Category Archives: finance

by | February 28, 2009 · 1:47 pm

Jim Doyle, “State of the State,” 2003

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I’ve been doing searches for a second “Broken System, Broken Record” Quotes of the Day (look for it soon) and came across the text of Governor Doyle’s 2003 “State of the State” speech (his first).  He doesn’t use the phrase “broken system,” but he does say some things worth rereading.

It is time to reform the way Wisconsin funds our children’s education. That is why tonight I am announcing that I will form a Governors Task Force on Education Financing.

This is too important of an issue to squeeze it into a budget proposal or devise a new plan in just a few weeks.

To do it right we need to do two things. First, all views must be represented. Parents, taxpayers, teachers, community leaders. Urban districts, rural districts. Wealthy areas, poorer areas.

Second, the meetings must be open, in full view of the public.

That Task Force was formed and produced some good work.  Since June of 2004, that work has gathered dust.

I’m often hard on Governor Doyle in relation to his support for education.  I’ll acknowledge that he has been a friend to education in many ways and deserves credit and thanks for that.  What he has not been (in my opinion) is the champion for education that we need.

Doyle has done very well in protecting the schools from the worst of the potential cuts under a system that all but guarantees some cuts and some property tax increases; he’s tried to keep the state’s 2/3 funding commitment viable, he’s worked for increases in SAGE and Special Education funding and succeeded in making these programs slightly less underfunded.  All this is good.

What he hasn’t done (unless you count the recent trial balloon, which may be  a good sign) is  followed up his statement form 2003: “It is time to reform the way Wisconsin funds our children’s education.” That statement was true in 2003; after six years of annual cuts to educational opportunities of 1% to 2% it is even more true today.  I hope that we will soon see Governor Doyle act on this truth and be the champion he could and should be.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 24, 2009 · 11:38 am

Gov. Jim Doyle – “Should have….Could have”

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Doyle should have used this trying time as an opportunity to push for bold change that normally would be too difficult or sweeping to accomplish.

Doyle could have overhauled how the state pays for public education, for example. Instead, he says he’ll work on that after the budget is approved — something he’s said before without much follow-through. (links added)

Wisconsin State Journal, “Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle’s Band-Aid of a state budget plays it safe and jacks up taxes, yet it gets some priorities right.”

There is much in the WSJ editorial I do not agree with —  and there is much in the Governor’s budget proposal that is good (more later) —  but the paper is absolutely right that the budget proposal was a missed opportunity to move desperately needed school finance reform forward.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 23, 2009 · 3:25 pm

WAES School Funding Reform Update, Week of February 16, 2009

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Click here for a pdf of the full update.  Table of contents below.

School-funding update

  • Governor gets involved in school-funding reform discussion
  • Governor’s budget helps schools keep their heads above water
  • Funding reform effort gaining steam around the state
  • WAES doing good work, but needs your financial support
  • Two new members join WAES; 11 renew memberships
  • HOPE plan making rounds of Legislature again this session
  • New study shows benefits to Wisconsin of combined reporting
  • Norman talks school-funding reform on Milwaukee Public Radio
  • School-funding reform news from around Wisconsin
  • Get involved in budget process at WCCF 2009 Advocacy Camp
  • Help WAES correct e-mail update glitch
  • School-funding reform calendar

The Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES) is a statewide, independent, membership-based organization of educators, school board members, students, parents, community leaders, researchers, citizens, and community activists whose lone goal is the comprehensive reform of Wisconsin’s school-funding system. If you would like more information about the organization — or on becoming part of WAES — contact Tom Beebe at 920-650-0525 or tbeebe@excellentschools.org

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 22, 2009 · 4:46 pm

The Stimulus, What Was Not Funded: School Constuction

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Excerpts from the Wisconsin State Journal, “Rebuilding Wisconsin, Part 1: A long and costly to-do list.”

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

West Bend Public School Superintendent Patricia Herdrich said she can hardly bear to walk through the district’s Badger Middle School. Built in the 1920s, the old school is the worst of the substandard buildings in this district about 75 miles northeast of Madison.

There are, Herdrich said, 13 different levels in the school because of the hodge-podge tangle of additions over the years. There are no elevators.

“You can’t make it accessible,” Herdrich said. “I’ve had kids on crutches crawling up and down stairs.”

In hundreds of school districts across Wisconsin, students are stuck in inadequate and even dangerous buildings, jammed into too-small classrooms or housed in trailers in school parking lots, according to Miles Turner, director of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators…

The problem is that, since school expenditures were capped by the state Legislature in 1993, the corner that has been most frequently cut by money-starved districts has been building maintenance and repair.

In its most recent survey of school district spending, the Wisconsin Education Association Council found that 82 percent of the 303 districts that responded have cut money for improvements to buildings and grounds.

And 77 percent reported delaying building maintenance or improvement projects. According to the 2007 infrastructure report from the Wisconsin chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the median reported need of the state’s 431 school districts to catch up on repair and maintenance projects is $695,000 while the average need is $1,768,563.

But some districts are in such dire shape that the cost of delayed projects far surpasses those numbers. Herdrich in West Bend said the district’s total deferred maintenance is $80 million.

Bringing Badger Middle School up to standards alone would cost $29 million, she added…

[A]s the stimulus bill was being put together, the state School Administrators Alliance conducted a needs survey of the state’s school districts.

Only 228 responses were received from all 431 districts, but for just those districts, when it comes to repair, maintenance, and building needs topped $2.5 billion.

Referendums have offered relief only in some districts.

In West Bend, for example, voters defeated a $119.3 million building referendum in 2007 by a 62.6 percent to 37.4 percent margin.

The district had hoped to have another referendum in November but decided against that when the economy went south.

Now, a $68 million building referendum is scheduled for April…

The version of the bill that passed the House of Representatives included what seemed a healthy amount for Wisconsin schools — a total of $729.6 million, including $317.2 million for construction.

But the political debate and resulting compromise in the Senate resulted in much of the money for school construction, including maintenance and repair, being slashed from the bill.

“That line item was zeroed out,” said John Forrester, a spokesman for the School Administrators Alliance. So superintendents such as Herdrich in West Bend, initially buoyed by reports that the stimulus bill could offer some help to repair dilapidated buildings, now find themselves wondering again how to house students safely in the face of failing referendums and dwindling state funds.

It should go without saying that the current broken school finance system requires successful referenda for almost all construction, maintenance and remodeling projects.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 20, 2009 · 6:50 pm

Oneida County Resolution on School Finance

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There was at least one positive vote for the future of education in Wisconsin on February 17th.  The Oneida County Board of Supervisors went on record supporting “legislative change to the state-aid formula to more fairly distribute state-aids throughout the state of Wisconsin” (full resolution here).

According to the Lakeland Times, Supervisors explained the situation and their votes as follows.

“… I just thought it would be nice that the people of Oneida County know that the supervisors … will support this resolution and bring it down to Madison,” Dean said. “This resolution, 13-2009, is to support our schools – Rhinelander and other districts. With the decreasing state aids to schools, Oneida County school districts are receiving less state aids based on school aid formulas. Oneida County property taxes is not the answer. The state is obligated – I’ll say it again, the state is obligated – to support the district schools. The Legislature has to make some kind of adjustments … If we send support like this, and other people as well, maybe they’ll see that we do have a problem. In closing – if you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”

Supervisor Gary Baier agreed, noting “property value rich and tax poor” northern Wisconsin districts are facing an economic crisis under the current school funding formula.

“The [school funding] formula is broken, it hasn’t worked for years …,” he said. “If they (the state) say they are going to fund it (education) two-thirds, then they ought to fund it two-thirds.”

I’m going to be asking the Dane County Board to do something similar.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 20, 2009 · 5:36 pm

Cuts Coming to Salem

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“We All Love Our School”,  written by 4th grade Salem students in 2007, performed by 2nd and 3d grade students in 2008-9. Click to listen or download.

We All Love Our School

written by 4th grade Salem students in 2007

Salem is Great. It’s the biggest in the state. We all love our school!
White and blue our colors true. We all love our school!
At Salem we’re having fun.
Salem we’ve just begun
Salem students are the best.
We’re a cut above the rest.
A-round every turn, there is some-thing to learn. We all love our school!
A peaceful place puts a smile on your face. We all love our school!
At Salem we learn and grow.
Salem out to recess we go.
Falcon is our name and learning is our game!

Referenda in six districts failed on Tuesday.  That means each of these districts must to scale back their plans in ways that do the least harm to their students.  This is all part of business as usual under Wisconsin’s broken school funding system.

Here is a preview of what is in store for Salem.  The headline in the Kenosha News promises “Deep Cuts,” 17 layoffs and reductions in music and art.  The story offers further details

Cuts approved Thursday include eliminating band for children in fifth and sixth grade, cutting down on the number of gym classes children take each week, cutting back on art, and reducing reading specialty programs. All after-school sports and clubs would be eliminated, and class sizes would climb in grades three through eight. There were cuts in support staff and the administrative staff as well.

The source of the problem is also explained:

Salem has been facing budget shortfalls as it grapples with state school funding regulations that cap the amount of revenue schools can receive. The district has been covering its operating deficit using savings, but faces a deficit of more than $1 million next school year.

Two board members voiced the lament familiar to many around the state:

“This is killing me,” board member Shane Gerber said during the vote, the names of teachers who are targeted for layoff were read off. In the audience, teachers began to cry as names were read off and some walked out of the meeting.

“We as a board are now faced with cutting programs we know are good for kids,” said President Patty Merrill. “We have attempted three referendums, all three failed. The cuts must be made.”

If you haven’t already, listen to the song at the top and then try to convince yourself that  slowing the bleeding via band aids and reshuffles is the best we can do for the children of Salem and Wisconsin.  When you are done, contact the Governor and your legislators and tell them they need to listen to voices of children also; tell them that these children deserve music and art and reading help and all the other components of a full education.  Sign on with the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools and the School Finance Network while you are at it.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 20, 2009 · 12:59 am

The Man With a “Plan”

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After greeting the School Finance Network (SFN) plan with little better than contempt and offering a budget proposal that at best slows the bleeding in school finance (after 15 years of steady blood loss), Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has previewed his own “plan” for fixing school funding.  It may be a good starting point for talking (not as good a starting point as SFN’s work), but I don’t think contains the answers to the financial and other struggles of our schools and I don’t like the way it only provides the  resources needed to “improve student performance” (which unfortunately will likely be defined by the flawed and limited WKCE) to those districts that meet criteria that have nothing to do with education.

Like many policy proposals these days, it uses rewards and punishments, carrots and sticks.  The reward is an opportunity to escape from the revenue caps, to no longer have to cut 1%-2% of educational programing annually.  The punishment is to continue under the system that has eaten away at our schools, limited our students’ opportunities and put our state’s future in danger for the past 15 years.

The rewards are tied to the following ill-defined (at this point) policies:

• Join together for the purposes of negotiating union contracts

• Make employees use the state health plan unless the school district already has a plan that is cheaper

• Require schools to agree to a list of practices that would improve student performance

• Provide compensation for teachers that better reflects the needs of individual schools such as those in rural districts that struggle to attract teachers for some subjects

I’m going to leave the contracts, compensation and health insurance aside for now in order to say a few words about #3, the “best practices.”

Doyle cited the work of Alan Odden as the basis for the kind of practices he has in mind.  The Wisconsin School Finance Adequacy Initiative Final Report for 2007 has some good ideas about “best practices” based on research  and good estimates of the costs of these practices, also based on research.   Some of the things in the Odden report are stronger than others and some would be difficult for many districts, but small classes, formative assessments used wisely, teacher coaches, staff development are all good ideas.

What Odden and SFN both propose is funding these practices for all schools.  Doyle seems think that access to best practices should be a reward available only to those who get all their ducks in order. I guess the New “New Wisconsin Promise” will be “A Quality Education for Every Child Who Lives in District that Joined with Other Districts to Negotiate Contracts and Limit Health Care Costs.”

I want to make it clear that neither Odden nor SFN wants to simply give the schools more money to do whatever they want (although both do show proper respect for the  professional knowledge of our state’s educators).  Both include means of targeting money to research based programs and both also propose “accountability” evaluations.

There are ways to target money toward best practices but still make the resources available to all schools  (the Student Achievement Gaurentee in Education — SAGE — program is a partial example).  You can do categorical aids which can only be spent in certain ways,  you can do grants, you can do reimbursements.  Instead, Doyle ties the resources for best educational practices to his ideas of the best financial and policy (and probably political) practices.  As education policy, this makes no sense.

We’ve had 15 years in Wisconsin under a system of school finance that is based on the politics of tax policies, not education.  As a nation, with No Child Left Behind we’ve been punishing schools instead of helping them.

If Doyle’s plan moves forward, I sincerely hope that education is put first and that the stick punishment is put away;  that the very good ideas about funding promising educational practices are enacted in a manner that will reach all districts, all schools, and all students in Wisconsin.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 18, 2009 · 10:45 am

Primary Election Roundup

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Some quick results and very few thoughts this morning.

Turnout was pathetic.  During the Presidential campaign season we heard a lot about a new political engagement, especially among the young.   February primaries lack the glamor (and resources) of Presidential votes, but going from about 2.9 million statewide voters in November 2008 to about 250,000 statewide voters in February of 2009 does not bode well for our political culture.  Locally, in Madison District 8 — one of the campus districts — the vote total in November 2008 was about 7,500; yesterday it was 528.   One data point does not make a trend, but this can’t be good for our democracy.

Tony Evers and Rose Fernandez survived the Sate Superintendent primary.  Here are the totals:

Schools Superintendent REPORTING 97%
Tony Evers

88,734

 35%
Rose Fernandez

78,830

 31%
Van Mobley 34,534 14%
Todd Price 28,641 11%
Lowell Holtz 22,163 9%

I want to thank Todd Price for his effort and his successes in raising awareness of the continuing crises in school funding, testing and other school matters. Tony Evers now has my full support (and I hope to see more evidence of the aggressive advocacy he has claimed).

All nine referenda failed!

The Appleton referenda lost by a 5 to 4 margin.  According to the Post Crescent this will mean “as many as 30 fewer teachers and larger class sizes next fall, plus delaying safety measures for several school buildings.”

The Clinton referendum asking to fund investments in a geothermal HVAC system failed again, this time by a large margin of 968-576.  This is exactly the sort of infrastructure investments we should be making, but under our current state school finance system they are difficult (more here, here and here).

The Highland request for recurring authority to limit program cuts lost 298 to 158.

Class sizes will be going up in Salem.  There is confusion about the margin.  DPI reports that it was 964 to 654.  The Kenosha News says 664 to 654.  More form that source on what this will mean to the quality of education in Salem:

The increase, officials said, was needed to cover expenses for the upcoming school year. School Board President Patricia Merrill said the result means 19 employees would be laid off for the 2009-10 school year, with layoff notices likely to be announced at Thursday’s School Board meeting.

Also on the chopping block are extra-curricular and after-school programs, starting this fall. Other programs scheduled for elimination include the gifted-and-talented program and technical education. Cuts are expected for music, arts, gym and Spanish. Merrill also said technology upgrades could be halted and staff workshops and travel will be reduced.

Superintendent Dave Milz said class sizes will likely increase.

“I’m not sure how any of these things can be beneficial for the kids,” Milz said. “This will certainly prove to be a challenging experience for the board and community to overcome.”

Referenda were narrowly defeated in Salem last June and September.

The vote in Siren was very close, 156 to 167 (turnout is important!).  There is talk of going back to the voters, but programing cuts are likely.

The votes on the three asks in Waupun were also relatively close.  Out of about 2,700 votes cast, they ranged from 698 in the “ongoing operational expenses vote,” to 26 votes in the “textbooks” and “materials” measure.  There will likely be school closures, and many cuts.

Closing the two outlying schools is a ticket item that would address about half of the budget deficit. No other suggestions presented could put a dent into it as closing Alto and Fox Lake elementary schools.

School board president Cathy Loomans said, “The business we’re in is about putting teachers in front of students. So the majority of our budget is staffing, and unfortunately, when you make these kinds of cuts, they have to come from staffing and that’s going to directly affect class size. There’s no way anymore to insulate the students from making these kinds of cuts.”

“Looking at what cuts we’re going to do, we have to look at what’s best for all the students to give the students across the district an equitable education,” Anne Kraintz, school board member, said.

For more information on the situation in Waupun (from one perspective), check out this site.

All around, not a great day for the future of education in Wisconsin.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 17, 2009 · 10:06 am

Vote Today! – Today’s School Votes

Today’s election is very important.  Wisconsin will decide which two candidates for State Superintendent of Public Instruction will be on the April ballot; districts around the state have significant referendum questions and there are a couple of local Aldermanic races in Madison where there are candidates who I think deserve support (there are also some other primaries for judges and Board of Education and other Aldermanic races around the state).  The projected turnout is only 6%-10%, so your vote may make the difference.

First and foremost, Todd Price is the clear choice for State Superintendent.   Price has a thorough understanding of the difference quality public education can make in the lives of individuals, the health of our communities and the future of our state.  He also has correctly diagnosed and offered solutions to the problems of our state school finance system, our testing regimen, NCLB and more.  Most importantly, Todd Price has brought an urgency to this race that others lack.   We don’t need another state superintendent who accepts the continued erosion of our schools under a broken state finance system, underfunded programs for our highest need students and the misplaced priorities of NCLB and WKCE.  We need a State Superintendent who will challenge our governor, our legislators and our local school officials to do better.  Todd Price will be that State Superintendent.  Vote for Todd Price.

There are nine referenda in six districts on the ballot today.  The districts are Appleton, Clinton,  Highland,  Salem, Siren and Waupun.  I don’t have time this morning to fully explore these measures (if possible, I will add some links later), but essential things like preserving smaller class size (Appleton and Siren), investing in sustainable energy (Clinton), keeping neighborhood schools open (Waupun), paying for books, technology and other learning materials and avoiding further programing cuts will be decided.  I hope they all pass.

I am going to offer some quotes from a Todd Price press release and interview on these measures and the system that has led 151 referenda votes since January 1, 2008, most simply to preserve  or limit cuts to current programs, maintain or upgrade facilities, or build needed schools.

Price characterizes the need for these votes as “a regrettable symptom of a school finance system that has been harming our students, our communities, and our state for far too long.”…

“Referenda are band aids, temporary fixes. Our districts keep asking for more band aids just to stop the bleeding. It is time to address the real problem; it is time to fix Wisconsin’s broken school finance system.”…

“These campaigns to provide an adequate education for all children divide communities and distract from the essential task of working together for the education of all children,” Price explains. “One neighborhood is pitted against another, people on fixed incomes who can’t afford tax increases but know education is important are frustrated, educators and boards of education spend too much time trying to pass referenda instead of working to improve education; parents and concerned community members end up volunteering on campaigns instead of in the classrooms.”…

Racine Unified is a good example. The district struggles on an annual basis to balance its budget without making significant cuts to programs or going to referendum for extra money. It’s led to a contentious relationship between the district and the public, left schools in disrepair and resulted in relatively poor student performance.

Last, voters in Madison District 2 need to keep one of our city’s most Progressive and hardest working Alders in office — vote for Brenda Konkel.  In District 8, newcomer Katrina Flores is the best choice and as a grad student in the School of Education a sure friend to the schools.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | February 13, 2009 · 2:28 pm

Wisconsin State Superintendent Forum Video

Here is a video from the State Superintendent of Public Instruction forum hosted on February 12 by the Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools.

There hasn’t been much media coverage on this important race and most of the candidates cannot afford extensive campaigns.  Please take this opportunity to see and hear Todd Price, Rose Fernandez, Lowell Holtz, Tony Evers and Van Mobley.

I think that once you learn about the candidates, you will join me in supporting Todd Price.

Vote February 17th!

Update

I just found these links: The League of Women Voters guide and Q&As from the Appleton Post Crescent.

Thomas J. Mertz

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