The board had an important meeting Wednesday, although the meeting went past eleven we heard detailed reviews of the district's RtI (Response to Intervention) program, our disproportionally data, and a review of our standardized test results (A district "report card" if you will). The data was put together and presented by John Faust, Ed O'Connor, Bill Breisch and Charlie Ellis. These gentlemen did an excellent job putting together thorough and clear presentations for the board.
RTI is a system to service students with special needs, it relies on assessment of the effectiveness (the response) to enhanced instruction provided (the intervention) to these students. The emphasis is on results, not identification. RTI is a response to the problem that student achievement tends to stagnate once students are identified as having special needs in traditional special ed systems. Our district is still in the process of implementing this system, but we do have a leadership role in Wisconsin. Some of our data already shows apparent success of this approach in MG schools at the elementary level.
“Disproportionally” refers is the difference in achievement between our minority and white students, it is manifest in academic achievement data as well is the ratio of students identified with special needs or challenges, these ratios are often 3 times greater for minority students. This is a significant problem state wide, and our district is no different.
Overall our district's academic data is not as encouraging. While both growth and achievement are well above average, results are stagnant and not improving as much as I would like to see. It’s the reason the board needs to focus on achievement and not the issues of buildings, buses and fields that have been such a distraction over these last several years.
On the subject of the budget, a succession of little things over the summer has added up to increase our projected budget deficit for the current year. From an estimated $250,000 it is up to about $600,000- but we won't know precisely until the 3rd Friday count is in next week. This will take our fund balance down to the minimum acceptable or below. Bad news, and unfortunately the state budget means that next year will be significantly worse - we will probably be needing to find $1M in the next budget.
One more thing: This year we moved the annual meeting a few weeks earlier to make it easier to meet the state deadlines at the end of October. We didn't know at the time that the date we picked, Monday October 5th, was going to conflict with the Packers vs. Vikings game. Sorry 'bout that!
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12 comments:
Sorry to disagree, but you have to figure out the bussing and building problems, or else they are going to contribute to the academic stagnation occurring in the district.
"Sorry to disagree, but you have to figure out the bussing and building problems, or else they are going to contribute to the academic stagnation occurring in the district."
Really? How so? How exactly do bussing issues, or for that matter building "problems" (and what are these, exactly?) contribute to academic stagnation?
"Really? How so? How exactly do bussing issues, or for that matter building "problems" (and what are these, exactly?) contribute to academic stagnation?"
Well because we are all so focused on it AND unless a board bites the bullet and solves the riddle....than we have what we have.
Solve the riddle? That riddle has been going on for decades in this district and my answer may be quite different from someone else and therein lies the reason it will never be solved in perpetuity. Children have literally gone K through 12 while these debates ebb and flow. Time for the board to say enough is enough, leaving building and buses to the fine administration we pay quite nice salaries to and instead focusing on student achievement.
"Time for the board to say enough is enough, leaving building and buses to the fine administration we pay quite nice salaries to and instead focusing on student achievement."
I do not disagree with this statement.
"Well because we are all so focused on it AND unless a board bites the bullet and solves the riddle....than we have what we have."
Is there much of a riddle to solve?
The high school is 10 years old and has enough room to handle modest enrollment growth -- it's not (nor should it) going anywhere for at least 30-40 years.
Maywood has seen increasing kindergarten enrollment, plus demand from Madison parents wanting to open enroll kids there. There is a good argument for keeping it open.
Winnequah is somewhat under capacity, but it seems to work pretty well as a 3-6 building. I'm not sure putting either pre-K through 2nd grade -- or worse, 7th and 8th grade -- in Winnequah seems like a good move educationally.
The two CG elementary schools are tight, but they are not horrendously overcrowded, contrary to some prevailing comments. Some short-term fixes can work there. Sure, the district may need an elementary school in CG down the road, but that's at least a decade away. The current state of the economy sure doesn't justify big enrollment projections and thus new schools.
And the new middle school is a fine school -- also under capacity, I believe, contrary to what you hear sometimes.
Bussing is bussing -- particularly in CGrove, as budgets get tight, you'd expect the district to require more students in CG to walk to school. Those in Monona who don't want their middle school children bussed to CG are just fighting old fights.
Besides, people pick up on what the board does. If the board spent more time talking about students and academics, and less time on buildings and busses, I think you'd see a more engaged community pick up on their lead and also focus on those issues.
""Time for the board to say enough is enough, leaving building and buses to the fine administration we pay quite nice salaries to and instead focusing on student achievement."
I do not disagree with this statement."
Does that mean you agree with it? :)
"Those in Monona who don't want their middle school children bussed to CG are just fighting old fights."
How about those in CG who do not want their student bussed to Monona.
IT is a riddle until the board rejects talking about it let the administration decide and take their lumps.
I thought the administration did so declare that CG el was overcrowded and that is why we got the modular units AND I thought the GDS was crowded adn that is why 6th graders from MOnonona were NOT moved out to GDS. I think you have twisted the facts.
"""Time for the board to say enough is enough, leaving building and buses to the fine administration we pay quite nice salaries to and instead focusing on student achievement."
I do not disagree with this statement."
Does that mean you agree with it? :)"
I agree with it from a rational viewpoint, but we do not deal with the rational. Look-all things rational there would NOT be modular units in CG kids from CG would have been bussed to Monona-bottomline.
Bussing 6th graders from Monona to CG was never the plan for GD. It was not built for that. The fact that Monona 6th graders are in Monona was the plan - it is not because GD is overcrowded - which it isn't.
"Look-all things rational there would NOT be modular units in CG kids from CG would have been bussed to Monona-bottomline."
The cost of bussing CG elementary students to Monona -- and it's about one or two classrooms that are overcrowded at CG School, not dozens -- is far more than the cost of modular classrooms.
Glacial Drumlin is not over-crowded; see this:
http://www.mononagrove.org/cms_files/resources/enrollmentnumbers(11-18-08).pdf
and this:
http://www.mononagrove.org/cms_files/resources/Monona%20Grove%20School%20District%20Facilities%20Capacity.pdf
The school was built for 750 children. Just because lunch hour is busy doesn't mean the school is over-crowded.
so how do we break this cycle...space issues, mad public, board involved, board members quit or challenged
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