voting to move the Alt school to Winnequah.
Again, this just drips of irony that we even discuss this as an option. I hope that the same people who felt it was unacceptable to have the 4k and 5th graders in one building are just as outraged at the thought of putting an 8 yr. old 3rd grader in the same building as an 18 yr. old senior. If there is not the same outrage then it will truly indicate that the concern is not for the students, but to keep Maywood open at all costs.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Visionary or Historian
I had a board of directors meeting this past Thursday and Friday for my day job. During the meeting we had some very candid discussions about how bad the past year or 2 have been. We discussed how the economy has impacted our stations and how we wish things were different. We talked about changes that were made and how we wish we would not have had to make some of those decisions. It made for a very negative meeting on Thursday.
After we got that out of our system we spent the better part of Friday discussing our successes. We talked about the good things we have done for clients, for the public and for our listeners. We made a conscious decision to stop dwelling on the past and the things that we cannot change and instead focus on the company’s future and what we can impact. The management team in this market is going to stress the wins and successes no matter how big or small. Right now every win is a step in the right direction.
On the way home this got me to thinking about the MG School District. Why can't we celebrate the successes and focus on the future? Where do we want to go and how do we get there? Why can't we celebrate our "wins" whether they are academic or extra-curricular? Why can't we toot our own horn on the good things our students do? I think we do some of this, but not nearly enough.
As a board member I have heard over and over about how things used to be or how they were done in the past. Well I was not a part of those boards and frankly I don't care how they did things. I am a part of this board and I only care how we are going to do things going forward. I am tired of continually looking backwards, when we should focus on the tasks ahead. How do we become more proactive instead of reactive?
I don't really have any answers at this point. However, I can tell you that my perspective has changed. I intend to try helping push us into the future. I will try to be more proactive with regards to the items that face us. Let's get them on the table and discuss them. Let's have those discussions and let's make the hard decisions. We won't know if we made the right or wrong decision immediately, but not making any decision is far worse in my opinion.
After we got that out of our system we spent the better part of Friday discussing our successes. We talked about the good things we have done for clients, for the public and for our listeners. We made a conscious decision to stop dwelling on the past and the things that we cannot change and instead focus on the company’s future and what we can impact. The management team in this market is going to stress the wins and successes no matter how big or small. Right now every win is a step in the right direction.
On the way home this got me to thinking about the MG School District. Why can't we celebrate the successes and focus on the future? Where do we want to go and how do we get there? Why can't we celebrate our "wins" whether they are academic or extra-curricular? Why can't we toot our own horn on the good things our students do? I think we do some of this, but not nearly enough.
As a board member I have heard over and over about how things used to be or how they were done in the past. Well I was not a part of those boards and frankly I don't care how they did things. I am a part of this board and I only care how we are going to do things going forward. I am tired of continually looking backwards, when we should focus on the tasks ahead. How do we become more proactive instead of reactive?
I don't really have any answers at this point. However, I can tell you that my perspective has changed. I intend to try helping push us into the future. I will try to be more proactive with regards to the items that face us. Let's get them on the table and discuss them. Let's have those discussions and let's make the hard decisions. We won't know if we made the right or wrong decision immediately, but not making any decision is far worse in my opinion.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wed. May 28th Board Meeting
Tonight we had our board reorganization meeting, closed session and our regular meeting. We were still done by 8:30 due to the light agenda of our regular meeting.
The board reorganization meeting went as I expected with only one change.
President - Susan Fox received 4 votes and Peter Sobol received 3 votes.
Vice-President - Jessica Ace received 6 votes (not sure why not seven as she was the only nominee after Susan Manning declined the nomination).
Treasurer - Susan Manning received 4 votes and I received 3 votes. (Peter declined nomination)
Clerk - Lionel Norton received 4 votes and Peter received 3 votes (Jill List declined nomintation)
Fox, Manning and Norton remain in their current position, while Ace replaces Sobol.
The board then voted to reinstate the standing committees. Those committees will be the Business Service, Policy and Curriculum committees. There was some discussion on possibly adding some additional ad-hoc type committees, but that will be discussed at a future board meeting to get into specifics. With the committees returning it was decided that the board would return to one meeting a month on the 2nd Wed of the month. Those dates will be subject to holiday and school schedules. The meeting will also continue to alternate between Glacial Drumlin and the District Office.
In the abreviated regular meeting the 2 topices for discussion and approval were the walk zone as it related to the budget and board policy 185. The walk zone was removed as a potential budget cut on a 7-0 vote. The board policy was revised on a 6-1 vote.
I was the lone dissenting vote because I believe the policy puts too much control of the committee appointments in the hands of the board president. Neither the former version nor the new version require board approval of the appointments. I think that should be a requirement. While I think it would be a formality I still think it should be part of the policy. Otherwise I think it is a sound policy.
The board reorganization meeting went as I expected with only one change.
President - Susan Fox received 4 votes and Peter Sobol received 3 votes.
Vice-President - Jessica Ace received 6 votes (not sure why not seven as she was the only nominee after Susan Manning declined the nomination).
Treasurer - Susan Manning received 4 votes and I received 3 votes. (Peter declined nomination)
Clerk - Lionel Norton received 4 votes and Peter received 3 votes (Jill List declined nomintation)
Fox, Manning and Norton remain in their current position, while Ace replaces Sobol.
The board then voted to reinstate the standing committees. Those committees will be the Business Service, Policy and Curriculum committees. There was some discussion on possibly adding some additional ad-hoc type committees, but that will be discussed at a future board meeting to get into specifics. With the committees returning it was decided that the board would return to one meeting a month on the 2nd Wed of the month. Those dates will be subject to holiday and school schedules. The meeting will also continue to alternate between Glacial Drumlin and the District Office.
In the abreviated regular meeting the 2 topices for discussion and approval were the walk zone as it related to the budget and board policy 185. The walk zone was removed as a potential budget cut on a 7-0 vote. The board policy was revised on a 6-1 vote.
I was the lone dissenting vote because I believe the policy puts too much control of the committee appointments in the hands of the board president. Neither the former version nor the new version require board approval of the appointments. I think that should be a requirement. While I think it would be a formality I still think it should be part of the policy. Otherwise I think it is a sound policy.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Potential Staff Reductions
Jeremy Duss, Jonathon Farris, Carol Graves, Jeanette Heitman, Garret Jones, Jeff Kasparek, Cindy Rudie, Ryan Thompson, Hong Tran, Ginger Veith, Deidre Bradford, Jill Jensen, Kate Mennenga, Steve Rhoads, Lea Spaay-Kessich, Kris Tudor
Above are the names of staff that were give PRELIMINARY layoff notices. Again, these are PRELIMINARY! Some of these notices were reductions in hours and some are full layoff notices. These notices were approved to be given as part of our last meeting.
Many have asked me if these individuals would have received their notices if we had consolidated Maywood and Winnequah. The answer is maybe. Some of these individuals probably would have been giving notices based on our budget situation and the limited cuts the board did make. The increased time teaching time and reductions in OT/PT contributed to this list. Would these have been saved by consolidation? I will not venture to guess since I cannot predict how the board would vote on an issue.
Additionally, the board has received many concerns over the staffing of strings next year. While it is true our 2 most experienced strings teachers are on this list, that does not necessarily mean we won't have a good program in the future. When administration determines final staffing needs they take into account, among other things, the educational requirements the staff must have and staff seniority. Those two issues single-handedly drive many, if not most, staffing decisions. Therefore, one or both of them may be retained after administration determines final staffing needs.
It is my belief that each year the district should issue some layoff notices, so that it has some flexibility in staffing for the upcoming year. Because the notices have to be given by mid-April and not all staffing levels are firm this is a necessary evil. My concern for flexibility comes out of concern over giving our Administration the ability to maneuver staff as it sees fit. While they have a very good idea of where/how the staff will be made up giving them this flexibility allows them more time to finalize their plans. We have a great set of teachers and we need to keep them to the best of our ability. However, we operate under a pre-determined set of rules and we need to follow those rules. Unfortunately the preliminary layoff notices are one of the unpleasant aspects of those rules.
I know how this negatively impacts our teachers and do not take this emotional toll on them and their family lightly. I had a teacher ask me the other day if the cuts not made this year would be made next year? His concern was that if they are he would be out of a job and wanted to know if he should start looking for a new job this year. I told him that it was too early to tell exactly what cuts would be needed, but potentially yes they would be made. This fear of will I be cut or won't I has a real impact on these individuals lives and I hope as a board that we consider this when we begin looking at cuts next year.
Above are the names of staff that were give PRELIMINARY layoff notices. Again, these are PRELIMINARY! Some of these notices were reductions in hours and some are full layoff notices. These notices were approved to be given as part of our last meeting.
Many have asked me if these individuals would have received their notices if we had consolidated Maywood and Winnequah. The answer is maybe. Some of these individuals probably would have been giving notices based on our budget situation and the limited cuts the board did make. The increased time teaching time and reductions in OT/PT contributed to this list. Would these have been saved by consolidation? I will not venture to guess since I cannot predict how the board would vote on an issue.
Additionally, the board has received many concerns over the staffing of strings next year. While it is true our 2 most experienced strings teachers are on this list, that does not necessarily mean we won't have a good program in the future. When administration determines final staffing needs they take into account, among other things, the educational requirements the staff must have and staff seniority. Those two issues single-handedly drive many, if not most, staffing decisions. Therefore, one or both of them may be retained after administration determines final staffing needs.
It is my belief that each year the district should issue some layoff notices, so that it has some flexibility in staffing for the upcoming year. Because the notices have to be given by mid-April and not all staffing levels are firm this is a necessary evil. My concern for flexibility comes out of concern over giving our Administration the ability to maneuver staff as it sees fit. While they have a very good idea of where/how the staff will be made up giving them this flexibility allows them more time to finalize their plans. We have a great set of teachers and we need to keep them to the best of our ability. However, we operate under a pre-determined set of rules and we need to follow those rules. Unfortunately the preliminary layoff notices are one of the unpleasant aspects of those rules.
I know how this negatively impacts our teachers and do not take this emotional toll on them and their family lightly. I had a teacher ask me the other day if the cuts not made this year would be made next year? His concern was that if they are he would be out of a job and wanted to know if he should start looking for a new job this year. I told him that it was too early to tell exactly what cuts would be needed, but potentially yes they would be made. This fear of will I be cut or won't I has a real impact on these individuals lives and I hope as a board that we consider this when we begin looking at cuts next year.
Paralysis by Analysis
Someone asked me to post this a talking point so here is my response to a comment left in another thread.
"so gathering information is a bad thing??? Shouldn’t tough decisions be made with the most information and research possible?"
Having information and being able to make a decision with that information are 2 completely different topics. The administration has done yeoman’s work on research and information gathering, specifically around the budget and the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation. In my opinion stating that you need more information is a cope out for not wanting to make the tough decisions. It is very easy to say I need more information and without it I feel I cannot vote on a specific measure.
Did the administration provide us with all of the information they had? I would venture to say no, but only because we did not hear the conversations that they had as they compiled the information into the packets that we received. I am sure that some pieces of information or rationale where stated verbally and so we missed out on those. Instead we got the most relevant and important pieces of information that the administration discussed. The opportunity for us as a board to gather any pieces we felt was missing was thru the question and answer sessions that we had with the administrators. They too attended all of the budget meetings and stood up and answered our questions.
If after all of that anyone felt they still did not have enough information then they were looking for a reason not to have to vote in my opinion. Does any board member like that we have to vote on these tough issues? NO! However, this is what we are elected to do. The biggest single source of frustration for me with this board is the inability or unwillingness to act on the hard decisions. Two particular items that emphasize this point are the lack of budget cuts since we are about $190k short of our stated deficit of $1M and the fact that we voted not to keep Maywood open or closed, but that we delayed having to make the decision.
Sometimes too much information gives you paralysis by analysis.
"so gathering information is a bad thing??? Shouldn’t tough decisions be made with the most information and research possible?"
Having information and being able to make a decision with that information are 2 completely different topics. The administration has done yeoman’s work on research and information gathering, specifically around the budget and the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation. In my opinion stating that you need more information is a cope out for not wanting to make the tough decisions. It is very easy to say I need more information and without it I feel I cannot vote on a specific measure.
Did the administration provide us with all of the information they had? I would venture to say no, but only because we did not hear the conversations that they had as they compiled the information into the packets that we received. I am sure that some pieces of information or rationale where stated verbally and so we missed out on those. Instead we got the most relevant and important pieces of information that the administration discussed. The opportunity for us as a board to gather any pieces we felt was missing was thru the question and answer sessions that we had with the administrators. They too attended all of the budget meetings and stood up and answered our questions.
If after all of that anyone felt they still did not have enough information then they were looking for a reason not to have to vote in my opinion. Does any board member like that we have to vote on these tough issues? NO! However, this is what we are elected to do. The biggest single source of frustration for me with this board is the inability or unwillingness to act on the hard decisions. Two particular items that emphasize this point are the lack of budget cuts since we are about $190k short of our stated deficit of $1M and the fact that we voted not to keep Maywood open or closed, but that we delayed having to make the decision.
Sometimes too much information gives you paralysis by analysis.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Special Budget Meeting
Just finished our special budget meeting. We had lots of discussion on the 4 topics that were delayed until today. The 4 items were a 5% reduction to Building Budgets/ Department Budgets, Eliminate 4 IMC Paraprofessionals at CG, TP, GD and HS, Extend walk area to 2 miles and Reduce Elementary Related Arts instructional minutes.
The 2 mile walk zone impacts more students than first discussed. Due to this the board agreed not to institute the walk zone as proposed. The cut to reduce the elementary arts was also removed from the list of potential cuts on a 7-0 vote.
The board also voted 6-1 to remove the building budgets from the list of potential cuts. The department budgets will still be discussed in the coming months for potential savings.
The IMC paraprofessionals discussion was original going to ask for more information regarding how the staff would be utilized if we cut 1, 2, or 3 of the 4 positions in the original proposal. After more discussion I moved to eliminate only 2 of the IMC Paraprofessionals and this motion passed on a 6-1 vote. This will result in an additional $66K in savings and when added to the previous total of $745k we have cut about $811K. This is $189k short of our stated $1M deficit.
Some board members felt that this $811K amount is okay, because we still have a chance to save in departmental budgets or possibly in administrative costs or in increased open enrollment dollars. I will argue that not making the full $1M in cuts this year makes the task bigger next year, continues to use fund balance and violates board policy of keeping our fund balance above our stated goal of more than 15%, which negatively impacts our short term borrowing. I don't like any of the cuts we have made, but these are the tough decisions we have been elected to make and coming up short is a disservice to our district in my opinion. I am hopeful that we can close the gap thru the other options that we will discuss in the coming months.
On another note and this is just my opinion.......
A lot of tonights discussions centered on getting more specifics of what potential cuts would look like. While I understand the need for information, at some point the need for information becomes dangerously close to micro-management. I particularly thought we as a board (and I include myself in this statement) were doing this with regards to the building budgets and the IMC Paraprofessionals. If we want the building budgets cut by 5%, I don't think it really matters what those cuts are. We have to trust the administration to make the right decisions for their buildings. If we cut 2 paraprofessional we have to trust that Administration will utilize the remaining staff in the best manner possible. I don't feel I have the expertise to tell them where to make those cuts or which buildings to place staff in. They are the educational professionals and we have to respect their ability to make sound judgements. I will try to stay more cognizant of this in the future.
Lastly, next week is our regularly scheduled meeting and we will be discussing the topic of race relations. I know that with the press coverage we have received in the past 2 weeks this is a hot topic. I hope that we can have a thoughtful, informative and productive conversation. I don't think any single person has all the answers, but hopefully we can raise awareness, open the lines of communication and begin working on solutions. Our schools need to be a safe haven for the students and if 1 student feels it is not a safe place then we need to work to make it a safer place.
The 2 mile walk zone impacts more students than first discussed. Due to this the board agreed not to institute the walk zone as proposed. The cut to reduce the elementary arts was also removed from the list of potential cuts on a 7-0 vote.
The board also voted 6-1 to remove the building budgets from the list of potential cuts. The department budgets will still be discussed in the coming months for potential savings.
The IMC paraprofessionals discussion was original going to ask for more information regarding how the staff would be utilized if we cut 1, 2, or 3 of the 4 positions in the original proposal. After more discussion I moved to eliminate only 2 of the IMC Paraprofessionals and this motion passed on a 6-1 vote. This will result in an additional $66K in savings and when added to the previous total of $745k we have cut about $811K. This is $189k short of our stated $1M deficit.
Some board members felt that this $811K amount is okay, because we still have a chance to save in departmental budgets or possibly in administrative costs or in increased open enrollment dollars. I will argue that not making the full $1M in cuts this year makes the task bigger next year, continues to use fund balance and violates board policy of keeping our fund balance above our stated goal of more than 15%, which negatively impacts our short term borrowing. I don't like any of the cuts we have made, but these are the tough decisions we have been elected to make and coming up short is a disservice to our district in my opinion. I am hopeful that we can close the gap thru the other options that we will discuss in the coming months.
On another note and this is just my opinion.......
A lot of tonights discussions centered on getting more specifics of what potential cuts would look like. While I understand the need for information, at some point the need for information becomes dangerously close to micro-management. I particularly thought we as a board (and I include myself in this statement) were doing this with regards to the building budgets and the IMC Paraprofessionals. If we want the building budgets cut by 5%, I don't think it really matters what those cuts are. We have to trust the administration to make the right decisions for their buildings. If we cut 2 paraprofessional we have to trust that Administration will utilize the remaining staff in the best manner possible. I don't feel I have the expertise to tell them where to make those cuts or which buildings to place staff in. They are the educational professionals and we have to respect their ability to make sound judgements. I will try to stay more cognizant of this in the future.
Lastly, next week is our regularly scheduled meeting and we will be discussing the topic of race relations. I know that with the press coverage we have received in the past 2 weeks this is a hot topic. I hope that we can have a thoughtful, informative and productive conversation. I don't think any single person has all the answers, but hopefully we can raise awareness, open the lines of communication and begin working on solutions. Our schools need to be a safe haven for the students and if 1 student feels it is not a safe place then we need to work to make it a safer place.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Conversation from Peter's Blog
When you consider the real role of the board, financial and management experience is IMHO significantly more important that knowledge of education. After all the district has lots of education experts.
I disagree, we need board members who know education-because they don't respect or follow the advice of the MG experts in education (Maywood). The administration and staff clearly communicated what they felt was best for the district- and they were ignored. Not education experts, I guess.
This quote was taken from Peter's blog and I thought it needed a proper response of it's own.
I am not sure if this poster thinks my support not to delay the vote was a good thing or bad thing. I due trust the administration to make the best decisions educationally that is why we keep them employed. As long as my questions about the rationale/reasoning the administration uses gets answered I am satisfied.
Each board member brings certain strengths to the board and if we were all from education or finance or science or construction or any other field then that would be bad also. The biggest strength a board member can bring is the ability decipher the information they have and then make the tough decisions. Not being willing to make those tough decisions is were a board can fall apart.
I will always vote from the perspective of the impacts on education 1st and fiscally 2nd. If you disagree with my decisions then vote me off when I am up for election. Political factors don't really matter to me because I didn't do this for politcal aspirations. I think I am in the minority of most elected officials when it comes to the weight politics carries in decision making.
If my decisions/votes fly in the face of political agendas then so be it. In my opinion school board decisions should remain out of the normal political dealings done at the local, state and federal level. I know firsthand that some of my fellow board members have had conversations with either one of or both the Village President of CG and the Mayor of Monona regarding the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation and a potential referendum. I have no knowledge of the details of those conversations, since I was not invited to participate in them (which I prefer).
I think Mr. Mikalsen and Mr. Kahl have done and will continue to do good things for their communities, however I feel that Mr. Mikalsen and Mr. Kahl have overstepped their bounds by getting involved this in-depth with school board issues. I fully acknowledge that decisions the school district makes does impact their communities, but have they ever onced asked the school board how the decisions they make for their community impacts the school district or what the school board recommends? Have they asked the school board or Superintendant to weigh in on their local decisions? I don't think it is the school district's right to weigh in on these topics just like I don't think they should be pushing an agenda in school district matters.
Do I wish that the 3 entities would work together? ABSOLUTELY! Do I think it will happen? Probably not based on past interactions between the 3 entities, but never say never.
Okay, I have rambled enough, but let me leave you with this:
As Jessica and I have discussed:
We can agree to disagree on a vote, but after that vote we will support the decision and move on to the next issue.
With that being said, I do disagree with the Maywood/Winnequah vote, but I fully support the boards vote and now we (THAT MEANS EVERYBODY not just the board) need to move on and work on the remaining budget items and working on the next set of issues facing the district.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Questions Posed to Me
I was posed 2 questions last night and I don't have an answer to either.
How can we ask the teachers, administrators or any other district employee to take a pay freeze or furlough days when we have decided we have the funds to operate a school at 30% of capacity? (asked by a CG resident)
How can we ask Cottage Grove to justify a refendum to keep 2 elementary schools with enrollments under 200 open and yet have 2 elementary schools with enrollments around 400? (asked by a Monona resident)
My response was that I don't know how we work thru these issues, but that we will work thru them.
How can we ask the teachers, administrators or any other district employee to take a pay freeze or furlough days when we have decided we have the funds to operate a school at 30% of capacity? (asked by a CG resident)
How can we ask Cottage Grove to justify a refendum to keep 2 elementary schools with enrollments under 200 open and yet have 2 elementary schools with enrollments around 400? (asked by a Monona resident)
My response was that I don't know how we work thru these issues, but that we will work thru them.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Thank You All for the Public Input
I know that Peter's blog has a list of the budget cuts and that Jessica's blog has a couple of discussions on the upcoming vote, so I won't post about those. Instead as I sit here tonight thinking about all the information and the various conversations that I have had over the last few months I keep thinking about how our decisions tomorrow will impact the kids. How do I as a non-educational based professional determine the impact my votes will have on the kids?
Lastly, I want to thank everyone that has written e-mails, spoken at the listening sessions or spoken with me via phone or face to face regarding our budget decisions that we face tomorrow. It has been invaluable getting this feedback. As I sit here tonight re-reading many of the e-mails and recalling those conversations and listening sessions it sure helps give me perspective on what people are thinking.
Again, thank you all for your input on these difficult decisions.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone that has written e-mails, spoken at the listening sessions or spoken with me via phone or face to face regarding our budget decisions that we face tomorrow. It has been invaluable getting this feedback. As I sit here tonight re-reading many of the e-mails and recalling those conversations and listening sessions it sure helps give me perspective on what people are thinking.
Again, thank you all for your input on these difficult decisions.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Open Records Request
I was notified this afternoon that an open records request was made for an e-mail that I sent on 3/1 regarding the addition of an agenda item. The entire original e-mail is below. I stand by my assertion that the pending vote on the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation option has been held to a different process than the other recommendations from the 4k-8 Ad Hoc committee.
As you can see I originally sent the e-mail to Board President, Susan Fox, and Superitendant, Craig Gerlach, as they set the agenda for our meetings. Craig then forwarded the e-mail to the entire board. Additionally, I have an e-mail from a district resident dated 3/9 who informed me they had read my e-mail. The funny thing is that prior to today no one had made an open records request for my e-mail. I am unsure who forwarded my e-mail or the intended purpose behind forwarding it.
toSusan Fox,
CRAIG GERLACH
dateMon, Mar 1, 2010 at 9:19 PM
subjectConsolidation vote
mailed-bymgschools.net
hide details Mar 1
I will formally ask to put the discussion and possible vote of the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation on the agenda for March 10th.
I am not sure if a vote will happen, but not having the ability of putting this to a vote on the 10th is just another example of different processes for different agenda items. We have held all the listening sessions, we have all of the details and we have the Administrations recommendation. The fact that this potential consolidation is nearly cost neutral this year may mean that it should not even be part of the budget discussion when we make the cuts for this year. Any savings should be looked at, for this year, to help bring up the fund balance. The real savings starts with the budget year after consolidation, whether that happens this year, next year or in 10 years.
I understand that some will think we are fast tracking this, but I don't know how they can make that arguement when we have been discussing this at the Ad Hoc Committee since last year and at the board level for the past 2 months. Do we need to notify the residents of the district? I would say it is in our best interest to send a 1/2 page note home with elementary kids, post it on the district website, notify the City, Town and Village and contact the H-I to let everyone know that this may happen. I am sure the local community access station that broadcasts our meetings would even put a message out. Will some claim they did not know...absolutely. However, we were elected to make these hard choices and the fact that this one has not come before us in the normal process means that we are playing by 2 very different sets of rules depending on the issue. That is not acceptable.
All I ask is that this issue be posted for discussion and possible vote. Regardless of the political magnitude we must follow the process and right now we have 2 different processes being used.
Thank you for considering this.
Jason
As you can see I originally sent the e-mail to Board President, Susan Fox, and Superitendant, Craig Gerlach, as they set the agenda for our meetings. Craig then forwarded the e-mail to the entire board. Additionally, I have an e-mail from a district resident dated 3/9 who informed me they had read my e-mail. The funny thing is that prior to today no one had made an open records request for my e-mail. I am unsure who forwarded my e-mail or the intended purpose behind forwarding it.
toSusan Fox
CRAIG GERLACH
dateMon, Mar 1, 2010 at 9:19 PM
subjectConsolidation vote
mailed-bymgschools.net
hide details Mar 1
I will formally ask to put the discussion and possible vote of the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation on the agenda for March 10th.
I am not sure if a vote will happen, but not having the ability of putting this to a vote on the 10th is just another example of different processes for different agenda items. We have held all the listening sessions, we have all of the details and we have the Administrations recommendation. The fact that this potential consolidation is nearly cost neutral this year may mean that it should not even be part of the budget discussion when we make the cuts for this year. Any savings should be looked at, for this year, to help bring up the fund balance. The real savings starts with the budget year after consolidation, whether that happens this year, next year or in 10 years.
I understand that some will think we are fast tracking this, but I don't know how they can make that arguement when we have been discussing this at the Ad Hoc Committee since last year and at the board level for the past 2 months. Do we need to notify the residents of the district? I would say it is in our best interest to send a 1/2 page note home with elementary kids, post it on the district website, notify the City, Town and Village and contact the H-I to let everyone know that this may happen. I am sure the local community access station that broadcasts our meetings would even put a message out. Will some claim they did not know...absolutely. However, we were elected to make these hard choices and the fact that this one has not come before us in the normal process means that we are playing by 2 very different sets of rules depending on the issue. That is not acceptable.
All I ask is that this issue be posted for discussion and possible vote. Regardless of the political magnitude we must follow the process and right now we have 2 different processes being used.
Thank you for considering this.
Jason
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Open Enrollment
At the 3/10 Board meeting we received our 1st look at the total requests for Open Enrollment. In total we have 212 requests to transfer In and 41 to transfer Out. The breakdown by school is:
High School - In = 77 and Out = 16
Glacial Drumlin - In = 47 and Out = 8
Cottage Grove - In = 10 and Out = 2
Winnequah - In = 16 and Out = 4
Taylor Prairie - In = 10 and Out = 2
Maywood - In = 17 and Out = 4
Non-Specific (PK-6)- In = 35 and Out = 5
One of the things that I struggle with regarding open enrollment is my philosophical/ethical belief on this issue. I am of the mindset that we educate the students of our district 1st. I also believe that if you accept a student, know matter at which grade they start in our district, that you have now committed to educating them until they graduate.
Furthermore, when reviewing potential students to accept, siblings get a higher priority if space allows and that you have to look at what impact educating those students will have on our buildings at each grade level. If you accept an elementary student how will that impact enrollment at middle school and high school in future years?
Some will say that you accept each and every applicant every year. I completely disagree with this, because I believe that you don't accept an open enrollment student for purely financial reasons. Open enrollment is not a way to balance a budget.
High School - In = 77 and Out = 16
Glacial Drumlin - In = 47 and Out = 8
Cottage Grove - In = 10 and Out = 2
Winnequah - In = 16 and Out = 4
Taylor Prairie - In = 10 and Out = 2
Maywood - In = 17 and Out = 4
Non-Specific (PK-6)- In = 35 and Out = 5
One of the things that I struggle with regarding open enrollment is my philosophical/ethical belief on this issue. I am of the mindset that we educate the students of our district 1st. I also believe that if you accept a student, know matter at which grade they start in our district, that you have now committed to educating them until they graduate.
Furthermore, when reviewing potential students to accept, siblings get a higher priority if space allows and that you have to look at what impact educating those students will have on our buildings at each grade level. If you accept an elementary student how will that impact enrollment at middle school and high school in future years?
Some will say that you accept each and every applicant every year. I completely disagree with this, because I believe that you don't accept an open enrollment student for purely financial reasons. Open enrollment is not a way to balance a budget.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Administration Staffing Levels
At our listening sessions more than one person questioned our staffing levels at the Administration level. I did not know exactly how we compared to our conference or other schools in our area, so I went to the district website and did some research on the topic. It was quite easy to do, but here is what I discovered.
Compared to our conference our ratio of Administrators to students is 1:264.48. Click the link in the title to view our conference results. DeForest has the smallest ratio at 1:204.19 while Monroe has the largest at 1:293.40. MG ranks second highest on the list. Madison is at 1:255.17, so I don't think we are over staffed at the administration level.
Looking further into the different levels as broken down by this site at the conference level. We rank 3rd lowest in the ratio of students to Aides/Support/Other. We are tied for 2nd lowest in the ratio of students to Licensed Staff. Lastly we are 3rd lowest overall in students to staff ratios.
I point this out because I think having these low ratios helps us educate our students. Most research suggests that the lower the ratio of students to staff the better it is for learning. Now in light of our budget crunch the question becomes can we maintain these levels?
Compared to our conference our ratio of Administrators to students is 1:264.48. Click the link in the title to view our conference results. DeForest has the smallest ratio at 1:204.19 while Monroe has the largest at 1:293.40. MG ranks second highest on the list. Madison is at 1:255.17, so I don't think we are over staffed at the administration level.
Looking further into the different levels as broken down by this site at the conference level. We rank 3rd lowest in the ratio of students to Aides/Support/Other. We are tied for 2nd lowest in the ratio of students to Licensed Staff. Lastly we are 3rd lowest overall in students to staff ratios.
I point this out because I think having these low ratios helps us educate our students. Most research suggests that the lower the ratio of students to staff the better it is for learning. Now in light of our budget crunch the question becomes can we maintain these levels?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Board Member Role
With the budget process in high octane and the pending election, I thought I would post my thoughts on the role of a board member. These are only how I view my role and I am certain others will view a board members role differently. I base my view on my personal experiences with various boards.
A school district is run by the Superintendant. A school board is set up to make sure that the Superintendant does his/her job. A school board is designed to allocate resources and set the priorities of the district. Board members should not engage in any micro-management of the district. The board is designed to hold the Superintendant accountable for their decisions.
A good board will set goals and policies that allow the Superintendant to run the district. Under those goals and policies the Superintendant then makes decisions to achieve the best results. This includes decisions/recommendations on how to educate the students, how to staff the district, how to spend the available money, etc.
Just about every major decision that a board makes come from a recommendation made by the Superintendant. Yes, the board has the final decision on most major issues, however most board members are not professional educators. We have to take the facts presented to us by administration, input from the public, research that we may conduct on our own and any other relevant information we have and make the best decision possible for the education of the students.
If the voters feel we are making the wrong decisions then each April they can vote to make changes on the board. As a board member the voting public is who elected us and that is who we have to answer to.
Is our current board doing a good job? That is for the voters to answer.
A school district is run by the Superintendant. A school board is set up to make sure that the Superintendant does his/her job. A school board is designed to allocate resources and set the priorities of the district. Board members should not engage in any micro-management of the district. The board is designed to hold the Superintendant accountable for their decisions.
A good board will set goals and policies that allow the Superintendant to run the district. Under those goals and policies the Superintendant then makes decisions to achieve the best results. This includes decisions/recommendations on how to educate the students, how to staff the district, how to spend the available money, etc.
Just about every major decision that a board makes come from a recommendation made by the Superintendant. Yes, the board has the final decision on most major issues, however most board members are not professional educators. We have to take the facts presented to us by administration, input from the public, research that we may conduct on our own and any other relevant information we have and make the best decision possible for the education of the students.
If the voters feel we are making the wrong decisions then each April they can vote to make changes on the board. As a board member the voting public is who elected us and that is who we have to answer to.
Is our current board doing a good job? That is for the voters to answer.
Public Communication
Over the course of the past 2 weeks the board and the administration have taken a lot of hits over our communication regarding potential budget cuts. I feel the TV coverage, H-I coverage, the district website and our bi-monthly open meetings provide lots of opportunities for gathering information on what the board is discussing.
I know a lot of Monona residents said they were unaware of the potential reductions until Mayor Kahl's flyer. For this I apologize, however, I also feel that being informed is a personal decision. If you want to know what is happening you have all of the above places to find information. On average, I am estimating, we have less than 10 citizens attend a board meeting. The board tends to discuss issues at more than one meeting before making a decision.
With that being said if 1 person feels we are not providing information well enough then we as a board need to more. Therefore, here is your opportunity to tell me how we can do this better. I am looking for you the district residents to come up with ways to better communicate to you.
I know a lot of Monona residents said they were unaware of the potential reductions until Mayor Kahl's flyer. For this I apologize, however, I also feel that being informed is a personal decision. If you want to know what is happening you have all of the above places to find information. On average, I am estimating, we have less than 10 citizens attend a board meeting. The board tends to discuss issues at more than one meeting before making a decision.
With that being said if 1 person feels we are not providing information well enough then we as a board need to more. Therefore, here is your opportunity to tell me how we can do this better. I am looking for you the district residents to come up with ways to better communicate to you.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Last 2 listening sessions
There is a staff listening session on Thursday 2/18 and a public listening session on 2/20 at Winnequah from 10-12. There is also a tour of Winnequah from 9-10.
Please show up and voice your opinion.
Please show up and voice your opinion.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Maywood/Winnequah & 4th Grade Strings
I heard a lot of emotional pleas during the listening sessions. I understand the emotional side of the arguments. However, as a board member I have to remove emotion from my thought process and look at things strictly on the facts as I see them. This really comes thru on the 2 topics I have heard the most comments on...Maywood/Winnequah Consolidation and the 4th grade strings program.
Fourth Grade Strings -
Cutting a program that has about a 70% student participation rate is difficult to fathom. However, the administration rated it 9th and the board 8th on it's impact on board goals if eliminated. I have a daughter that will be in 4th grade next year and will probably gravitate towards music, so the idea of taking away an opportunity from her and the other 70% of 4th graders pains me. That being said, if I vote to keep strings then something else has to be eliminated. What would that be?
Maywood/Winnequah Consolidation -
I heard a few people mention that there are 5 Kindergarten classes this year at Maywood. Part of that is due to the 15 open enrollment students as stated in the 1/8/10 Enrollment Report. Just to be clear, per this report the number of students accepted by location are:
CG - KG-1, 1st-5, 2nd-6, 3rd-5, 4th-2 for a total of 19
Monona - KG-15, 1st-6, 2nd-4, 3rd-7, 4th-7 for a total of 39
I am just putting this out there, so that everyone can see it is not necessarily a population increase for either community, but that open enrollment plays a part also. While open enrollment does bring in funds to the district, it also has a price and we have to be aware that we need to educate our residents 1st and then we can discuss adding open enrollment students.
Based on the same report if Maywood and Winnequah are consolidated the populations of the 3 elementary schools will be: Cottage Grove - 475 students; Tayolr Prairie - 372 students and Winnequah - 483 students. If Maywood and Winnequah are not consolidated then the populations will be: Cottage Grove - 475 students; Maywood - 255 students; Tayolr Prairie - 372 students and Winnequah - 228 students.
The administration ranked this potential consolidation as #2 on their list as far as impact on board goals. We have received a letter from a group of 19 teachers at Maywood that support this consolidation. I have heard that these 19 teachers have been catching grief from parents for signing this letter. I hope that none of the teachers who signed the letter felt any pressure to sign it because that would be unfortunate.
Also, a comment by one of the speakers on Thursday when he discussed this letter was "If I had a gun to my head I might have signed it too." This was such an outlandish statement that I had to put it in my notes to post it. I almost fell out of my seat when I heard this.
Another comment that I kept hearing was "Maywood works." Well as another speaker pointed out "Maywood works because of the teachers." She also stated that a group of teachers, I missed all the names...sorry, could teach in her garage and it would work. I have to echo this sentiment that I think a good teacher can teach anywhere.
As I process all of the facts with regard to consolidation it comes down to a few key points in my mind. First, is there any significant negative impact on learning for the students affected? In this case I have to believe the staff and administration that the answer is no.
Second, does consolidation unfairly burden the children by placing them in such a large school that it is not pratical? A difference of 8 students is not unreasonable. Is a 450+ school ideal? Probably not, however it is not unheard of. I wish we could build enough schools so that all our elementary kids could experience only having 15 kids in their class and a school population of about 250. That just won't happen.
Third, what is the fiscal impact of such a move? The 1st year of this consolidation it will save about $80k ($260k less $180k) and then every year after that it will be about $260k. That is real money that can save programs and staff to better educate our students.
Based on these 3 things I think it would be impossible for me to vote against consolidation. It is complete fiscal irresponsibility to keep a school open at this time and given these budget circumstances.
As with everything when the circumstances change, and they will, we as a district have to be willing to revisit the possibility of re-opening Maywood.
Fourth Grade Strings -
Cutting a program that has about a 70% student participation rate is difficult to fathom. However, the administration rated it 9th and the board 8th on it's impact on board goals if eliminated. I have a daughter that will be in 4th grade next year and will probably gravitate towards music, so the idea of taking away an opportunity from her and the other 70% of 4th graders pains me. That being said, if I vote to keep strings then something else has to be eliminated. What would that be?
Maywood/Winnequah Consolidation -
I heard a few people mention that there are 5 Kindergarten classes this year at Maywood. Part of that is due to the 15 open enrollment students as stated in the 1/8/10 Enrollment Report. Just to be clear, per this report the number of students accepted by location are:
CG - KG-1, 1st-5, 2nd-6, 3rd-5, 4th-2 for a total of 19
Monona - KG-15, 1st-6, 2nd-4, 3rd-7, 4th-7 for a total of 39
I am just putting this out there, so that everyone can see it is not necessarily a population increase for either community, but that open enrollment plays a part also. While open enrollment does bring in funds to the district, it also has a price and we have to be aware that we need to educate our residents 1st and then we can discuss adding open enrollment students.
Based on the same report if Maywood and Winnequah are consolidated the populations of the 3 elementary schools will be: Cottage Grove - 475 students; Tayolr Prairie - 372 students and Winnequah - 483 students. If Maywood and Winnequah are not consolidated then the populations will be: Cottage Grove - 475 students; Maywood - 255 students; Tayolr Prairie - 372 students and Winnequah - 228 students.
The administration ranked this potential consolidation as #2 on their list as far as impact on board goals. We have received a letter from a group of 19 teachers at Maywood that support this consolidation. I have heard that these 19 teachers have been catching grief from parents for signing this letter. I hope that none of the teachers who signed the letter felt any pressure to sign it because that would be unfortunate.
Also, a comment by one of the speakers on Thursday when he discussed this letter was "If I had a gun to my head I might have signed it too." This was such an outlandish statement that I had to put it in my notes to post it. I almost fell out of my seat when I heard this.
Another comment that I kept hearing was "Maywood works." Well as another speaker pointed out "Maywood works because of the teachers." She also stated that a group of teachers, I missed all the names...sorry, could teach in her garage and it would work. I have to echo this sentiment that I think a good teacher can teach anywhere.
As I process all of the facts with regard to consolidation it comes down to a few key points in my mind. First, is there any significant negative impact on learning for the students affected? In this case I have to believe the staff and administration that the answer is no.
Second, does consolidation unfairly burden the children by placing them in such a large school that it is not pratical? A difference of 8 students is not unreasonable. Is a 450+ school ideal? Probably not, however it is not unheard of. I wish we could build enough schools so that all our elementary kids could experience only having 15 kids in their class and a school population of about 250. That just won't happen.
Third, what is the fiscal impact of such a move? The 1st year of this consolidation it will save about $80k ($260k less $180k) and then every year after that it will be about $260k. That is real money that can save programs and staff to better educate our students.
Based on these 3 things I think it would be impossible for me to vote against consolidation. It is complete fiscal irresponsibility to keep a school open at this time and given these budget circumstances.
As with everything when the circumstances change, and they will, we as a district have to be willing to revisit the possibility of re-opening Maywood.
Public Listening Sessions (2 of 3)
Various comments from the listening sessions: The 8 line items below are general themes and not specific quotes. Based on my notes they cover the topics most referenced in the comments.
1. Comments both for and against consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah
2. Pleas to keep the 4th grade strings program in place.
3. Citizens asking for a referendum (the # of which caught me off guard).
4. Pleas to keep Special Ed. levels as they currently are.
5. Requests to keep clerical staff levels as they are.
6. Comments on the benefits of the library staff and their current levels.
7. Do not make decisions on short sighted goals.
8. Is staff and/or admin. taking a pay cut?
As I sit here pondering all of the various comments from this past weeks 2 listening sessions a few things go thru my head. First, it was so hard to sit thru both sessions and not respond. Second, it is clear that providing correct information to the public is an area the board needs to work on. Lastly, that while intentions are good, some individuals are not willing or able to look at the big picture.
As a board member we do get more detailed information then the general public. While the district puts most, if not all, of this on the website the voters do have to search it out. The voting public also does not get the benefit of hearing each and every comment at the meetings unless you watch them all. This tends to lead to the general public having some misinformation.
This is just a flaw in the system. I am not sure how to or if it is possible to correct this. No matter how diligent the district is about posting information or how good of a job the H-I does in covering the board meetings there will always be information that the general public misses. This is one of the reasons that I believe we elect the school board: to take ALL the information and make sound rational decisions that are in the best interest of our children. The recourse is that if district residents feel an individual member does not make good decisions then they vote to not bring them back on the next time.
1. Comments both for and against consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah
2. Pleas to keep the 4th grade strings program in place.
3. Citizens asking for a referendum (the # of which caught me off guard).
4. Pleas to keep Special Ed. levels as they currently are.
5. Requests to keep clerical staff levels as they are.
6. Comments on the benefits of the library staff and their current levels.
7. Do not make decisions on short sighted goals.
8. Is staff and/or admin. taking a pay cut?
As I sit here pondering all of the various comments from this past weeks 2 listening sessions a few things go thru my head. First, it was so hard to sit thru both sessions and not respond. Second, it is clear that providing correct information to the public is an area the board needs to work on. Lastly, that while intentions are good, some individuals are not willing or able to look at the big picture.
As a board member we do get more detailed information then the general public. While the district puts most, if not all, of this on the website the voters do have to search it out. The voting public also does not get the benefit of hearing each and every comment at the meetings unless you watch them all. This tends to lead to the general public having some misinformation.
This is just a flaw in the system. I am not sure how to or if it is possible to correct this. No matter how diligent the district is about posting information or how good of a job the H-I does in covering the board meetings there will always be information that the general public misses. This is one of the reasons that I believe we elect the school board: to take ALL the information and make sound rational decisions that are in the best interest of our children. The recourse is that if district residents feel an individual member does not make good decisions then they vote to not bring them back on the next time.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Mayor Kahl
Really Mr. Kahl?
I am very disappointed that you felt the need to use public resources to promote what I feel is misleading information. For those that are not aware, Mr. Kahl had uniformed police officers distributing a flyer today regarding the district listening sessions. Please see the flyer at Peter Sobol's blog.
The school board has had discussions on potentially consolidating Maywood and Winnequah at previous meetings. It was discussed briefly at the Jan. 13th meeting and the board asked for more information, which led to it not being included in the surveys that we completed. It was on the staff survey, because they had some more detailed discussions internally.
There was discussion at the Jan. 27th meeting where even more information was requested. Then last night we had more discussions regarding this issue. This potential change was not listed on the preliminary reduction list from because "Has not been discussed in detail by the board". I agree with that statement as we did just receive more information last night. Does that mean this potential consolidation had not been discussed? Not in my opinion, as it was an on-going point of discussion.
I appreciate the help that we will get from this for getting district residents to attend the listening sessions. Mayor Kahl making this about 1 issue is unfortunate as we have many potential cuts and all will impact our students.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
I may or may not agree with Mayor Kahl's distribution, my opinion does not count as I am not a resident of Monona. My displeasure with his flyer was the shock and awe theme to it.
I am very disappointed that you felt the need to use public resources to promote what I feel is misleading information. For those that are not aware, Mr. Kahl had uniformed police officers distributing a flyer today regarding the district listening sessions. Please see the flyer at Peter Sobol's blog.
The school board has had discussions on potentially consolidating Maywood and Winnequah at previous meetings. It was discussed briefly at the Jan. 13th meeting and the board asked for more information, which led to it not being included in the surveys that we completed. It was on the staff survey, because they had some more detailed discussions internally.
There was discussion at the Jan. 27th meeting where even more information was requested. Then last night we had more discussions regarding this issue. This potential change was not listed on the preliminary reduction list from because "Has not been discussed in detail by the board". I agree with that statement as we did just receive more information last night. Does that mean this potential consolidation had not been discussed? Not in my opinion, as it was an on-going point of discussion.
I appreciate the help that we will get from this for getting district residents to attend the listening sessions. Mayor Kahl making this about 1 issue is unfortunate as we have many potential cuts and all will impact our students.
POINT OF CLARIFICATION
I may or may not agree with Mayor Kahl's distribution, my opinion does not count as I am not a resident of Monona. My displeasure with his flyer was the shock and awe theme to it.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
E-mails Received
My fellow board members and I have received numerous e-mails from staff and district residents regarding the proposed budget reductions. Please keep them coming because the more people we hear from the better in my opinion. While I do not answer many e-mails, because the board decided that the board president would respond, I do read them all and review the specific comments to help give me a point of view that may or may not align with mine.
I do have one issue with some of the e-mails we have received. Those that have been in support of one teacher and how we need to save this one individuals job is a bit troubling. The discussions that I have been a part of and the proposed cuts as I see them are not about one teacher, but about programs or staff positions. It does not matter to me who fills a specific role, but more a question of is that position(s) a must keep position. Teachers will always come and go but the position may remain.
I am sure that some will take exception with this point of view and I understand why. We have good teachers and no one, including myself, wants to lose any of them. However, based purely on the financial reality we may have to lose some. An organization as labor intensive as a school district can only cut so much around the edges before it comes down to staff and programs.
Sometimes a program is deemed non-essential and gets cut which also reduces staff. Sometimes reduction in staff is deemed an appropriate step in order to save a program. It is a delicate balancing act, but in either case the labor intensive organization has to reduce costs thru staff reductions. This is just the grim reality.
Please keep the e-mails coming, but be assured that any potential cuts (as I view them) are not about individual teachers and rather about the actual position or program.
I do have one issue with some of the e-mails we have received. Those that have been in support of one teacher and how we need to save this one individuals job is a bit troubling. The discussions that I have been a part of and the proposed cuts as I see them are not about one teacher, but about programs or staff positions. It does not matter to me who fills a specific role, but more a question of is that position(s) a must keep position. Teachers will always come and go but the position may remain.
I am sure that some will take exception with this point of view and I understand why. We have good teachers and no one, including myself, wants to lose any of them. However, based purely on the financial reality we may have to lose some. An organization as labor intensive as a school district can only cut so much around the edges before it comes down to staff and programs.
Sometimes a program is deemed non-essential and gets cut which also reduces staff. Sometimes reduction in staff is deemed an appropriate step in order to save a program. It is a delicate balancing act, but in either case the labor intensive organization has to reduce costs thru staff reductions. This is just the grim reality.
Please keep the e-mails coming, but be assured that any potential cuts (as I view them) are not about individual teachers and rather about the actual position or program.
2/4 Teacher Listening Session
The 1st of 2 teacher listening session took place Thursday night. I think that it was exactly what I expected it to be. Mr. Gerlach estimated attendance at around 50 teachers. There were 16 teachers that got up and spoke, with most of them from the areas of related arts. Mr. Gerlach gave each person 3 minutes to speak and only had to cut off 3 or 4 of the speakers for running long.
I appreciate each person that attended the session for taking the time to come and listen. For those that got up and spoke I thank you for giving your thoughts and feelings. I expected nothing less from our staff, so thank you for your passion and dedication to the children of our district.
I wish there was a golden parachute available to fix the districts budget issues. Unfortunately, the reality is that positions will probably have to be cut. I hope that my fellow board members will join me in finding ways to cut or make operational changes that won't cost jobs first. Then we will have to make the hard choices of how to reduce overhead costs with the least impact on student education.
While there was a good number of teachers in attendance on Thursday, I hope that there are even more at the next session on 2/18. Your voices do factor into my decision making process, so please get up and speak or send e-mails or phone me or whatever, but please speak your mind (in a polite manner).
I appreciate each person that attended the session for taking the time to come and listen. For those that got up and spoke I thank you for giving your thoughts and feelings. I expected nothing less from our staff, so thank you for your passion and dedication to the children of our district.
I wish there was a golden parachute available to fix the districts budget issues. Unfortunately, the reality is that positions will probably have to be cut. I hope that my fellow board members will join me in finding ways to cut or make operational changes that won't cost jobs first. Then we will have to make the hard choices of how to reduce overhead costs with the least impact on student education.
While there was a good number of teachers in attendance on Thursday, I hope that there are even more at the next session on 2/18. Your voices do factor into my decision making process, so please get up and speak or send e-mails or phone me or whatever, but please speak your mind (in a polite manner).
Sunday, January 31, 2010
6th Grade
Last Wednesday we heard from the administration regarding a potential change in 6th grade programming and possibly having the Monona 6th grade attend Glacial Drumlin. This is a 2 pronged issue. First, does the district want our 6th grade to be an elementary or middle school program? Second, should they attend the same school or keep the status quo?
In the course of the discussion it became clear that this is an issue that internally the administration has had some discussion on. Do they have a recommendation? I am not sure if they have a recommendation, but I think they have preliminary thoughts on this issue.
Personnally, I like the idea of 6th grade being a middle school program. Additionally, if there is little to no impact on having the entire 6th grade in one building then I think that is a reasonable consideration that should be discussed. I understand that this may not be a popular decision, based on referendum voting, but if this makes for the best environment for ALL STUDENTS to learn in and is recommended by the administration then the board will have to give it strong consideration.
Right now I am not convinced we need to have all 6th graders in one building, but like many topics we are discussing it may come down to finances. If there is a savings and little impact on learning then I could support it. If there is a savings, but a significant impact on learning then I have a harder time with consolidating the 6th grade into one building.
In the course of the discussion it became clear that this is an issue that internally the administration has had some discussion on. Do they have a recommendation? I am not sure if they have a recommendation, but I think they have preliminary thoughts on this issue.
Personnally, I like the idea of 6th grade being a middle school program. Additionally, if there is little to no impact on having the entire 6th grade in one building then I think that is a reasonable consideration that should be discussed. I understand that this may not be a popular decision, based on referendum voting, but if this makes for the best environment for ALL STUDENTS to learn in and is recommended by the administration then the board will have to give it strong consideration.
Right now I am not convinced we need to have all 6th graders in one building, but like many topics we are discussing it may come down to finances. If there is a savings and little impact on learning then I could support it. If there is a savings, but a significant impact on learning then I have a harder time with consolidating the 6th grade into one building.
Budget Reductions
Well this past week got to see the results from the surveys that the administration and board took. There were 24 items that both the administration and board ranked within 5 spots of each other. I think that is outstanding, considering the board has no expertise on the impact on learning any of these options will have. There were 13 items that we have varying opinions on. Additionally, the administration ranked the proposed cut in Athletics and the consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah, while the board did not. Some board members did not feel they had enough information on either topic to rank them.
We got to see the preliminary budget reductions from the administration. We also got the list of items that were not on the preliminary list. Iwill say that it was about what I expected. The preliminary reductions closely followed the administration survey rankings. The noticeable exceptions are the consolidation of Maywood/Winnequah, eliminate the Practice Bus, Increase grade 7&8 workload from 4 to 5 classes/day for core academic teachers and eliminate 4th & 5th grade strings.
After having even more time to review these documents (the survey results & reduction lists) I am even more convinced that the results of the administration surveys carry far greater weight than that of the board. While we agreed on many of these items my opinion is that their expertise on educational impact needs to be judged accordingly. The administration knows what it takes to run a classroom, a school and a district far better than I do. I can only offer insight, observations, recommendations and guidance to make this district the best learning environment possible given the resources we have.
However, I will not blindly follow the administration recommendations when the tough decisions have to be made. Which I hope will be made sooner than later for the sake of the district.
We got to see the preliminary budget reductions from the administration. We also got the list of items that were not on the preliminary list. Iwill say that it was about what I expected. The preliminary reductions closely followed the administration survey rankings. The noticeable exceptions are the consolidation of Maywood/Winnequah, eliminate the Practice Bus, Increase grade 7&8 workload from 4 to 5 classes/day for core academic teachers and eliminate 4th & 5th grade strings.
After having even more time to review these documents (the survey results & reduction lists) I am even more convinced that the results of the administration surveys carry far greater weight than that of the board. While we agreed on many of these items my opinion is that their expertise on educational impact needs to be judged accordingly. The administration knows what it takes to run a classroom, a school and a district far better than I do. I can only offer insight, observations, recommendations and guidance to make this district the best learning environment possible given the resources we have.
However, I will not blindly follow the administration recommendations when the tough decisions have to be made. Which I hope will be made sooner than later for the sake of the district.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Board Meeting 1/27/10
This Wed. we have our next meeting. As you can see from the agenda there are quite a few topics that should be of interest. We will review among other things the prior years financial statements, use of Nichols school, the 4k-8 grade configuration and of course the budget.
Despite the fact that many in attendance at the last meeting had to watch & listen from the hallway I hope that many attend again this week. I know that the Herald Independant had an editorial on the need for space at the district office. While I agree that for the last meeting more space was needed that is not the case for most meetings. More times than not there are empty chairs for the meetings at the district office.
This past week I attended the WASB Annual Convention in Milwaukee. This was my first year at the convention and this was one of THE BEST conventions have ever been too. The way that it was arranged, the topics that were available to attend and the presentations of the topics was first rate. I attended many different presentations and I would classify only one as a bad choice.
The 4k-8 grade configuration study will be a hot topic this week. I think that most will agree that realigning the district into 2 separate 4k-8 community based environments and then merging in high school is an almost unthinkable proposition due to the costs associated with this idea. While I think it was beneficial to study this option the $1M+ price tag is just not feasible given the districts current economic environment.
The other aspects to come out of the 4k-8 committee still have to be discussed, which I am presuming we will do this week. Items like having all 6th graders at Glacial Drumlin, modular units in Cottage Grove, real estate options for the district and realigning Cottage Grove and Taylor Prairie into 4k-4 schools.
Based on Mr. Gerlach's statements at the last meeting it appears we could get some recommendations from the administration this week. We still have a couple items that we have not discussed as thoroughly as some others, like cuts to athletics and the consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah. The cuts to athletics are proposed to be a $25k reduction to their overall budget. How this reduction would impact athletics directly would be up to administration to reallocate their remaining resources.
I will also be raising the question of what can the board due to help the budget problem? I will submit 2 options for the board to consider. Hopefully other board members will have other ideas and we can come up with a way to save some money. I know that we cannot save a lot of money, but every little bit will help.
The potential Maywood/Winnequah consolidation is an extremely hot topic. I don't think that anyone would like to see the schools consolidated unless absolutely necessary. As I look at this issue I have been on both sides of keeping the schools open and consolidating them. However, I keep coming back to one point that I just cannot shake. Based on pure economics it appears to come down to keeping a school open or keeping 5 - 10 staff members employed. Which of these has the bigger impact on student learning?
Despite the fact that many in attendance at the last meeting had to watch & listen from the hallway I hope that many attend again this week. I know that the Herald Independant had an editorial on the need for space at the district office. While I agree that for the last meeting more space was needed that is not the case for most meetings. More times than not there are empty chairs for the meetings at the district office.
This past week I attended the WASB Annual Convention in Milwaukee. This was my first year at the convention and this was one of THE BEST conventions have ever been too. The way that it was arranged, the topics that were available to attend and the presentations of the topics was first rate. I attended many different presentations and I would classify only one as a bad choice.
The 4k-8 grade configuration study will be a hot topic this week. I think that most will agree that realigning the district into 2 separate 4k-8 community based environments and then merging in high school is an almost unthinkable proposition due to the costs associated with this idea. While I think it was beneficial to study this option the $1M+ price tag is just not feasible given the districts current economic environment.
The other aspects to come out of the 4k-8 committee still have to be discussed, which I am presuming we will do this week. Items like having all 6th graders at Glacial Drumlin, modular units in Cottage Grove, real estate options for the district and realigning Cottage Grove and Taylor Prairie into 4k-4 schools.
Based on Mr. Gerlach's statements at the last meeting it appears we could get some recommendations from the administration this week. We still have a couple items that we have not discussed as thoroughly as some others, like cuts to athletics and the consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah. The cuts to athletics are proposed to be a $25k reduction to their overall budget. How this reduction would impact athletics directly would be up to administration to reallocate their remaining resources.
I will also be raising the question of what can the board due to help the budget problem? I will submit 2 options for the board to consider. Hopefully other board members will have other ideas and we can come up with a way to save some money. I know that we cannot save a lot of money, but every little bit will help.
The potential Maywood/Winnequah consolidation is an extremely hot topic. I don't think that anyone would like to see the schools consolidated unless absolutely necessary. As I look at this issue I have been on both sides of keeping the schools open and consolidating them. However, I keep coming back to one point that I just cannot shake. Based on pure economics it appears to come down to keeping a school open or keeping 5 - 10 staff members employed. Which of these has the bigger impact on student learning?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Budget Survey Answers
I have uploaded my answers to the budget survey. Just click on the title of this post and you should be redirected to my answers.
Monday, January 18, 2010
District Budget
General Observations
First, a big thank you to the administration and staff that have put in countless hours to compile and analyze the items before the board for discussion. When you start looking at positions to cut and are able to identify them with a specific individual it really gets tough to throw those items out for discussion. I think that when you need to drastically reduce spending like we have that there are NO areas that are off limits.
The Survey
The administrators and the board are to complete a survey by tomorrow. The survey is to rate the negative impact each item has on district goals....in our opinion. Ms. Fox has informed us that after consulting the WASB legal counsel that our completion of the survey does not violate Open Meetings laws. The reasoning is that we as a board are not making decisions or having discussions. Since this survey is just an advisory piece to help Mr. Gerlach make a recommendation to the board this reasoning makes sense to me.
I know that some have asked to make the boards surveys public, but I think that should rest with each member. Assuming I have saved mine correctly, I will post it here. I did not post a response to some of the questions, because my opinion carries little weight vs. the administrations. I have thoughts and opinions on each of these areas, but I do not have the expertise to rate the negative impact increasing class size has on our goals (for example). Increasing class size ranges to help stop overload pay I do feel able to rate, because that is a strictly financial decision in my opinion.
Budget E-Mails
I have received many e-mails at my board address (jason_mccutchin@mononagrove.org), as have other board members. Please keep them coming. While I don't respond to them all individually please be assured that I do take the the time to read them and save them for reference.
First, a big thank you to the administration and staff that have put in countless hours to compile and analyze the items before the board for discussion. When you start looking at positions to cut and are able to identify them with a specific individual it really gets tough to throw those items out for discussion. I think that when you need to drastically reduce spending like we have that there are NO areas that are off limits.
The Survey
The administrators and the board are to complete a survey by tomorrow. The survey is to rate the negative impact each item has on district goals....in our opinion. Ms. Fox has informed us that after consulting the WASB legal counsel that our completion of the survey does not violate Open Meetings laws. The reasoning is that we as a board are not making decisions or having discussions. Since this survey is just an advisory piece to help Mr. Gerlach make a recommendation to the board this reasoning makes sense to me.
I know that some have asked to make the boards surveys public, but I think that should rest with each member. Assuming I have saved mine correctly, I will post it here. I did not post a response to some of the questions, because my opinion carries little weight vs. the administrations. I have thoughts and opinions on each of these areas, but I do not have the expertise to rate the negative impact increasing class size has on our goals (for example). Increasing class size ranges to help stop overload pay I do feel able to rate, because that is a strictly financial decision in my opinion.
Budget E-Mails
I have received many e-mails at my board address (jason_mccutchin@mononagrove.org), as have other board members. Please keep them coming. While I don't respond to them all individually please be assured that I do take the the time to read them and save them for reference.
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