Going with the Google:

Technology director Bill Herman has migrated the district's email over to Google. Our new email addresses are firstname.lastname@mgschools.net. You can still continue to use the old addresses so the change should be transparent from the outside. The change is motivated by a desire to provide a more reliable system with less maintenance and support.

Bill estimates an equivalent system hosted in house would cost $95,000 to startup and $60,000 in annual operating costs. The costs of the Google system? Zero.

Feb. 24th Board Meeting

The agenda of Wednesday's meeting has been posted here. Its a hefty agenda with a number of significant issues:

VII. Unfinished Business
A. Discussion and Possible Approval of Location of 6th Grade Programming (30 Min)

The administration has presented the case for the educational benefits of putting all the sixth graders together in Glacial Drumlin school. It is my understanding that this isn't a significant budget issue, but a practical and educational one. I think we need to do a better job decoupling this from the budget discussion and spend more time educating and hearing from the public on this issue.

B. Discussion of Budget Reduction Proposals (20 Min)
C. Discussion of Possible Consolidation of Maywood & Winnequah Schools (30 Min)

Although these items will be discussed, no decisions will be made.

D. Discussion and Possible Approval of Addition of Modular Units in Cottage Grove (20 Min)
F. Discussion and Possible Approval of Board Rule 343.2- Guidelines for Class Size (10 Min)

VIII. New Business
A. Discussion and Possible Approval of Construction of Structure for Glacial Drumlin Garden –
Kristi Williams (10 Min)
B. Presentation by Deb Lyons: A Comparison Analysis of the United States and the Chinese
Education Systems (45 Min)
C. Presentation on Music Curriculum and Assessment– Janice Stone (15 Min)

Several of the budget items involve our music programming. An overview of the various components of structure and how the different components relate, along with an understanding of our assessments will help the board make the budget decisions.

Public hearings info.

Following is the letter sent home with students this week concerning the public hearing hearings on Saturday:

Monona Grove Public Hearing on Budget Reductions and Other Items
Saturday, February 20 - Winnequah School Cafeteria -10AM-Noon
Tour of Winnequah - 9-10AM

Decisions Facing MG Board of Education:
• Budget Reduction Items – lists available on website
• Consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah Elementary Schools, as a budget reduction item
• Addition of Modular Classrooms to Elementary Buildings in Cottage Grove
• Moving Monona 6th Grade Students to Glacial Drumlin School

Some Background
The Monona Grove School District is facing a budget shortfall, due to flattening of enrollment and the fact that expenses have increased by a greater percentage than that allowed by the state-imposed revenue limits, or the “revenue cap.” In previous years, the allowable per pupil increase has been tied to the Consumer Price Index in an effort to help schools cover annual increases in expenditures. Wisconsin Act 28, which established the state’s biennial budget for 2009-11, instead included a reduction in the amount of the per pupil revenue increase allowed by the state. The District now faces a structural deficit amounting to about one million dollars in operating expenses in each of the next five years, which is as far as we have projected. The Board needs to cut this amount or go to a referendum to request the taxpayers to allow us to raise revenue above the limit by increasing property taxes. We are attempting to make cuts this year before possibly turning to the taxpayers for help next year.

The facilities situation currently facing the MG School District is a result, in part, of new grade configurations in buildings. Glacial Drumlin School was constructed for the District’s 7th and 8th graders and for 5th and 6th graders from Cottage Grove. Formerly, all of the District’s 6th-8th graders attended Winnequah Middle School. This reconfiguration led to the closing of Nichols as a school, with Monona 3rd-5th graders moving to Winnequah to join Monona 6th graders who remained there. Currently, in terms of total numbers of students per 4K-8 building (with 50% of 4K students counted, since they are in the buildings half days), percentage of capacity in each is approximately:
Maywood-89%; Winnequah-42%; Taylor Prairie-104%; CG Elementary-106%; and GDS-97%.
The number of sections of each grade level is another factor in consideration of building capacity, as is programming. The District Office and the high school and middle school Excel/Soar program are housed at Nichols, and the Board has tentative plans to house our alternative high school there beginning next year, moving those students from their current rental space. Two rooms at Nichols are rented by CESA #2, the Cooperative Educational Service Agency which is served by MG, and the building is sometimes used for in-service programs.

Ad Hoc 4K-8 Grade Configuration Committee
During the last school year, an Ad Hoc Committee on 4K-8 Grade Configuration was established by the Board to study elementary and middle school facilities issues. Membership on this committee consisted of eight community members, including four from each community, and six teachers, administrators, and Board members, including two in each category, also representing both communities. The committee concluded its study and made recommendations to the Board last spring. Related documents, including recommendations, are posted on the district website, through the link to the “Board of Education” and then through “Committees.” The Board approved and began to follow the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee last fall. Follow-up on the recommendation to study District real estate will include investigation of the rental or sale of Nichols School.

Board Consideration and Action
The first recommendation of the Ad Hoc Committee to be addressed by the Board was the recommendation to study whether to house Monona’s 7th and 8th graders in Monona instead of at the newly constructed Glacial Drumlin. A result of such a move could have been movement of Cottage Grove 4th graders to GDS in order to alleviate crowding at CG School. Results of this study were

reported to the Board on December 22, 2009. The Board received an administrative recommendation and approved the following motion on January 27, 2010: “to continue the current structure and have all 7th and 8th grade students attend Glacial Drumlin School. This recommendation is based primarily on the cost impact to the school district, as stated in the report to be $1,062,333 - $1,106,703 in one-time remodeling costs and additional annual operating expenses of from $149,983 - $194,353, not including required annual expenses for additional staffing. It is not feasible nor fiscally responsible for the School District to separate our 7th and 8th grade students.”

The Board could not formally discuss other recommendations of the Ad Hoc Committee until the above decision was made. Two other recommendations were to study 6th grade programming and location, and to “maintain Winnequah and Maywood Schools until 4K-8 programming in each community is determined, or until it is fiscally not feasible to operate both buildings.” While there has been previous discussion among administrators over the past few months, these items were on the Board’s agenda for the first time for formal discussion on February 10. On Feb. 10, the Board voted to support an administrative recommendation to maintain middle school programming and structure for the District’s 6th graders and heard an administrative recommendation to move Monona’s 6th graders to Glacial Drumlin in the 2010-11 school year. While no decision was made on that move, a decision at the next Board meeting on February 24 would greatly facilitate the scheduling of these students for next year and this item likely will be voted upon then.

Consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah, Modular Units in Cottage Grove
Another administrative recommendation received Feb. 10 was that the District not add modular units to Cottage Grove School due to a lack of required infrastructure at the building, thus making such an addition more costly, and that we also not add them to Taylor Prairie School for the next year due to lack of money in the budget as well as the fact that more space will be available there due to a predicted decrease in the number of kindergarten sections. The administration has recommended consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah to gain an annual operating expense savings of an estimated $250,000. The District would incur one-time remodeling and moving expenses which are still being calculated at this time. These expenses would not add to the annual costs of delivering education to students. The budget reduction task is focused on these annual operating costs.

Board members and administrators rated the negative impact of each possible budget reduction item on each of four district goals. Then, the administrators used these survey results as one tool in developing the “Preliminary 2010-1011 Budget Reduction Proposals,” which they then presented to the Board. Consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah does not appear on this preliminary list because Board members had not received relevant impact and cost analysis in time to include it on the survey. The consolidation is included on other documents listing possible budget reduction items and was given a high rank as a reduction item by the administrative team. The Board is just beginning to formally discuss modular units and consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah.

When will decisions be made?
As stated in the Budget Calendar posted on the District website, final budget reduction decisions will not be made before March 24, 2010. Community and staff input will be received and discussions will continue until that time.

You may access related information on the District website, under links for “Budget Information,” the “Board President’s Update,” “4K-8 Grade Configuration Study Report,” and others.
Again, a public hearing to discuss budget reduction items, including school consolidation, will be held on Saturday, February 20 – 10AM-Noon, with a tour of Winnequah from 9-10AM.
You may email all Board members by using this address: mgsd_board@mononagrove.org.

-Susan Fox
President, Monona Grove Board of Education

Several more

Another batch of the letters received by the board can be found here:
https://acrobat.com/#d=*FRhfNwTgmogj28vLiR-qw

The numbers are getting larger, so I've included a link rather than including the text. Let me know if I missed yours.

As seen on TV...

Video of the 2/10 Board meeting and the 2/09 public listening session are now on line at:
http://www.mononatv.com/

My plan

At tonight's listening session several people talked about the structural deficit problem: the fact that due to the state funding formula, we are looking at a deficit that grows by a million dollars each year for as far as the projections go. As Craig mentioned, our revenues increase by about 2% a year (less than inflation) while our expenses go up by more than 4% per year. This is the real problem that makes the issues brought up today look like child's play. Several people asked us to consider the long term, a sentiment I couldn't agree with more. Others asked us to consider an operating referendum to avoid cuts. I agree that given the current situation we will need to consider this as we move forward. But an operating referendum alone can't solve this problem - the deficit is not a one time or short term issue.

A while ago someone asked for my long term plan for solving the structural deficit. I've given this a lot of thought, and I have to say there is no magic bullet for this, I haven't heard anyone on the board or administration articulate any specific ideas that get us out of this situation. What we need more than anything is else is good ideas.

Enough introduction, this is the plan I would hope to implement:

A comprehensive plan for preserving the fiscal condition while improving outcomes of the Monona Grove School District:

1) Complete a strategic plan for the district: A strategic plan with well designed goals, reached through a process of significant district and community input, would provide a framework for all budgetary decisions on an ongoing basis. By measuring all budgetary decisions against a plan we will avoid expenditures not focused on the core mission, and have guidance for any future cuts that might be made.

2) Administrative Re-organization: The district has a talented and skilled team of highly trained educational leaders, however much of their time is spent on organizational duties that are essential, but peripheral, to the core mission of the district. A thorough review of responsibilities will reveal ways to improve both efficiency and effectiveness of our administrative teams.

3) Share Resources: Explore the possibility of consolidated support operations with neighboring school districts. Most school districts in the area are in similar straights and facing growing structural deficits, and yet all have similar needs in such areas as transportation, food service and IT. I believe that there are opportunities for significant savings if the district was to form cooperative ventures to supply support services with nearby districts. By taking advantage of increased purchasing power, reduced duplication of services and the ability to specialize in larger organizations it may be possible to improve services while reducing costs.

4) Draw on the expertise of the citizens of the district. There is no shortage of experienced professionals willing to help the district in its time of need. By focusing a board, administrative and community committee on a review of district operations and finance it may be possible to find new and creative modes of operation that will save significant money.

5) Continue and Expand Energy saving efforts. Efforts introduced over the last year successfully lowered district energy consumption at a rate that will save the district over $120,000 per year, but energy costs are still one of the largest non-educational expenditures. We need to continue and expand these efforts to improve the bottom line.

6) Referenda: Once the district has demonstrated a commitment to efficient and quality operation and has established specific well supported goals, it may be appropriate to ask district residents to help through an operating referendum that would be used to preserve and protect the features of the district we value most: small class sizes, exceptional arts programming, leadership in assessments and strong academics.

H-I Link-

Adam has put up a detailed article concerning our deliberations last night:

http://www.herald-independent.com/main.asp?ArticleID=1536&SectionID=2&SubSectionID=2

Update: Adam has corrected the story to reflect the actual timeline.

The police stopped by...

A uniformed on-duty Monona Police officer dropped this off at my house earlier today:



I have a couple of problems with the flyer. The biggest one is that board did not decide to vote on this issue on Feb. 24th. Our budget timeline lists March 24th as the date for action. The mayor should have taken a moment to check with the district office before using city resources to send out misinformation. I questioned Rob about this, instead of taking responsibility, he blamed the Monona PTO. The date, and general tone of the flyer, give the impression that the board is trying to rush this through and hide it from the public. This isn't true.

Tomorrow's board meeting...

Tommorrow board meeting agenda can be found here.

Items of Note:

X. Unfinished Business
A. Discussion and Possible Approval of 6th Grade Programming - Content and Location (30 Min)

In the past we have asked for an evaluation of best practices for 6th grade school programming, i.e. whether or not a middle school or elementary curriculum better serves students. The board will receive an administrative report summarizing the research and the practices of other districts.

B. Discussion of Possible Consolidation of Maywood & Winnequah Schools (30 Min)

The board will hear about the details of a possible consolidation, including the logistics of Winnequah as K-6 and any capital expenses incurred.

C. Discussion and Possible Approval of Addition of Modular Units in Cottage Grove (20 Min)

We will also hear an assesment of possible needs for additional space at Cottage Grove elementary for next year.

XI. New Business
A. Presentation by Deb Lyons: A Comparison Analysis of the United States and the Chinese Education Systems

What this district needs is new ideas for ways to provide quality education within the budget constraints. Comparison to other systems is an excellent way to develop ideas and creative solutions.