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Thanks-
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Here we go again...
This week the Herald-Independent covers last Wednesday's school board meeting and features our discussion on Maywood. Craig has asked that the board resolve the issue of the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation before we get too far into next year's budget process. This will allow the budget process to proceed on a better informed basis and allow the issue to be considered without conflation with our budget woes.
The plan calls for more information at our November meeting, a public listening session and a decision in December.
Consolidating Maywood and Winnequah would save approximately $140,000 the first year and $250,000 in subsequent years. Students currently in Maywood would move into Winnequah, where up to $80-90K could be spent on preparing facilities for the younger students. Winnequah would then be populated with about 400 students vs. a capacity of 575.
There are no plans to dispose of the Maywood. If we were to consolidate these students in Winnequah this board member believes that the property should be retained indefinitely by the district for potential future use, either as a school if elementary enrollment significantly increases, or for other district uses, such as housing the administration and alternative programs if Nichols is sold for redevelopment.
P.S. Congratulations to the MG Silver Eagles Football team on another undefeated season!
The plan calls for more information at our November meeting, a public listening session and a decision in December.
Consolidating Maywood and Winnequah would save approximately $140,000 the first year and $250,000 in subsequent years. Students currently in Maywood would move into Winnequah, where up to $80-90K could be spent on preparing facilities for the younger students. Winnequah would then be populated with about 400 students vs. a capacity of 575.
There are no plans to dispose of the Maywood. If we were to consolidate these students in Winnequah this board member believes that the property should be retained indefinitely by the district for potential future use, either as a school if elementary enrollment significantly increases, or for other district uses, such as housing the administration and alternative programs if Nichols is sold for redevelopment.
P.S. Congratulations to the MG Silver Eagles Football team on another undefeated season!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
in the WSJ...
The Wisconsin State Journal fronts an article about the ongoing contract negotiations and the impact of the MGEA "work the contract" job action. The article lays out the various issues concerning the retirement benefits and the board proposals pretty well.
One error I note is the estimate of the district's unfunded liability: the article quotes an out of date number from 2008 of $30M, the most recent estimate is $25M. To fully fund this liability the district would need to set aside $1.5 million per year. Currently we aren't fully funding this liability, instead we pay retirement benefits on a "pay as you go" basis as they come due.
One error I note is the estimate of the district's unfunded liability: the article quotes an out of date number from 2008 of $30M, the most recent estimate is $25M. To fully fund this liability the district would need to set aside $1.5 million per year. Currently we aren't fully funding this liability, instead we pay retirement benefits on a "pay as you go" basis as they come due.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Next meeting preview...
The agenda for Wednesday's meeting can be found here. There are rumors that we will hear from Teachers, Parents and Students concerning the contract negotiations during the public appearances- so come early if you want a seat.
Items of Note:
Items of Note:
IX. Unfinished BusinessLast year when we deferred a decision on the Maywood/Winnequah consolidation some of the feedback the board received was that we didn't allow enough time for public consideration of this option.
A. Discuss Maywood & Winnequah Consolidation and Related Issues (30 Min)
B. Update & Discussion on Enrollment and Class Size (20 Min)Our revenue cap and state aid is determined by the number of students in the district, based on counts made on the 3rd Friday of September and January. This September's count came to 3099, including 126 non-resident (mostly open enrollment) students. District enrollment is essentially flat, while open enrollment continues to increase.
B. Discussion and Possible Approval on Proposed 10th Grade Chemistry/Honors ChemistryThis is the second show in the changes to the High School science program and involves replacing the sophomore integrated science program with a Chemistry/Honors Chemistry program, this year's freshman are already in the new Biology/Honors Biology program. The curriculum committee reviewed the proposal extensively last Wednesday evening. We were impressed by the effort the science department staff has put to developing a quality program.
(Beginning 2011-2012 School Year) – Jeff Olsen (15 Min)
D. Continuous School Improvement Update: District Profile - Christa Macomber and Deb LyonsWe will hear from Deb and Christa, our new Continuous Improvement team, as they get started on implementation of CI processes in the district.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
G&T or lack thereof...
A group of West High parents have filed a complaint concerning the perceived lack of sufficient gifted and talented programming as mandated by state statute.
But school districts are in a bind: NCLB (No Child Left Behind) legislation requires getting all students over a minimum "proficient" level rather than considering average student performance or growth. Since passage of NCLB school districts have been focusing on (or in Texas eliminating) those students who can be moved from below the bar to just above it, as no credit is given to improving the scores of those already proficient. The unintended side effect is that resources have been shifted to under performing students, in an era of limited resources this inevitably reduces resources available for other groups.
I will posit that not challenging top students (or ANY student) is just as bad as under serving lower performing students. Each student needs to be challenged appropriately, and we need to maximize the potential of everyone.
News Link:
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/article_0b363c3e-d0b0-11df-8157-001cc4c002e0.html
A group of 50 parents in the West High School attendance area has asked state education officials to investigate whether the Madison School District is violating state law by denying high-achieving students access to the "talented and gifted" programming parents say they deserve.I have heard similar complaints expressed by MG parents. (Some of which are addressed by recent changes to the high school science curriculum for freshman and sophomores. )
In a Sept. 20 complaint to the state Department of Public Instruction made public Tuesday, the parent group argued that freshmen and sophomores at West have limited opportunities for advanced English, biology and social studies classes
But school districts are in a bind: NCLB (No Child Left Behind) legislation requires getting all students over a minimum "proficient" level rather than considering average student performance or growth. Since passage of NCLB school districts have been focusing on (or in Texas eliminating) those students who can be moved from below the bar to just above it, as no credit is given to improving the scores of those already proficient. The unintended side effect is that resources have been shifted to under performing students, in an era of limited resources this inevitably reduces resources available for other groups.
I will posit that not challenging top students (or ANY student) is just as bad as under serving lower performing students. Each student needs to be challenged appropriately, and we need to maximize the potential of everyone.
News Link:
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/article_0b363c3e-d0b0-11df-8157-001cc4c002e0.html
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Close to home...
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Annual Meeting tomorrow.
This year's Budget Hearing and Annual Meeting will be held tomorrow (Wednesday the 6th) at 7:00pm in the High School Auditorium. The annual meeting is a statutory requirement where the electors of the district (that means you) approve the tax levy for the year and provide various other authorizations that allow the district to do business. Note that this isn't a meeting of the School Board, but of the electors of the district.
The budget documents can be found here. The compete 60 page district report is not yet available on the website.
Total general fund revenue the district can raise is determined by the State's revenue caps, which are explained here. - Basically the revenue cap takes what the district spent last year per student, adds a little bit and then multiplies it by the number of students using a three year rolling average. (Additional "categorical aids" are available for specific purposes, such as special education.) The district is allowed to raise that much money for general operations. The State then takes another complicated formula and determines how much general fund aid it will provide the district. The district can then levy the difference between the revenue cap and the state funding on the local property tax. Additional amounts are levied for voter approved referenda, in our case building projects.
Because Monona Grove has a high ratio of total assessed property valuation per student the percentage of state aid is relatively low.
This year's estimated revenue limit is $31,963,133 for the general fund. State aid will pay $11,871,795, leaving a general fund levy of $20,091,338. Additional community service fund and referendum approved debt bring the total proposed levy to $24,893,975 - which equals a levy of $12.91 per thousand of assessed property value.
Total expenditures will increase by 2.44% in this budget, but the levy mill rate will increase by 6.7% due to the changes in the aid and revenue sources. (Last year the levy actually decreased 2%).
The budget documents can be found here. The compete 60 page district report is not yet available on the website.
Total general fund revenue the district can raise is determined by the State's revenue caps, which are explained here. - Basically the revenue cap takes what the district spent last year per student, adds a little bit and then multiplies it by the number of students using a three year rolling average. (Additional "categorical aids" are available for specific purposes, such as special education.) The district is allowed to raise that much money for general operations. The State then takes another complicated formula and determines how much general fund aid it will provide the district. The district can then levy the difference between the revenue cap and the state funding on the local property tax. Additional amounts are levied for voter approved referenda, in our case building projects.
Because Monona Grove has a high ratio of total assessed property valuation per student the percentage of state aid is relatively low.
This year's estimated revenue limit is $31,963,133 for the general fund. State aid will pay $11,871,795, leaving a general fund levy of $20,091,338. Additional community service fund and referendum approved debt bring the total proposed levy to $24,893,975 - which equals a levy of $12.91 per thousand of assessed property value.
Total expenditures will increase by 2.44% in this budget, but the levy mill rate will increase by 6.7% due to the changes in the aid and revenue sources. (Last year the levy actually decreased 2%).
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