WB Schools Need Pools, a group of community residents who formed after the Sept. 2009 loss of Badger Middle School Pool, believes their plans in cooperation with the District will keep the natatorium from going down the budget drain.

 “This last school aquatics facility will be lost to budget cuts if we don’t raise this money in the next few weeks”, stated founding member Jon Dommisse. The group’s initial effort focuses on raising $40,000 in matching funds to earn Federal “stimulus fund” grants that will pay for cost-reducing energy efficient projects. “These funds will allow us to begin solar heating and lighting projects which will save 30% in operation costs annually” stated Dommisse. “Our group’s mission is to save the high school aquatics facility for the West Bend community while reducing its operational cost. The Federal grant monies are funds we as West Bend taxpayers paid into Washington. We should get it back into our own community.”

 “When the High School pool opened in the ‘70s, we had 16,500 residents and two district pools. Now we have 30,000 residents and one facility” said Dr. Jeff Smale, a local physician and a founding member of the group. “With thousands of people using the facility each year from schools, clubs, churches, Special Olympics and the Rec. Dept., we believe we need to keep this wellness facility in our community.”

 The group has created a website wbschoolsneedpools.com which provides information on the effort and a link to the District Foundation’s donation site. Numerous residents and even Olympic gold medalists have submitted comments regarding their support of the pool. The group is looking for the $40,000 initial goal by early September, to be followed by a goal of $250,000 to support potential maintenance upgrades—some of which will be required over the next 10-15 years whether the space is used for a pool or not. The longer-term fund raising effort includes private and corporate sponsorship opportunities, including possible naming rights which have already proved to be a successful budget-reduction strategy for the high school field house facility in 2008.

The group is accepting donations which are tax deductible. Donations can be made through the website here, or through the mail. Email: wbschoolsneedpools@gmail.com.  Ph 262-643-7455

“We’re continually eroding, piece by piece, our system that was good,” Evers said. “We have to close the achievement gap. We have to have more kids graduating. If we don’t change the funding system, all of those things will be impossible.”

The revisions Evers wants to see the state Legislature make to the complex funding formula center around reallocating $897 million that homeowners get as part of a school levy tax credit and putting that into the general pot for state aid to schools.

Evers also wants to make sure that the number of low-income children in a district is used to partially determine how much state aid a district gets. Currently, districts with more property wealth receive less state aid, but that doesn’t serve areas of Wisconsin with high-priced vacation homes and large populations of year-round residents living in poverty, he said.

“A formula based on property wealth is simply outdated,” Evers said.

For example, about 20 districts in the state did not get any state aid in the past school year, despite having, on average, about 40% of their students living in poverty, based on the number of free- and reduced-price lunch applications.

The article acknowledges that doing away with the levy credit is politically difficult to do, however if the proposal made it through the Legislature intact, how would it affect West Bend?   The levy credit and recent increases in the levy credit have impacted the District and local taxpayers negatively (see this article to get a better understanding of how the levy credit works).  Having more money in equalization aid rather than the levy credit would decrease West Bend school/property taxes (while at the same time, wealthier communities would likely be paying more-the reason it is politically difficult to change).  Putting money that is supposed to be allocated education aid toward actual education rather than property tax relief just makes sense, and keeps the playing field more equitable between districts. That is supposed to be the purpose of equalization aid.

The proposal discusses allocating more State Aid dollars based on student poverty rather than strictly on property values. It is unclear how exactly that would be done- would it be based on average local incomes or on the actual percentages of low income students? State Aid dispersal based on local income rather than property value would negatively impact West Bend according to statements made by Dr Pat Herdrich at previous meetings. If however Aid was based on the percentages of low income students (as defined by those using subsidized lunch), those numbers have been increasing significantly in West Bend (from 12% in 2000-01 to nearly 30% in 2009-10) and are much higher than other nearby districts such as Slinger, Germantown and Cedarburg. This article seems to indicate the increased aid would be tied into the number of students receiving subsidized lunches.

One important piece the proposal does not touch on is the many State mandates that contribute to excessive and skyrocketing expenses in many districts.  Comprehensive reform needs to look at health insurance and pensions, arbitration laws, and flexibility and relief within other programming and calendar requirements, as the West Bend leadership team’s proposal suggests here.

Whatever happens with this proposal, it is good to see that a discussion has at least been started.  Hopefully our legislators throughout the State will join in and decide the time for comprehensive reform is now.

The leadership team is recommendating that the State Legislature change the laws that mandate health care, post retirement benefits, retirement costs and mandates for programming.  In addition, they recommend the State immediately develop a team to address both short and long term funding issues.  They also ask that the Department of Public Instruction allow districts to waive certain programming and calendar year requirments, to help them in keeping costs down.  The document can be read in its entirety  here.

We are currently placed in the position of pulling apart one of the best resources of our region and one of the best models of public education in the state of Wisconsin.

The authority local boards have is to reduce offerings to match with the depleting capacity of the revenue limits, increase class size and go to referendum to increase local tax impact further.  We cannot strategically address the cause.  We are asking the legislature and the DPI to do what the local boards do not have the authority to do; ensure the requirements match available ressources to fund sound public education for the students of the state of Wisconsin.

This document goes into further detail about the relief from excessive costs the leadership team is seeking.  It addresses rising health care benefits, mandates over collective bargaining and arbitration laws, other Post-Employment Benefits (OPEB), requirments for students in residential care centers, waivers through DPI (using examples of restructuring Youth Options program and allowing PE credit for athletic participation). It also addresses mandates with transportation with private schools and instructional scheduling, as well as addressing teacher lay-offs.  The current law mandates that teacher seniority be considered when laying off teachers (rather than performance).

The School District is continuing to investigate and gather information on  a lawsuit against the State of Wisconsin.  At a recent informational meeting, numerous other school districts attended and expressed interest in possibly joining together with West Bend. The District has been consulting with a law firm out of Chicago that is currently involved with a lawsuit on the part of 3 school districts in Indiana with respect to Indiana’s funding formula.

The legislative platform will be placed as an action item at a future board meeting for School Board members to consider.  West Bend Daily News coverage is here.

West Bend School Board members approved a $77,398,235 preliminary budget for the 2010-11 school year Monday night in a 6-1 vote.

    Dave Weigand was opposed.

    “Part of my concern (with the preliminary budget) is that it is based on the supposition that we tax to the max,” he said.

    The district is projecting a total levy increase of 8.3 percent, or $37,866,598, which amounts to a mill rate increase of 62 cents from last year, according to Bob Buchholtz, the Interim Administrator of Finance and Support Services.

    But that number is a best-guess estimate and like many of the other numbers in the preliminary budget is likely to change in the fall, when property valuation, fall enrollment, and final state aid calculations are known, Buchholtz said.

    The preliminary budget is based on the current level of state support, which is $200 per student.

    Superintendent Pat Herdrich said that the board has the authority to under levy, but the leadership team would not recommend it because it would, among other things, result in the permanent loss of the dollar amount under levied going forward.

    If the school board did under-levy, she said, the district would need to find another way to balance the budget — by either dipping into the fund balance of the operating fund or by reducing an above the line item such as capital improvements or retirement benefits.

The West Bend School Board approved a tentative agreement between the West Bend School District and the district’s teacher’s union when the board met Monday night.

    The two-year agreement includes a freeze to the salary schedule the first year and a 3 percent increase the second. Salary schedule step and lane increments are provided for both years.

    Including salary and benefits, the total increase amounts to 5.2 percent over the two year period, or an average of 2.6 percent per year, said Valley Elliehausen, the district’s administrator of human resources.

    The cost-savings from what the district had budgeted for the 2010-11 school year will be about $600,000, Elliehausen said. According to the terms of the contract, the savings will be used to offset program reductions approved for the 2010-11 school year.

    Superintendent Pat Herdrich said the equivalent of 7.4 full-time positions will be reinstated in the areas of gifted and talented programming, social work, and the library.

Update: More about the contracts in this article.

West Bend School Board incumbents were defeated Tuesday when voters in the district went to the polls.

    Complete but unofficial results from the West Bend School Board election put newcomers Randy Marquardt and Dave Weigand on the seven-member board in the seats previously held by Kathy Van Eerden and Lynn Corazzi.

    Marquardt, who led at the polls with 3,375 of the 11,632 total votes cast, said more “common people” were needed on the School Board — and that is who he represents.

    “It was definitely time for a change,” he said.

    Weigand, who was 116 votes behind Marquardt at the polls, said he felt the community really responded to their message. Weigand and Marquardt campaigned jointly on a platform of holding the line on spending and property taxes.

    “I am very pleased with the results and that the community values conservative ideas,” Weigand said. “I am grateful for all of the people who supported us and helped us throughout our campaign.”

    Van Eerden, who served nine years on the School Board, said she was disappointed but not entirely surprised by the outcome.

    “I’ve had concerns for some time because of the tenor of the community.  I’m concerned about the level of support for eduction in general,” she said.  “I’ve tried hard to run a positive and respectful campaign and I believe I did.”

School board candidates were asked eight questions with two minutes to respond to each. Increasing the academic success of disadvantaged students, balancing the budget, preparing students for the global marketplace, open enrollment, the school funding formula and technology were among the topics candidates addressed.

    When asked how to increase the success of disadvantaged students, Kathy Van Eerden suggested strengthening the academic intervention programs now in place.  She also stressed the importance of addressing the academic success of students at all levels of learning.

    Randy Marquardt suggested bringing more volunteers into the classrooms to work with struggling students, who can mentor them and provide the inspiration and support they might not be getting at home.

    Dave Weigand, who identified himself as a former “at risk student,” asked candidates to be careful of applying labels to students and added that if teachers and parents expect more of students — they will rise to the challenge.

    Lynn Corazzi said “just saying you expect more” is not enough and that students need additional support is necessary to increase their level of achievement. He added that the support students need has to be consistent and working with a different volunteer every day would not suffice.

    The Daily News also interviewed the candidates.  Full article here:

On the night he advanced from a field of seven in a primary election to four for the spring general election on April 6, West Bend School Board member Lynn Corazzi said the remaining candidates were clearly divided between those who support lower property taxes and those who support quality eduction.

Corazzi, who was appointed to the School Board in 2009, puts himself and nine-year board veteran Kathy Van Eerden in the latter category and relegated challengers Dave Weigand and Randy Marquardt to the former.

“To say that you are for quality education, that you are for fixing all of the buildings (or) to say that you are for lower taxes or not increasing taxes anymore, those in my mind are mutually exclusive,” Corazzi said.

    But the distinctions aren’t quite that clear, the challengers said. “Studies have shown that spending more money per student doesn’t result in higher test scores,” Weigand said. “The person who is fiscally conservative and believes that you don’t have to raise your taxes, overtax people, how are they not pro-education? I think it’s insulting to our intelligence that is even put out there.”

    Marquardt agrees.

    “Conservatives are just saying you’ve got to use common sense,” he said. “If you are not trying to teach too much, you can strike that balance of what’s a reasonable amount of money.”

    Van Eerden said the state formula for funding public education puts traditionally lower-spending districts like West Bend in financial peril, in a place were increasing property tax levies is the only way to maintain the district’s level of education. Unlike many races, there are clear philosophical differences between candidates in this race.  Although it is nonpartisan and for at-large seats on the board, the candidates are divided into two camps: the current board members versus the challengers. 

    In recent months, the School Board has discussed its precarious financial situation and the need to identify about $2 million in cuts from its 2010-11 budget. The cuts recommended by the district administration include some job and program cuts as well as increased class sizes at some grade levels.

A questionnaire was sent to all  West Bend School Board candidates and their answers are published below.  Each response has been published in full, adhering to our word limits.  The purpose of this questionnaire is to aid voters in getting to know the candidates and where they stand on issues important to our School District prior to upcoming School Board elections.  It is clear that among all the 4 candidates, there are opposing ideas on key issues faced by our District.  We do not guarantee the accuracy of any candidate’s responses and encourage voters to research the issues themselves when looking at candidates’ position statements. 

Another information source is the transcript from the Candidate forum which was held Feb 10.  See this post.

School Board elections are April 6.  Voters will be able to choose 2 candidates, and the top 2 vote-getters will win 2 School Board seats. If you will be out of town for Spring Break, vote now! Just go to you municipality and vote absentee. (see this previous post for details).

Click on a name  and then use the back button on your browser.

Lynn Corazzi (incumbent)

Kathy Van Eerden (incumbent)

Randy Marquardt

David Weigand

*We request that we be contacted for permission for the copying and distribution of the questionnaire and that the responses then be published in their entirety.  Feel free however to use links to the posts.

1. WBKV radio (AM 1470) : Saturday, March 27 at 11 a.m. All 4 candidates will be in the studios.  You will have the opportunity to call in with questions or comments.  Or you may email in your questions ahead of time to: bob@wbkvam.com
2. West Bend Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a forum for the School Board candidates and the Common Council candidates.  Tuesday, March 30 at 6:00 pm, West Bend City Hall, Common Council Chambers, 1115 S Main St.  Email your questions ahead of time to info@wbachamber.org.  A final determination of which questions are selected will be made by the Chamber based on topics of general interest and the number of similar requests submitted.