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.
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I do not think the pleas were emotional.
ReplyDeleteI heard do not close the school it will affect my child, my community and my family. I heard that from a lot of people.
I do not think you can compare the size of schools across both communities. The equal argument is a bunch of horse poop because if we go down that road-oh boy.
The theme I heard was "babies are everywhere" in Monona. If that's the case, then Maywood will reopen. It is utter nonsense to say this can never happen. A little history lesson - Nichols was shuttered for several years until it was needed again and then it was reopened. Common sense under these budget circumstances is to close Maywood for now, sell Nichols and hang onto Maywood in case we need it again.
ReplyDeleteListen to the teachers!!!!!! They understand the programs and staff are what matter - they can deliver the same services and education at Winnequah they do at Maywood. Good heavens, there were once kindergartners at Winnequah. The collective memories are very short....
"I do not think the pleas were emotional.
ReplyDeleteI heard do not close the school it will affect my child, my community and my family."
Isn't this an emotional plea?
Also, I don't think I stated this as an equity issue. It has been suggested that Winnequah would be substantially larger than the other 2 elementaries. It will be bigger than Taylor Prairie, but virtually identical to Cottage Grove. I just wanted to put that argument to bed, both for myself and the public.
I am a teacher in the district and I can guarantee you that all signatures on "the letter" were completely voluntary and signify honest support of the consolidation. The same letter was signed by 19 Winnequah teachers and sent to Mr. Gerlach this week. Again, all signatures were completely voluntary. We believe in our ability to embrace a new configuration, and to provide the same quality education that has worked at Maywood, Nichols, and Winnequah for many years.
ReplyDelete"Isn't this an emotional plea?"
ReplyDeleteSo every decision in this district must be made from a logical rational point of view. It is a school not a factory.
"Also, I don't think I stated this as an equity issue. "
You make it a equity issue when you start talking about school size.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteyour argument about school size has no merit. THere are no 4 or 5 year olds at CG Elementary. There is a reason for that. As there is a reason for TP being the size it is.
Smaller school communities work best for our younger students.
It might be good for you to remember that there are a lot of us out here who are a hell of a lot smarter than you are.
You'll look like an idiot less often that way.
Why attack Jason's intelligence? Can you give a better solution, right now, to all the potential budget cuts? By closing Maywood, students will still have programs that the majority are enrolled. I wish parents would not only look at what their child is going through right now, but look at what is best for all children. We need to close Maywood to save our valuable programs that families search for before moving to a community.
ReplyDeleteI agree there are a lot of people out there smarter than me.
ReplyDeleteJason, you have been trying to close Monona schools before you even ran for school board. You have continuously represented only PART of your district you were elected to serve.
ReplyDeleteReally? Can you give examples of what you acccuse him?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't want to save $250,000 by consolidating Maywood and Winnequah, please propose alternate cuts that are practical, legal and total this amount.
I might not agree with every board member, but what they must do with this budget situation really stinks. You could at least show them some respect for that. Or at least not attack them with anonymous accusations you do not back up with facts.
"Jason, you have been trying to close Monona schools before you even ran for school board. You have continuously represented only PART of your district you were elected to serve."
ReplyDeleteYes, since I joined the 4K - 8 Ad Hoc group I have been of the opinion that consolidating Maywood and Winnequah was a viable option. However, I also thought that the 4K-8 in each committee was a viable option until the fiscal reality hit me in the face. I also thought that bussing 4th and 5th grade CG kids to Monona was a viable option until the fiscal tag proved it wasn't.
I don't think of this as closing a school, but as a way to better allocate our resources to help all our students get the best education we can provide. If that goal is wrong then I got into the school board for the wrong reason.
Jason,
ReplyDeleteI hear that the MG school district is currently taking bids to out source our food service. Is this true? Thanks.
I would say you don't belong on the School Board!! At what point did this become about allocating resources and not educating children! It's easy for you to say this as you sit back and represent CG families who have Pre-K -8 in their OWN community and in schools that are sized appropriately for the age groups in them. That is not going to be the case in Monona.
ReplyDeleteWhere I come from, that is called a DOUBLE STANDARD. Sorry, doesn't fly for me.
Yes, administration is looking into this possibility.
ReplyDeleteFood service is suppossed to have a balanced fund balance each year, but the past year or 2 it has not and we have had to use fund balance to cover the difference. Therefore, administration is looking at out sourcing as a potential way to resolve this difference.
By outsourcing our cost will be similar to our current expenditures, but if our participation/revenue falls short of budget we won't have to use fund balance to make up the difference. Any company we might outsource with would take that risk.
To anonymous on Feb 18, 2010, 9:07AM.
ReplyDeleteConsolidating under-utilized buildings in order to save Educational programs that are to be cut DISTRICT WIDE (Strings, music arts etc.) is not a "DOUBLE STANDARD". It is doing exactly what I would expect the school board to do: Maximize and balance the quality of education across the entire district.
Yes, I am from cottage grove but would have the same objective opinion if I were from Monona. We have an opportunity to improve efficiency and save these educational programs for all students. Lets do it!
Shawn -
ReplyDeleteWAKE UP. Maywood goes this year, and great, that's a quarter of the savings you need next year AND enrollment goes down, so goes your revenue with it.
What are you going to do next year? YUP, that's RIGHT. There goes your art and music. Buhbye.
It is a DOUBLE STANDARD. As CG residents, you continue to ask Monona to do MORE with LESS. Not fair, and not EDUCATIONALLY EQUITABLE. Last time I read board policy, that was a part of the mission statement.
BS in my opinion.
Anon-
ReplyDeleteOk, so there's a bigger picture issue I don't quite understand. Is there a continual $1M shortfall in each of the up and coming years?
If so, doesn't the same hold true then if we keep Maywood this year and we make the other cuts? Next year enrollment goes down, so goes your revenue with it.
What are we going to do next year? YUP, that's RIGHT. There goes your Maywood. Buhbye.
Please present your solution to the problem.
I'm a Monona resident and I tend to agree with Shawn above. I don't think enrollment will go down because Maywood closes. I think people want to come to our district because of good teachers and good programs, not the building where these are housed.
ReplyDeleteI feel the whole district has been effected by the budget crunch the last few years. I don't feel like Monona has been doing more with less either. Winnequah beats out both CGE and Taylor Prairie in my opinion. The rooms are bigger, and there is a room for each class, kids have much more space to play, and there's a library a block away.
Both of our towns benefit by combining resources. Check out division 4 school districts with 1000 kids total and see how little they offer for music, AP classes or sports. They're often stuck in 1 building for K-8 or K-12, and a Monona School district or a Cottage Grove School District would soon become the same.
We will either need a referendum and/or face a million dollar cut each year. I support a referendum, but have doubts that the rest of the district would vote yes, especially with this ecconomy. Maywood will end up being the only cut left at some time, and the first year it is cut, it will not save as much (because of the move).
Combining Maywood and Winnequah this year makes the really hard cuts next year a little easier (by about $100,000). Every district is cutting something, and we are almost lucky that we can cut a building instead of only teachers and programs. The longer we can keep extra programs like strings, the more likely we'll be a more attractive district to both open enrollment and new families.
The number of Kindergarten children at Maywood has doubled in two years per the district enrollment report (see graphs) from the end of last year (the update is what Jason is referring to that does not contain the graphs). This number DOES NOT include open enrollment and this is clearly stated in the report. Open enrollment is a paper tiger. The fact is that there are babies everywhere in Monona...and cute ones too!
ReplyDeleteI hope the enrollment continues to increase in both communities for awhile. We're in a bubble funding system that means as long as things keep growing, funding will increase.
ReplyDeleteYou can see from the tech bubble, the housing bubble or the commodities bubble how poor of a system it is, but until it changes, enrollment growth is a good thing.
having observed you on tv at the ad hoc meetings- you never considered busing cg kids to monona. You basically shot that idea down from the get go. So, don't even try to act like it now.
ReplyDelete