December's Business Services meeting will be Thursday Jan. 8th at 5pm in the district offices. The agenda can be found here.
Items of note: "V. Update and Discussion on PMA’s 5-Year Budget Forecasting Model and Preliminary 2009-2010 Budget."
This will be our first look at estimates for next year's budget and will be a guide for the budgeting process this spring. It will tell us if we have to go through a budget cutting exercise this spring and how big that might be.
"VII. Discussion and Possible Approval of McKinstry’s Performance Contracting Agreement."
This item is to examine the facility energy upgrades proposed by McKinstry and winnowed down by the Energy and Sustainability committee. The current proposal calls for borrowing about $2.5 million for these improvements, which would be funded by energy savings with a payback of about 12 years.
The committee will also look at eliminating the budget flier mailing and move the annual meeting forward to October 5th.
The Ad Hoc Grade configuration committee will meet Tuesday Jan. 6th at Glacial Drumlin school. The agenda is here. It looks like they committee will spend some time defining its agenda.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sleeping on the job
Ok, I haven't been sleeping on the job, just too busy with the family, the holiday and work to pull together the focus it requires to keep up with this blog. A new year's resolution is to keep this up-to-date.
Just a few items of note:
Ad Hoc Facilities Committee documents can be found here. The December meeting was cancelled due to snow so there isn't an update on any progress. The next meeting is Tuesday, Jan 6th (weather permitting!)
The 28 students on the Monona Grove Varsity Math Team won FIRST PLACE in the Madison math competition earlier this month. When will academic teams be greeted with the publicity and accolades of athletic teams?
At the last board meeting we received the report from the auditor for the 2007-8 fiscal year. The district received an "unqualified opinion": that is accountant speak for a positive review of the accuracy of district's accounting system. Mary Ellen VanValin deserves credit for managing a very well run financial system in the district.
McKinstry report a list of potential energy saving infrastructure investments totalling $2.7 million with an estimated payback period of 12 years. McKinstry would guarantee that the energy savings would exceed the costs of the repayment over a period of 15 years.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Just a few items of note:
Ad Hoc Facilities Committee documents can be found here. The December meeting was cancelled due to snow so there isn't an update on any progress. The next meeting is Tuesday, Jan 6th (weather permitting!)
The 28 students on the Monona Grove Varsity Math Team won FIRST PLACE in the Madison math competition earlier this month. When will academic teams be greeted with the publicity and accolades of athletic teams?
At the last board meeting we received the report from the auditor for the 2007-8 fiscal year. The district received an "unqualified opinion": that is accountant speak for a positive review of the accuracy of district's accounting system. Mary Ellen VanValin deserves credit for managing a very well run financial system in the district.
McKinstry report a list of potential energy saving infrastructure investments totalling $2.7 million with an estimated payback period of 12 years. McKinstry would guarantee that the energy savings would exceed the costs of the repayment over a period of 15 years.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Business Services meeting
The agenda for Wednesday's meeting can be found here.
The committe will review a proposal from Alliant Energy to provide the district with a low interest loan to fund energy improvements in the district. The loan is based on Alliant's estimates of savings from the energy efficiency investments made in the Glacial Drumlin School, and can be used to fund some of the energy saving work we hope to do in other buildings. The idea is to make the improvements self-funding, with the utility savings being sufficent to cover the loan payments. At the same time the committee will get an update from the Energy committee concerning proposed capital projects.
Most importantly we will receive and review the results of the 2007-8 budget year financial audit.
The committe will review a proposal from Alliant Energy to provide the district with a low interest loan to fund energy improvements in the district. The loan is based on Alliant's estimates of savings from the energy efficiency investments made in the Glacial Drumlin School, and can be used to fund some of the energy saving work we hope to do in other buildings. The idea is to make the improvements self-funding, with the utility savings being sufficent to cover the loan payments. At the same time the committee will get an update from the Energy committee concerning proposed capital projects.
Most importantly we will receive and review the results of the 2007-8 budget year financial audit.
Doug Wood posts on his blog:
This budget reduction would impact coverage of district as well as city meetings and events and has special significance now that Charter is no longer required to carry the PEG channel on basic cable.
Charter tried to drop PEG from the analog service last year and Andy expects they will try again next year. THe nearly 50% of Charter customers with analog only cable would be faced with the costs of upgrading to digital cable and digital tuners to receive the PEG channels. Internet streaming would help reach those constituents who don't have cable or might lose it because they only have basic analog cable. I think the connections between local government and citizens are tenuous enough already and we should seriously consider these upgrades as essential to good government.
Alderman Wiswell also proposes to eliminate the entire $7,700 amount in the CATV budget for 'new transmission methods'. That funding was proposed by the committee to pay for live web streaming and start up cost for the LPFM radio station (basically a low-cost, low-powered community radio station for Monona and immediate environs). I give the committee big kudos for this proposal that improve communication between the government, schools and residents and amongst the residents directly.
This budget reduction would impact coverage of district as well as city meetings and events and has special significance now that Charter is no longer required to carry the PEG channel on basic cable.
Charter tried to drop PEG from the analog service last year and Andy expects they will try again next year. THe nearly 50% of Charter customers with analog only cable would be faced with the costs of upgrading to digital cable and digital tuners to receive the PEG channels. Internet streaming would help reach those constituents who don't have cable or might lose it because they only have basic analog cable. I think the connections between local government and citizens are tenuous enough already and we should seriously consider these upgrades as essential to good government.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Ad Hoc Committee
Last night the board approved a resolution to create an Ad Hoc Committee to consider grade configuration issues in the district. The scope is laid out in the resolution:
John Kitslaar also announced the committee citizen membership.
The committee agenda for yesterday's meeting can be found here:
A task force appointed by the School Board President be established to discuss the issues relating to the enrollments and grade configurations of the 4K through 8th grade schools in the Monona Grove School District. An analysis and recommendation(s) will be provided to the School Board by the end of the 2008-2009 school year. The committee to be comprised of 2 School Board members, 3 administrators, 1 staff member from the Cottage Grove elementary schools, 1 staff member from the Monona elementary schools, 4 Cottage Grove citizens, and 4 Monona citizens.
John Kitslaar also announced the committee citizen membership.
The committee agenda for yesterday's meeting can be found here:
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Snow Queen...
Playtime Productions Children's Theatre fall production is coming to the MG High School auditorium Saturday, Nov. 15th at 7pm. This season's performance is an original musical adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" and features 12 Monona Grove students in the cast and crew (pictured). You will enjoy this entertaining show and at the same time support these hard-working and talented kids in this terrific program.
The rest of the fall schedule and more information about Playtime Productions Children's Theatre Group can be found here.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Coming attractions
Next Wednesday's board agenda can be found here.
Items of Note:
VIIa&b:Approval of the Scope and Membership of the Ad Hoc "Grade Configuration" Committee.
VIIIB:Paul Brost will give a report concerning Homecoming week at the High school. Paul has repeatedly expressed frustration with continued unruly behaviours associated with this event and intends to reduce Homecoming week activities in response.
VIIIC: Approval of 4-K providers for 2009-10. I would be interested if anyone has comments about the current providers.
Items of Note:
VIIa&b:Approval of the Scope and Membership of the Ad Hoc "Grade Configuration" Committee.
VIIIB:Paul Brost will give a report concerning Homecoming week at the High school. Paul has repeatedly expressed frustration with continued unruly behaviours associated with this event and intends to reduce Homecoming week activities in response.
VIIIC: Approval of 4-K providers for 2009-10. I would be interested if anyone has comments about the current providers.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
More on the budget flier
Kristin Yates writes:
The discrepancy noted between the budget flier and the actual numbers approved at the annual meeting is correct. The difference arises from the fact that the state “Equalized Property Value” was not reported to the district until October 23rd, after the flier was mailed. The estimates that had been used for equalized value were too high, the actual increase came in at only 1.43%.
However on average this makes no difference to property taxes. How’s that? The total amount of money raised by the district from property taxes is fixed by the state school funding formula and any referenda- the district is budgeted to raise $23 million from taxes this year. On the other hand the tax paid on each property is the product of the value of the property and the mill rate. If the total increase in the property value is less, then the mill rate will increase; conversely if the total property value increases faster than the revenue limit then the mill rate will fall. We have seen the mill rates decrease in 6 of the last 10 years, and last year the increase was only 0.3%. Of course what happens to the taxes on a particular piece of property depends on the individual valuation of that property.
The lower equalized property value for the district does in the end increase the proportion of state aid to the district resulting in a smaller total increase in property taxes.
You will note from the flier that this year our state aids decreased about $1.2 million, largely due to declining enrollment in prior years. This trend will be reversed next year given our current increasing enrollment, but it does represent a significant shift toward property taxes in the district.
There was another big problem with the mailer. There was a pretty significant number problem. Equalized value for property tax was stated as 1,999,308,341, and the DPI numbers ended up at $1,877,729,956. I assume this is a timing problem since these numbers were late, published the 23rd.
THE ERROR IS HUGE THOUGH. The mill rate was shown to increase only 4.5% despite the levy going up 12.86%. In reality, the mill rate goes up 12.4%. in the final numbers.
The discrepancy noted between the budget flier and the actual numbers approved at the annual meeting is correct. The difference arises from the fact that the state “Equalized Property Value” was not reported to the district until October 23rd, after the flier was mailed. The estimates that had been used for equalized value were too high, the actual increase came in at only 1.43%.
However on average this makes no difference to property taxes. How’s that? The total amount of money raised by the district from property taxes is fixed by the state school funding formula and any referenda- the district is budgeted to raise $23 million from taxes this year. On the other hand the tax paid on each property is the product of the value of the property and the mill rate. If the total increase in the property value is less, then the mill rate will increase; conversely if the total property value increases faster than the revenue limit then the mill rate will fall. We have seen the mill rates decrease in 6 of the last 10 years, and last year the increase was only 0.3%. Of course what happens to the taxes on a particular piece of property depends on the individual valuation of that property.
The lower equalized property value for the district does in the end increase the proportion of state aid to the district resulting in a smaller total increase in property taxes.
You will note from the flier that this year our state aids decreased about $1.2 million, largely due to declining enrollment in prior years. This trend will be reversed next year given our current increasing enrollment, but it does represent a significant shift toward property taxes in the district.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Its in the Mail
I have heard some complaints about the annual budget flier being delivered late in Monona, with many people not receiving it until the day of the meeting.
The budget flier was delivered to the Post Office the week of the 8th, after approval by the board. This should have allowed plenty of time for postal delivery, and indeed the flier was delivered in Cottage Grove the beginning of the week prior the meeting. However the USPS apparently mishandled those destined for Monona addresses. The district did inquire with the local Post Office when it was noticed the flier wasn't received, at which point the USPS did deliver it.
The budget flier, with its annual meeting notice, is sent out each year as a courtesy to the residents of the district. It is my understanding that most districts don't do this, relying instead on the usual meeting notices posted in newspapers, district offices and on-line.
The budget flier was delivered to the Post Office the week of the 8th, after approval by the board. This should have allowed plenty of time for postal delivery, and indeed the flier was delivered in Cottage Grove the beginning of the week prior the meeting. However the USPS apparently mishandled those destined for Monona addresses. The district did inquire with the local Post Office when it was noticed the flier wasn't received, at which point the USPS did deliver it.
The budget flier, with its annual meeting notice, is sent out each year as a courtesy to the residents of the district. It is my understanding that most districts don't do this, relying instead on the usual meeting notices posted in newspapers, district offices and on-line.
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