MMSD 2007-08 Budget Questions and Analysis

Cover Memo
List of Discussion Items

Questions and Answers

C-1 - Same class size for specials at all elementary schools

If C-1 (increase class size for specials) were applied only to those schools with less than 60% low income, what would the cut be? Less that 65%?

C-2 - Elementary Strings Program

Analyze increasing the strings participation fee to $75 and $100
1. Analyze 5th grade Strings program for one semester and one quarter.
2. Analyze 4th and 5th grade Strings program through MSCR Afterschool and Saturdays.
3. Analyze 5th grade Strings program at selected schools in place of general music.
What could we raise by having or, if already in place, increasing orchestra fees in middle and high school to help pay for 5th grade strings?

C-3 - Increase Elementary Class Size / Reduce Elementary Staff

For those schools with more than 65% poverty how much is left from the SAGE allocation once all the classroom staff costs for 15:1 are figured?
If we keep K-1 at 15:1, but eliminate the 2/3 blocks at the 7 schools in C-3 and C-3a, what would be the amount of the cut? What if only K was at 15:1?

C-4 - Elementary education 4/5 classrooms at Lincoln to 25:1 ratio

What are the current sizes of the 4th and 5th grade classes at a) Lincoln; b) Glendale; c) Mendota; and d) Lindbergh?

C-7 - Increase pupil/teacher ratio by .25 at the high schools

What is the 2007-08 pupil teacher ratios for each of the middle and high schools?

C-8 - Increase pupil/teacher ratio by .25 at the middle schools

What is the 2007-08 pupil teacher ratios for each of the middle and high schools?
Provide information on the impact of eliminating the small school allocation for Spring Harbor and Wright. Provide information about class sizes at Spring Harbor and Wright versus other middle schools.

C-9 - Excluding from the cross-categorial special education allocation formula, students with a Speech and Language Only Disability

Speech and Language only students: a) How many students are there? b) Distribution by level (elementary, middle, high)? c) Of those at the primary grade how many have been assessed with other needs in later years?

C-11 - Move Level 3 High School students to 35:1 ratio from 20:1 ratio

Analyze increase in class size of levels higher than 3 in ESL program

C-16 - Teaching & Learning Staff Restructure

The names of other districts preferably with similar demographic composition, that develop their own curricular materials (vs. reviewing and implementing/implementing with modification, off the shelf curricular materials)

C-17 - Eliminate Grant Writer Staffing

How does eliminating one of the grant writer positions save us money (since I thought it was financed out of grant moneys)?

C-18 - Private School Transportation

C-19 - Consolidation Plan

1. How many children will be at O'Keeffe and Black Hawk initially?
2. After 5 years what will be the expected enrollments?
3. What is the current number of students in grades 3-5 in the East area? K-2?
4. How many Kindergarten students are there in the East area this year? Last year?
On middle school capacity in determining the capacity of elementary schools we allow a room for "flexible" space, do the latest figures for the middle school include a similar approach? If the calculations are based on using all rooms every period, is there space set aside for staff offices?
Can you put something together that would involve moving the alternatives only? Can you map out how this or other possibilities would look?
Analyze moving Brearly Street Alternatives into an existing school with under enrollment.
How much could we save in bussing if Lapham/Marquette was de-paired?
What would be the savings if we eliminated all of the Marquette and Lapham bus routes? Would we be able to double the Allis routes with another school?
How often do the Brearly Street programs already use the gym at Lapham? Which programs use the gym?
Can we get some information on which Alternative programs were in Allis and how the school was set-up for the two groups?
The data previously requested regarding the costs/cost savings of various options to restructure the Lapham-Marquette pair. If it would help, I could work with the estimated savings or additional costs for the following:
- Operations with a shared principal vs. two principals
- Operations with no busing
- Operations without the voluntary low class sizes
- Operations as paired schools with the above changes
- Operations as separate K-5 schools with the above provisions
Do you know the number of new families who have moved into the Lapham neighborhood over the past 3 years? Do we have an average number per year over the past 5 years?
Could the alternative programs be moved to O'Keeffe? It looks like there should be room as the enrollment stands now.
Do we have data on where most students in alternatives live? Are they on average traveling a long distance, and could the programs be moved closer to the students' homes?
The report on homeless education programs. We keep hearing about the homeless children who would suffer if we do anything to Lapham and Marquette, but as I recall, there are far more homeless kids at Emerson. The new board members should have access to the data.
What schools are affected by consolidation?

C-25 - Decreased funding for professional consultants

What is the funding proposed for professional consultants total for 2007-08 for district-wide race and equity training? What form does this take (in-service, on-line, etc.)?

CN-1 - Elementary supplemental allocations

CN-2 - Elementary Reach Allocations

I would like further details on the option (not chosen) to reduce Reach.

Q-1 - Advanced Placement

Analyze increasing class size of Advanced Placement courses.

Q-2 - DPI requirements for the school day

Analyze/Request waiver from DPI — No half days of school (or elimination of some of them). Analyze extending the school day to meet DPI requirements of minutes of instruction and the impact of the collective bargaining agreement

Q-3 - Salary Savings

Amount of the salary savings (that used to be about $5M) anticipated in the budgets for 03-04, 04-05 and 05-06 and actual amount realized in each of those years.
Where is the salary savings and contingency shown? How much is each?
How are increases in benefits and salary calculated? The increase in benefits for some categories seem disproportionately high.

Q-4 - Fees

Add $10 to student fees in elementary, middle and high schools

Q-5 - Athletics

Add $40 to revenue generating sports. (Football, Basketball, Volleyball—etc.)
Add $25 to non-revenue generating sports.
What would be the net amount generated if we charged athletic fees that covered one-half of actual costs?
Add $100 to Boys and Girls Golf
Charge athletic fees to cover 50% of program cost
What are the fees for individual sports?
What is the law that states that athletics must be funded under operational expenses? (What does the law state?)
In the memo Pam gave us during her presentation on athletics, there were 2,870 activity tickets sold in the high schools for 05-06. Do you have a number for 06-07 or should we use this number as a base? Can you confirm the current price of the activity tickets?
Have you ever considered selling tickets for other sports such as volley ball, gymnastics and swimming?
Are we consistent in where we sell tickets? For example, West, LaFollette and East do not have gate receipts for girls gymnastics but Memorial does. Does each school decide whether or not to charge? There are a few other sports where only one school has gate receipts.

Q-6 - Extra-curricular activities

Add $10 to extra-curricular activities
Is it possible to implement an extra-curricular activity fee, like we have a fee for each sport? I'm not exactly sure how this works now. If so, could you recommend a fee and provide an estimated revenue?

Q-7 - Reading Recovery

Analyze group model of Reading Recovery district wide or in selected schools

Q-8 - Stress Challenge

Cost of the 1 FTE? Costs associated with maintaining and running the program? How often is the challenge used? How many schools have taken advantage of this in the last year?

Q-9 - Transportation

Do we still provide the 2nd late bus at Allied? Cost? Number of children using bus?
An enhanced list of all MMSD bus routes, from 0-1.49 miles, and 1.5-2 miles, with schools, stops, and number of riders. The list should also be annotated to indicate the stops/students that are in place because of unsafe intersections and what those unsafe intersections are.

Q-10 - Lawson Software

The costs by date, by year, for development and implementation of the Lawson software package. Such costs should include all licenses, consultant fees, housing and other amenities for consultants, travel for district staff and/or consultants, software patches and fixes, upgrade packages, software modifications, and any other fees associated with successful implementation of the package.

Q-11 - Madison School & Community Recreation

Impact from eliminating the customary increase in the MSCR budget (is it $300,000 per year increase?).
If we increase rental fees for facilities (eg pool) and assuming that MSCR is the primary renter, could the increase in rental fees be subsidized using Fund 80, therefore, moving that amount of money from under the revenue limits?

Q-12 - Superintendent Search

What is the Superintendent search estimated to cost and where is this shown in the budget?

Q-13 - Forecast

What is the 3 year forecast for the District if the proposed cuts and option G is implemented, and $1 million is used for salary savings?

Q-14 - Building Services

Could you provide some detail on the non-salary expenditures under Building Services? It would help to identify the amount of the maintenance referendum money and the operating budget amount for maintenance.

Q-15 - Substitute Teachers

Where is the amount for teacher subs (contractual) located?

Q-16 - Alternative Programs

How much is in the budget for Off Campus Neutral Site Programming?

Q-17 - Building Permits

How much could we raise by increasing from $2.60/day the room rental paid by private child care for after school to $5.00 or even more?

Q-18 - Truancy Programs

The power point on truancy programs.

Q-19 - Secondary Schools

What is the cost savings to reduce assistant principals at the secondary schools?

Q-20 - Staffing Costs

Please prepare the "Staffing Costs per Student" report sorted in decreasing dollar order for net costs for elementary, middle and high. Also do this for gross costs.

Q-21 - Supplies, Materials and Equipment

What process were we considering when we "Reduce formula funds for supplies, materials and equipment?

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