At last nights board meeting former Winnequah Principal Patti McGinnis presented the results of the 4k-8 study commissioned by the board last summer. The report detailed the costs of implementing 4k-8 grade configurations in each community. The proposed configuration would require significant changes to Winnequah school to accomodate programming for Monona 3-8th grade students and some changes to Glacial Drumlin to shift CG 4th graders into the building.
The report (I'll link it here when it is up on the district website) was very thorough, and I found it a useful exercise to see all the costs and factors that go into making a school laid out in one place. It is worth a read on that basis. One issue identified from the study was that the scheduling wouldn't work with the current encore staff and additional staffing would be required. These additional requirements hadn't been worked out, but they would add to the costs included the study.
The bottom line of the study is an estimated $1.05-1.1M in the first year with an ongoing cost of $150-200K each year thereafter, plus the additional staffing costs.
This study was involved significant effort from much of the administrative staff, I'd like to thank them for the care and thoroughness of this report.
Update: The report has been posted on the district website and can be accessed by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat required).
Update: Patti reminds me that the Winnequah and Glacial Drumlin staff made significant contributions to the report, and deserve our thanks!
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11 comments:
So, given the budget cuts already on the table and the very harsh economic situation we are in for the next few years, have we moved beyond this idea now? Was that the general feeling on the board? How can we even contemplate adding staff for middle school encores when we are looking at the types of budget cuts that we are looking at? And how much did this study cost us?
The public widely rejected this option in the 2005 referendum for good reason. Why did the board feel the need to spend so much time an effort to reach the same conclusion that was plain to the public in 2005?
how does the cost of making Winnequah school 3-8 compare to adding portables/addition to CG elementary school?
Having GD take on 4th grade and Monona kids leave GD, would that eliminate the crowding in CG schools?
Could some of the money that was approved by the referendum a few years back to revamp Winnequah to make it 6th grade friendly (but was never used)be used to offset some of these costs?
Seems like the above poster would like to continue to sink resources into the K-8 community option which in my opinion has been "defeated" on numerous fronts.
Can we PLEASE get over which bodies are where and focus on the achievement of all of our district's students? We need all school board members, administrators, teachers and parents to be devoting their energies to improving learning, not location. Please!
Modular classrooms are pretty inexpensive, on the order of tens of thousands of dollars to install and less to operate per year. As I recall they are significantly less than the cost of a bus route.
There should be about $70,000 on hold from the referendum to cover Tech Ed remodeling in Winnequah, but this was meant to cover the needs of a 6th grade tech ed curriculum only, not 7th & 8th.
"Having GD take on 4th grade and Monona kids leave GD, would that eliminate the crowding in CG schools?"
The notion that Cottage Grove schools are "crowded" is one of the great myths surrounding this entire debate. Glacial Drumlin is UNDER capacity; Taylor Prairie is at capacity, not over-crowded. Cottage Grove school is "over-crowded" on the order of one, maybe two at best, classrooms. Hardly the kind of conditions that call for a wholesale re-arrangement of grades throughout the district's schools.
"Seems like the above poster would like to continue to sink resources into the K-8 community option which in my opinion has been "defeated" on numerous fronts."
Actually I am seeking accurate information. I actually really don't care if 3-8 stays in Monona or CG. So.....please...let me seek what I am looking for without jumping to conclusions on my lack of regard to a referendum. I wanted to know what it costs to add on in CG. That is not free.
" have we moved beyond this idea now?"
gawd, I hope so.
"The notion that Cottage Grove schools are "crowded" is one of the great myths surrounding this entire debate. "
Perhaps, I am wrong but this is a problem that the current super opened, right? I tend to agree with you, but he is the one that opened paradora's box. This is not to say-I do not like him 'cause I do.
Peter,
Thank you for your positive comments regarding the 4K-8 Grade Configuration Study after my presentation on December 22. I appreciate your praise of Monona Grove administrative staff contributions. They are well deserved. In this same vein, Glacial Drumlin and Winnequah School staff contributed greatly to this study, and their contributions should be noted as well. On a final note, I would appreciate your correcting the spelling of my name in your post.
Regards,
Patti McGinnis
Sorry 'bout the spelling Patti!
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