Absence

I have received a couple e-mails/comments from individual(s) complaining about my lengthy absence. Well to those individual(s) I say GET OVER IT.

I started this blog about 2 years ago to update people on my status as I ran for the board. This was never supposed to be a full time job. I have way to many things going on in my life to worry about posting on a blog daily. Do I wish that I had the time to post more? Most definitely. However, behind work, school board meetings and family I don't have the time very often.

My family already takes a back seat most of the time to work and my school board duties. I say this as I am sitting at a hotel in Springfield, IL. I refuse to give away any more of my time when I can be spending it with my family. I will post when I have the time and I feel I have something to say.

I do appreciate those that have followed/read my blog over the past 2 years. It is good to know that at least a few people are interested in my opinions.

Jason

Monona Library Event

Karen Wendt asked me to post the details for this event, so here it is. I will post future events that the library is putting on as she sends them to me, so please check back for details and please try to attend an event when you have time in your hectic schedules.


Tellabration: Enjoy an afternoon of Storytelling,
Music, Refreshments, & Fun!
Saturday, November 20, 2010, 3:30 to 5p.m.
Family Fun event. Free. All ages welcome.


Razzle-Dazzle Tales and Fun!
Marge Loch-Wouters tickles the ears of her listeners with razzle-dazzle tales and fun. Her fall-down funny stories and expressive faces have produced laughs aplenty from kids in schools and libraries throughout thestate. Her comically funny stories, many based on children's books and folklore, invite kids in as participants and tellers.

¡Ay chihuahua!
Storyteller Kay Elmsley-Weeden engages and mesmerizes audiences with stories and activities
that could make tortillas dance! Blending English and Spanish, Kay draws kids and adults into her comical and interactive tales from the Spanish speaking world. ¡Ay chihuahua!

Ten Pounds of Wiggles!
Karen Wendt mixes words with a sprinkling of puppets, a dash of sign language, a pinch of music, and a pound of wiggles to bake up a story of delight for children and grownups. Karen says, "I love seeing the kids telling stories so I often invite them up to help. They become characters in the stories." Enjoy a story-dessert of Apple Pie at the end of the evening with one of Karen's favorite personal tales.

International… Interactive… & Entertaining!
Sadarri and Rick Saskill will amaze you with a unique blend of music, movement and language. This is story-play at its very best! Pack your bags for an exciting global adventure. Want to learn rock, paper, scissors the Indonesian way? What about a story in sign language?...A mini international parade?...Or maybe an action song from Mexico? Whether it’s in Spanish, French, Haitian Creole, Swedish or English, this talented couple provides hand-clappin', finger-snappin', foot-stompin' FUN for the entire family.

Monona Public Library
1000 Nichols Road, Monona, WI 53716
Karen Wendt: kmwendt@mononalibrary.org
Register: 608-222-6127, www.mononalibrary.org
Walk-ins welcome.
Sponsored by The Friends of the Monona Public Library
If you need special accommodations to attend, please call 222-6127 one week in advance.

Karen just sent me these also:

Baby & Me Storytimes;
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 10:45a.m. (closed Nov 25)

Picture Book Storytimes;
Tuesdays, Nov 16 to Dec 14: 10:15a.m.
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 9:15a.m.
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 10:50a.m.

Toddler Storytimes;
Wednesdays, Nov 10 to Dec 15; 10:00a.m.
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 9:15a.m. (closed Nov 25)
Thursdays, Nov 11 to Dec 16; 10:00a.m. (closed Nov 25)

Letters from the Public

This post is a compilation of letters received by the school board. This is by no means all of the letters and instead only those who have responded to my request to post them here. I believe I have sent all members of the public a follow up asking if I could post their letter, but if I have missed anyone I apologize and will post your letter if you resend it to me. If anyone else would like me to post a letter on their behalf please send it to me.

I am not giving an opinion on these letters. I urge you to review both sides of this issue by looking at the MGEA and MG District websites.

Lastly, I gave the authors the option to include their names. Some agreed and some declined, but I decided to be consistent and not publish any names. So without further ado.....

________________________________________________________________________

There are Districts across the State that are settling for 0% increases in contracts. I'd like to see MG join them. You represent 65% of my taxes. 5.??% is one "raise" I don't want.

Thanks,

________________________________________________________________________

MG School Board:

I am writing regarding the teachers' contract. I generally support whatever teachers want; I think that in general they are underpaid and undervalued for the important work they do. That said, my purpose in writing is to ask that you not allow their current "job action" of "working the contract" to affect your negotiations. I think the worst thing we can do -- worse than letting the kids and the district continue to suffer because of the teachers' "action" -- would be to reward the union for this unethical tactic; if we do that, I'm sure we can expect more of the same in the future.

Thanks for considering my point of view.
______________________________________________________________________

in the next contract I would say be sure one of their required duties
is to write letters of recommendation for students. Not sure why this
would be an optional duty, seems like they could fit it into their
day.

So there's no 'other duties as assigned" on a teacher's job contract,
like there is in every job I've ever had? (asked in a follow up e-mail)
______________________________________________________________________

Please don't give in! I just read where teachers in the MGSD are basically using extortion to get what they want, by not writing letters of recommendation for students. There aren't words to express my disgust. All around us people are losing jobs, being paid less, and having to pay more for everything. Dane County and State workers took a pay CUT!

Isn't writing a letter a part of their JOB? I know you won't believe this, but I do NOT have any ax to grind with teachers. It's the union and the greed they exhibit that makes me sick. I worked for the WI Retirement Fund and I know teachers get paid well and have a very good retirement package. I implore members of the MG School Board to demand those teachers do the job they are paid to do, and do it well. If they don't, let them go out on strike. You could rehire replacements in a few days. There are thousands of people in the Madison area with the proper credentials.

Many other school boards (like Madison) don't have a backbone. They laid off some poor (almost minimum wage) kitchen workers so they could afford to give a RAISE to the teachers. There should be a special place in hell for people who do that. And if you go to binding arbitration, all some person does is compare your offer with the others that have already ALL gone up. Until some school board shows some real courage, it will never end. Please think about the people who are struggling and have to pay the bills. But more importantly, please think of what the teachers union is doing to the students. Students are nothing but pawns in their sick game, and I implore you again to do the right thing. Just say NO to removing the retirement adjustment off the table.

THANK YOU!!!!

P.S. A reply would be welcomed!
_____________________________________________________________________

Hello,
The recent article published in the Herald-Independent is informative and revealing.
There is no rational reason for continuing the practice of having teachers’ compensation and benefits be much better than that enjoyed by virtually all of the district taxpayers who pay the bills.
The strategy of phasing out of today’s structure into a more reasonable and sustainable structure in the future is a good one.
The Board and Superintendent need to be strong in their resolve to bring needed change to our district.
People, like me, who are retired and on a fixed income, can no longer tolerate the unfairness of the current compensation and benefit programs.
Thank you,
_____________________________________________________________________

Again, I just copied and pasted these. I offer no opinion on them one way or the other. I only post them here, so that everyone can see what some of the e-mails say that the board is getting.

Jason

Upcoming Events

The Curriculum committee is meeting next Tuesday night at 7:30 at the District Office. We will be discussing the 9th grade Biology/Honors Biology and the proposed 10th grade Chemistry/Honors Chemistry. The Chemistry classes are being proposed to begin with the 2011/12 school year.

The Monona Grove School District Annual Meeting is being held next Wednesday night at 7:00 in the High School Auditorium. Jerrod Rossing,Director of Business Services, will present the budget.

The following week on Wednesday the 13th we have the regular board meeting.

Finally, I will be attending the open house at Cottage Grove Elementary, so that my daughter can give me the guided tour of her school. She loves to be the tour guide.

My family and I will also be attending the Cottage Grove PTO Fall Festival this Saturday. If you are looking for something to do on Saturday, stop by and support the PTO. I know they would appreciate it. Hopefully they are serving hot chocolate as it is not supposed to be very warm.

MGEA Negotiations

As I have stated I am not about to post my feelings/thoughts on the ongoing negotiations between the district and the MGEA. Peter and Jessica have discussions on their blogs.

I will provide links that the public can review and formulate their own opinions:

MGEA

President's update

Teacher Update Flyer from School Board

Herald Independent

There are probably others I could find, but these will provide lots of information for everyone to read up on. Please provide your feedback to both the MGEA and the Board to give them your thoughts and opinions. We have received some feedback.

If you have any direct questions please give me a call and we can discuss.

Badgers Offensive Preview

It is time for my review of the upcoming Badger football season. I see this team in much the same light as the Packers. Great offense, questionable special teams and defense.

The O-line returns 5 starters and a couple others who have some substantial playing time. Many of the pundits are calling this group the best in the Big Ten. I think that they are capable of being one of the top 5 lines in the country. With tackles like (MG grad) Carimi and Oglesby anchoring the line the offense is well stoked to run block or pass protect.

The receivers look like they can go 5 deep. Toon is the unquestioned #1 receiver. He has all of the makings of a guy who will play on Sunday's. It looks like Kyle Jefferson has been found. He took the last couple of years off after a great freshman debut. Hopefully he can fulfill some of the promise he flashed previously. Lance Kendricks will extend the run of mismatches from the H-back/Tight End position.

At running back the Badger return Heisman Candidate John Clay. Clay is reported to be healthy and in better shape. I am projecting him to get about 1400 yards. Not sure that will keep him in the Heisman talk, but it will lead to many wins. Monte Ball is a more than capable back and will get some key carries. Zach Brown is still around for depth, but probably won't get many touches as Clay and Ball will carry the load. The remaining few carries may come from James White. White is a great speed back with the size to help him handle the pounding of running between the tackles. Expect White to surprise some defense with at least one game where he breaks off 2 or 3 long runs after Clay and Ball have worn out the defense.

Scott Tolzein is back at QB for a 2nd year. While Tolzein is not the flashiest QB out there he is very sound foundamentally. He takes care of the ball and delivers it to the open receiver. Behind him you have Curt Phillips and Jon Budmayr. Phillips is coming of ACL surgery and may not be able to play right away. Budmayr has lots of potential, but has not yet had the opportunity to show it in a game. I am hoping that the Badgers can get a big lead in 1 or 2 of the non-conference games and Budmayr gets some reps. If Tolzein goes down the Badgers will take a step back just from the lack of experience behind him.

I will preview the defense soon.

Packers Outlook

How much hype can the pundits’ heap on the Packers? Depending on which talking head you listen to the Packers are Super Bowl bound or the team to beat in the NFC. I think that they will be good, but I am not willing to place them with either of those labels. Instead I view them as one of about 4 teams that will be pretty good in the NFC and have a chance to get to the Super Bowl.

Let’s start with the defense because this will be a huge question mark to start the season. Overall depth at cornerback with Al Harris coming off injury is a major concern. It is time for the likes of Pat Lee, Jarrett Bush and Brandon Underwood to show that they are more than Special Teamers. I am not too concerned about Bigby not signing yet, as I think draft pick Morgan Burnett will have better stats by the end of the year regardless. This kid was a steal in the 3rd round.

The loss of Johnny Jolly hurts the overall depth more than anything. I am not as sold on 2nd round pick Mike Neal as the Packers are. I think he will get quite a bit of playing time, but not sure if that is a good thing. I expect much more out of B.J. Raji and Cullen Jenkins this year. Ryan Picket will be his usual steady self. Justin Harrell could very likely be given his walking papers if his back flares up again. He might provide some depth if he could stay healthy, but I think it is a 100-1 shot that he does.

The strength of this defense is in the front 7 and the LB’s are a huge reason for that. The D-line does its job and eats up blockers allowing the LB’s to make plays. Matthews and Barnett will have similar numbers to last year, although Matthews may not have as many sacks. Brad Jones played well and should continue to growing into the position. A.J. Hawk will never live up to the hype placed on him coming out of college. He is a good 4th linebacker, but will never be the star many thought he would be. Brandon Chillar and Brady Poppinga provide solid depth, but one or 2 of the young guys will have to make a few plays when given the chance.

On offense there are 2 critical pieces and the 1st piece directly impacts the 2nd. Coach McCarthy needs to set starting 5 on the line early in camp and let them develop some chemistry. I start Clifton, Colledge, Spitz, Sitton and Tauscher, with 1st round pick Bulaga replacing Clifton when he gets hurt (because you know he will). How this unit performs will determine if the 2nd concern becomes an issue.

If the line is unstable again, then Rodgers is going to spend lots of time running for his life or on his back. If he goes down then, so do the Packers hopes. Flynn just does not pass as a capable backup. Rodgers should have a stellar season and my guess is he is in the top 5 in yards and TD’s. The weapons on the outside in Jennings, Driver, Jones and Nelson give the Packers depth. You add in the continued growth of Jermichael Finley and Spencer Havner and you have great options to throw to.

Depth at running back is adequate, but nothing stellar. Ryan Grant will get is 90 – 110 yards a game and have 1200 on the year. Brandon Jackson and Gregg Lumpkin will both get pushed by James Starks for playing time. Jackson will probably keep his 3rd down role with Lumpkin and Starks fighting to be the primary backup. The Packers will get enough from the running game to keep defenses honest and will lean on it when they build a lead.

The main sources of competition are the Cowboys, Saints and Vikings. I think Atlanta will also have a good year, but don’t think they are quite in the same realm as the other 4. The Vikings season hinges on Brent coming back, but we all know he will. Yes I know I misspelled his name. With Brent and Romo under center for the Vikings and Cowboys, both will choke in the playoffs just like in the past. So as I see it the main concerns are the Saints, injuries and the Packers reading the press clippings. The Packers will finish 10-6 or 11-5. Both will be good enough to get them to the playoffs and probably a home game or two. If they keep their heads on straight and stay relatively healthy (i.e. Rodgers is under center) then I think they will win 1 playoff game and have the chance to get to the Super Bowl.

This is my take on the upcoming season as training camp approaches.

Brewers Trade Deadline Thoughts

Let’s talk sports. The MLB trade deadline is only 3 days away, the NFL starts training camps this weekend and college football kicks off their camps shortly. Finally something to get excited about, as the whole World Cup passed by without watching more than 5 minutes total.

Do the Brewers blow up their hitters and focus on adding as many quality arms as possible now or do they ride the year out and try to remake themselves in the offseason? I don’t think there is any way they will trade Prince Fielder in the next 3 days. His value will be greater in the offseason when they would have a better chance of landing 2-3 young power arms.

Part of my concern with Prince is that I don’t see many people willing to take on his future contract demands. If the $200 million the Brewers offered is not enough then who will give him his big payday? The Yankees, Angels, Mets, Cardinals and Phillies all have 1st base covered for the foreseeable future. The Dodgers have a good one that lacks Fielders power. The intriguing option may be Boston. The Red Sox have Youkilis at 1st and Beltre at 3rd. Both are getting up there in years, so they may be willing to buy high. I doubt that the White Sox, Cubs, Rangers or Orioles (previous big spenders) would be willing to bite at his demands. Lastly, Prince won’t sign a contract knowing he will be a full-time DH from the beginning of the deal. It may happen later in the deal, but not starting it.

A lot of talk has centered on Corey Hart and the big year he is having. While I agree his trade value may never be higher I think the Brewers will regret trading him if they do. He is back performing at a level which many expected him to be at. He is a 25/25 guy for the next 5-7 yrs. He is a good defensive outfielder and by most accounts he wants to be a Brewer. That has to count for something.

Trading Hart is like trading Tony Gwynn Jr. in my opinion. They gave up on Gwynn without giving him a chance and got pretty much nothing for him. Had they kept Gwynn they could have traded Hardy for an arm instead of Gomez who has lots of talent, but nothing that says he will put it all together.

This runs counter to conventional wisdom, but I would trade a guy like Bush or Riske or Hawkins or Hoffman to teams needing pitching for the stretch run. I would also consider trading Counsell and Edmonds. Getting a young player in A or AA for any of those guys would be something I would jump at. Then promote another young guy from our farm and give them a chance. Our young players have had their ups and downs, but the experience they have gotten is invaluable and the rest of the year needs to have one eye on next.

I will have a post about the Packers and Badgers soon.

R.I.P. Maggie

Yesterday I put down one of the most compassionate and trusting dogs to ever walk this earth. This post is not about how hard this was, but about what I have learned from this experience.

1. I learned how trusting Maggie was until the end.
2. I learned how a soon to be 9 yr old deals with the death of a pet that has been with her since the day she was born.
3. I learned how much Maggie touched the lives of our friends’ kids. Maggie was such a mellow dog that many of our friends kids learned how gentle dogs could be. She helped many kids over their fears of big dogs.
4. I learned that when I eat I always take bites in a manner that would leave the last bite for Maggie.
5. I learned that I don’t need to do this anymore.
6. I learned how strong my wife and daughter are in the face of a tough situation.
7. I learned that no matter how much I thought I was in control of the house that I was in fact last, behind Sydney, Maggie and Linda.
8. I learned how different it is to come home and not be greeted by all her excitement.
9. I learned how compassionate the vets are when they deliver bad news.
10. I learned that no matter how well you think you are prepared for this…you are not!

Recent Absence

I have been absent for a while as I took a week off for vacation and then it took a week to catch up with work and school board items. There has not been a lot of activity over the past 2 weeks for the school board. On Wed. the 16th the Policy and Curriculum committees had their 1st meetings. On Wed. the 23rd Business Services had their 1st meeting. The link for all the agendas is:

http://www.mononagrove.org/board_committees.cfm

This week we have a closed session to meet regarding the Superintendant's annual review (an agenda won't be out until later today). We all have individual evaluations that we complete and then we meet to compile them into 1 formal document. This is pretty much the same process we followed last year, although the form used is slightly different.

The other item of note is that interviews for the next Business Services Director took place last week. This process continues on as Craig looks to replace Mary Ellen as quickly as possible, but also with the best person available. This position is so vital to all school districts that it is more about getting the right person than it is about filing the position quickly.

Our next board meeting is scheduled for July 14th. Have a great 4th of July weekend.