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| Madison Metropolitan School District Madison, Wisconsin Art Rainwater, Superintendent | ||
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| BOARD OF EDUCATION Minutes for Special Meeting - Open Session March 29, 2007 |
Doyle Administration Building 545 West Dayton Street, Auditorium Madison, Wisconsin |
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Special Meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President Johnny Winston, Jr. at 6:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Carstensen, Lawrie Kobza, Lucy Mathiak, Ruth Robarts, Arlene Silveira, Shwaw Vang, Johnny Winston, Jr.
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
PRESENT: Joe Carlsmith
CITIZEN MEMBERS PRESENT: Deb Gurke and Wayne Strong from the Communications Committee
STAFF PRESENT: Joe Quick, Art Rainwater, Barbara Lehman-Recording Secretary
1. Funding of K-12 Public Education by the State of Wisconsin
(Packets included 2007-09 Biennial Budget Issues "Talking Points"; PowerPoint presentation entitled, "Recommendation to the Communications Committee—Legislative Action for Madison Educational Advocacy Network"; and a 2007-09 Legislative Agenda. Copies are attached to the original of these minutes.)
Ms. Silveira made some introductory remarks and asked people to sign up to advocate. Joe Quick, Legislative Liaison, showed a video entitled, "School Funding in Wisconsin" produced in 2005 (a copy is on the web site).
Questions and comments were taken from the audience:
ü Salary and benefits increases.
ü Always in a shortfall situation.
ü If districts grow too fast, it is the same as if they are in a period declining enrollment.
ü There are some federal and state programs. Competitive grants have been reduced substantially over the last few years.
ü Do English-as-a-Second Language (ESL)/special education dynamics apply as strongly in other communities as in Madison? The dynamics are the same but there is one difference, Madison does have a higher-than-state-average number of children with very severe disabilities. There are many reasons for this and there are a lot of services in Madison.
ü The situation started going "upside down" in 1995. The rationale for that change in 1995 was property tax rate increases.
ü How much of Madison budget comes from property taxes? About 68 percent.
ü Has there been discussion of starting a study group to look at different ways to finance public education? There have been many but nothing rising to the top. Most recent discussion has been around expanding the sales tax base.
ü How has the "No Child Left Behind Act" affected ELL and special education monies? There has been no impact on special education. Changed so there was accountability by districts that do not perform and there are punishments attached.
ü Residential taxpayers are picking up a much greater burden (70 percent) since the 1970s than businesses. Wisconsin exempts many more items than it taxes. Good information on web site from the Institute for Wisconsin's Future.
ü How Wisconsin compare to other states in spending on education? Wisconsin is one of the top ten in the country for overall outlay but the entire tax system has to be considered. Some states rely on different revenues. Wisconsin is a local control state. Issue is the revenue limit forcing cuts every year unless enrollment growth is just right. Madison wants the revenue limit raised so it is the same as the Qualified Economic Offer (QEO). The revenue cap freezes what a district can spend and it goes from the district to the taxpayer as property tax relief. The only resources in the classroom are what the revenue limit allows. The people of Wisconsin have to ask themselves if they want their school system to be like those of California and Texas. Wisconsin has one of the best systems; look at what students get for what is spent.
Items 2-4 were taken up together.
2. Key Provisions regarding K-12 Public Education in the Governor's Proposed Budget
3. Tips for communicating with the WisconsinStateLegislators regarding the State of Wisconsin's funding of K-12 Public Education
4. Communication with other WisconsinPublic K-12 School Districtregarding the Funding of K-12 Public Education
Issues to raise with the Governor and Legislators:
Categorical Aids Remind them about how the reimbursement level has slipped so dramatically.
Revenue Limit Flexibility Means property tax increase. School Safety is one of the district's biggest issues. What the governor has proposed only allows Educational Resource Officers in high schools. There is no mention of school security assistants. Mr. Quick is encouraging Representative Black's proposed legislation that would allow districts to exceed revenue limits for school security by $100 per pupil. It requires a 50/50 match from the City of Madison, however.
Property Tax Base is Huge Credit might be a little less (recommended by the Long Range Planning Task Force). Madison spends $11,500-$12,000 per pupil and the state is at $9,200.
Timing of the Governor's Budget What revenue limits are doing to our schools. There is about six weeks to go. Items move from the Assembly to the Senate, back to the Assembly which passes its budget, then the Conference Committee crafts a package. The legislature has to vote this package up or down. Hard to say how long the Conference Committee will meet. The budget then goes to Governor. Meet with them if you can. They are in on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Thursdays.
Mr. Quick referred to the yellow sheets that give short- and long-term strategies. He also provided contact information for members of the Joint Finance Committee. Everyone was encouraged to write letters. Sample letters were broken out by issue. He stressed the importance of always asking the person for a response and to be specific. It is a statewide issue so encourage friends and relatives to exert pressure at the same time.
Questions from the Audience:
ü What about a court challenge? Will be dictated by the next election cycle. Will take several years and puts the Legislature in a convenient position to say that it is in the courts and out of their hands; not a panacea. If the Democrats win control of both houses, their constituents will probably demand change. Not sure that it matters who is in there.
ü How long can you operate? Wisconsin's congressional people advocate for the state. People have been talking about it. Money is spent on other priorities.
ü Student Achievement Guarantee in Education (SAGE) update? Some legislators question the validity of the effect of small class size. The largest study in America, the Tennessee Star Study, cannot be disputed with regard to the advantages of small class size. SAGE is given in the form of contracts to individual schools and provides $2,000 per child who is receiving Free and Reduced Lunch (FRE) to reduce class sizes in K-3 to 15:1. MMSD chose several years ago to fund all but three elementary schools out of local operating dollars. Madison is trying to protect smaller class size. This budget cuts those funds and raises class size in seven schools. What number is funded by the MMSD? Seven whose class sizes will go up; the MMSD has 19 SAGE contracts. The schools that are paired have one contract. The contracts are with the schools that will generate the most dollars. The district cannot continue to support this plan so the contracts go where concentration is the highest.
ü A rally has not been organized right now.
Comments and Questions from the Board:
§ Amazing how many different ways you can make a connection. Great Madison Delegation. Important to consider everybody. Statewide problem.
§ Much of this lobbying can be done better by the community than by the board because board members are seen as a special interest group. Tell your story.
§ Powerful for kids to say how this system is hurting them.
§ Do not demand - no ultimatums - no threats.
§ Energy costs and increased insurance costs - they are under the revenue cap. MMSD Director of Building Services is outstanding at saving energy.
§ Media support is pretty rare but letters to the editor are good. Pretty good support from the newspapers.
§ Teachers are asking people into the classrooms and are demonstrating their limitations because of the budget cuts.
Next Steps:
District will
send e-mail on a follow-up meeting (not scheduled yet) and expanding beyond the
Governor's budget into a long-term funding issue.
Legislative Action
Team - need your help, focus on the Governor's budget now. We will get together for the longer term
funding issue.
If savings are
realized from the Governor's budget, SAGE is already in there. The MMSD has not included Categorical Aid yet
because it is so unpredictable.
Concerned about
waiting too long to have a next meeting.
It is imminent.
Get PTOs and
neighborhood groups involved.
Madison's
state delegation is already on board but more work needs to be done with the Fox Valley people.
Less than 50
percent of referenda in Wisconsin pass. People who are doing ok
under the revenue cap have a situation where their enrollment is rising exactly
at the right amount. Have to pass
them. Have to pose the right question at
the right time. Until the revenue cap
changes, it compounds itself and is forever.
Suggestion was
made to hold an advisory referendum to say to the legislature that this is not
working and we have to fix it. Just
another option.
Greatest
success comes from better educating our constituents on what is being
lost. Have to make that bridge for the
general public.
Find out where
referendums have helped and what they did to get them passed.
Four percent
automatic annual raise for teachers? Qualified
Economic Offer (QEO) law went into effect almost simultaneously with the revenue
caps and gave districts the authority to impose a salary and benefit increase
total of 3.8 percent on the teachers union and they could not go to
arbitration. The QEO has been applied
very rarely in Wisconsin. It creates a
floor of 3.8 percent.
Talented and
Gifted programming - state law requires that the district offer services but gives
no money for this.
Developers -
cannot charge them for new schools.
Need to join
with surrounding districts and beyond.
5. Other Business
There was no other business.
6. Adjournment
It was moved by Ruth Robarts and seconded by Johnny Winston, Jr. to adjourn the meeting at 8:38 p.m. Student Representative advisory vote was aye. Motion unanimously carried.
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