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| Madison Metropolitan School District Madison, Wisconsin Art Rainwater, Superintendent | ||
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| BOARD OF EDUCATION Minutes for Board of Education - Common Council Liaison Committee October 18, 2006 |
Doyle Administration Building 545 West Dayton Street, Room 103 Madison, Wisconsin |
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Common Council/Board of Education Liaison Committee meeting was called to order by Chair Lucy Mathiak at 4:38 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Alder Cindy Thomas; Board of Education Member Lawrie Kobza; Board of Education Member Lucy Mathiak; Mayoral Assistant George Twigg; School District Chief of Staff Mary Gulbrandsen
MEMBERS ABSENT: Alder Isadore Knox, Jr.
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Pam Nash, Assistant Superintendent MMSD; Mark Olinger, City Planning and Development; Ann Wilson (MMSD)-Recording Secretary; Lorri Wendorf, City Community Services; Luis Yudice, Coordinator for Security MMSD
1. Approval of Minutes
It was moved by Mary Gulbrandsen and seconded by Cindy Thomas to approve the minutes dated September 27, 2006. Motion unanimously carried by those present.
2. Public Appearances
Don Severson, as a follow-up to discussion at the last meeting, wished to address misinformation and misconceptions regarding the Midvale Plaza redevelopment traffic and participation process. The City required that the developer conduct the traffic study, which raises suspicions regarding its efficacy. The Committee should raise questions about that study and get clarification about the numbers the developer used because neither the school nor neighborhood was involved.
FOLLOW-UP:
· Mary Gulbrandsen provided follow-up information about how the schools receive information, noting traffic decisions fall within the city's authority.
· Lucy Mathiak suggested follow-up to find out what city ordinances require and whether the district is notified in time to become involved in traffic discussions.
Alder Robbie Webber shared concerns about getting better traffic reviews in general, particularly about how traffic off-site is affected. Several city departments are working to get better information. She provided information about Safe Routes to School, a national movement that looks at barriers to children walking to school at all ages. She noted a number of state meetings and hopes to work together with all agencies to look at barriers. Wisconsin has a state coordinator, Renee Callaway, and there is a meeting on November 10, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the UW Welcome Center. She is hoping to come back to this meeting and talk more about the program.
Sandy Holtzman spoke in support of a pedestrian bridge at Fourth Street and East Washington Avenue. She stated there is no safe way for students to get to East High School from the southeast side of East Washington Avenue. The chain link fence in the median provides no safety. She felt there is no argument for not providing a safe alternative, even if students end up not using a footbridge. Sandy has asked for additional law enforcement.
FOLLOW-UP:
· George Twigg indicated he would look into whether there is anything that could be worked into the plans to redo that section of East Washington Avenue next year and whether any funding might be available for a footbridge.
· Lucy Mathiak indicated she would forward a letter received from Sandy Holzman's son.
3. Announcements
There were no announcements.
4. Demographic Factors Affecting School Populations
(Written materials distributed in advance: Source Documentation for Dane County - Indicators of Community Well-Being; Dane County Indicators of Well-Being. Written materials distributed at the meeting: Neighborhood Report for City Neighborhoods Defined Prior to 1996 - all attached to the original copy of these minutes.)
Mary Gulbrandsen reported a meeting was held on October 17 with city, county, university and school district staff to explore regrouping again to look at issues. The group spent three hours sharing good things, challenges, worries and dreams. They will try to look at what each institution is doing in a neighborhood to assess whether services are systematically being provided or if there is duplication. The committee will continue discussion in six weeks. It is clear all agencies are facing many of the same issues and struggles. Ms. Gulbrandsen provided written information containing some old indicators of poverty, but these have not been updated and the ones that have been since 2002 do not represent a current package. Some data reflects Dane County as a whole, other data is limited to the school district. Data is reported differently reflecting the data source. Lorri Wendorf showed examples of data the city has in graphic form (number of residents in a neighborhood on probation and parole, number with Section 8 vouchers, etc.). Ms. Wendorf noted this particular information was collected in 2004 and is out of date.
FOLLOW-UP:
· Committee members asked for city data by neighborhoods in electronic form.
Lorri Wendorf responded to the question, what would be different about low income in Allied Drive compared with low income in another area (Mendota School, for example). How does the answer to this question help the district allocate resources to the children most in need? She responded that neighborhood conditions like crime, not feeling safe, children going home to a chaotic environment -- trauma -- leads to additional stressors that are not universal to low income. She indicated that information is available in graphic form, by blocks. The city has address-driven information on a variety of topics that can be aggregated and reviewed over time.
Mark Olinger wondered how information could be quantified about the negative psychology of Allied Drive - the worn-out neighborhood, disinvestment in housing and commerce, the general bad news. Lucy Mathiak added she heard from a state legislator representing a poor neighborhood in Milwaukee that the biggest problem for students in one principal's school is depression related to poverty. She is also concerned about students who come from high poverty homes in stable neighborhoods. A student from a school with 90% poverty has a different life, even without the impact of crime and trauma.
The question becomes what can be used as a measure of neighborhood crime, insecurity, instability. Is mobility, or the number of police calls a way to arrive at a trauma indicator? Lorri Wendorf stated there needs to be a variety of indicators. Lawrie Kobza noted the district uses the Equity Resource Formula which includes factors the district found to be important, but does not include crime or trauma. Mary Gulbrandsen noted some information would be available from CBITS mental health screening for middle school students.
FOLLOW-UP:
· Lucy Mathiak stated interest in hearing from professionals who work with methodology regarding indicators; staff is available from both the district and university.
· Lorri Wendorf noted she would share an article
· It was requested school district staff report on the Equity Resource Formula at the next meeting.
Lucy Mathiak asked whether it would be possible, as Allied Drive changes and people move out, to predict in ways that would help schools plan for this population coming in. Mary Gulbrandsen indicated she talked with staff in Research and Evaluation about a mobility pattern study and they will provide that as soon as they can, but staff is currently unavailable because of the implementation of Infinite Campus.
5. Traffic Safety in Middle and High School Zones
(Written materials provided in advance: Unusual Hazards Plan by school for the Madison Metropolitan School District - attached to the original copy of these minutes.)
This item was not discussed due to lack of time but will be included on the next agenda. Luis Yudice and members of the Madison Police Department will be present to discuss school traffic safety. There will be additional discussion at the December meeting.
6. Other Business
The location of the next meeting, November 15, will be changed to accommodate city members' schedules.
7. Adjournment
It was moved by Cindy Thomas and seconded by Lawrie Kobza to adjourn the meeting at 6:38 p.m. Motion unanimously carried by those present.
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Previous: 2006-09-27 || Board of Education - Common Council Liaison Committee || Next: 2006-11-15