by | April 5, 2007 · 1:02 am

We Are Not Alone #7

Part of series on school finance and referenda around Wisconsin.

Updates from the DPI on the April 3d referenda votes:

· Totals = 34 Passed, 36 Failed (no results from Thorp)
· Issue Debt (building and renovation) = 15 Passed, 16 Failed
· Non Recurring (operating and maintenance) = 14 Passed, 10 Failed
· Recurring (operating and maintenance) = 5 Passed, 10 Failed
· Largest Operating = $21,601,931 (Eau Claire Area) Failed (6,570 to 8,385)

There is already one new referendum on the ballot, the Menomonie Area Board moved fast when faced with unpalatable cuts and scheduled a referendum for May 15th.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | April 3, 2007 · 4:07 pm

Vote Today

Vote today. Tell your friends to vote. Bring your children to the polls. Democracy and public education intersect in many ways, one of the most important is via the election of those who govern our schools. Be part of that.

I am also reminded of a quote from an educator’s blog about democracy and education:

If we believe in democracy we need to believe in all kids.

My endorsements are here.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | April 3, 2007 · 3:50 pm

What we care about

This from a new blog in town:

Assumption 3: We’re all white.

I only collected and compared scores of white/Caucasian students. I did this for two reasons.

First, I was specifically concerned with my kids’ opportunities not yours.

Last time around the author of the blog supported Cole and Mathiak.

This from John Dewey:

“What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all its children”

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | April 1, 2007 · 11:22 pm

MMSD School Finance Advocacy Talking Points

2007-09 Biennial Budget Issues
“Talking Points”

Categorical aids
Special Education Aid – Governor’s special education aid increase provides MMSD with an estimated $1,032,000 in 2007-08 and $1,721,000 in 2008-09.

• When revenue limits started in 1993-94, state SPED reimbursement was 45%.
• Current reimbursement at 28.6%.
• District’s resources declined by $9.4 million compared to the 45% reimbursement rate.

Bilingual-Bicultural Aid – Governor’s Bilingual-bicultural increase maintains the state’s 12% reimbursement.

• Provides an estimated $52,000 to MMSD in both years of the biennium.
• When revenue limits began, state reimbursement was 33% for bilingual-bicultural expenses.
• The current reimbursement is 12%.
• Loss of resources to the district of $2.2 million.

Combined, the decline in state reimbursement for SPED and bilingual-bicultural aid to Madison Schools is $11.6 million. The District estimates it will have to cut $10.5 million from its “cost to continue” budget for 2007-08 in order to comply with revenue limits.

SAGE (Student Achievement Guarantee in Education) – Governor increases SAGE funding from $2,000 per low income child to $2,250.

• Increase provides an estimated $737,500 in classroom resources.
for MMSD.
• First per pupil increase in SAGE’s 10-year history.

Revenue Limit Flexibility

School safety – Modify Governor’s school safety proposal.

• Allow expenditures for Educational Resource Officers and school security assistants at elementary/middle/high schools to be outside the revenue limits (Gov. only allows resources for police officers).
• Delete provision requiring 50-50 local municipality resource match.
• Support substitute language similar to Rep. Spencer Black’s proposal to allow $100 per pupil to be spent for security measures outside the revenue caps.

Beginning teacher mentors – Support Governor’s proposal allowing school districts to pay for mentors required by state law to be outside the revenue limits.

• There were 43 new teachers in MMSD this year with “provisional license” (which lasts 3-5 years)
• Would provide about $54,000 for mentoring costs.
• Can assume there will be a similar number of “beginning” teachers next year and subsequent years.

Legislative Council School Finance Study recommendation – Allow local school boards to vote to exceed the revenue limits by about 1% of the statewide average per pupil cost. (Not included in Governor’s budget.)

• Allow locally elected school board members to vote to exceed revenue limits by about 1% the statewide average per pupil cost.
• Provides an additional $2,172,544 in 2007-08 for MMSD classroom resources, based on the estimate of the Legislative Fiscal Bureau
• MMSD has cut nearly $53 million from its cost-to-continue budget since revenue limits began in the 1993-94 school year.
• Over 615 positions have been eliminated from MMSD between 1993-94 and 2006-07.

Elimination of the Qualified Economic Offer (QEO)
Oppose elimination of the QEO without corresponding changes to revenue limits.

• Eliminates the “greater weight” factors of revenue limits and local economic conditions in arbitration decisions.
• Without changes to the revenue limit law, changing the QEO would cause greater revenue limit cuts in the district’s classrooms.

Arlene Silveira

Sample letters on categorical aid and SAGE are linked.

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by | April 1, 2007 · 11:18 pm

How to Get Involved in MMSD Advocacy Efforts on School Finance Reform

On March 29, The BOE held a community advocacy meeting, focusing short-term on the governor’s budget and longer-term on the state funding system. There were approximately 90-100 community members present.

The meeting was broken into 3 segments: 1) education on the state funding system; 2) overview of the governor’s budget; and 3) advocacy. We had an extensive amount of Q&A with the audience.

Information Presented

Information presented is located on the district web site http://www.mmsd.org Click on “Take Action on School Funding”

I have also attached the talking points and sample letters.

How Can You Help?

It is important to write letters to your legislators in the next 4-5 weeks regarding the Governor’s budget. As you will see in the attached “talking points”, there are some items in the Governor’s budget that, if passed, could bring additional funds back to the district. To find out who your legislators are:

http://waml.legis.state.wi.us/

Write your letters and ask your friends to do the same.

Longer-Term: We are setting up a community “Legislative Action Team”. We are developing an email list of people who want to be involved. We will soon be setting up follow-up meetings and action items to start the longer-term lobbying to change the state funding process.

If you would like to be added to this list, please send me an email at asilveira@madison.k12.wi.us

Thanks for your help. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Arlene Silveira

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by | April 1, 2007 · 3:30 pm

School Districts Statewide Face Referenda

The front page of the WSJ has an excellent story on the 52 school districts across Wisconsin (out of a total of 425) that face referenda on Tuesday. That’s 1 out of every 8 school districts in the state seeking a reprieve from revenue caps this Tuesday alone. It details the drastic cuts districts already have made under 14 years of revenue cuts, and the tremendous pressure and ill will communities face as they are forced to take sides in prioritizing dwindling funds.

There are those in Madison who continue to say that if MMSD just had a long-term plan and better management, the schools would be fine. The fat has been cut, folks. Efficiencies continue to be on everyone’s minds, but efficiencies won’t cut $8-$10 million a year into eternity.

Under the leadership of Arlene Silveira and other board members, MMSD is urging residents to get involved in a statewide effort to lobby the governor and the legislature to refinance public education in the state. It’s not too late to make some significant changes for this year.

If you live in Mark Miller or Mark Pocan’s districts in Madison, CALL them. They are on the powerful Joint Finance Committee, which is taking up the Governor’s budget with a series of hearings that will continue through April.
Call them if they aren’t your legislators, too.

If you want to know who your legislators are, go to http://waml.legis.state.wi.us

Beth Swedeen

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by | March 31, 2007 · 8:21 pm

Best Candidates for School

This year I have stayed away from endorsing candidates for the Madison School Board because I was concerned that the media seemed to focus more on who was supporting whom than on the candidates themselves. The recent endorsement editorials have forced me to take the step of being much more public about my views – especially since the consequences of this election could have such devastating affects on the east side.

I support, wholeheartedly and enthusiastically, MARJ PASSMAN for Seat 5. Marj understands the big picture of the role of the schools in our community and in our democratic society; she has a deep commitment to the success of every child we serve; she has been an advocate for those who are disenfranchised – many of whom she has invited into her home – or visited theirs. She taught at Marquette Elementary and is committed to maintaining neighborhood schools.

Marj is independent; she is clear about her positions and the reasons for those positions. We do not always agree (I would be horrified if we did). I expect we will have spirited discussions on the issues. I know that she will base her decisions on what she believes is right, not on which Board member presents, or supports, a proposal.

Marj, as a former middle school teacher, has had to be creative and innovative in order to bring out the best in her students. She understands the difference between ideas that are “out of the box” and those that are merely “off the wall.” Most importantly, Marj has the courage to admit when she is wrong. This community, the district and the Board need the type of leadership Marj will provide.

I am also endorsing BETH MOSS and JOHNNY WINSTON, JR – I have worked with both of them and value the different perspectives each brings to the Board. Beth has been an effective advocate for children with special needs as well as other children who are not served well by the district. Johnny, in his 3 years on the Board, has been creative and innovative. I do not always agree with Johnny’s views – but I am impressed by his ability to grow and change and acknowledge when his idea isn’t going to work.

Carol Carstensen

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by | March 31, 2007 · 5:41 am

The Company We Keep or Cole Not Beholden to Special Interests–You decide?

Here are two very different perspectives on the candidates running for seat 5 on the Madison School Board Cole/Passman. One is written by Nancy Donahue, one of the organizers of the Studio School and the other is written by Russell Wallace, Linkup and Meetup host Democracy for Wisconsin, Madison and author of his own blog ReformDem from which this article was taken http://reform-dem.blogspot.com/2007/03/company-we-keep.html
DON’T BE A LAZY READER–READ BOTH ARTICLES–AND THINK!!

Nancy Donahue: Cole not “beholden”
Nancy Donahue, one of the organizers of The Studio School http://www.madisonstudioschool.org/

I have had the opportunity to talk with Maya Cole twice in the past two weeks and I am convinced that she would be an excellent addition to our school board …someone who can see the big picture and incorporate it into a vision for our schools and our community. A change agent? Moreover, Maya is unfettered by the MTI machinery and political agenda so I can trust that her votes are guided by her own judgment. I am also supporting Rick Thomas for many of the same reasons.
I think that it is imperative that we make every effort to ensure that the people we elect are not “beholden” to any large organization to support their campaigns. MTI’s questionnaire flagrantly and publicly advertises that candidates must comply with the MTI agenda if they want MTI political support (which would be difficult to pass up). But the campaigns are just the beginning of an insidious political relationship. Along with MTI support comes the continual threat of repercussions (i.e., public criticism and withdrawal of support) if, once elected, a candidate should muster the personal integrity to cast a vote that runs counter to the MTI position. I prefer that our school board members feel free to cast votes based on information rather than intimidation.

I know that most SIS readers are well aware of this situation but I thought it deserved mentioning again…and again…and again. It probably goes deeper and reaches farther than people realize. Throughout the process of developing our proposal for The Studio School I had opportunities to talk and meet with MMSD teachers. I find it very interesting that early in the process they would come to planning meetings, meet with me in coffee shops, email me, and talk on the phone…but they never seemed to feel comfortable attending school board meetings or speaking out publicly in support of The Studio School. Why was this? Were they intimidated? I think they were. I did have a couple of conversations in which teachers expressed concern about going against MTI and/or the impact it would have with other teachers (i.e., coworkers). Is this really the kind of climate in which we want our teachers and children to spend their days? A climate where people are intimidated into silent complicity? I am also concerned that principals work in a similar climate. I thought that our country was rooted in freedom of thought and speech. Freedom to choose our own ideologies. I thought that Madison valued thoughtful, informed and independent thinking. I want my children to attend a school and to live in a community that supports personal integrity and responsibility. A safe place where they feel free to act and speak out in accordance with their convictions; without fear of intimidation, insult or injury from others…especially school or community leaders. Hmmm…isn’t this something we learned about in school?
And speaking of leaders, I still wonder why Johnny Winston, Jr., our school board leader, withdrew his support during the final few weeks before the BOE vote on our proposal. In late December, Mr. Winston assured me that he would “not vote no.” Yet, after consistently saying (privately and publicly) that he supported The Studio School, he suddenly had a change of heart and voted “no.” (By the way, he remains endorsed by MTI. ) Sparing the details, the net effect of Mr. Winston’s support was that it undermined our efforts – it certainly didn’t advance them. At best, I now question his leadership, reliability, and effectiveness in supporting an issue. At worst, I question the motives behind any vote he casts – especially if it involves an issue that could require standing up to the MMSD and MTI power structures.

FACT CHECK: MTI is not listed on Johnny Winston’s supporter page. Other reasons must have lead Mr. Winston to vote no. This lead me to wonder about other “facts” Ms. Donahue uses in her letter. Just because the answer is no, does not mean it wasn’t based on thoughtful, informed and independent thinking.

The Company We Keep
What does a Madison School Board race have to do with Karl Rove?
by Russell Wallace, ReformDem and Democracy for Wisconsin
In yet another odd case of politics making for very strange bedfellows, it turns out that School Board candidate Maya Cole hired a telemarketing company called Arizona FLS, also known as FLS Connect and FLS-DCI, during her 2005 campaign. FLS has a rather exclusive clientele, and it’s not exactly what you would associate with a Madison progressive. Their customers include the Bush/Cheney campaign, the Republican National Committee, the Republican Governors Association, Exxon, the NRA, the rather repressive military government of Myanmar (Burma), and, closer to home, the Republican Party of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

But what really got me was this quote prominently featured on the FLS homepage:

“I know these guys well. They become partners with the campaigns they work with. From designing the program to drafting the scripts; from selecting targets to making the calls in a professional successful way, they work as hard to win your races as you do.” – Karl Rove
One of FLS-DCI’s specialties is creating astroturf groups, fake grassroots organizations that are actually paid PR and lobbying campaigns. They’ve been tied to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that attacked Kerry in ’04, and Voices for Choices, a front group that lobbies for AT&T (check out this previous post for a little local AT&T intrigue). One of FLS-DCI’s more interesting exploits was creating this flash video mocking Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth”:

It created quite a stir on YouTube, and fooled a lot people until The Wall Street Journal exposed it as a paid political hit piece.

So why would Maya give her money to an outfit that’s basically trying to destroy everything she claims to believes in? My guess is that she didn’t have a clue about FLS-DCI, and was just told to use them by one of her campaign advisors.

One of the reasons I’m supporting Maya’s opponent, Marj Passman, is that in both her current and previous campaigns Maya has chosen to surround herself with people who represent the exact opposite of the progressive values she claims to stand for. To be fair to Maya, and I do believe she really is a progressive, I know she felt forced to do so because she’s been largely locked out of the Madison political machine. But you’re known by the company you keep, and I wouldn’t be caught dead with some of Maya’s current buddies.

FACT CHECK: The correct Campaign Finance Report can be found by clicking the year 2006-not 2005 here http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/clerk/electionCampaign.cfm and finding the name Cole, Maya here http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/clerk/CampFin/2006/index.cfm and clicking on July Continuing under her name. The final link is here http://www.ci.madison.wi.us/clerk/CampFin/2006/Cole4.pdf look at page 6 of 7 and you will find a $1451.60 payment made to Arizona FLS.

posted byJanet Morrow

I am supporting Marj Passman, Beth Moss and Johnny Winston, Jr. for these and many other reasons. I hope you will join me on April 3rd and vote for positive change for Madison’s Public Schools!

Comments can be read at ReformDem

http://reform-dem.blogspot.com/

Comments Off on The Company We Keep or Cole Not Beholden to Special Interests–You decide?

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by | March 30, 2007 · 1:37 pm

We Are Not Alone #6

Another in a series on school finance and referenda in Wisconsin. Unless you believe that mismanagement is endemic to public schools, I think it should be pretty clear that the budget problems in MMSD are not the result of bad or no decision making by our Board and administration. They are the result of bad or no decsion making by our legislatures and governors.

This is a round up of news from Western Wisconsin

Referendums Everywhere

Spring elections are less than a week away and many school districts are depending on your vote to determine whether they get more money to run the schools. If you think there are only one or two referendums in this area, think again.

15 school districts around Western Wisconsin are seeking referendums come April 3rd. One of those districts includes the Independence School District which faces a $70,000 deficit and is asking for $800,000 for 4 years.

School administrator Dave Leahn says they’ve already cut $750,000 in the past year to make ends meet, but they can’t make anymore cuts so now they’re asking for money to keep the school going, “district administrators, reading specialist, learning disability teachers, to custodians, to secretaries.”

Leahn and other staff are worried more cuts will only diminish the quality of education. He says more cuts will mean eliminating a whole program or even grades since the small school only has one section of each grade or program. Leahn and many other school administrators blame the budget problems on the state’s revenue system where the money districts receive are largely based on enrollment numbers.

“If you’re receiving approximately $100,000 in revenue and your expenditures were $200,000, it’s going to catch up with you.

That’s why Leahn says we’re seeing so many referendums coming Tuesday. Independence faces an $800,000 referendum, Eau Claire will have a referendum, New Richmond is seeking more than $2 million, Thorp as well as Lake Holcombe and Barron Area School Districts are also seeking money.

The budget problems are not only in Western Wisconsin but all over the state. Countless numbers of districts across the state are also seeking referendums.

Thomas J. Mertz

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by | March 30, 2007 · 4:13 am

We Are Not Alone #5

Part of a series of posts on school finance and referendums around the state.

Too many referendums and too much news to cover it all. Just a once over this time.

Shell Lake and Spooner have referenda questions on the ballot. The Shell Lake superintendent described the familiar situation:

Superintendent Jerry Gauderman said Shell Lake’s school expenses, as in other school districts, are rising at 4 percent a year while revenue is increasing at only 2 percent. And like many districts in Northern Wisconsin, Shell Lake has experienced a declining enrollment which affects the revenue limit based on student enrollment.

The Spooner business manager explained their situation

The money will be used, primarily, to keep existing programs in place, said school officials. They noted earlier this year that a casulty of a failed referendum may be the elimination of 20 positions, at least three-quarters of them teaching jobs.

Andrew Sarnow, district business manager, projects that without additional funding the district will experience deficits of $1.01 million in the 2007-08 school year; $1.62 million in 2008-09; $2.273 million in 2009-10; and $2.996 million, 2010-11.

The district plans to cut roughly $200,000 in both 2007-08 and 2008-09.
Along with the cuts, if the program maintenance referendum passes, the district will accrue a surplus in the first two years that will cover the larger deficits expected in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Oconomowoc has a different problem. They are growing, but the rolling average employed to calculate the revenue caps hurts growing districts.

Barry said most of the districts that are struggling are districts with declining enrollment and therefore declining revenue, although their costs are somewhat fixed. In districts where enrollment is flat, so is the revenue.

“Yet their costs are going up; health insurance for example. That scenario should not be unfamiliar to anybody in Oconomowoc. This district struggled with flat and declining enrollment for 10 years, and it obviously weakened the district’s balance sheet substantially over that period,” Barry pointed out.

“As we look forward to next year, we have a different scenario. Unlike many of our neighboring districts, and unlike almost 70 percent of the districts in our state, Oconomowoc has increasing enrollment, and in our case we have rapidly increasing enrollment,” the assistant superintendent said.

Despite, or because of that advantage, a new circumstance arises that requires prudent planning.

“Our challenge is that the revenue formula, the three-year rolling average, by definition, lags behind your actual enrollment year to year.
“Therein lies the difficulty for us. Our revenue has not caught up to the size of the district and the size of the staff to support the district,” Barry said.

“The problem this year is can we, in the budget, earmark enough revenue for the additional staffing that we need? It’s a growth problem, not a cutting problem,” Barry said.

In Baraboo, school board candidates are talking referenda (and private financing)

The “R word” made an appearance in a question over whether the candidates would support a go at another referendum. All said they would. It’s perhaps surprising that an anti-referendum candidate didn’t surface when about half of the district’s voters opposed both attempts last year to increase its levy and there was organized opposition to the measure.

Maxwell, who ran on an anti-referendum platform three years ago, said his experience in the trenches of the district’s operations and finances have changed his perspective.
“I sat on this stage before and fought my personal demons on the word ‘referendum,'” he said. They’ve made the cuts the “no” votes forced upon them and became more efficient, Maxwell said.

“I see no options for this district based on the cuts we made in the past, the priorities we’ve set and the goals we want to achieve,” Vodak said. “I wish it didn’t have to come to that.”

Anderson said if the state’s school funding formula doesn’t change a referendum will be inevitable.

“We need to stop voting for state representatives that don’t listen to us and say take care of it at the community level,” Hovde said.

All candidates also agreed that cuts to the music program last year should be reinstated and that such a vital piece of the district’s educational offerings shouldn’t be left to private fund-raising.

Thomas J. Mertz

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