Cutch's Corner

Teacher Contracts Extended thru 6/12

2011-03-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

On Friday afternoon (3/11) 6 of 7 school board members were able to meet during a special meeting to discuss extending the contract with the MGEA until June 30, 2012. The meeting was not just to extend the current expiring deal, but rather to agree to changes for the 1 year extension only. Below are the some of the provisions that changed (as copied from Peter's blog, because I am too lazy to retype them):

1) Teachers will contribute 1/2 the WRS pension contributions from their salary. This is the same requirement as the "Budget repair bill".

2) Teachers will pay 12.6% of their health insurance costs. This is the same requirement as the "Budget repair bill".

3) Only teachers currently eligible for retirement within the next 5 years will retain the current retirement benefits. No provisions for retirement benefits for teachers retiring beyond the next 5 years are provided in the contract, these will be up to the board to provide in policy.

4) There will be a 0% increase to the salary schedule, although step and lane increases will occur.

5) The district calendar will be determined by the board and is no longer a subject of bargaining, teacher transfers also become a management prerogative.

The contract was extended on a 5 - 1 vote. I was the lone dissenting vote. The main reason that I voted against the measure was that I felt it was moved on too fast.

From the teacher perspective I am guessing that having the peace of mind on a contract for an additional year was worth the changes to their existing contract. From the district perspective, the gains made in providing relief to the budget are great.

As I stated when we voted on the extension, this is a good deal for the district, but I think it is a deal that we could have given to the MGEA after the budget repair bill becomes law. Is it better to reach a deal together vs. mandating one, which is what we could have done when the law changes? Without question it is!

I don't like making decisions and limiting flexibility for next year when we don't yet know what the rules of the game are. However, for better or worse the regulations as it relates to employee relations for the district will change in the very near future. It is this uncertaintity that gave me pause and concern that we were rushing into a deal.

Maywood/Winnequah Consolidation

2010-12-22T08:36:00.000-06:00

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.

Upcoming Monona Library Events

2010-12-02T19:39:00.000-06:00

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.

Post season football

2010-12-01T20:44:00.000-06:00

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!!!

Absence

2010-12-01T20:25:00.000-06:00

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

Monona Library Event

2010-11-09T12:03:00.002-06:00

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)

Letters from the Public

2010-10-18T21:26:00.000-05:00

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

Upcoming Events

2010-09-30T16:59:00.000-05:00

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.

MGEA Negotiations

2010-09-27T19:31:00.000-05:00

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.

Badgers Offensive Preview

2010-08-25T22:27:00.000-05:00

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.

Packers Outlook

2010-07-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

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.

Brewers Trade Deadline Thoughts

2010-07-28T09:50:00.002-05:00

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.

R.I.P. Maggie

2010-07-25T21:21:00.000-05:00

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!

Recent Absence

2010-06-28T10:10:00.000-05:00

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.

Teacher Negotiations

2010-06-07T23:10:00.000-05:00

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

June 2nd Special Meeting

2010-06-01T21:09:00.000-05:00

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.

Alt School Location

2010-05-16T18:12:00.000-05:00

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.

Visionary or Historian

2010-05-08T21:19:00.000-05:00

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.

Wed. May 28th Board Meeting

2010-04-28T22:56:00.003-05:00

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.

Potential Staff Reductions

2010-04-25T09:31:00.000-05:00

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.

Paralysis by Analysis

2010-04-25T08:43:00.000-05:00

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.

Special Budget Meeting

2010-04-07T23:51:00.000-05:00

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.

Conversation from Peter's Blog

2010-03-30T10:25:00.001-05:00

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.

Questions Posed to Me

2010-03-25T09:35:00.000-05:00

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.

Thank You All for the Public Input

2010-03-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

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.

Open Records Request

2010-03-16T22:13:00.000-05:00

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

Open Enrollment

2010-03-14T20:01:00.000-05:00

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.

Administration Staffing Levels

2010-03-02T20:24:00.003-06:00

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?

Board Member Role

2010-02-21T08:19:00.001-06:00

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.

Public Communication

2010-02-21T07:36:00.000-06:00

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.

Last 2 listening sessions

2010-02-17T16:56:00.000-06:00

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.

Maywood/Winnequah & 4th Grade Strings

2010-02-14T11:48:00.001-06:00

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.

Public Listening Sessions (2 of 3)

2010-02-14T10:19:00.000-06:00

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.

Mayor Kahl

2010-02-11T14:59:00.007-06:00

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.

E-mails Received

2010-02-06T10:13:00.003-06:00

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.

2/4 Teacher Listening Session

2010-02-06T09:35:00.001-06:00

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).

6th Grade

2010-01-31T22:36:00.004-06:00

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.

Budget Reductions

2010-01-31T22:10:00.001-06:00

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.

Board Meeting 1/27/10

2010-01-25T22:34:00.000-06:00

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?

Budget Survey Answers

2010-01-22T13:53:00.002-06:00

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.

District Budget

2010-01-18T22:32:00.005-06:00

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.

Homecoming Cancelled

2009-10-01T08:31:00.002-05:00

A lot has been made about Dr. Brost's decision to cancel homecoming this year. Here is a link to the Channel 15 story. http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/62990077.html
Here is a link to Doug Wood's blog. http://mononadoug.blogspot.com/2009/09/mg-cancels-homecoming-still-bad-idea.html

As I told Dr. Brost, my initial reaction was that he had lost his mind. I could not fathom any reasons as to why a district would cancel homecoming. Homecoming was always a great source of pride for the school district and the community. The students, the alumni and district residents would fill the streets for the parade, the gym for the pep rally and the stands for the game. This was my experience in high school.

All of these thoughts came rushing into my head as Dr. Brost was telling about his intentions. However, after listening to Dr. Brost and his thought process and reasoning, I had a very different view point. The fact that he discussed his decision with some students to gauge their reaction. The fact that his voice and posture indicated this was a very difficult decision. The fact that he felt this was "the last resort". And partially because of some of the outrageous pranks that have been done over the years, I think Dr. Brost made the correct decision. I support your decision 100% Dr. Brost.

I hate the idea of taking away an activity/event from all students when it is a small minority causing the issues. However, if you look at it on a smaller scale, how many parents punish all of their kids when 1 makes a mistake and the others are "innocent bystanders"? I have seen and heard many do this. If cancelling homecoming causes the students to better "police" themselves in the future then everyone will owe Dr. Brost a big thank you.

Norton Resignation

2009-09-25T14:50:00.002-05:00

When I first heard about Mr. Norton's resignation my first reaction was shock. Secondly, I wondered if someone in his family was ill, because of the "significant personal reasons" stated in the article. Now that appears not to be the case.

I will state that I am disappointed that Mr. Norton will be unable to serve the entire term, but I also understand that circumstances change. Above all else Mr. Norton MUST do what is best for him and his family.

Scott, I wish you well in your future endeavors.

The name of this post will link you to the Herald Independent story on Mr. Norton's resignation.

Where does that leave the Village of CG and the trustees? Well we need an individual to fill this role of leading us as there are some very significant issues coming down the pipe. Does this individual serve the remainder of the term or just until a special election? On that I see both sides and at this point I don't have a strong opinion either way. My gut tends to lead towards the thought that it is an elected position, so hold a special election. However, the thought of potentially having 3 Village Presidents in 12 months is extremely unusual and rare.

Do we appoint a current trustee to the Village President position and then hold a special election for that seat in April? This scenario seems to work on many fronts. As my personal experience has shown me, the learning curve when getting into Village office or School Board is steep. It may work better to "promote" a trustee, even if they only have 5 or 6 months experience, and then elect another person into that trustees position.

I will follow this intently as I am curious how this will play out.

Norton Clarification e-mail received

2009-09-25T14:35:00.003-05:00

I have received an e-mail from Richard Kerr and with his permission I am posting the body of it here. It is exactly as I received it. If anyone would care to respond to Mr. Kerr's e-mail I will post that also.

Hello,
The purpose of this message is to get out the truth about false rumors
floating around the Village. If you do not want to hear the truth, then stop
reading this message.

1. Scott Norton resigned his Village
President position because he and his family are moving to
Florida.

2. When the Village Board voted Monday evening to appoint
a replacement for the duration of Scott’s term, they acted fully in compliance
with state law. The only other option they had was to let the vacancy ride until
next April.
Anyone who knows the issues facing the Village understands that
we could not afford to have the Village Presidency vacant for the next 7 months.
Even the Village Administrator stated in yesterday’s Wisconsin State Journal
that “There’s a lot on the plate right now, so it’s important to have a village
president.”
It has been suggested that the Village Board appoint a
replacement now but only until next April. It has been suggested that the
Village President position “rotate” among Trustees or others for the next 7
months. None of this is provided for under state law.
Village Board openings
in the past, including Village President, have been filled by appointment by the
Village Board.
3. There was a misleading petition being circulated by people
who should know better stating that the state law requires the Village Board to
call a special election next April. This statement is false and anyone who
signed this petition was intentionally misled.
4. In spite of the Village
Board’s decision on Monday, certain “library supporters” tried to get the
Chamber of Commerce to go on record stating that the Village Board ought to
reconsider their decision. Those who attempted to influence the Chamber of
Commerce ought to be ashamed of themselves.
These are the facts.
The
Village Board is trying to get through this difficult time in the best manner
possible and in accordance with state law. Please consider showing your support
for them with an e-mail message or a phone call.
If you wish to discuss this
matter further, please reply to this message or call me at 839-0267.
Richard
Kerr

These thoughts, comments and opinions are solely those of Mr. Kerr. I normally would not post this but in this instance felt that there was some valuable information enclosed, namely Mr. Norton's reason for resignation. I also do not feel it would be fair to only post a portion of the e-mail; hence my posting of the entire e-mail.

Sept. 22nd Board Meeting

2009-09-23T20:30:00.002-05:00

Last night the board heard a presentation from Dr. Charles Venegoni, who is the Division Head of English and Fine Arts @ John Hersey High School in Arlington, IL. Dr. Venegoni's presentation focused on his Aligned by Design, which as systematic approach to education. Thru this approach John Hersey and other schools who have adopted this approach have achieved some, what I would call, significant results on the ACT Test.

The data presented by Dr. Venegoni paints a very good picture of this system. It really showed how all students benefit from this system. Aligned by Design has been implemented at some very diverse districts (both economically and racially) and the results have been very good. One of the things that I found interesting is that the data also shows that the higher the students score on the Explore test (taken in 8th grade) the higher their potential to score on the ACT (taken in 11th grade). That seems logical, but what I liked most was that the growth this system showed vs. others.

For the the schools that scored with in 1 point of Northtown Academy (one of the schools using this system in Chicago) on the Explore test none had the growth that Northtown did. Of the 11 different data groups only 4 had an improvement of 5 or better. Two of these four data groups started with scores more than 5.9 points higher than Northtown Academy. Northtown Academy had a 5.1 growth by their students. That to me is an impressive testament to this system.

There was lots of data and lots of information presented last night. I won't go over it all, but please visit the district website as they will be putting up much of the information their, if not all of it. I just wanted to point out one of the facts that really impressed me amongst all of the things presented.

I do have some concerns with this system. One is that it is a departure from current practice and how will it be received by the building administrators, the staff, the students and the public. Dr. Venegoni and his staff have had quite a bit of interaction with our staff, so this potential change would not be a total surprise. Another fear is that, as Dr. Venegoni stated, the district needs a champion of this system to be the face of it, to push it, to oversee it, to....etc. We may have this person(s), but we need to identify them.

The Curriculum was another concern because this system does not use textbooks exclusively. The curriculum is developed by the staff. Dr. Venegoni stated that a lot of the materials being used by other districts on this system could be adapted to our district. Dr. Venegoni also stated that the curriculum developers in those other districts would be willing to share their curriculum for a price. Which led me to the last of my 4 major concerns...COST. Dr. Venegoni did provide a figure for potentially utilizing some of the materials already developed. I will not state what that figure was because it will change depending on many factors, but let me say it was significantly less than the amount we are setting aside for text books now.

Many of the other board members seemed to share my concerns to varying degrees. I think that all of them can be answered very quickly by Craig and his admin. team. Because this is like the 3rd time Dr. Venegoni and/or his staff have been in the district talking about this I think finding the right person or persons to champion this cause will be easy. I think the district as a whole will also embrace a change to this system as WE ALL learn more about it. I do not think that cost would prohibit implementation.

We as a board either collectively or individually did not pose the questions to Craig about a champion of the cause or how the change would be received @ MGHS. I did think about it while other questions where being asked and answered. However, I did not feel it would be right to put him on the spot to answer those immediately after hearing this presentation. I still feel that way as I am still trying to digest everything we heard last night and to pose that question just would not have been fair.

I hope that WE, as a district, continue to investigate this systematic approach to education. If it makes sense educationally and provides the best opportunities for our students then we owe it to them to investigate this system fully.

8/12 Board meeting

2009-08-13T17:47:00.003-05:00

Hey All,

Last night we had our 1st board meeting of the month. We had a relatively light agenda and got thru it in a reasonable amount of time. We reviewed many upcoming WASB meetings and sessions that board members may attend.

We reviewed and approved a request from Dr. Brost on setting up an after school education program. It is designed to provide extra help for those seeking it and for those that will be required to attend. Dr. Brost requested that the program be approved pending funding for it. He is actively searching for ways to fund the salaries needed to run this program. Dr. Brost is expecting to have both voluntary participation and mandatory attendance.

Next we approved the amount for transportation to and from parochial schools and the fee paid by those requesting transportation who would not receive it normally. We also approved the use of a Hearing Officer for expulsions. This practice has been in place for the recent past. It allows an independent review of the expulsion hearing prior to final board review of the Hearing Officer's report.

Additionally, we passed an agreement with Kid's Safari to bus students to their facility and for Kid's Safari to reimburse the district for this cost. Due to my daughter attending Kid's Safari, I abstained from the vote.

Lastly, we tabled motions regarding the Policy on Fund Balance and a discussion on District Goals. Both items will be on the August 26th agenda.

We heard a report from Susan Fox, Susan Manning and Jessica Ace on the WASB conference they recently attended. Again it was pointed out that board members who blog need to make sure that it is clear the postings represent their own thoughts and are not in any way intended to speak for the board as a whole. I feel that I do this in a pretty clear manner, but it is always open for interpretation.

As I stated it was a relatively light agenda and we got thru it relatively quickly. This coming Monday the board will meet to conduct it's review of Superintendent Gerlach. This meeting is a closed session meeting. Our next regular meeting is August 26th in the district office.

I would like to commend Dr. Brost and any other staff members instrumental in the organization of the after school education program. I hope that the funds can be found to get this program off the ground. It sounds like this can be a very beneficial program for all students. Any program that provides students either requesting or needing additional study time is a plus in my opinion.

Communication with the Public

2009-07-22T12:54:00.007-05:00

In going back over the past month of notes from our various board development meetings and our regular board meetings, one of the things that stands out is COMMUNICATION. What does this mean in general?

We have talked a lot about this lately as a board and I am not sure if I have a better understanding of it or am more confused than I was a month ago. I like to think that I am a pretty decent communicator. My wife and daughter may disagree with that, but that is a whole other conversation.

Some board members do not like the use of blogs by Mr. Sobol and myself. Yet, I hear from many citizens that they like reading them as a way to learn about issues, learn what is happening with the board and to get our individual take/stance on things. Personally, when I am posting about board happenings I try to keep them as true and factual as possible and then input my opinions later in the post.

When we met with our legal counsel for the district he stated that blogs are a way to communicate and the board had no governance over their operation. He also warned Peter and I, since we are the only 2 members with blogs at that this time, to be careful how we present issues and our opinions. Basically make sure that it is clear when something is our opinion and not a board action or thought.

What does communication mean to each of you as it relates between the school district and the general public? Do you like reading blogs? Does the district do a good job of disseminating information thru the website and by sending items home with students? Are there other things that the board or the district can do to improve the transparency of operations?

Some board members have mentioned they would like to see public listening sessions or town hall type meetings or something similar to those. This may be a time set aside at a board meeting or a special meeting. Details and format would have to be worked out, but my understanding is a more relaxed informal dialogue between board members and citizens. Is this something that the citizens are interested in?

Please give me some feed back on what you think about the communication either from the district administration or the school board and any thoughts you have on how to improve it or if the listening sessions are a good idea.

Still Here

2009-07-21T16:07:00.003-05:00

Hello All,

Sorry for the lack of posts for the past month and a half. Professional and personal life has eaten up most of my free time.

We have been busy meeting at different times for board development. We have had a facilitator in leading the group thru some discussions. We have had our district legal counsel in to discuss policies and interpretations of policies. Basically we have worked on how we are to govern ourselves.

Which leads me to point out that the big news of the past month was the boards decision to eliminate the committee structure used by past boards and go to 2 full board meetings a month. This motion passed on a 5-1 vote (Jill List was absent due to a prior commitment).

As I said at the board meeting I see both sides of this issue and have struggled with it, since it was first discussed at one of our board development meetings as a governance option. Having been a citizen member before getting on the board I dislike taking that avenue away from prospective board candidates. I valued my time as a citizen member and felt it was necessary for me to have that experience before I ran for a spot on the board.

Additionally, the committees do allow for some good work to get done between the smaller committees and the administration in a less formal setting. However, the duplication time of the staff to present at the committe level and the board level was substantial. In addition, many members attended most committee meetings to hear the presentations given vs. hearing them at the board meeting and then having to vote on the issue.

Typically two meetings a month will allow a presentation at one meeting and then a decision at the next. (Complete details on how we will conduct business have not been laid out yet.) This may or may not reduce staff time, but if structured right it could. Lastly, as I stated at the board meeting my general feeling is that for this board and at this time the 2 meetings a month is the best method of governance for us. I may change my mind on that next year or the year after, but I am hopeful that this will lead to better conversation and discussion. I know that at various committee meetings I was at, but not a part of, it would have been nice to ask questions earlier in the process.

Our next board meeting is August 12th in the district office. We will have a full agenda as many items that the policy committee would have dealt with should be on the agenda.

Recap of Ad-Hoc Recommendations

2009-05-27T07:34:00.002-05:00

The Ad-hoc committee had a pretty good night last night as we were able to come up with some recommendations to forward to the board. The recommendations come in 2 parts. One is a narrative and one is a flow chart type diagram.

The Narrative is:

1. Add modular units to Cottage Grove elementary schools to accommodate enrollment growth as a temporary solution to a potential long-term problem.

2. Research 4K-8 programming in both communities. Report findings at a School Board Meeting by the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

3. Research 6th grade programming/curriculum. Report findings at a School Board Meeting by the end of the 2009-2010 school year. Temporarily keep 6th grade Monona students at Winnequah.

4. Research 4k-4 grade school at Taylor Prairie and Cottage Grove Elementary. Report findings at a School Board Meeting by the end of the 2009-2010 school year.

5. Maintain Winnequah and Maywood schools until 4K-8 program in each community is determined, or until it is fiscally not feasible to operate both buildings.

6. Research real estate option districtwide.

Flow Chart Style:

A. Add Modular Units for the Short-Term

1. Move Monona 7th & 8th grade students to Winnequah and move Cottage Grove 4th grade students to Glacial Drumlin.

2. Build a new permanent structure in Cottage Grove (either an addition or a new building). Possibly reconfigure the buildings in a 4K-4 or 4K-5

Analysis/Comments:

I will start with the Flow Chart Style 1st because that is harder to demonstrate here on this blog. My understanding is that we add modular units to provide a short-term solution to ease the crowding. Then once the administration has studied the viability of a 4K-8 split the district will go 1 of 2 ways.

If the district is split then each community would have 4K-8 in their buildings. If this 4K-8 scenario is not viable then a permanent structure, either an addition or a new building, will potentially be needed in Cottage Grove. At the same time a study will be done to determine the configurations for the buildings in Cottage Grove if they become 4K-4, 4K-5 or if they do something like 4K-2 in one and 3-5 in the other.

The reason for the narrative is that a potential 4K-8 split is beyond the area of expertise of this committee, but one that the committee felt needs to be looked at more closely. It has it's pros and cons, but what are the true impacts and costs to students and district finances. It was just something that this committee felt needed more time to study and a different group of people to research it, i.e. the administration because they have expertise in the educational viability of it.

The research of potentially changing the Cottage Grove elementary schools to 4K-4 or 4K-5 is one that also needs more of an educators expertise. This potential change can happen regardless of the 4K-8 viability.

Based on these different recommendations Maywood will stay open for next year. However, after that it will depend on the 4K-8 viability option and/or the fiscal implications that the district faces. The committee was in agreement that it does not make sense to close a school for only a year or even two if it is just going to re-open after that. Which is why part of the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation is tied to the 4K-8 viability.

Lastly, the committee would like to see the curriculum/programming for the 6th grade reviewed by the School Board. There was some talk of a 5th/6th intermediate system. Some talk of moving the Monona 6th grade to Glacial Drumlin to be part of the district middle school. Again, because this is more of a programming/curriculum issue the committee did not feel comfortable making a final decision on this.

My Thoughts:

From my perspective it appears that we have a short-term solution to overcrowding by adding the modular units. This buys us some time to work thru the programming/curriculum issues that the district faces. By recommending these issues be reported to the School Board by the end of the 2009/10 school year the committee has asked that these issues be decided sooner than later. The viability of these 3 programming/curriculum issues all impact what the next step is for our facilities.

This issue is not over, but these recommendations do provide a path for dealing with the facilities usage. I would like to see the timeline for making these decisions sped up just a bit, so that we can move on from facilities and on to other more pressing issues. If the administration does not present their reports until the end of the 2009/10 school year then the earliest any changes could be implemented is probably for the 2011/12 school year.

I agree with others on the committee that stated the administration needs time to research each of the 3 programming issues, so that we don't rush into a bad decision. However, pushing this off an additional year is going to cost the district extra money also, so the sooner these issues can be resolved the better. The outcome of each of these programming decisions could have a significant impact on our future budget deficit. This is why I would like to see a decision made sooner than later.

May 26th Ad-Hoc Meeting

2009-05-26T07:54:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder to all that tonight the Ad-Hoc committee gets a chance to review and discuss the options and hopefully forward a recommendation to the board. This meeting is @ 6:00 in the District Office at Nichols. While there is no Public Appearances on the agenda your presence is still noticed by the committee, so I would encourage you to attend if you are able.

I got my packet that had all of the e-mails sent in to the committee. In addition the board has received numerous e-mails directly on this issue. THANK YOU to all that got up and spoke your opinions at the Public Forum and to all that have followed up with e-mails. While I am unable to respond to each of you individually, even though I would like to, I want to assure you that your comments are read and heard by me. As a general rule it is my understanding that the School Board President is responsible for responding to e-mails and not the individual members.

Now because these e-mails have been printed and sent to us this is all my perception of them, because we all know how e-mails can be taken out of context or misunderstood. Generally, all of the e-mails had a good tone to them, as I don't recall any "hate mail" type of e-mail. Thank you for being thoughtful and respectful in your comments. The comments at the Public Forum where generally the same as those e-mailed to the committee. Many in favor of modular units in Cottage Grove and opposed to bussing students in general. Some liked the idea of a K-8 community based style, while others wanted to try in merge the students in 6th grade. Many looked at consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah as a viable option to help with the budget deficit we face as a School District.

All of these comments are very much like those that the committee has had at it's meetings over the past 6 months. Tonight will be an interesting meeting as we as a committee try to balance all of the differing view points into a solid recommendation to the committee. It will not be an easy process, but one that I think this group can accomplish.

I will try to post the results of the meeting either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Have a great 4 day work week.

Ad-Hoc Public Forum

2009-05-18T19:28:00.002-05:00

Last night was the public forum for the Ad-Hoc Committee on Grade Configuration. By most estimations about 100 individuals attended the event at Glacial Drumlin. Mr. Gerlach conducted an overview of the slide show presentation and then moderated a Q & A session. The slide show and details about the committees work can be found at:

http://www.mononagrove.org/4k8grade.cfm

There were many questions centered around open enrollment, T4K program questions, modular unit options and consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah. Comments were both for and against many of the solutions presented from the committee. Many individuals questioned the economics of bussing in this economy.

The one theme that I could sense from the night is that everyone would like to see a sound and just decision made that can work both short-term and long enough to not be revisiting this issue every year or two. As a committee member I really cannot agree more. This issue needs to be put to bed, so that the district and the board can move onto more pressing issues.

Please continue to send comments to the committee thru the district website until this Friday, the 22nd. Also, send all comments to the board as they will take this issue up at the next meeting in June.

Reorganization Meeting

2009-05-18T18:31:00.003-05:00

Last Wednesday the school board held our reorganization meeting as part of our normal monthly meeting. It made for a long night, but we got thru it. The results were as follows:

President - Nominated by board vote were Susan Fox, Susan Manning and Peter Sobel. Ms. Manning declined to be included on the ballot. Ms. Fox defeated Mr. Sobel by a 4-3 vote.

Vice-President - Nominated by board vote were Susan Manning, Jason McCutchin, Lionel Norton and Peter Sobel. Ms. Manning declined to be included on the ballot. Mr. Sobel won on a 5-2 vote.

Treasurer - Nominated by board vote were Jill List, Susan Manning, Jason McCutchin, Peter Sobel. Mr. Sobel stated if elected Treasurer he would resign as Vice-President. Ms. Manning won with 4 votes.

Clerk - Nominated by board vote were Jill List and Lionel Norton. Mr. Norton won on a 4-3 vote.

After this reorganization the board got down to normal business. Mr. Gerlach indicated that he had a meeting with Kid's Safari regarding the district and the decision not to provide transportation to Kid's Safari for the upcoming school year. Mr. Gerlach stated that they will be working on this issue and provide an update at a later date.

Mr. Gerlach stated that the Ad-Hoc Committee would be holding a public presentation on Sunday the 17th. Mr. Gerlach further provided an update on the budget, but prefaced his comments by stating "that things are changing daily at the Capital". Therefore, we are still facing a budget deficit in excess of $650k and it may creep closer to $800k depending on the final State Budget.

Next the board heard from the Curriculum Committee regarding the potential purchase of English materials for grades 6-8. The final amount of $105,838 was approximately $25k more than presented to the Curriculum Committee on 4/15. This increase was due to a change in the final materials ordered to add additional web based programming and more texts. The motion to approve this adoption passed.

The Personnel & Policy Committee gave a brief update on their bullying/harassment policy and noted that it would have to be condensed from the current 13 pages down to 2 or 3. Additionally, the Student Handbooks for each building were approved with the minor revisions noted at the committee meeting.

The Business Service Committee presented an overview of some fees for the 2009/10 year. Bill Herman presented bids to the committee at their meeting for new computers to replace aging ones in the district. Finally the board reviewed the proposal to issue general obligation notes instead of lease purchase financing for the McKinstry contract. The reason for the change in financing is due to better interest rates on the bonds vs. lease purchase. This change could result in over $100k in interest savings over the life of the notes. All items above were approved by the board.

Finally the board and the district had a very special "THANK YOU" recognition for Bev Kalish. Bev is retiring after 37 years with the district, including working for 10 superintendents. Bev's experience will be missed by all. However, her replacement Joyce Hamm brings in many years of experience in her own right and will join the learning process with all of the rest of us.

All in all for my 1st board meeting it was quite an eventful night. I am cautiously optimistic that this board will be able to do some good things over the next year. There are many issues facing the district, so it should be an interesting ride......Hang on everyone!!!

May 13th School Board Meeting

2009-05-12T07:26:00.003-05:00

The School Board has quite the agenda this week for the 1st board meeting with the new members. The reorganization of the board is the first item up for business. This will be done by secret ballot nomination for each office. Then those receiving nominations will be given the chance to accept or decline the nomination. Another vote is then taken to elect the officer from those accepting the nomination. If there is no majority after this vote the top 2 candidates will "face-off" in one more vote.

The board will elect the President first, followed by the Vice-President, Treasurer and Clerk.

This election will be very interesting with such a young board. We only have one 1 member who is has ever been an officer or even chaired a committee for the district. This will require a quick learning curve for those who chair the committees and the president as that individual learns on the job about overseeing a district.

Following the election the board will get an update on Stimulus money and the budget from Mr. Gerlach. He will also provide more details about the upcoming public meeting on the Grade Configuration being held this coming Sunday.

The board will also be discussing possible approval of the 6th - 8th grade textbook purchase. We will also be reviewing the changes for the individual school handbooks. Lastly we will review the potential issuance of $1.46 million in bonds to fund the McKinstry Energy Savings Contract.

Peter Sobol has a very good summary of the reasons behind the bonds vs. lease purchase on his blog.

http://petersobol.blogspot.com/

As always I encourage the public to attend and make comments during the public appearances portion of the meeting. You can also contact the full board with comments and concerns thru the district website.

Public Hearing on Grade Configuration

2009-05-12T07:19:00.004-05:00

On Sunday May 17th @ 6:00 pm, at Glacial Drumlin, the Ad-Hoc Committee on Grade Configuration will present the remaining options to the public. They will be looking for feedback and input on the various options. Following this meeting they will have one last meeting to review the comments from the public and then make a recommendation to the School Board.

I would encourage everyone to attend this meeting if able, so you can hear the presentation from Mr. Gerlach on behalf of the committee. It would also be beneficial for the committee to hear what the citizens of this district think about the various options remaining.

If you would prefer not to speak during the presentation please forward your comments regarding the options directly to Mr. Gerlach and he will forward them onto the Ad-Hoc Committee.

The link is directly to the Ad-Hoc Committee page on the district website.

End of the Marathon

2009-04-08T09:02:00.003-05:00

Well the campaign marathon is over. Thankfully it ended as I had hoped.

Thank you to all of you who put your faith in me and voted me onto the board. I will begin working in earnest on solutions to the issues that are in the best interest of this district.

Congratulations to Lionel Norton and Jessica Ace for winning seats on the board.

Mike Duplayee deserves a HUGE THANK YOU from the residents of this district for his past service.

Thanks again to all who helped and supported my campaign.

Random Thoughts

2009-04-01T07:56:00.002-05:00

Hello All,

Sorry for taking so long to update the site. The past month has been a whirlwind for me both personally and professionally. Work has been very hectic do to some tragic events, so that has taken up any free time that I had. Now with the election only 7 days away it has consumed what little time was left.

I have been out on the streets knocking on doors and meeting many people. It has been an eye opening experience to hear the different view points about our schools, the teachers, the administration and the district as a whole. Most opinions are that the district as a whole is in pretty good shape.

I have been encouraging everyone to get out and vote...even if they are not going to vote for me. Voting is such an important process in our society to determine who the decision makers are that it is a shame that the spring elections usually have such low turnouts. Hopefully, you will help me spread the word to vote on April 7th.

This Thursday the Monona PTO is hosting a forum to meet the candidates for school board. The event will be held at the Winnequah Cafeteria at 7:00. Please stop by and here what each of us has to say during our last public appearance before the election.

If anyone has any questions regarding the election please do not hesitate to post a question here or shoot me an e-mail. I will respond as quickly as possible.

VOTE McCUTCHIN ON APRIL 7th (shameless plug)

Endorsement Announcement

2009-03-10T09:04:00.002-05:00

I was notified on 3/9 by the candidate review committee that the Monona Grove Education Association will be endorsing my candidacy for the School Board. I appreciate the support of MGEA as I continue this campaign. Additionally, if elected to the school board I look forward to the opportunity to work with MGEA in a partnership for the benefit of the district.

March 3rd Ad Hoc Grade Config. Meeting

2009-03-04T22:15:00.004-06:00

This week the Ad Hoc meeting focused on the rubric design that we will be using to score the remaining options. Ideally this rubric would have been designed prior to the elimination of options, but that was not done in this scenario and that is ok. The hard part is that it makes it very easy to try and adapt the rubric scoring and weighting to match a desired scenario. I did not get the feeling that was being done, however some of the discussions did focus on how the scoring would be applied to the remaining options. I think that for the most part Craig and the committee tried to stay away from that thought process, but it is hard to do.

I was late for the meeting due to a work issue, so I missed the 45 minute discussion on transitions. Thankfully, I picked a good meeting to be late for. Some of the other items being discussed are busing, costs, neighborhood schools and programming in addition to 3 or 4 others.
Each of these items will have a scale from 1-5 that we will use to rate how we think they apply to a given scenario.

At the March 17th meeting, yes we are meeting on St. Patrick's Day, we will be making final tweaks to the rubric and then running some of the dismissed options thru the scoring system to show the committee how it works. I excited to see this in action and to use an objective scoring system.

If you have any questions about this process please direct your inquires to me or any other committee member. We can provide you with most of the answers to your questions or can get them most likely.

Lastly, the discussion of when would we be ready to go to the public came up. Based on the conversation it appears that we will be scheduling the public forums for late April or early May. This would allow us time to go thru our process of narrowing the choices for the public forums as well as allow us to discuss the feedback from the forums before we go to the school board with our recommendations.

Just a reminder that no matter what recommendations this committee makes or does not make the ultimate decision is going to be made at the board level. Therefore, once the committee make it's recommendation to the board please contact all board members with your thoughts and concerns. The more district residents that provide feedback at both the forums and directly to the committe and board the better in my opinion.

Feb. 25th Business Services Meeting

2009-03-01T22:23:00.002-06:00

This week must have been the week for the marathon school board committee meetings as the Business Services meeting Wednesday did not end until about 9:00. However, we were able to accomplish quite a few things this month.

The primary accomplishment was that we forwarded to the board a recommendation to approve the contract with McKinstry that the committee has been working on with them for the past several months. The total of the contract has not been finalized as on the day of the meeting Mark Scullion was notified that an insulation contractor would be able to perform work on the Taylor Prairie roof to fix the leaking issues. Therefore the recommendation was as stated in the FIM’s, approximately $1.53M, and a not to exceed for Taylor Prairie of $450k.

The reason for the urgency of including Taylor Prairie was so that it could be included in the financing bidding that will begin upon board approval. If the Taylor Prairie work costs exceed the $450k amount or if they cannot result in additional energy efficiency then they will not be included in the final recommendation to the board.

From my personal perspective, my thoughts are that this is a very worthwhile project and contract. I did vote to approve it; however I am leery of paying for anything thru savings. In this scenario, I think the financing will work, but it still makes me nervous.

We were to review an initial budget reduction list, but do to the fact that there were some staff cuts and those individuals had not all been notified that item was tabled until the next meeting. This will also allow the administration team more time to review revenue estimates and the cut list.

Next we reviewed the transportation bids that the district received. After much discussion regarding the bids it was decided to stay with the current bus service configuration. Monona routes will be serviced for the next 5 years by Badger Bussing and the district will continue to operate the routes in Cottage Grove. This option offers the best service and cost benefit for the district at this time.

We reviewed the start and end times for the 2009-10 school year. The changes are that Grade 5 at Glacial Drumlin will have their start time moved back to match the rest of the building. As a result they will be dismissed at 3:00 and the bus riders will have supervision in the building until the rest of the building is dismissed.
The last item of discussion was to review the walk zone for the 5th grade students. The major part of this focused on the Glacial Drumlin impact. Due to the changes in start times if we change the walk zone for the 5th grade it will result in a more uniform policy for the Glacial Drumlin building. Additionally, there is a potential for some additional transportation savings.

The remaining items were tabled due to the late hour of the night. We will meet again on April 1st. Yes April Fools Day.

Feb. 24th Ad Hoc Committee

2009-03-01T20:41:00.000-06:00

The Feb. 24th meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee to Study Grade Configuration was a very interesting meeting. The Chair, Craig Gerlach, decided to take a step back and slow down the process. I think this was a very good move and one that was very much needed. Mr. Gerlach reviewed the charge of the committee as directed by the board president, John Kitslaar. He then reviewed a few points on Roberts Rules of Order. So far our meetings have been very informal and will now begin to follow these normal meeting procedures.

Mr. Gerlach also stated that he will begin building for the next meeting, on March 3rd, a criteria scale or scoring rubric to review all options that the committee reviewed. We will be going back and reviewing the options that have been dismissed and those remaining. This will give us an objective scoring system to judge the options.

We also reviewed a document from Mr. Gerlach that looked at the capacity of the 5 middle and elementary schools in slightly different fashion. It looked at the building capacities with a range attached to them. This was calculated by taking the number of sections of a grade times the class size goal for the low end and the number of sections times the class size maximums for the high end. This provides us with the following:

Cottage Grove – 455-525
Glacial Drumlin – 904 – 988
Maywood – 224 – 273
Taylor Prairie – 364 – 424
Winnequah – 483 – 538

This does not take into account the impact on common areas like the gym and cafeteria, but does provide a better idea of what each school can actually hold. Also, it was mentioned by a committee member that Winnequah’s capacity may be higher depending on grade configuration and actual number of rooms needed for specials like special ed., OT/PT, gifted/talented, etc.

Lastly, we held a lengthy discussion regarding which set of population numbers we would use for our analysis as we move forward in this process. The district presently has an applied population study conducted for them by the University of Wisconsin to help them make decisions. The study presents four different models to choose from, the baseline model, the 2 yr. trend, the 5 yr. trend and the kindergarten model. Each of these models has advantages and disadvantages to them. 2 of them are fairly aggressive in Monona and rather passive in Cottage Grove and 2 are exactly the opposite.

At a previous meeting I presented numbers that averaged the 4 models together. My rationale behind doing this was that it would take the advantages and disadvantages of all 4 models and present a more median approach and would not favor one community over the other.

As Mr. Gerlach started this discussion he stated that he recommended the 4 model average, but that he would like to discuss it with the committee. After a lengthy discussion and 3 different motions it was decided that we would use the 5 yr. trend model as our main source of estimation going forward.

On a side note, I will state that I would have preferred the 4 model average because it is the fairest option to both communities in my opinion. With that being said I am thankful that we have made a decision on which set of population estimates we will use. In the end I think one of the committee members said it best, and I am paraphrasing because I cannot remember the exact quote, “No matter which model we choose, we will be wrong.” This is true in my opinion because the applied population is an inexact science and while the estimates are valid they will never be exactly perfect.

The next meeting is set for Tuesday, March 3rd.

Feb. 23rd Athletic Field Use Meeting

2009-03-01T20:10:00.002-06:00

This past week has been a whirlwind both personally and professionally, hence the reason for the delay in this post.

I attended the Feb. 23rd meeting of the Athletic Field Use Ad Hoc Committee. As a first time viewer of this committee I found it very interesting and informative. The committee focused mainly on the alternative options for the Soccer teams for both the upcoming seasons and future seasons. Ahuska Park will be a viable option for the short term, but the City of Monona is looking for a long-term tenant for the park and a youth football group may be that tenant. This does not mean that the school district will not use the park, but they may not be given the same priority status as they currently enjoy.

The Village of Cottage Grove Recreation Dept. gave an update on Fireman’s Park and its availability starting for the 2010-11 school year. Fireman’s Park is looking to have a Championship Field in addition to other soccer practice fields at its facility. This may allow the school district the ability to host WIAA State Tournament games, which we cannot host presently. This would be a real nice perk for the soccer teams if it all comes together. Some of this will depend on the ability to raise funds for some of the amenities a Championship Field would require.

The committee also discussed the green space at Glacial Drumlin and its potential future uses. A lot will depend on how the grass comes in this spring as to its availability this year. In future years it will have to be determined exactly how much space is there and how best to lay out that space. There is a potential to use it for both football and soccer.

Lastly, they discussed the High School Track. The track will be patched this spring. After it is patched a determination will be made to either paint the patches or paint the entire track. Additionally it was stated that the track will need to be replaced real soon. Further discussion was held regarding exactly when that would be, but it was stated that the future date would depend on what damage is discovered when the patch repairs begin. It was also discussed if the repairs would be done at the same time as the football field, but nothing definitive has been decided.

2/10/09 Ad-Hoc Committee

2009-02-11T22:04:00.002-06:00

Well the Ad-Hoc Committee for Grade Configuration met again last night to discuss the potential options regarding building sizes and grade configuration. We went over various scenarios and had some good discussion on all the potential options. When we started this process we had 20 or 21 different items to review and we are now down under 8.

Various scenarios involve busing of students, adding modular units to schools, keeping status quo, school building consolidation or some combination of these. The committee will again review the various options and the impact of the options on the students, on the buildings and on the district budget in preparation for the next meeting.

The next meeting will be 2/24/09 at the District Office at 6:00. At this meeting we will continue to refine the options and get ready for the PUBLIC FORUMS that will be taking place. A date and time has not been set yet for these public forums. At the public forums the committee will be looking to gather feedback on their list of options. This feedback will help the committee work towards a recommendation to the school board.

A sub-committee was designated to begin putting together a presentation of how the committee has gone from the 20 or 21 options to those that will be presented to the public. It will show the reasoning behind elimination of the various items, whether it was a cost issue or a feasibility issue.

On a personal opinion perspective, this issue boils down to 3 components for me. First, what impact will our decison have on the children of the district with regards to their education opportunities? Second, how will the decision affect the district financially? Lastly, how will the options we recommend to the school board impact the short-term and long-term for the district? Again, this is my general thought process as we discuss the various options.

There is not an easy solution to this issue. The various scenarios all impact each student differently. Some have big educational impacts, some have big financial impacts and others are just not practical. Weeding thru these impacts on the remaining options is where the committee is at presently.

If anyone has any questions about this committee or the various options I STRONGLY urge you to contact a committee member. Many rumors/half-truths/stories or what ever you want to call them are floating around. Some good information has also be disseminated by concerned citizens. However, for the best information contact a committee member. Each one should be able to tell you the same information. Also, I will continue to post the meeting information here and once the public forums are set I will be sure to update this information.

Vision for the Future

2009-01-29T18:42:00.000-06:00

The Monona Grove School District is being presented a unique and rare opportunity. With 3 seats open in the April election, the voters have been presented with a chance to voice themselves loud and clear. These open seats, in addition to the recent hiring of the new Superintendent, Craig Gerlach, will shape the future of the school district for the next 3 years and beyond.

This opportunity to change the face of the district is the main reason that I am seeking a seat on the next Monona Grove School Board. I would like to see the next board use this opportunity to become more visionary instead of reactionary. A school board should be a collection of people that are looking at the big picture for the district both short and long term. To that we need to realize how short term decisions will affect long term plans.

This next board needs to develop 3 different sets of goals and plans to achieve these objectives for the district to succeed both presently and in the future. I would like to see a single year, short-term (up to 5 years) and a long-term plan (5-10 years) developed for the district. These goals and plans should be specific, attainable, measureable and relevant to the overall plan for the school district.

The goals need to be set by the board, but in conjunction with the Mr. Gerlach and his administration team. As the individuals that are charged with carrying out the plan they have to also buy into the goals and plans. Additionally, the board needs to do all that it can to provide the tools necessary for the administration to carry out the plans and achieve the goals.

Once goals have been set the board then needs to develop plans on how to achieve these goals and how to measure progress towards achieving the goals. If you cannot measure progress towards achieving the goals then how will anyone know if the goals have been met?

I feel that my experience and knowledge lends itself to putting this type of broad thinking into action. As I have stated a unique opportunity is upon the entire district and to not take advantage of that opportunity would be a disservice to the children of this district.

1/8 Business Services Committee

2009-01-09T18:49:00.001-06:00

The Business Services Committee met at the District Office on 1/8. The committee was shown an initial budget forecast that showed a significant deficit for the upcoming year. As more information is gathered over the next couple of weeks the actual deficit will become clearer.

The committee also discussed the proposed energy savings contract with McKinstry. The original contract is for just over 2.7 million dollars. This contract is to be funded thru a lease purchase financing arrangement. A lease purchase financing arrangement is used to allow the district to purchase the equipment and install it without incurring any debt. It will be paid for by the savings from the reduced cost of monthly utilities. No action was taken as more information was asked of McKinstry regarding cost breakouts by building.

The committee at the recommendation of Mary Ellen Van Valin passed a motion to change the format of the 1 page budget flyer. Instead a post card showing the website link for the budget information will be distributed. The post card will also have the phone number of the district office for those that want a copy of the report mailed to them.

The next Business Services Committee will meet on January 28th in the District Office.

1/6/09 Ad Hoc Committee Meeting

2009-01-09T18:39:00.001-06:00

The Ad-Hoc Committee met at Glacial Drumlin on Tuesday 1/6. During the meeting the committee reviewed the issues and brainstorming solutions that were discussed during the 1st meeting. The committee then reviewed the potential solutions and removed those that were not viable options either logistically or financially.

The next meeting has been set for January 27th at the District Office.

Candidacy Press Release

2009-01-04T10:39:00.003-06:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
1/4/09

CONTACT: Jason McCutchin, (608) 839-1870
jason.mccutchin@gmail.com

A FRESH PERSPECTIVE FOR THE MONONA GROVE SCHOOL DISTRICT

COTTAGE GROVE – With tough decisions ahead for the Monona Grove School District, especially in a weak economy, I know my experience as an accountant with Midwest Family Broadcasting for the past 8 years will be an added bonus to the School Board.

That is why I am officially announcing my candidacy for the Monona Grove School Board.

As someone who deals with numbers day in and day out and routinely has to help troubleshoot budgets, I know what it takes to keep businesses on track. As a father of a 7-year-old, I also know how much work teachers and administrators do to keep classrooms in good shape, even though funding for schools is often the first to take a hit.

Monona Grove has a stellar reputation and is respected as a top-notch school district around the state. For my daughter and all kids in Monona and Cottage Grove, I want that to continue.

I know my experience as a member of the Business Services Committee for the past two plus years will also benefit the school district. We need to work TOGETHER to keep the instruction levels high, facilities maintained and yet have fiscal responsibility and integrity.

I am just the man to help get that done.

Personal Bio

2009-01-04T10:39:00.001-06:00

Address – 315 Southing Grange, Cottage Grove
Phone – 839-1870
Age - 37
Wife – Linda
Married – 9.5 years
Child – Sydney age 7
Pets – Maggie – Chocolate Lab
Occupation – Accountant
Employer – Mid-West Family Broadcasting

Personal History – I graduated from Dodgeville High School in 1989 and from Winona State University in 1994 with a degree in Business Administration. I lived in Madison from 1994 until building our home in Cottage Grove in 2002. I am an avid Badger sports fan. I love to play volleyball and golf.

Employment History – I will have been with Mid-West Family Broadcasting, a radio station group, for 8 years in April. We have stations in 5 markets and one centralized accounting office here in Madison. Each market is its own separate entity and as such has a Business Manager that handles day to day transactions. As the group accountant, I work with the Business Managers and help them overseeing monthly financial matters for all of the entities. Additionally, I am actively involved in the EEO activities for the Madison market.

What I can bring to the MG School Board – I feel that I can bring a financial viewpoint to the district board, which in these economic times may be needed. As someone who deals with numbers day in and day out and routinely has to help troubleshoot budget, income and expense matters I feel that my area of expertise can be a good compliment to the expertise of the other members of the board. As a member of the Business Services Committee for the past 2 years, I was just reappointed for another 2 years in August, and as a community member on the new Ad Hoc Committee I feel that I have some experience in the workings of the School Board and Administration and that this experience will lessen the time that new board members take in getting acclimated to their position.

Why I want to run for the MG School Board – This district is facing some very difficult decisions in the next few years on many fronts. I would like to think that my financial background and my common sense approach to problem solving would help lead the district down the right path with these decisions. The MG School District needs to keep instruction levels high, facilities maintained and yet have fiscal responsibility and integrity. I know this will be extremely hard, but past boards have done it and I know that I can help the next board do it also.