Madison Metropolitan School Board Member Ed Hughes has a new blog up and if you care about accuracy in discussions of the district it is a must read (unfortunately many don’t care).
The majority of the initial entries are on the maintenance issues raised in Susan Troller’s recent Cap Times article and the reactions to that article. There is also a nice piece on the disappearance of the traditional special section in the State Journal recognizing the top area scholars (a section I too enjoyed but also viewed as an annual reminder of our achievement gaps) and a post that notes how the use of the mythical $250,000 house as the basis for property tax comparisons obscures the fact that despite consecutive annual cuts in state aid of 15%, the district-wide tax increase is only 5.76 (as compared to MATC’s 8.94% increase).
This a really good start and I’m glad Ed Hughes is doing this.
Two pieces of unsolicited advice: First, give us more links, especially when referencing district documents; number two is harder and something I struggle with, but be careful about assuming what your readership knows and when in doubt err on the side of providing more background.
Welcome and thanks.
Thomas J. Mertz.
AMPS 