Do you sometimes get the feeling that our government is schizophrenic?

The decisions of SCOTUS, as we lazy folk like to abbreviate the highest court in the land, have baffled me a bit this week. Earlier this week, I was somewhat aghast that they labor under the foolish delusion that the states that needed help with setting up fair voting registration and gerrymandering law for all their citizens had learned their lessons in "nearly fifty years." And yet, the US still doesn't allow Japan to have a military force. If they are attacked, the US has to fight their battle. It's been 70 years and we still don't trust them to be able to wield an army without trying to take over the world. Ask the people of color who get followed until some cracker finds a violation they can be charged with if they think the deep south is ready to fairly administer voting rights to them. Hell, I knew somebody I worked with in Milwaukee who got pulled over on the way to work (6 AM). The cop passed him going the opposite direction, did a u-ey and pulled him over for a broken tail light. Hoping to see something juicier in the process, I'm sure, and making my co-worker late for work. He was devastated and felt very embarrassed. I told him he wasn't the one who should feel embarrassed. Driving while black is what this experience is called in Milwaukee, and other places I'm sure. The Trevon Martin case is an extreme example of this bias: privileged groups threatened by the mere presence of a minority. But of course, all the people in charge of voter registration are enlightened folks and would never suppress a vote.

So this was my thought process as we careened toward the DOMA decision: Surely this court will never overturn DOMA. And this morning I was so blasted happy to see chains beginning to fall away. Naturally, there are drawbacks because states that don't extend equal rights to LGBTQ citizens do not have to acknowledge a couple's marriage in a state that does. There are legal conundrums this will cause, but it is surely going in the right direction for mankind's quest to treat all with dignity and respect. I am happy to be able to say the SCOTUS surprised me with its decision. Given what's at stake, I'm glad these two decisions came down as they did. The citizens in places that have not been historically kind to those of color still have the ability to file complaints for voting irregularities. The very essence of eliminating law that screams "you are less than" to all LGBTQ citizens helps restore my faith in humanity. The vulnerable LGBTQ youth no longer have to endure people rationalizing their bigotry and hatred with DOMA. The haters will still be around but they no longer have federal law to hang their hat on. Carry on, Supremes!

Achievement Gap in Madison: Money not the Answer.

Click on the link below to read how the new Superintendent for MMSD has spent her first few months studying a documented problem. Please note that, ala our own new superintendent, she has not spent the time since she was hired trying to argue that there is not a problem (open enrollment anybody?), or blaming any number of entrenched problems in order to minimize the effect it has had on the district. The title for the electronic version doesn't have the impact of that the paper version has: Money not the answer. Restructuring the resources already available is the answer, according to the consultants.

I have always had a serious issue with blaming lack of achievement on poverty. Students can come from economically disadvantaged homes that are headed by adults who recognize and support education as one of the tried and true mechanisms to overcome dire circumstances. Alternatively, students can come from economically advantaged homes that are led by parents that are emotionally and/or physically absent in the pursuit of the almighty dollar. Or, worse yet, parents who believe money can solve every problem. Which student do you believe will naturally excel in school? For better or worse, kids strive in many ways to please their parents in an effort to become them, which is the scary part of parenting. Every move you make is scrutinized by the little urchins and one false move will undo years of training, or at the very least ruin your credibility for a long time. This fact makes counting to 10 all the more important when dealing with the umteenth time your toddler asks "Why?"

I hope Dr. Cheatham has outstanding success with the MMSD. The bone structure is sound and she just needs to flesh out the programs to better meet the needs of the students.

http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/analysis-madison-school-district-has-resources-to-close-achievement-gap/article_41219e55-b96a-577d-9e28-427d0b3ceaa2.html

No School Board Meeting Until the End of July: Create a Strategic Plan, ECSD!

Having a six week gap between School Board meetings at the end of the fiscal year is an unusual development for the ECSD school board. It has not occurred in the seven years since I have been scrutinizing school board activities. There has always been a meeting the last week of June to close the fiscal year and to pass a preliminary budget. Due to the inability of the administration to present an acceptable budget to the board last year, there wasn't a working budget model going into the new fiscal year in 2012. That failure forced the administration to bring every significant expenditure to the board for approval until a preliminary budget was approved in mid-July. Since they were facing a deficit situation, it was certainly something the board should have been overseeing anyway. The administration was less than pleased by what they perceived as the board "second guessing" their professionalism. That topic is a post in and of itself. This year the district has circumvented the established process by not having the "end of fiscal year close-out meeting." I have a feeling that these meetings were a waste of time anyway. Too many variables comprising the budget remain volatile in June. The final expenditures aren't set in stone until June 30, so trying to extrapolate for the board the exact results for the end of the fiscal year is a waste of the business manager's time, the board's time and the administration's time. As for significant expenditures between July 1 and whenever the final budget is adopted (October 31 is the drop dead date, methinks), they should be dealt with on an as needed basis anyway in lieu of an adopted budget.

This new process seems to be a win-win-win for everyone. It could lead to less community outcry because there will be fewer unfounded budgetary "crises." There are sufficient economic challenges for the district without manufacturing crises due to budgetary unknowns at the state level. Take a breath. The backdoor deals going on at the state level right now could produce between 90 and 270 thousand dollars in additional revenue for the district (between $50 and $150 per pupil increase in revenue cap). Of course, this all depends on the ones in charge keeping their end of the bargain, for which I shan't hold my breath. The levels of vindictiveness and immature "payback" demonstrated at all levels by those in charge staggers the mind. There is no longer even the hint of trying to present an equitable facade. On one level, it's refreshing to see that rare bird of truth in politics. It's just so damned infuriating that the focus of their substantial efforts has been ultra-conservative policy as opposed to significant economic improvements. Indeed Gov. Walker, indeed. It's patently obvious that you are more concerned about a presidential bid in '16 than in the economic health of Wisconsin.

The political upheaval which has enthralled public employers has especially rocked the Evansville Community School District because of its lack of a long term strategic plan. All successful businesses have strategic plans. A strategic plan is the compass to guide leadership in wise decision making. Such plans create a route to achieve the vision and are regularly revisited to make sure all parts of the company are aligned. The considerable time and effort put in by the board, the community and the administration to create the vision two years ago needs to be honored. The end goal of that process was not the vision statement but rather a strategic plan. Development of the plan was thwarted first by Act 10, then by Heidi's retirement and then by Jerry's hire. A strategic plan would have helped dampen the magnitude of the winds of change. The leadership would have had a clear path by which to achieve the vision of excellence. This in turn would have minimized the knee jerk reactions the district made while being buffeted from crisis to crisis for the last two years. With no lodestone, the board had to make decisions based on administrative recommendations, an administration that was lame duck for a year followed by one that was led by a rookie for a year. Strategic plans are valid in both times of want and in times of plenty. Just as a plan can shelter areas of community core values in times of trouble, it can enable a district to focus spending in flush times in order to reach the vision of excellence. Now is the time, ECSD. Go forth and strategize!

She's baaaaaaaack....

Flag day marked exactly two months since our serious car accident. My memories of why the accident happened remain stubbornly trapped in the recesses of my mind, which I have taken as a sign that it's best I don't remember what happened. I am grateful beyond words that the semi driver was unhurt and my husband and children sustained only minor injuries.

My own injuries defy logic considering it was a "van vs. semi" accident. I have various foot and ankle bone breaks and a broken hip, all "subsequent" to dislocations of my ankles and hip. I'm guessing osteoporosis isn't a big issue for me. The rapidly deploying airbag cracked three ribs, "cause you're so short, mom" according to my tall daughter.  I took a substantial hit to the noggin, which many would note to be the hardest part of my anatomy. The only symptom to remain there is a damaged nerve that runs the muscle that pulls my right eye to the right, sticking me with perpetual double vision which we manage using an eye patch or a piece of tape over my glasses, depending on how many folks I will encounter that day. It can be disconcerting for folks to see my eyes pointing two different directions. I have been that person, wondering which eye I should meet with my own gaze. Perhaps there is some karma involved here. The high priced neuro-opthamologist explained this injury so well to me I happily paid the higher deductible. He got extra points for using low tech diagnostic tools and showed me how to tape my glasses with a specific kind of tape so I don't lose all my right peripheral vision like I do with the eye patch. He said it can take 18 months for a nerve to heal and we just have to wait and see. Worst case scenario is that the nerve doesn't regenerate and they have to do surgery to pull the eye so it looks forward instead of to the left as it does now. In that case, it will never look to the right. I hope that won't be the case, but would consider it a small price to pay for all of out lives.

I get stronger every day. I have learned to use a walker for short distances. I would like to make it to the pool this summer as I think that would be good therapy for me. I see the ortho guy in a few weeks so maybe I can go to the pool after that. I'm hoping to upgrade from the Herman Munster boots he put me in a month ago to the "lite" version. Literally. I was so dang happy to get my casts off a month ago, I failed to realize the boots weighed as much if not more than the casts. The advantage is that I can remove them to air out and clean my feet. Also, my nerves are soothed by the boots.  By the end of the day, I am so tired of dragging around those boots. I air out my feet for an hour or so and cuss about putting them back on to sleep. I even tried to sleep without them one night and I was so worried about violating orders that I couldn't sleep. Who'd a thunk I was such a stickler for the rules?

Thanks to everyone who has helped our family during this challenging time. The Blue Shark family, Boy Scout troop 514, Becky, Mindy, Sue, Heather, Stephanie, Cathy and the many people who have brought food and sustenance to us and delivered me to my appointed rounds. We are so blessed to live in such a caring community and I look forward to paying it forward.

ECSD Press Release Link Below

The official press release from Jerry Roth is linked here: ECSD Press Release.  Mark your calendars now if you plan to attend the public listening session next week, April 18 from 6:30-8 PM in the TRIS LMC. Let the administration and the board hear the voice of the community.

There are some philosophical questions that might help you prepare to provide feedback at the meeting. The first one is: Should the District strive for a balanced budget at this point in the cycle? Many factors are as yet unknown. It irks me to the core of my being when public entities plan to spend more than they make, so my answer is always yes on this one. However, a brief tour of the last four budgets for ECSD will show that there's a lot of slop built into a budget and it can easily swing plus or minus $100,000. Seems unfathomable to we who could pay for our kid's ENTIRE college education with that "slop," but it's true. Two of the last three years showed deficits at this stage of the budget process and ended up surpluses of about the same magnitude (a swing of about $150,000). Last year was the year the board promised to pay the $672K deficit from the fund balance and three long term sick leaves reduced that deficit to "only" about $160K. So, I'm willing to amend my former unyielding "No deficit budgets" to "Within a half a percent, or about $100,000," as my personal line in the sand.

Another question to ask yourself, as did the board and administration, is how do you prioritize what must be cut, because believe you me, barring some kind of miracle, cuts must be made. Strange as it was to me the first time I experienced this pain as a board member, this isn't as straightforward as one would think. Education means different things to different people. It means "the three Rs" to some while others believe strongly in the "educate the whole child" concept (mental, physical and social). So prioritizing within the curriculum to meet an entire community's needs is close to impossible. One can, however, believe in a fairness and whole picture approach equally applicable in times of famine and plenty.

Last year, the board took the administrative team to the woodshed for looking to cut curricular positions to the tune of about 13% while co- and extra- curricular activities budget saw only a 2.5% cut. The preliminary budget was not approved until after July 1, making everyone cranky because they had to come to the board to vote on all expenditures until the preliminary budget was approved. The HS principal mentioned "equal isn't necessarily fair" and proceeded to pontificate that the curricular budgets had seen years of plenty when the activity budgets were stagnant. And of course that was the time when Bob Flaherty decided to tell the board why the  administration established this sacred cow. "We all learned our lesson from Brodhead!" You all remember that ignoble moment when Brodhead threatened to cut ALL activities. Once the powerful sports conglomerate in our district got  hold of that analogy, they've been like a dog with a bone, continuing to proliferate this false representation DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE BOARD REPEATEDLY TOLD THEM THAT NOBODY WAS TALKING ABOUT CUTTING ANYTHING. Finally, board members just quit trying to correct their inaccurate propaganda because, "why waste my breath?" This continues to this day. (As evidence, please refer to the February 27 co- and extra-curricular committee report presented to the board. Halina Zakowicz wrote an excellent article for the Review summarizing the findings of the committee and was criticized by administration because it sounded like she said the committee proposed laying off one teacher to keep all the activities. In fact, the administration proposes to lay off over 10 instructional positions in its vaunted Option 2 without touching the co- and extra-curricular budget. I guess she wasn't so wrong after all, was she? Ah, but don't let those pesky little facts and data get in your way. Just be indignant and make it seem like your precious sacred cows are being threatened by the mean old school board and EH VOILA! Let the caving begin). But I digress from the topic at hand. I'm sure you're all just shocked at that.  Anyway...

I interjected myself into the question of the "equal vs. fair" can of worms that Everson opened during round 1 of the "cut teachers but not our activities" debate because they made a reference to my participation on the original committee reviewing contracts in that area. Since I did all the contract comparables for the first committee in 09 and had exact figures for how much of an increase the co- and extra- curricular activity contracts had enjoyed since that time (15%), I took exception to his uninformed remarks. I noted that I was not in possession of the data for the curricular side of the equation, but I highly doubted that the salaries for teachers from 09-12 had increased by 15%. I was even nice, noting that Scott could be excused for being uninformed about this since he was hired right after the committee implemented the new salaries to make our district competitive with its conference mates.

Add to this travesty of justice the willingness of the teachers to reopen their contract last January after the CPI of 3% threatened to shut down the budget before it even got started. They took  about a million dollars worth of concessions and the district cut another $600K in expenditures, including teacher lay-offs due to declining enrollment and economies in other areas. And still we arrived at this January staring down the maw of another near million dollar deficit next year simply by factoring in a set of realistic increases in salary, benefits, utilities and whatnot. Then the dear old Guv took away the piddly $50 per kid increase in revenue cap everyone had put into their budgets and we found ourselves $90K more in hock than we had been before that little nugget of information was released.

No matter what model the administration uses to arrive at its various budget forecasts, the ECSD is in deep fiscal trouble. In the midst of both of the discussions of the administration's latest budget recommendations, Dennis Hatfield remarked, "I notice there are only instructional positions being cut." Finally, at the April 8 meeting, he suggested that he was looking for shared sacrifice across the board. I am completely on that bandwagon. As I said at the April 8 meeting and what needs to be repeated ad infinitum, ad nauseum: "Where's the excellence?" This district can do better and those of you with ideas should share them. Be persistent and do not be put off by the usual response of "We can't do that because..." Our district has the instructional talent to be on the cutting edge of area education, but with administrative decisions that whittle away at the core of that talent, the options have been reduced to a rock and a hard place. Come out and let your voices be heard and give your best for our district!

Look for the press release in the Review regarding public comment session on the budget.

Last night Jerry Roth discussed when the public comment session on the budget proposals would be held. Tentative plans are for April 18 (Thursday) from 6:30 - 8:00 PM in the TRIS LMC. If you have some words  of wisdom to impart to the administration, please plan to attend or email your favorite administrator today. I asked staff members at the meeting last night if Mr. Roth is coming to their meetings and was told me he was going to attend their staff meeting this week at grove campus. I heard through the grapevine that the "listening session" at the middle school consisted of him telling them, "I'm going to recommend Option 2." Nice listening there, Jer. Way to go. And he wonders why staff didn't bring him their information that they inundated the board with. Hmm. After pointing out that if the admin produces a budget for the board without presenting it to employees first so they can help maximize the chances for success, they will be right back where they were last night, admin decided that the staff will be the first to see the final product at the April 24 staff meeting. The board will see the draft proposal on April 29 and decisions can be made in time for the June 5 layoff due to budget deadline. That was probably one of my biggest bones of contention regarding this complete FUBAR. The deadline for layoffs due to enrollment declines is April 15. A group of competant educators ought to be able to do this without aggravating all 140 teachers in one fell swoop. The budget dependent layoff notification deadline is June 5. Per contracts signed last January. Dolts. As always, carry on school board. You guys are overworked and seriously underpaid for all the grief you get from all comers. Keep you chins up and most of all, stay steadfast to your guiding principles.

Where's the Excellence?

It took two and a half hours to complete items that were slated for an hour in the board meeting tonight. I left after I learned the proposed process for application for the open board position. President Kathi Swanson created a schedule and a set of screening questions to select those the board wishes to interview for Sharon's seat. That item was the third discussion item on the agenda. The time consuming part was the public comment section regarding the budget proposed by the administration two weeks ago. Many teachers spoke passionately for the middle school model at JCMcKenna. There were also remarks about the handbook sections about pay schedule and Cash In Lieu (CIL). The people complaining about the proposed pay schedule change noted "This seems trivial compared to all that!" The person complaining about CIL indicated 60 people select CIL currently. That brings the total expenditure for CIL down to $258,840 when all employee groups are reduced to the lowest benefit level of $4,314 per employee as opposed to a range from $4314 for lower paid employees to $5820 for administrators. She made the point that if only half of those choosing CIL selected insurance instead, it would cost the district over a half a million dollars. This begs the question as to why they choose the CIL instead of insurance. One would presume it was because the insurance offered by their significant other's employer was superior to the district's offer. Right now, teachers pay 8% of that 17 grand, or about $1400 a year for a family plan. What if the employee contribution is increased to 12% and the insurance rates increase to $20,000 as predicted in the next few years? Will they be willing to pay $2400 to stick it to the man? Are they willing to even pay the current $1400 a year to keep a benefit they don't need? Some may do so, but it's unclear to me that fifty percent of current CIL beneficiaries would choose to spend their hard earned cash this way. I could be wrong.

There were conversations about the increase in student load from 135 to 220 per day, breakdowns of time per student, research on the middle school model concerns about the loss of PE and health, brave anecdotes from parents advocating to keep the middle school model and even one grandma type who noted, "I've never been able to figure out why they need two principals at the elementary school." Bravo, she was my hero. Our oldest was in the first class through TRIS and, as much as I adored Vicky, I couldn't figure out why addition of one class (moving 5th grade back to the grove campus) warranted addition of an entire office staff and administrator. In light of the budget cuts happening then (2002), it was especially disconcerning. When Vicky retired, I don't know why they didn't change to one principal then as it happened in the midst of the fiscal meltdown. But they hired Joan Wick. There will be another opportunity to review this when Lou retires next year, so I hope the board seriously considers "Grandma's" remarks.

After all the teachers spoke their pieces, I stood up and said (paraphrased as I spoke extemporaneously. Maybe Halina will include some of my remarks in her article, but I doubt she'll have room for all of it), "I follow these many staff members who have taken great care and effort to provide the board with data regarding the flaws in the administration's proposals 2-4 today. I have known many of them for over 13 years, when our first child entered the district, and some of their stories brought me to tears. Two years ago, this board took great effort to collaborate with community and staff to create a Vision Statement for the district which, in short, states that you will strive for excellence in every aspect of education in the district. It is included on every agenda, every board packet, every board communication to reinforce the focus on excellence for the district. I ask you now, where is the excellence in proposals 2-4? Every person who has spoken here today has asked the same question in different ways. In what way is the administrators' proposal that violates state regulations a hallmark of excellence? How can the lack of staff and public input possibly honor excellence in communication with your staff and other district stakeholders? Quite simply, it does not.

"I know you face budget issues that seem insurmountable, having averaged over a million dollars shortfall a year for the last three years. Mr. Bethke noted that he was struggling to remain respectful but was trying hard  because he was told to be respectful. I have nobody telling me to be nice so I will ask you again. Where is the excellence in these proposals? I know the situation is awful, but you can do better for the community, staff and most especially our kids."

Many teachers came up at the break and thanked me for my words.  I said, "you're welcome" to all and went about my way midway through the meeting. I bit my tongue to keep from asking them if they voted for me. Conspicuously absent from commenting was newly elected Sandy Nelson. She was there, holding court with my other vanquisher, Eric Busse at the break, but she never uttered a word in defense of those who endorsed her. Busse parroted, "I agree with Nancy and Dennis and feel your pain the governor has caused us all."  I met up with Mr. Kopf at JCMC when I brought my son his water bottles for track practice this morning and he also thanked me for my remarks. I told him, "I thought it was really important and, well, I had nothing to lose, did I?" Snarky, but it was the last straw in a long line of straws. Sorry Mr. K. Wrong place, wrong time, I guess.

So, that's how what could be considered the first public and staff comment session on the proposed budgets went. When the board members each made their remarks to Jerry regarding the budget proposals, Nancy Hurley, as always, in her quiet and self-assured way, pointed out what should have been obvious to even the densest amongst us. "I have issues with both the product and the process of this budget proposal." Dennis echoed the "How is this excellent?" lament, Tina said she couldn't grasp how else the budget could be managed because the only way to affect bottom line is increased revenues or decreased spending. John Rasmussen agreed with Tina and Kathi said, "Call me idealistic, but I am sure that once admin gets public and staff input, they will come back to us with a proposal we can all live with." Jerry then said, "Give me direction." Really. The taxpayers of this district pay you $127,000 plus a bunch of perks for this reaction? "So what I'm hearing is that the board wants me to come back with a proposal to freeze salary and benefits next year." Blank looks by the board members ensues. "No, we want you to collaborate with the staff and community to come back to us with another proposal." The conversation was very painful to watch and either Jerry was purposefully obtuse or he. just. doesn't. get. it. I'm leaning toward the latter. Even after this complete FUBAR, he thought presenting the next iteration to the board on April 29 without opportunity for staff review was how the next round should go. A staff member quietly pointed out, "Isn't that just going to land us here again in three weeks?"  Collaboration means collaboration! Carry on, my young padawan!