Search Results for: "property tax"
Part of the story on property taxes
The Cap Times picked up an A.P story on a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report on property taxes. The article says in part: Taxes paid to schools are by far the largest chunk of a homeowner’s tax bill. They increased 7.4 … Continue reading
Filed under Elections, Uncategorized, We Are Not Alone
Special Education Budget Amendment: Helping Hands
The Board has an opportunity to make investments NOW that will improve the experiences, safety and well being of or students and staff. The scholarship that has been used as one of the justifications for decreases in SEA staffing was misapplied. Allowing things to continue to deteriorate will only make implementing systematic changes more difficult. For these (and other) reasons, I will by supporting a special education staffing budget amendment. When you can give a helping hand, you should. Continue reading
[Update] — Still a Sow’s Ear — Isthmus Montessori Academy Contract
This will be the third time the Board has voted on a version of this proposal. The previous two times the Board and the Administration agreed that the proposal did not meet the requirements of the MMSD Charter School policy (related concerns about state statutes were also expressed by some Board Members). Each time, a majority of the Board voted to advance the proposal in order to provide opportunities to address the shortcomings (I voted no each time). Among the questions before the Board on July 31 is whether this has been accomplished; whether sow’s ear has been transformed into a silk purse. I think it is still a sow’s ear. Continue reading
Filed under Accountability, AMPS, Budget, education, Equity, finance, Gimme Some Truth, Local News, MMSD, Uncategorized
Class Size Budget Amendment (Annotated)
If you think I did more right than wrong, please let the Board (and the world) know about your support for the amendment. As usual, you can email us [board@madison.k12.wi.us], or testify at the June 26th meeting where we will be voting on this and the entire preliminary budget. Talk to your neighbors, co-workers, and friends, write a letter to the editor, post on Facebook. Instagram, or tweet something, draw something, dance…be creative.
Thanks in advance for the feedback and support. Continue reading
What to Keep an Eye on in Tony Evers’ Budget (updated)
Mavis Staples, “Eyes On The Prize” (click to listen or download). Update: Still haven’t seen the details, but according to the Press Release, the answer to question number three is a partial yes, with calls for “full funding” of SAGE … Continue reading
Who cuts the barber’s hair? or Whither “accountability”?
Professor Longhair, “Bald Head” (click to listen or download). Educational “accountability” is in the news and on the agenda again this week. It seems it is always in the news and on the agenda these days. I have many problems … Continue reading
Thoughts on the late MMSD budget recommendations
The Dolly Mixture — “Spend Your Wishes” (click to listen or download). With all the appropriate attention given this weekend to the opportunity to re-engage in collective bargaining (if you haven’t weighed in the Board, there is still time: board@madison.k12.wi.us) … Continue reading
Been down so long it looks like up
The dbs – “Ups and Downs” (click to listen or download) This story — “Bonduel school taxes going down: Increase in state aid one of reasons,” by Lee Pulaski in today’s Shawano Leader made me think of Richard Farina’s novel … Continue reading
Of two minds and no sense in Two Rivers
There is an editorial in the Herald Times Reporter on the Two Rivers school budget that presents contradictory ideas and ultimately makes no sense. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find more that doesn’t make sense. The editorial titled … Continue reading
Education, Taxes, and MMSD Board Goals
I was struck by the relationship between two things in recent Wisconsin State Journal stories. The first of these is the graph above illustrating the cuts of over 150 Special Education staff positions (from Matt DeFour’s report on the new … Continue reading
