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| Madison Metropolitan School District Madison, Wisconsin Art Rainwater, Superintendent | ||
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| BOARD OF EDUCATION Minutes for Long Range Planning February 12, 2007 |
Doyle Administration Building 545 West Dayton Street, Auditorium Madison, Wisconsin |
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Long Range Planning Committee meeting was called to order by Chair Carol Carstensen at 8 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Carstensen, Lawrie Kobza, Arlene Silveira
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
OTHER BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: Johnny Winston, Jr.
STAFF PRESENT: Mary Gulbrandsen, Pam Nash, Roger Price, Art Rainwater, Marcia Standiford, Ken Syke, Nancy Yoder, Barbara Lehman-Recording Secretary
1. Approval of Minutes
It was moved by Arlene Silveira and seconded by Lawrie Kobza to approve the minutes of the Long Range Planning Committee meetings dated January 29, January 31, and February 6, 2007 as distributed. Motion unanimously carried.
2. Public Appearances
Jason Delborne, parent, moved to Madison one year ago. Stated that the California school system is really broken. They were overjoyed with what they heard about the MMSD. They ended up in the Lapham district. He was amazed that it was on the chopping block last year. He joined the PTG and is amazed again that the district is talking about closing this neighborhood anchor. He indicated that closing even one of the middle schools would only realize a savings of less than 10 percent of the budget. Their neighborhood wants to keep Lapham open and all the other schools open and the Madison neighborhood school feeling of support to continue.
Discussion: Ultimate action taken by the board not necessarily because they are the best steps but because of the budget. Increasing class size at schools that do not have SAGE contracts would save about $2 million; huge change for the district and only 20 per cent of the budget. Incredibly difficult to come up with $10.5 million more on top of $53 million since 1993. If parents lose confidence, schools go down hill suddenly. Community needs leadership of the Board and the Administration; think people will pay for good schools in Madison. Referendum would have to pass at roughly $16-$17 million to make up for the gap and the state formula funding that would be lost. Cannot fix state funding formula alone.
Laura Chastain, Lapham/Marquette PTG, served on the East Area Task Force last year and they determined that school closings would not be considered. Difficult to project enrollment for a given school. She did not believe they had the kind of the room the district is showing. Projections can be looked at in a different ways.
Shari Entenmann, Lapham parent, stated that it was really hard to see these drastic decisions of closing schools and building more and bigger schools without some long range planning. Some of her parents have been trying to do this. She did not understand why some children could not be bussed from the west side. Other waste she saw was having schools open for three hours. She did not think the bus rides were too long and thought administration should be cut further.
Discussion: Issue is the budget. There are several plans to move children out of Lake View. There is no building to accommodate them. Moving administration out of the Doyle building would cost $1 million alone. District does extensive long range planning and forecasting. Reductions have been going on since 1993 and cuts cannot be kept away from the classrooms any more. Administration has a very sophisticated understanding of budgeting and managing. Every district in Wisconsin is in the same place. The school finance formula and revue cap continually reduces everything in Wisconsin. Appleton has attracted some students to their virtual schools but they are in the same place as all the other districts in Wisconsin. There are no simple answers. This is an extremely difficult situation in which this state's legislature has backed away from the ability to educate the children in this state. No answer until they fix it. The Governor has said he will put 2/3 support for education in the budget but that is a tax measure and not a budget issue. The district has already cut 25 percent of the administrators at Doyle.
Nancy McLean, Lapham parent and Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association, supported keeping Lapham open.
Samantha Crownover, Lapham parent, does not want to see Lapham leave the neighborhood. Sent encouragement from the neighborhood and business community to keep Lapham open.
When asked about the option to consolidate Lapham and Marquette at Marquette and keep O'Keeffe as a middle school, speaker replied that this was the least distasteful way to do things. Maybe as a last resort. Seriousness of the budget issues forces contemplation of the ugly realities.
There was one written registration in opposition to closing Lapham Elementary School.
3. Announcements
There were no announcements.
Items 4 and 5 were taken up together.
4. Report on Northeast Area Meetings regarding Boundary Changes and other Options to
Address Overcrowded Schools in the East Attendance Area
5. Options to Address Overcrowded Schools in the East Attendance Area
(Packets included approximate cost savings with consolidation or closing of schools; East Attendance Area elementary school building capacities and enrollment projections; East Attendance Area middle school enrollments and projections, feedback from Long Range Planning meeting at Warner Park on January 31, 2007; feedback from Long Range Planning meeting at Sherman Middle School on February 6, 2007. Copies are attached to the original of these minutes.)
Ms. Gulbrandsen gave a PowerPoint presentation showing the options for East Attendance Area facility planning as directed by the Board (a copy of the presentation is attached to the original of these minutes). Each of the proposed ideas included a recommendation from the Administration as well as the educational pros and cons. The presentation concluded with a summary of approximate cost savings, capacities of the impacted schools, and projected student enrollment out to year 2012.
DISCUSSION:
§ Brentwood neighborhood has not been moved before. If a neighborhood is grandfathered in, transportation may have to be provided for one year.
§ Principals are aware of the proposals.
§ Some options keep districtwide programs in and some take them out; depends on class size. Early Childhood program at Lapham does not serve children from the Lapham/Marquette area.
§ Software looks at where students live.
§ Trying not to split elementary schools into two middle schools. Mendota would split in one of the options.
§ Bus rides for middle schools are very similar. Park Street would be another 20 minutes.
§ Combining the alternatives - one of the cost estimates was reducing one administrator. Feasibility of that consolidation of Shabazz and other alternatives (Ms. Gulbrandsen will send the numbers). One administrator could handle all of it if they were all in the same building. Programs would remain separate.
Ms. Carstensen expressed a desire to take off some of the options that the committee is not serious about; eliminating the pairing options and narrowing the ones under changing boundaries for Lake View only to at least looking at the ones that only move Brentwood. Leave Brentwood to Emerson and Brentwood to Gompers and eliminate pairing options (taking off all the number twos - Lake View and Gompers and Lake View and Emerson).
It was moved by Lawrie Kobza and seconded by Arlene Silveira to remove options regarding changing boundaries to Lake View to just Brentwood to Emerson and Brentwood to Gompers and removing the other options.
Discussion on the motion:
v Where would Brentwood go?
v Take issue to the full Board. Some middle school options might make a difference. Brentwood to Emerson option makes sense because Brentwood is within walking distance to middle school.
Motion withdrawn by mover.
It was moved by Arlene Silveira and seconded by Lawrie Kobza that in order to address overcrowding at Lake View Elementary School, move Brentwood to Emerson and remove the other options.
Discussion on the motion:
v Make sure parents know about this. Many are Spanish speaking. Parents need information and communication before the full Board takes it up. All Spanish comments were translated in the packet feedback information.
v Better to make full Board decision at the regular meeting on March 5.
v Send letter to all those families saying this is the recommendation of the LongRangePlanning Committee and give them the date that it is going to the full Board.
Motion unanimously carried.
Timelines:
ü Budget cut recommendations to the Board - March 9
ü Staff allocations to schools - March 14
ü Staffing report back to Administration - March 26
ü Human Resources processes staffing analysis - posts vacancies - April 12
ü Lay-off notices - May 17 - officially May 29 through June 1
ü If the Board decides to consolidate or close schools, has to be done before vacancies are posted. Employees need option to bid on vacant positions.
ü Dates are solid - some are set by the contract.
ü Cannot begin opening positions to the outside until everyone finishes their transfers.
ü Board discussion could take place on March 19. Ms. Carstensen and Ms. Kobza could co-chair.
ü Board should not vote same night as taking public appearances.
ü If the Administration's budget recommendations include closings or consolidations and the Board decides not to do that, Board would then have to decide where the money will come from to cover the gap.
ü State may help with safety and security budget.
ü Remaining Board members have to weigh in.
ü Could schedule a special meeting looking at the financial aspects of school closings after the budget recommendations come out.
ü Board needs to look in the context of the whole thing.
ü Some options are less viable than others but should not send the message that any are less at risk.
ü Last option raises low income for most of the schools and does not leave enough capacity for future growth. Packers to Lowell creates a doughnut.
It was moved by Lawrie Kobza and seconded by Arlene Silveira to remove Idea F. Motion unanimously carried.
DISCUSSION:
§ Idea E increased low income at all schools except Mendota.
§ This is the other option that closes Lindbergh and moves Packers Townhouses to Lapham/Marquette.
It was moved by Arlene Silveira and seconded by Lawrie Kobza to remove Idea E from consideration. Motion unanimously carried.
DISCUSSION:
§ If Black Hawk and O'Keeffe were the only remaining middle schools, how would that capacity work out over time.
§ Any growth in middle school students would go to O'Keeffe or there would have to be a different plan.
§ Concept of K-8 schools - Administration has looked at this peripherally (not seriously as an educational model) - different educationally. There is research that says it is good and that it is not. Some districts are moving in this direction. Could be done.
§ Size of middle schools in the district - enrollment ranges - La Follette (1458), Memorial (1485), West (1521).
§ K-8 at Lowell could be a possibility if only their students were kept there. Or close Gompers and keep Black Hawk as only a middle school. Can always take a large building and rearrange others around it.
§ Future concern about O'Keeffe getting large very quickly. Closing and consolidations put elementary and middle schools at close to capacity.
§ Programming at middle schools - difficulty with foreign languages and requiring it every day for 7th and 8th graders. Optimal minimal size about 350 students for middle school design. Difficult at Wright and Spring Harbor. Band/orchestra/choir far less of an issue. Any time below 300 students with a seven period day, it becomes less flexible when there are fewer students. Options are greater when the middle school is bigger and there is full time staff for everything with no itinerants. Experience says 800 is about optimal; school character changes if it goes beyond that number. Chicago decided 800 was optimal for high schools.
§ Doyle building - location, property value issues are raised in the community. Long-term plan for moving maybe to the East side with a place for meetings. Third party did the analysis. One of the major hurdles is that it is a historical landmark which lowers the value somewhat. Takes a 2/3 vote of the City Council to take it off. Not all of the parking lot is owned by the district. Cost of tearing down and moving administration is a losing proposition.
§ Staffing changes as a result of closing or consolidating schools would be negotiated with MTI. District would try to work out a Memorandum of Understanding. Number of positions might be close for classroom teachers if a middle school is closed. Consolidating Lapham and Marquette would just be moving people into one building. Principals might be handled through retirements but not certain about librarians. Administration will have a better idea on February 13. Specials may be about the same.
§ Lapham/Marquette provides space for the Transitional Educational Program (TEP).
§ Administration would be in favor of combining the Brearly and Park Street alternative programs. Could be combined at Shabazz site while remaining separate programs.
§ Difficulties with having one principal for two buildings (e.g., Lapham and Marquette). Really lose when that person is not physically in the building. Designated people have very limited capability.
§ Much depends on Board direction with the budget.
Ms. Carstensen indicated that the committee would look at the issues next as a full Board. The committee needs to determine the trigger points for determining when a middle school is overcrowded and for high schools but cannot give thought to that right now.
FOLLOW UP: Administration will do a full analysis of the remaining options going out to year 2012. Provide information on optimal middle school size that puts most positions at full time. Provide long-term (10 year) plan on where would be a good location for Administration to move and to hold Board meetings, etc., including moving some things to the Pflaum Road space. Provide in the Board packet an update on the TEP program and overall homeless population. Provide the options created last year for moving the Affiliated Alternatives at Brearly to an elementary school (does not address administrative issue but does address rental issue). Provide history of MMSD buildings for the next Board packet. Administration will provide a report on what will be done at Chavez for next year. Administration will provide full analysis of the options for the full Board when it meets on these issues.
6. Other Business
There was no other business.
7. Adjournment
It was moved by Lawrie Kobza and seconded by Arlene Silveira to adjourn the meeting at 10:10 p.m. Motion unanimously carried.
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