The MMSD website just posted the proposed budget amendments of Board of Education members (and one from the administration). The Board will consider and vote on the budget on Monday, May 12. It looked like there might be some action (click for video) on class size and specials classes and some other things, but that didn’t happen.
Instead, just one amendment from the administration concerning what seems to be Fund 80 housecleaning on contributions to the Wisconsin Retirement system and the tax levy (anyone know if this is a new issue or how the retirement contributions were handled in prior years?); one from Beth Moss funding the replacement of 143 Windows 98 computers via a reduction in the reserve for contingency; and one from Marjorie Passman employing $60,000 of the Fund 80 levy (contingent on other funding?) to help continue the Madison Family Literacy/Even Start Literacy program at Lakeview/Northport. All seem reasonable to me. That’s it. Relative budget peace.
It is important to realize that this peace is the product of a one time distribution of excess Tax Incremental Finance District collections. Next year, we are back to dealing with the “going out of business” system of funding education in Wisconsin. Without a referendum, these are the budget projections (for Fund 10).
Lots of red ink ahead. Time to get to work on a referendum.
Thomas J. Mertz
AMPS 
Good reporting TJ, you beat the Cap Times, which just posted their story recapping almost exactly what you wrote http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/285755
Good to see the lede has not been buried this time, a referendum will be needed to override the revenue gaps. Let’s hope this well presented story by Tamira Madsen will be the first of many.