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MMSD Today

News and information for staff members and the Madison community

Vol. I No. 2 - December 19, 2005

Summary of December 19, 2005 Board of Edcuation Meetings

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Carol Carstensen, President, Board of Education

BUDGET FACTOID:
Nothing this time. Be sure to take part in the $100 Budget exercise scheduled for the week of January 23rd. There is more information on the web site - click on $100 Budget under Hot Topics.

December 19th meeting schedule

Special Board Meeting: The Board approved the proposal to engage an architectural firm to create a master facility plan for both East and West High Schools. These plans will both sequence the repairs included in the plans from the recent maintenance referendum and will ensure that potential improvements (the auditorium renewal at East; improvement of West's pool) fit into an overall plan.

Partnerships Committee: (Lawrie Kobza, chair) The committee got an update on the status of contributions for the two sports which are being funded by private donations girl's hockey and the second JV soccer teams at West. The committee then considered the first draft of a policy that will outline a process for responding to gifts/donations which might create inequities across the district. The policy proposes that the Superintendent will take into consideration the impact on the entire district and the potential for the Board to respond to the potential inequities through budget allocations. There will be more discussion before the policy is considered for adoption.

Performance & Achievement Committee: (Shwaw Vang, chair) Pam Nash, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Schools, gave a report on the progress of the administrative Middle Grades Design Team. The intent of the Team is to ensure that students will have access to the same overall set of courses at each of the middle schools in the district. The Team will present its proposals to the Superintendent in early January and then to a focus group of parents who were involved in discussions of the Team's goals at the start of the process.

Long Range Planning Committee: (Bill Keys, chair). The committee received preliminary options from both the East and Memorial/West Task Forces. The options are summarized below (a more complete description is available on the district's web site, click on Preliminary Report to the Board for both East and Memorial/West).

East Area Preliminary Options:

  1. Move MSCR to East area schools
  2. Move the Affiliated Alternatives (currently in rented space) to East area schools
  3. Assign all the children from the Packers Townhouses to Gompers
  4. Analyze additional/different pairings in the Isthmus area
  5. Analyze boundary changes for the North area schools
  6. Consider: a. adjusting the middle school feeder pattern to equalize enrollment and low-income percentages. b. moving the undeveloped area off of Milwaukee Street (east of Fair Oaks) from the LaFollette area to the East area.

Memorial/West Preliminary Options (these provide the Board a range of possible actions):

  1. Accommodate all students in existing buildings. This requires moving more than 400 students; relocating Chávez 5th grades to Toki/Orchard Ridge; reducing SAGE (in K & 1 only) at Chávez and Crestwood; and relocating the Early Childhood programs.
  2. Build an addition onto Leopold with multiple boundary changes. This option moves over 300 students, reduces SAGE at Chávez and Crestwood, and relocates Early Childhood programs.
  3. Build an addition to Leopold and a new school on the far west side. This plan moves nearly 600 students (a significant number to the new school) and requires a series of boundary changes (mostly in the Memorial area).
  4. Build a new school on the far west side, but no addition to Leopold. This alternative moves over 600 students and requires multiple boundary changes in both West and Memorial areas.
  5. Build an addition onto Chávez this one was not fully developed, but does require multiple boundary changes and possibly the reduction of SAGE at one school.

The Long Range Planning Committee will get final options on January 23rd. The Committee and the Board will hold forums to get further comment from the public.

Board of Education Meeting Summaries

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