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School Funding Presentation
There will be a presentation on School Funding reform by the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools (WAES) in West Bend on March 18. The presentation is being sponsored by Fair Park PTO and Tom Beebe, executive director of WAES, will be the speaker. More about the organization and the petition they are leading, here at A Penny For Kids. The public is invited to attend. Details:
Thursday, March 18
6:30 pm City Council Chambers, 1115 S Main St
From the flyer:
Our schools are crumbling from years of inequitable and inadequate state funding. As a result, an unprecedented number of school districts are being forced to slash budgets, cut teacher and staff positions, increase class sizes and eliminate vital education programming- just to survive. Ultimately, quality education is compromised, our communities face increasing taxes, and our children are left unprepared for the future. We need school funding reform now!
-Get the facts about Wisconsin’s school funding policy and what needs to change
-Learn about a new funding plan that will keep our schools in business
-Receive valuable information about applying legislative pressure where it counts
West Bend Schools Need Pools
A new committee has formed with the intention of saving the high school aquatics facility, which is on the list of future potential cuts. The committee has a two part mission of covering the operational cost of the pool and to look for corporate donations to make the pool self-sustaining for the community. From their website:
Our community has already lost Badger Middle School pool to cuts. Now, due to reduced state funding, the West Bend High School Aquatics facility may be closed. Thousands of students, adults and groups like the West Bend Rec Department, WB Swim Club, Dolphins, and Special Olympics use the pool for recreation, competition and wellness. Its a quality of life asset that helps make our community vibrant and attractive to new business. Special governmental energy incentives could reduce the $45,000 operational cost in half. A new facility would cost over $4 million. Stand up for aquatics by considering a donation, a sponsorship or by signing our petition. Let’s keep this lifetime activity from going down the drain in West Bend Public Schools!
Mulch Madness!
From the West Bend Public School Foundation website:
Be part of the madness this March when the West Bend Public Schools Foundation takes on a new fundraising effort that enhances student success….and your landscaping!
Throughout the month of March, the West Bend Public Schools Foundation (WBPSF) will sell bagged mulch for $5/bag with a minimum order of 5 bags. The WBPSF is working with a local supplier to offer Northern Cedar and Premium Hardwood mulch. Each bag covers approximately 4 ft x 4 ft. x 2 inches thick. Bulk mulch will also be available in Oak Bark and Northern Cedar for an additional delivery fee with a minimum of two yards and maximum of 20 yards/order.
Orders can be placed on line March 1 – 31 by clicking on the links on the WBPSF website, by mail or through direct sales from a Mulch Madness designated team member. With the help of students, staff and community members, bagged mulch will be delivered to your door on the date you choose, either April 24 or May 1, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The Foundation’s goal is to raise financial resources and expand educational possiblities in the public schools beyond what can be achieved through public revenues alone. The WBPSF has provided funding for many items, which include (in part): Elmo documentation cameras and projection systems, musical sound equipment and instruments, audio enhancement units and new hardwood floors and scoreboards in the High School Fieldhouse.
Letter to Teachers Makes School Board’s Position Clear
On Friday, Feb 26, the West Bend School Board sent a letter to all employees in the District explaining their position on having to make $2 million in cuts for 2010-2011 and the additional effect salary negotiations could have.
From the Daily News:
Teachers in the West Bend School District received a letter Friday afternoon from School Board members explaining the effect salary negotiations could have on the upcoming budget.
The two-page letter, signed by each member of the school board, states that the “current collective bargaining process is going to directly impact the amount that has to be reduced for next year’s budget.”
According to the letter, costs associated with the current proposal from the West Bend Education Association would result in what equates to the loss of five more teaching positions in the 2010-11 school year, and eight to 10 positions in the 2011-12 school year. Those cuts would be in addition to reductions the district is already anticipating.
School board vice-president Kathy Van Eerden said the letter was designed to connect directly with staff to talk about the budget as discussed earlier this week at a School Board work session. School board president Joe Carlson was unable to be reached in time for publication.
“We wanted to share our concerns directly with staff members so it was clear to them the impact the reductions could potentially have,” she said.
The full text of the letter can be found here.
The School District has additional information regarding teacher negotiations on their website.
The Cut List
The West Bend School District proposed cuts for 2010-11 were outlined at the Board meeting and work session on Monday night. The cuts are required to bring the budget under the revenue caps and as a result of reduced state funding for schools, and it totals $2 million. This previous article outlines the reasons for the necessary $2 million in cuts. The following are the list of recommended cuts:
Elementary Reductions:
- Class size increases (K-2: 25 or less, 3-5: 30 or less) $134,800
- Eliminate last elementary librarian $67,400
- Reduce Aide hours $15,000
- Eliminate Dean of Students $33,700
- Eliminate Gifted and Talented program $134,800
- System Reductions $36,790
Total Elementary Reductions = $422,490
Middle School Reductions:
- Eliminate Gifted and Talented $107,840
- Increase Class Sizes (core classes 30 or less) $269,600
- System Reductions $17,695
Total Middle School Reductions = $395,135
High School Reductions:
- Increase Class Sizes (avg class size of 28) $552,680
- Eliminate 2 Cheerleading Coaches $6,622
- Eliminate 1 Spartan/Sun* Teacher (replace with aide)$29,000
- Eliminate 21.5 hours/day of aide time $68,450
- Reduce supply budget $ 3,878
- System Reductions $ 28,515
Total High School Reductions = $689,145
*Spartan/Suns is a program for struggling high school students
System Reductions:
- Eliminate Aide Substitutes (include special ed) $ 75,000
- Reduce Pupil Service Staff (social workers) $219,000
- Partial Freeze Central Office Supply Budgets $60,000
- Reduce Classroom Budgets $28,000
Total System Reductions = $382,000
Maintenance Reductions:
- Eliminate 3 Head Custodians $ 50,000
- Reclassify 4 custodians to Janitor IV $ 75,000
Total Maintenance Reductions = $125,000
Fee Increases:
- $5 Student Fee increase K-12
- $5 Middle School Athletic fee increase
- $25 High School Athletic fee increase
- $25 Parking Fee increase at High School
Total Fee Increases = $64,000 revenue
(if no fee increases, eliminate 1 HS librarian instead)
Total Reductions with fee increases= $1,994,770
The reductions equate to 26.1 teaching positions lost. Many assumptions are made to come up with the proposed budget reductions, and some of those assumptions could change. For example, estimates are made for student enrollment and state aide calculations. They are using a current estimate of a 2% wage increase for teacher contracts, which are not yet settled. If the results of mediation or arbitration are a higher than 2% increase, there will need to be further cuts.
Excerpt from Daily News article covering the proposed cuts:
“Reductions are never easy and this budget is an especially difficult one,” Herdrich said. “Due to a number of factors outside the district’s control including a reduced amount of funding from the state, we will be forced to make a number of extremely difficult cuts now and over the next three budget cycles.”
But even with the reductions, there is no guarantee that more cuts won’t need to be made, Herdrich said.
Currently unknown factors – such as the staff contract settlement, state aid calculations, potential changes to the levy assumption, and student enrollment will have an impact on what a final budget may look like.
Board member Tim Stepanski compared the district’s situation to a person trying to get to a destination riding on a stationary bike.
“We are making these cuts, we are at the maximum levy capacity…but how do we get off the stationery bike,” he asked.
Herdrich responded that other than program reductions, an operating referendum would be the only legal option.
A few more items that weren’t covered in the newspaper article: The current budget and cuts include the assumption of levying to the maximum revenue caps. If the District were to underlevy in the fall to no tax increase as some in the community have proposed, then $4 million in total cuts would be needed. Because the effects of underlevying is accumulative, if they had underlevied last fall and next fall, we would be looking at $7 million in cuts.
The community will be able to give input on the proposed budget and hear more details at the next 2 Board meetings, which will be held March 8 at FairPark Elementary and March 22nd at Decorah Elementary, both at 7:00 pm. More on the budget presentation and proposal on the School District website here.
In addition, the Badger middle school project was discussed. It is going well and coming in under budget with extremely low interest rates on their bonding. 12 of 13 bid packages lately have gone to West Bend businesses. 52% of workers are West Bend residents, and that number should grow.
Update: More on the Badger project in the Daily News here.
Video- Why School Funding Reform is Needed
This short video by the School Finance Network is worth watching. It is a simplified explanation of the problems public schools are facing in Wisconsin due to the 16 years of revenue caps and decreasing categorical aids. They explain why school funding reform is needed. The School Finance Network is a coalition of many groups in Wisconsin fighting for school funding reform and trying to come up with a solution.
School Board Primary Election Results
The results from the West Bend School Board primary in a very close race are as follows: Kathy Van Eerden (Inc) 1386 votes, Lynn Corazzi (Inc) 1379 votes, Randy Marquardt 1339, David Weigand 1326. Those 4 candidates will move on to the final election April 6.
The other candidates: Doug Ziegler 652, Doug Rakowski 173, Knepel 76, Williams 47. The total votes received was 6389.
Daily News article here.
Daily News Candidate Questionnaire
More about the 6 candidates running for West Bend School Board: The Daily News published their questionairre in today’s paper. Take a look here.
West Bend School Board Candidate Forum
There is a forum Q&A session for the School Board candidates planned for next Wed, Feb. 10 at 6:30 at City Hall, Council Chambers. The forum is being sponsored by Glacier Hills Credit Union and will be moderated by Chamber of Commerce president Craig Farrell. The public is welcome to attend. It will also be broadcasted on the local cable access channel.
Update: Daily News coverage of the forum here. You can watch the forum on community television (channel 99) Thursday at 8:00 pm or Sunday at 7:30 pm.
More About Teacher Contract Negotiations
In Thursday’s Daily News, the District and teachers union will be going into mediation, which if still not settled will then go to binding arbitration.
In addition to the length of the contract, the district and teachers’ association also part ways on wage increases.
The district is proposing no increase to teacher salaries in the first year, and a 2 percent increase the second year.
“We are not out to cause West Bend to lose quality staff, but we have to balance a competitive salary schedule and benefits with fiscal realities,” Bracken said. “The district is saying give us a year to catch our breath and the second year we will give you a raise.”
The teachers’ association is proposing a salary increase of 1 percent the first year, and 3 percent and 4 percent in contract years two and three, respectively.
The article also had a sidebar that discussed changes proposed by the District in health insurance and retirement. It includes an increase in deductibles and premiums and an introduction of 3 tier drug copays. It also proposes raising the minimum age of retirement from 56 to 58 and increasing the minimum years of service from 15 to 17. In addition it would cap the districts health and dental insurance contribution when the employee retires.