Despite Flat Edgerton Enrollment after 4K Program, Milton Forges Ahead

Click on the post to see the article in the Gazette a few weeks ago covering Milton's entry into the 4K arena to boost their dwindling enrollment. Oddly enough, they used the Edgerton 4K enrollment data as an argument FOR going forward. Edgerton numbers uniquely match Evansville in enrollment, so this seemed like a perfect place to begin to investigate recent remarks by board member Eric Busse that 4K enrollment always increases from the initial enrollment value. Because, yes. you guessed it, it was on the agenda to address at the September Board meeting as a follow up to the Spring meetings addressing it. Nobody in their right mind expected anything to actually result from this, except a perfunctory, "No, we are currently about 700 thousand dollars in the red and cannot afford to introduce 4K at this time." But dutiful board members noted that they want a full analysis for 4K, including start-up costs and expected time to recoup the investment. That's when Mr. Busse chimed in about enrollment due to 4K.

Well, apparently he didn't have access to the Edgerton data. If you look at the charts and correct for early childhood enrollment figures, Edgerton enrollment due to 4K was 101, 106, 65, 98, 96 and 115 from 2006 to 2011. The AVERAGE value (96.5) does not exceed the initial value. More importantly, the rate of enrollment loss has remained relatively consistent comparing 01-05 (-96) with 06-11 (-87). They're still bleeding enrollment, just started at a higher value. This still translates to loss in funding. Until the reasons for the enrollment loss are fully explored, and remedied where possible, all the 4K, 3K and every other scheme to increase enrollment will never, ever solve the problem. This is the message to take from Edgerton, not implementing some hairbrained scheme that doesn't do what it is touted to do.

Solving the problem using superficial means is simply easier. They don't have to mix with the great masses and admit that maybe, just maybe, we need to do a better job of attracting and keeping students in our district. No more excuses for not knowing the reason why EVERY SINGLE KID left the district. It shouldn't be acceptable to simply gather anecdotal evidence. The school board just financed the district's inability to live within their means to the tune of nearly 700K out of the fund balance. At the very least, they deserve to know why 24 more kids enrolled out than in. Then they can formulate a plan to minimize this number. That's my rant for the day.

Budget discussions are in my Review articles. I was the only journalist present at the annual meeting and the meetings leading up to the annual meeting. If you read conflicting data from other sources regarding the budget, call me or drop me a line. I will try to help you understand. I am pretty conversant with the district budget.

M

School Board Meets August 30 at 7:40 AM for Contract Approvals

Click on the post to view the agenda for a meeting scheduled at 7:40 AM on Tuesday morning August 30. They will be approving a 50% parental leave contract for Marissa Hansen (high school guidance counselor) and a football coaching stipend at the middle school. The meeting is scheduled at this ungodly hour because the staff breakfast will be that morning and apparently a quorum of the school board plans to be present as well.

School Board Meets August 22nd to review progress on budget process

Well for heaven's sake, I forgot to type anything about the title. Summer brain, I guess. Anyway, click on the post to view the agenda for Monday night's meeting. They will summarize the progress made thus far on the business manager transition and budget preparations as well as the audit results, I suspect. Some board members will be exhausted from attending a CESA 3 presentation on how to deal with budgets from 1-4 pm the same day, so I should cut them some slack if they have the glazed look from staring at school budgets for too long, which I know so well.

Join us for a rollicking good time. Superintendent Carvin said if the preliminary budget isn't available by then, then there will be another meeting August 29 (freshman orientation day) to present it. Great. Wonderful. The main reason I have attended all of these summer cluster f@#$s is because I was looking for a budget. Now I may not be able to attend because of family commitments. Probably a bit unreasonable of me to expect a resolved budget for 10-11 and a projected budget for 11-12 under the sad circumstances, but I have this view of the world that conflicts with the Peter Principle which contends that everybody is promoted to his or her level of incompetence. In my philosophy, I have faith that co-workers can take over for somebody in their absence and nobody is indispensable. They did allow at the last meeting that they seemed to be holding their own so far in the process, which is good, I think. Won't know until I see the numbers. Looking forward to that day when they are available for public perusal.

Board Meeting August 15 at 6:30pm

Click on the post for the agenda and packet for tomorrow's board meeting. Sorry for the late notice. I've been communing with the loons in Northern Minnesota for the last 10 days and didn't have any wifi available. There's a lot of interesting things on the agenda, including the summary of WKCE data at JCMC Middle School. That should be interesting.

They are pushing along with the senior project proposal with another pilot project with tweaks from last year. No news on the grading committee front.

I have a lot of irons in the fire now, but my memory of the loons will buoy me up to stay focused on the tasks at hand!

School Board Meeting July 25th at 6:30 PM

Click on the post to view the agenda for Monday's ECSD Board Meeting. The Board and Administrators have interviewed for the business manager position and will present the preferred candidate for board approval.

Additional topics include review of the updated budget projection and several board development topics. I will be able to attend this meeting and the August regular meeting as well. Apparently the regularly scheduled August 8th meeting will be changed to August 15, after I come back from the cabin. This is a good thing, since the budget is still in some nebulous limbo of undefined proportions and I'd like to see what is proposed.

It's not going to be a good year for school budgets and some harsh choices will have to be made. Board membership is particularly difficult wherever one lives these days. Somehow the powers that be have successfully demonized the public schools while painting other areas of the economic sector in an unrealistically glowing light. If any of these so-called politicians would attend any one year's worth of ECSD school board meetings to see what kind of catch-22 choices have to be made at every meeting, month after month, maybe they would have the knowledge of what the hell it is they are doing to education. Meanwhile, they support expanding school choice, the institutions of which have never before last fall been required to adhere to the NCLB achievement stipulations. REALLY? You DON'T know how they are performing as compared to the evil public sector, but your recommend expanding the multimillion dollar program? You guys are ignorant. And that's the nice way to put it.

In other news, there is a new principal at TRIS. I hope to have an article about her in the next few weeks under my Evansville Review byline. Maybe at the same time as I report on the new business manager next week. Stay tuned to the same byline for breaking news on the budget and any plans for cuts to the 11-12 budget.

Agenda for Board Meeting 7-14-11

Click on the post to see the agenda for tomorrow night's board meeting. They will interview a candidate for TRIS principal and discuss approval in closed session followed by discussion of the criteria for business manager. I have a swim meet to attend and won't be there for this meeting.

No Board Meeting on Monday July 11, Special Meetings Scheduled, Agendas to Follow.

Please note that the regular business board meeting will not be held this Monday. The standing dates are the second and fourth Mondays of the month. Instead, there will be a special meeting on Thursday the 14th, the agenda of which is not yet available. I believe they will be finalizing the job description for the District Business Manager and perhaps interviewing a candidate. Stay tuned for the posted agenda here. There is another meeting on July 18th regarding strategic planning and perhaps another interview. The regular meetings of the whole will be on July 25 at 6:30 PM, normal schedule.