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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 April 17, 2007 |
La Follette High School 702 Pflaum Road, Auditorium Madison, Wisconsin |
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Special Meeting of the Board of Education was called to order by President Johnny Winston at 7:02 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Carol Carstensen, Lawrie Kobza, Lucy Mathiak, Arlene Silveira, Johnny Winston, Jr.
STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE
PRESENT: Joe Carlsmith
MEMBERS ABSENT: Ruth Robarts, Shwaw Vang
STAFF PRESENT: Doug Johnson, Roger Price, Joe Quick, Art Rainwater, Marcia Standiford, Ann Wilson-Recording Secretary
OTHERS PRESENT: Board Members-Elect Maya Cole, Beth Moss
1. Public Hearing on the 2007-2008 Proposed MMSD Budget
(Written materials provided at the meeting: 2007-08 Legislative Agenda; 2007-09 Biennial Budget Issues "Talking Points," 2007-08 Budget and District Profile - all attached to the original of these minutes.)
Susan Sullivan - Lindbergh is a nice school. Do not want to lose it. Learn about math, writing and reading. Save our school.
Richard Schwartzer - Requested an explanation of the calculations the district used to compute savings on private school bus transportation. He would like to view and understand them. Encouraged looking at alternatives - redesigning routes might help. Concerned about serious safety issues.
(Roger Price noted information would be available on the district website.)
Don Severson - Identified areas where the Board and administration could take a different and more significant assessment in order to save money. He encouraged evaluation and reallocation rather than cutting.
Steve Hurst - Concerned about proposed cuts to the arts. Sending SAGE classes to specials is backward thinking. Seems there are trends - the same programs continue to be cut. Fears the education he received will not be available to those new students coming to Madison. All kids need a fair shake, the same opportunities. Don't cut the arts areas.
Andy Mayhol - Opposes budget cuts, especially to the related arts. Reductions to art education have been dramatic over time - about 1/3 over five years. Affects on children are drastic - less art projects, more kids equals more behavior problems, less opportunity to build relationships and community, many students have no opportunities for arts experience or materials outside of school. Supports multi-year referendum.
Alana Converse - Likes the teachers at Lapham and Marquette. Wants to go to Marquette next year.
Katharine McCoy - Not in favor of any cuts or closings. In favor of a referendum - now. Related arts are important to culturally relevant teaching. Necessary to have a culturally literate society. If there are cuts, students will not be prepared for entering the electronic age which requires high level critical thinking skills. Need to give kids the skills to discern through the arts. You have a diamond in the rough - have not used it to fullest capacity.
John Wheeler - The school district is falling apart brick by brick. Madison had a high rating - the best - in many categories at one time; none of these are the case any longer. Every year there is some kind of program cut - larger class sizes, more classes during the school day. See curriculums shrinking in size, doubling up. Can only shear sheep if there is wool; there is no more wool. Closing schools just means we will have more prisons. Support a multi-year referendum. Propose cutting all athletics and extracurricular programs and tie re-instatement of those to a multi-year referendum. If this is not the answer for the Board, what is your solution to getting back the schools we used to have.
Laurel Lee - Will not find a better way to spend money than on schools - they are cost effective. All student populations shine in art, music, physical education and technology. Need to be concerned that people with money will move out of Madison. Support a multi-year referendum.
Kevin Tahany - Parents of private school students pay taxes but choose to send their children to private schools. Busing concerns are because of safety and security. It is a civil service to provide safety and security for school children, in the same way as funding police and fire safety. Losing busing effectively violates the rights of individuals. People who send their children to private school are not the rich or elite. Parents are taxpayers. Removing transportation takes away their right to choose.
Kelly Ferguson - Spoke about the value of having a second language and specifically knowing how to speak German. Sees a dangerous trend of offering only Spanish as a world language option. Becoming ethno-centric in the view of which language is more important. German and French are very important (examples of where they are officially used). Consider the offerings for world languages. Students need to be global citizens in an ever-shrinking world.
John Sullivan - Do not want to lose Lindbergh School. It is a nice place, with nice teachers and it is special to me.
Mary Charnitz - Families that use private school transportation are working class families that rely on the bus to get their children to school safely. These families are supportive of public education. They pay the same taxes; one of the few benefits is bus transportation. Decision has a detrimental effect on her family. If bus transportation is lost, the choice will be lost for her family.
Maribeth Mohr - Reject the proposal to cut bus transportation for private school students. As a single parent, bus transportation allows her to go to her employment and know her children will arrive safely at school. Allows her to choose the school that is important for her child.
Chris Lukas - Opposes closing schools and eliminating valuable programs. Schools are needed to keep neighborhoods vibrant. Go through a yearly exercise of cutting programs. We know we will have a shortfall every year; should be a strategic plan in place about what we will do every year. If closing schools is part of that plan, lay that out as a strategy instead of a piece-meal approach. Budget includes many social services that may not be core to academics. Closing schools sends a message (to people coming in) that this is not the school district for you.
Sister Kathleen Loughrin - Speak for families who are not able to come in opposition to cuts for bus transportation - especially for those families who count on transportation for the safety of their children. People should be the primary consideration, not the amount of money saved. There is heavy traffic on streets near their school. Families all pay taxes; should have the assurance of safe travel to school for their children. Places a strain on families who work many jobs to avail themselves of a special education for their children.
Matt Schafer - Wished him and others present could hear the Board's response to what speakers are saying. One child missed strings opportunity; looks like it will be cut for another child. Sees problems in schools related to electricity, upkeep of pool; where will cuts stop? The amount of the district cut is about what the Federal Government pays for one hour in Iraq. Federal Government contributes to the district's problems by not fully funding its commitments. Asked audience to contact legislative representatives and ask why they are spending more on wars than on education.
Nicholas Wiedenhoeft - Family is German and was able to take German courses at Memorial. Extremely helpful in work and travels to have a command of any language, and specifically German. Will be painful decisions about the budget. Support a referendum as a temporary solution. Need to find a long-term solution - a Federal Government that supports education. Son will be attending East; wants there to be a German program for him to study.
Shari Entenmann - Don't have a clear picture of how the TEP program will function or serve students. Will it continue at Lapham? What will happen with alternative programs? A key component was separating alternative program students from age-group peers. Three decisions are "not ready for prime time" - closing and consolidating schools, deciding not to go to referendum, deciding not to approve the proposed charter school.
Elizabeth Doyle - Feels like the foundation is falling out from under us; wonder what we will have to offer our children. Concerned about increasing class sizes, SAGE for specials. Should watch what happens when you break up a class. It is harder for high poverty students to make transitions; they are the students who need support the most. Need the arts in school; students do not have support for the arts outside of school. Is a much bigger deal than people think. Want new kindergarteners coming in to get everything they deserve to have.
Paul Sanchez - Speak for the voices not being heard. No mention by speakers of what is the alternative, or who will pay. No one has said here is where we can get more money. Where do speakers propose the extra money will come from? New taxes? Propose no new taxes; OK to reallocate existing funds. Will always be issues with schools; there will never be enough money. Who in the audience will take out their checkbooks and write a $1,000 check for the school district? Nobody volunteers to offer solutions, but they don't like the ones proposed by the Board. I propose the Board accept individual donations. If people don't want to do that, they have to accept the will of the Board to not increase taxes.
Pat Maniaci - The REACH position is a professional teacher position that teaches students to meet state standards in Informational Literacy and Technology. Across the district most of these positions and duties have been transferred over to the elementary librarians. This is not just a planning time issue as was stated last night at the Board meeting. Both librarians and/or REACH professionals not only instruct students to meet state standards, but they are required to do report cards for every student in the school as to the standards that are being covered throughout the year. This cut would have major impacts on all elementary schools and the libraries in those schools. Because of previous cuts to this position, libraries throughout the district are having to close their doors throughout the day and week. Great inequity is occurring across the district. Like the suggestions proposed by Ruth Robarts. Need understanding of school funding. The general public needs to understand that there are many corporations that do not pay taxes. The message about the situation of districts is not getting out to the public.
Jeff Spitzer Resnick - State expert on school finance. Poor decision making model that calls for closing and consolidating schools. Cause deterioration by eliminating shining stars. No bus transportation makes it harder for those shining stars. Does not make sense to close schools in the district and open new ones at the same time. Could change transportation districts. Work with what you have; make it the best. Inviting lawsuits when you do not provide mandated special education services. Solutions - hold a referendum, pressure the state legislative finance system, make changes to school and community recreation - can fund many programs there, do not cut grant writer position.
Adam Chern - Has faith in the Board; appreciate many hours and attention. Lacking in some areas - long range planning looks out for only five years; should have seen decline coming. Lindbergh closing is short-sighted; will have to be reopened. Reconsider this closing; provides only one-third of one percent savings. Moves maximum number of children for a small savings.
Mary Sweeta - Education and school choice are beautiful things. Transportation is wonderful, but also the right thing for taxpayers. Reconsider reductions to private school transportation. Proposal came very quickly. Suggest a subcommittee to study transportation; would be happy to serve as a member.
Dan Slick - The Board identified three priorities; writing was not one of them. There have been several years of cuts to the arts areas. Wonder if the Board takes the arts seriously. Heard a board candidate call the arts "icing on the cake." Arts are not extra, but central to learning. Arts are about thinking. Teaching to draw is teaching to think. Art is under-taught. Students are involved in relationships, engagement, learning if they are in art, music, etc. They need to learn how to express themselves.
Cori Thompson - Oppose proposed busing cut to private school transportation. Families work hard to be able to make a school choice. Have two jobs, worry about safety, is a hardship - depend on bus transportation to get their children safely to school. Must be a way to problem solve this issue. Discussion should not be at the end; can do some problem solving.
Cathy Vorndran - Would be impossible to send her children to the school she chooses without bus transportation. It is greatly appreciated, but taxpayers are entitled. Everyone here tonight is here for their children; all want the best for their children. There are cuts proposed for every budget. Need to realize that our children are our future leaders; all need to be creative in providing for them. We need to find the money to support them as much as we can.
Barbara Chusid - Support a referendum. Putting programs and students at risk by crowding SAGE and specials classes. By increasing the numbers of students, sends the message that these programs are not important. Music creates engagement, focus, creates relationships with students. In bigger classes, this will not happen nearly as well. What if you were on a bus and there was not enough water for everyone. Would you say some don't get any, or would you say we have to find more water?
Written registrations:
· 2 opposed to all budget cuts and in support of a referendum.
· 1 asking for reinstatement of library media resources.
· 3 in support of a referendum
· 8 opposed to cuts in transportation for private school students
· 5 opposed to closing/consolidating schools proposals.
Johnny Winston, Jr. noted there will be upcoming opportunities for additional input about the proposed budget. Another public hearing is scheduled for April 19. The Board will meet in a workshop setting on April 23 and April 30, with plans to finalize the budget on April 30.
2. Adjournment
It was moved by Arlene Silveira and seconded by Carol Carstensen to adjourn the meeting at 8:04 p.m. Student advisory vote - aye. Motion unanimously carried by those present.
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Previous: 2007-04-16c || Special Meeting - Open Session || Next: 2007-04-19