Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food,

For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.


- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Giving thanks...

I have so much to be thankful for, but this time of the year completely stresses me out! It starts in late October, with nearly every family birthday being celebrated, and goes straight through to the New Year! Not enough time or money to do the things I want to do - I get bitchy and end up not enjoying anything.

But I found this posting today, and it definitely puts everything in perspective.

I will count my blessings, and be thankful for what I do have.

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there. -Will Rogers

Three seek RUSD board seat

The Journal Times is reporting that 3 citizens have thrown their proverbial hats in the ring for the RUSD Board seat vacated by Randy Bangs earlier this month - the candidates are: Reverend Hargrove, Joyce Gregg and Stella Young.

All 3 candidates are worthy of the position from what I have witnessed in the past.

It's also refreshing to know that all 3 candidates seem have a leg up on the issues, or at the very least, have attended MANY meetings in the past!

So often school board candidates seem to come out of nowhere - I cannot tell you how many

times I witness candidates attending their FIRST meeting soon after their nomination papers are filed! (Picking out "new" faces is actually quite easy, as RUSD meetings are often poorly attended unless there is a "crisis"at hand )

I am not suggesting that you cannot keep yourself up-to-date on the issues by reading a newspaper or forums such as this one, but it definitely helps if you have first-hand knowledge and hear the board conversations in their entirety and in proper context.

Good luck to all 3 candidates! I know each of you will bring an unique perspective to the board floor!

Fixing a Hole

I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go...

My apologies to John and Paul, but these lyrics came to mind as I was reviewing the RUSD board materials (for tomorrow's meeting) over my morning coffee. It would seem that the RUSD board will be addressing changes in their current governing style, Policy Governance, to address the loopholes that directly led to the recent changes in district leadership.

Over and over again, the audit report written by Reinhart-Boerner included the phrase "lack of oversight" and suggested that Policy Governance possibly left too many "holes" in the financial management of the district. The board seems to be addressing these "holes", not by throwing out Policy Governance, but by rewriting some of the language. I'm glad our current board acknowledges that some of the Executive Limitations were too broadly written, and that the board is now seeking to remedy the situation.

Here 's a brief summary of some of the proposed changes, the bolded text is the proposed change in language, the text in italics is the existing language:

Policy Type: Executive Limitations

Accordingly, the CEO may not:

Fail to publish a financial condition statement annually. Fail to provide the Board with a monthly update of the Statement of Revenue and Expenditures and Balance Sheet depicting month and year-to-date financial activity as well as a financial condition statement annually.


a.Fail to use a competitive bidding procedure for the purchase of all supplies, materials and equipment, and any contracted services except professional services, in the amount of $25,000 or more.
b. Fail to use a competitive bidding procedure for professional services in the amount of $50,000 or more except for replacement positions within the Teaching and Learning Division.
c. Execute a contract which includes financial incentives to a third party without Board approval.

Hindsight is 20/20, obviously if these changes in policy language were included from the get-go, it is very likely that the RUSD board would not have to be renegotiating terms with PBCG, the consultant group hired by the former superintendent to manage the district's business affairs, but, instead, could be focusing on the issues that might actually benefit the children of RUSD educationally.

It's about time the board "fixes the hole" and focuses their collective time and energy on achieving their goal of educating every student to succeed.

A better way to fund education, or just the same old tired rhetoric?

Yesterday, for the first time in recent memory, comprehensive school-funding reform was the topic “du jour” in Madison. Wisconsin’s current funding formula needs a major overhaul – the current system is not working for many school districts across the state. Both small rural districts and large property-poor districts suffer because of the complicated formula that rewards growing communities, but penalizes districts with declining enrollments..

While I appreciate the built-in control over spending the current formula has, there are problems with it. While there is a law that states teachers must receive a 3.8% annual raise, districts are only allowed to raise revenues by 2%. Of course if a community grows, districts are allowed to levy more than the 2%.

Let’s pretend that a school district such as RUSD lost 125 students from the previous year. This means that the district will receive approximately $1,000,000 less from the state. So Unified will now need to cut $1,000,000 from its budget - we have 34 buildings in the district, so a loss of 125 students is only going to be 4 less students per building – less than one student per grade per building in many instances.

So what can be cut from the budget? It can’t be a teacher position because the district didn’t lose enough students to warrant this! It can't be salaries for the existing teachers, the QEO states the teachers must receive a 3.8% increase in compensation! What has happened over the last 15 years is that slowly, each year, these cuts have whittled away facility budgets, curriculum choices, and extra-curriculars activities.

Now, factor in that there has been federal legislation that has passed since the last time Wisconsin has addressed school finance reform. With the IDEA Act of 1997, and NCLB of 2001, districts now have diffferent mandates they must follow – most of which are costly and draining the budgets of already cash-strapped school districts.

What upsets me about the hearing yesterday in Madison, is that the group pushing for the Adequacy Funding Model “does not include any specifics for how a new system should work” but calls generally for providing adequate funding for each district. They’ve worked on this for what, 5 years, and DON’T HAVE A FUNDING PLAN?

Rightly so, some Republicans had some tough questions they wanted answered:

Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) asked the main sponsors of the resolution, Sen. Roger Breske (D-Eland) and Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts (D-Middleton), whether they were seeking an increase in state spending on schools - currently more than $5 billion a year - or a revision of the complex formula for allotting money to schools. The formula relies largely on property values in districts.(emphasis is mine)

If these “new” formula is going to rely on other more equitable ways of funding, say by eliminating the sales tax exemption, or by raising the sales tax WITHOUT a SIGNIFICANT DECREASE in PROPERTY TAXES, they may just save themselves a whole lot of time and stop right now. We don’t need any MORE taxes in Wisconsin, we need less of them, and taxes that are JUST and FAIR.

Somehow the legislators in Wisconsin have to figure out how other states can pay for schools, fire and police protection, libraries and parks without overburdening the average homeowner.

RUSD looks Skyward for parental involvement?

No, the question I posed is not about RUSD looking and praying to God for guidance on how to engage parents in the educational process. I am referring to the software that district started using some time ago - Skyward is software made exclusively for both public and private K-12 institutions.

As a parent, I have already seen what Skyward has done for the teachers and employees in the district - grades are entered easily and the reports that the teachers can run are phenomenal.
Also once a change is made to a students profile, its changed everywhere in the district. No longer does it have to get changed at the school level, then the district level. No more forms in triplicate that have to be routed from department to department for signatures.

But Skyward can do more than make RUSD employees lives easier, it can help parents become more engaged in their child's school life. I know this because the school district in Union Grove uses the web-based component of this software, and the parents can log on from home and check their child's grades, attendance, even how much is left in their school lunch "account".

I understand that these enhancements ARE in the works for RUSD, but as with anything, there MAY be obstacles. Teachers need to make sure that the data is up-to-date, and of course there MAY be technical issues as well. Certainly the district will need to increase its bandwidth, and most likely will have to invest in additional computers for its staff to use.

But coming from a parent who sometimes is leery about "bothering" teachers and staff, this enhancement would be worth the nominal cost. In the long run, having parents know what the kids are doing (or not doing!!) in school will make better students in the future.

Today's the day

Today's the day that the many educational stakeholders across the state have been waiting for - school finance reform is on our legislature's agenda.

Any initial comments or thoughts? Here's the place to share them...

The Gunfight at the RTA Corral

Okay, so maybe my headline for this post is a tad bit overdramatic... But like that famous fight that symbolized the struggle between law and order and the rampant banditry of the American Old West, the Racine Taxpayers Association met with the RUSD Interim Superintendent and Board President yesterday for what was probably a very lively luncheon meeting.

I am coming to the realization that politics DO play a major part in education, although I still believe that education should be a non-partisan issue. In my humble opinion, taxpayers have a right to question financial decisions, after all, it is our money and we have a right to understand how it is being spent. But because the tax money is used for something that is intangible - education - sometimes lines get drawn in the sand. It becomes an Us vs Them issue - I know I have fallen into this frame of mind many times before. This is something I am continually addressing and trying to overcome.

The Journal Times reported that the PBCG contract was one of the many issues discussed - please allow me to pontificate briefly on that topic. While I completely understand the need for secrecy at this time, or as Baumgardt stated, to "keep my mouth shut" until the renegotiations are complete and voted on in an Open Session meeting, I do have some concerns.

Frankly, I am worried about any negative political fall-out from any decision that may be perceived as a bad one (financially speaking) by the taxpayers of eastern Racine County.

The district has decaying buildings that are literally stuffed to the gills with children - not the best learning environment for anyone, to say the least. (We treat our criminals better!) The district will need to address its facilities soon via spending referenda; the trust and support of the district by the citizens it serves is needed.

I have written about my feelings about the PBCG contract numerous times for nearly 2 years now - I am not going to repeat myself.

But I will say this - I certainly hope that any deal brokered with PBCG is one that the public can bear. What sort of compensation can the public bear and accept? That is the unknown; I know the amount I would give them if I sat on the board, but hey, my opinion doesn't matter.

Or does it?

Special Education: Not a place but a process

After the Independent Commission released its report in 2006 - it identified that 2 things should happen (in the area of special education):

1. The district needed to create a task force to examine the current special education delivery model to better align resources with meeting needs.

2. Teachers, parents, outside experts and internal special education managers should work together explore best practice models nationwide, and to formulate a new approach for special education in Racine.

In the spring of last year, Renee Pfaller (who recently resigned), gave a presentation on Special Education to the RUSD board. It was decided at the time that an in-depth analysis should be done. So the study was commissioned, and tonight the board studied the long-awaited report completed by UWM's Elise Frattura, an expert in Exceptional Education.

My head is still spinning from all the information shared in such a short time, and the results may be shocking to some, but I was not completely surprised by any of the key findings.

I already knew that our district over-identifies children of color, and I understand the devastating effects that this can have on a child. We all know the statistics, don't we? Kids "labeled" are more likely to have disciplinary problems, truancy issues, and are statistically more likely to develop alcohol and drug problems! We won't even discuss that over-identifying children takes valuable resources away from the children who really do need the services.

I am sure I will write more in the weeks and months to come, but the most important theme I want to convey is this - the way the district currently delivers special education services is outdated and does not serve the best interest of the child.

Busing a child across town for Speech, because that is where the Speech teacher happens to be, is wrong. The child should be served in his or her own school whenever possible. Instead of moving the kids all over the district - move the teacher. Nearly 1/2 of our busing budget is spent on busing these children needlessly. Over 38% of children with disabilities do not attend the school they would normally attend if they were not disabled.

Also, when students do not attend the school they would attend if not disabled, natural proportions of students with disabilities in the receiving school is exceeded. Segregating these children into a few schools is wrong. The Supreme Court says that children cannot be segregated by color - so the same policy and laws should apply here as well.

Chief Justice Warren delivered the opinion that "separate facilities are inherently unequal" - we all need to start thinking that special education is not a place, but a process. Then, and only then, will we really making sure that the district is educating EVERY child.

Meetings, meetings and more meetings!

The RUSD board is again having a special meeting tonight, followed by a work session that will discuss the recent Special Education Study. It certainly seems like the board is working hard, at least if you look at the number of times they have been meeting lately. Let's hope these meetings are fruitful!

The special meeting will commence at 5:30PM and will adjourn to Executive Session to update the board members of the renegotiations of the PBCG contract. As many of you are aware, PBCG was hired by the district to oversee the business operations of the district, and were the focus of the recent audit done by Reinhart-Boerner, a Milwaukee legal firm. The board has trying to negotiate a settlement with PBCG since the initial results of the audit have been made public.

I only hope that a settlement is soon to come, and it is one that public can accept. The board needs to regain the trust of the citizens of eastern Racine County in a very big way.

Is "second shift" the solution to overcrowding?

A couple of years back, the Racine area school district commissioned a long-term facilities study. While not much has been written about the Paullin study, I would like to talk about one aspect of it briefly today.

In this study, it was pointed out that the big 3 high schools (Case, Horlick and Park) were originally designed for 1200-1400 students, yet we have 2000-2200 students in these schools. They were overcrowded way back when I started high school, and the problem definitely escalated the year I was a senior - this the year 9th graders were moved to our high schools.

Why move an additional 500-600 students into already crowded schools? It has been explained to me that the most accurate data model the district had in 1983 had projected the district was going to lose 7000 students within a very short amount of time. The district was going to go from 22,000 to 15,000 students , so the move made sense at the time.

Of course nearly 25 years later, we have seen that this did NOT happen. The district may have lost some students, but there are still over 21,000 students being serviced by RUSD - and our high schools are still dangerously overcrowded.

Other communites, like West Bend, are coming up with some creative ways to address overcrowding. Ironically, one of the ideas suggested for West Bend has been proposed by a former RUSD board member in the past - having the high schools operate on a split-shift schedule.

Is this a viable solution to help solve the over-crowding at our high schools?

Of course, the easiest solution would be to remove the 9th graders from the high schools, but in order for that to happen the district's 6th graders need to return to the elementary builidings. Because of the recently expanded 4 and 5 year old kindergarten programming, there is no longer room in these buildings for the 6th graders. So now, new buildings need to be built somewhere in the community.

I believe RUSD must soon address the over-crowding in our high schools. They have been overcrowded for decades, and some kind of decision is long overdue.

If you were in charge, how would you meet this challenge? Build more buildings, create a split-shift schedule, or some other solution?

More schools look to alternative assessments

Since the dawn of educational time, school districts across the state have relied on the annual Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) to assess their schools' performance.

(I do believe this test was used solely for the purpose of bragging rights at school administration conferences.)

With the advent of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001, however, the stakes have increased exponentially. Now school districts are punished by having poor test results - the punishment - withholding federal tax money. Money that could be used for additional staff training, books, and other educational tools that MAY actually raise test scores.

There are two fundamental problems with the WKCE:

1. The test is given in October. Shouldn't an assessment test be done towards the end of the learning year, and not the beginning?

2. The results of the October test are not released until April or May. Fourth graders not reading at grade level? Oh well, I guess we'll have to do something about it next year. Never mind that we have lost nearly a whole school year in figuring that out!

Many schools are now scrambling to find to alternative assessments, such as the NWEA-MAP, to assess both the district needs, and more importantly, the individual student's needs. RUSD has been using these tests for 2 or 3 years with much success. In fact, this was one of the few "reform-initiatives" that the former superintendent introduced that actually had full support from ALL stakeholders within the district.

What I, as a parent, like most about the NWEA-MAP tests is this:

1. There are taken 3 times a year and the results are nearly immediate - within 24 hours I have a individualized report on my child's results, with special attention paid to the progress made since the last testing.

2. The results are reported with NATIONAL norms, meaning I know how well my child did against other children in the district, state and across the country.

For once, its refreshing to know that RUSD isn't behind the proverbial 8-ball in bringing innovation to its students and teachers.

What if you threw a party and nobody came?

(Photo courtesy of www.racinepost.com)

Earlier this week, there was a historic meeting of sorts at City Hall. Members of the RUSD communication meeting met with the legislators of the city of Racine. A similar event happened earlier in the year when a RUSD board committee met with the trustees of the outlying villages in the district (Caledonia, Mt. Pleasant, Sturtevant, Wind Point, etc). Their collective goal is to better understand the problems faced and to work TOGETHER to find solutions!

What amazes me is this! It's not that the RUSD board is asking for help, but that these meetings are so poorly attended by the lay members of the community!

Although, the meeting with the villages was better attended than the one in the city - it was still sparsely attended. Perhaps the city meeting was not well advertised, I certainly hope that is the reason.

I cannot believe that the reason is that so few people care...

Breaking News - Apathy thrives in Racine

(click on picture to enlarge)

Seriously, over half of the respondents have just given up on Unified? Don't you all realize how much the public can effect change? Whether its blogging, attending rallies, public hearings or even RUSD public input sessions - the power of the Joe or Jane Public is HUGE!


I seriously hope that most of the NO respondents simply just had a bad day, and instead of kicking Fido, they took out their frustrations via their computer and mouse.



If the public will not speak, how in the hell are things supposed to get any better?

Voters reject referendum

Voters yesterday in West Bend have resoundingly made their voices heard - the $119.3 school referendum was too much for the taxpayers to bear. Many other large referenda in other Wisconsin school districts have failed in recent years. In what has become a sometimes disturbing trend, the voting public has said learned, and learned well, to say NO each time an increase in spending is proposed, even if the proposed spending is for capital projects. What happened in West Bend was expected by many, but it does shine a light on the terrible way we fund schools.

Pitting property tax owners against schools is a bad idea. While I wholly support the "idea" of revenue caps and the like, it is apparent that after 15 years of the current school funding formula, it does not work for many of the districts in our state. Don't other states fund their schools without forcing Grandma from her home?

Why can't the legislature come up with a better way - a more equitable way of funding education?

How about eliminating the sales tax exemptions and using that money to fund the schools?

Business leaders across the state complain that there aren't enough skilled workers for their businesses. Guess what, we have institutions to take care of these kinds of problems - they're called schools!

We need to move away from the "factory school" mentality, and start making sure our children are ready for the real world. Tech academies in the high schools, technology in elementary schools...

But folks, this costs money, and asking already overburdened homeowners to pony up more cash isn't working anywhere. We need a different and better way of funding our schools - people should not be forced to choose between their homes and better schools for the children of their community.

All eyes look to West Bend

All eyes will be on West Bend tomorrow, as voters will turn out to vote in what will be the state's largest school referendum to date. I imagine there will be some here in our neck of the woods who will be VERY interested in the results.

"Why would that be?" you might ask. Well, let me tell you. With over $70 MILLION dollars in BASIC repairs for the 34 buildings in RUSD, and a complete overhaul of all buildings at an estimated $375 MILLION, RUSD may soon be asking voters to ante-up for its aging infrastructure.

Nothing against West Bend, but I cannot fathom that their buildings are as in bad of shape as many of the schools in the Racine area. If you do not believe me, please make an appointment to take a tour of Walden, Red Apple, Janes or any other RUSD school built in the 19th century.

If some of these schools were rental properties, I seriously believe they would be condemned and the landlord thrown in jail.

So tomorrow, ALL of us (both the anti-tax crowd and the educational establishment) in Racine will be watching and taking notes, so when our time comes around, we will know how to answer.

RUSD board to fill vacant seat

Tonight, thankfully, the RUSD board voted to fill the vacant seat left by Randy Bangs. I was worried that they would not fill the seat (boards have odd number of members for a reason, you know!). The board also clarified the timeline in which this would happen, as outlined in state statutes and their own board policies.

Within a week, there will be a public notice letting the public know of the vacancy - then any citizen interested in the position has two weeks to contact any board member in order to be nominated. The board member may then turn those nominations over to the board president.

On December 3rd, those candidates would be interviewed (in open session) and then the board (again in open session) will choose a new candidate.

Hopefully, there will be many qualified candidates to choose from - any future board member needs to understand that there are MANY important issues facing the district this year. The board cannot simply slow down the process even more to bring a new board member up-to-speed on the issues.

RUSD board member resigns

Tonight, at 7:00PM, the RUSD Board of Education will be having a special meeting. The first action item on the agenda is accepting the resignation of a board member. One can only assume, from the reports of last week, is that the board member in question is Mr. Randy Bangs.

Mr. Bangs, often viewed as the "contentious" one, was relentless when looking for facts and data. You may have not liked or appreciated his very direct approach, but he did bring many things into question. Some of past board practices he questioned, we all know now (thanks to the recent audit) were really all not that great for the district as a whole.

So let me first thank Mr. Bangs for his diligent work on the board before I start obsessing over his replacement on the board, or worse yet, the lack of a replacement.

Thank you, Randy, for your years of diligent service.

Now back to obsessing... I believe the board (as a collective being) is not quite sure if someone should be appointed for the remaining 6 months of Mr. Bang's term. While I understand that it would take a special person to serve the remaining months of Mr. Bangs' term, I do think if certain individuals were interested - the spot should be filled.

The candidate should already be well-versed on the upcoming issues - there isn't time to bring someone up-to-speed. The candidate should understand the sometimes dysfunctional dynamics of the board, and most of all, be genuinely excited about all the positive changes administration is bringing to the table.

Now, I wonder where the board would find someone like that?

More thoughts on the RUSD board postponing redistricting

I have had 24 hours or so to assimilate the recent RUSD board decision to postpone a decision on redistricting, and I have a few more thoughts on the matter. Dr. Warner, the board member that proposed creating consensus by reaching out to the community for answers, does make a couple of excellent points.

1. This board, and past boards, have not effectively reached out to the community. All of the past efforts were kind of last-minute hodge-podge attempts, and the forums that were held were often not well attended by many sectors of the community.

2. Past community efforts have not built consensus in the community. I believe it is because most of these community efforts were broad-based and open-ended, meaning there were ambiguous questions and people were free to discuss just about anything they wanted.

While these kind of forums are great, what ended up happening (I believe) is that the faciliators asked, "What would make a great school district"? to 400 people and got back 400 different answers.

I'm not an expert on data collection, but maybe any future efforts should drill down to the answers that board and administration are actually seeking.

I do know this, however, any hardline action either way will most likely tick off at least 50% of the population. It is clear, in my mind anyway, that some sort of compromise is needed.

We need good schools for EVERY child in Racine, and the parents are the best judge of what school is best for their child. It could be a magnet school, a school down the street, or a school close to the parent's place of employment.

We already have school choice within the district, and it is extremely popular, why not just expand it and create a 100% choice district?

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. - Alvin Toffler

Unified puts off redistricting again

I have to admit I was not surprised by the headline Unified puts off redistricting in today’s paper, however, I am extremely saddened and disappointed. Too many other things, like addressing special education needs and grade configuration, will now be delayed even further until the board makes a decision. Redistricting is the first step that needs to be taken, and the decision has been postponed for years:

It was delayed in March of 2004; the board then decided in August of that year to hold community forums to find out what the community wanted. These forums were held and the board received a full analysis a few months later.

A 2005 facility study showed that many schools were operating over the maximum capacity – citing the need for a massive redistricting.

In the beginning of the 2005 – 2006 school year, the board put redistricting as one of the big items that would be handled that year. However by February those plans to redistrict was put on hold once again.

In the beginning of the 2006 -2007 school year, the board again planned on addressing redistricting, along with grade configuration. I believe administration told the board that they would need a decision by February in order to implement the plan successfully. That date was changed to March 19th, but the board decided to postpone the decision once again, citing the need for more information.

I truly do understand that this is a difficult decision to make – but it is a decision that NEEDS to be made. Any decision made will probably infuriate 50% of the population – no decision will be a good one, politically-speaking, but the decision needs to be made quickly.

Does the board really want to postpone this for another year?

Leaving Las Vegas

I returned this morning from a weekend trip to Vegas, we took the red-eye and got home about 7:00 am. I feel like doing nothing but sleeping because I think I got a total of 6-8 hours of sleep for the entire weekend, but it appears I should probably make an appearance at tonight's RUSD board meeting.

The board MAY finally make a decision on how the elementary schools will be redistricted, recommendations for the superintendent search firm will be made, and finally, the budget will be approved. Obviously, this is not a meeting that should be missed - there is bound to be ENDLESS and painful discussion on all topics.

But having just returned from Vegas I have an idea that will make the redistricting decision easier - use a Roulette Wheel!







Bet half on Black - Redistrict by socioeconomic status.

Bet half on Red - Redistrict using neighborhood schools.

The board cannot possibly make a decision that will make the entire community happy- face it letting the Roulette Wheel make the decision for them will at least make for a shorter meeting...

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

Only people who die very young learn all they really need to know in kindergarten. - Wendy Kaminer

Now I know where all those useless gold stars came from...

Bush Earmarks 1.5 Billion Gold Stars For Education

WASHINGTON, DC-Vowing to give the nation's public schools "a much-needed boost," President Bush announced Monday that his 2003 budget proposal would allocate 1.5 billion gold-star stickers for education.

Missing post?

I apologize - I inadvertently deleted the post from yesterday that discussed how the RUSD Board might "bring back" some of its former practices that would provide more financial oversight over the district finances.

I will try to repost later (with some additional information if necessary) today!

A new teen club in Racine?

Two young entrepreneurs will soon be opening a new club for teens in downtown Racine. These young men have recognized that there is little to do in this town, especially for 18-20 year-olds. I applaud their capitalistic ideals and their vision in trying to doing something positive for their community. I wish them both luck in their new endeavor.

With that said, I hope they will take advice from a "somewhat" older audience - please be vigilant in maintaining a safe environment for your patrons. We speak from experience. Waaaaay back in the 80's, you see, we had 2 such clubs in the area. Checkers, on the north side of Kenosha, and Non-Stop, here in Racine. These dance clubs were EXTREMELY popular, however both clubs soon had problems with fights, gangs, etc. Both dance clubs ending up closing.

Please, please, please try to learn from the mistakes made by previous generations and maintain a safe environment for the young people of our community.

Demoncrats and RepublicRATS

Demoncrat
RepublicRAT
Dumbocrat

When did it become acceptable to resort using name-calling? Can anyone make a point without using derogatory words? These are only a few of the words I come across daily, but the ones I find most often.

I spend a lot of time (too much really!) in the blogosphere, and frankly, I am getting just a little tired of the overuse of these kinds of words. I am interested in what many of you have to say, but hey grow up a little, you all sound like a bunch of 10 year old boys!

Disclaimer: I have used the term "educrat" in the past - mostly as a description of professional educators acting like politicians, instead of the teachers they are - but on further review, I believe I should remove this word from my lexicon.

I have hope, too.

None of the problems faced by the oft-criticized Racine Unified School District are new; the problems may have escalated in the last few years, but the challenges it faces have been there for decades. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done – what that “something” is what is dividing this community. Is it more money, different programs, more qualified teachers?

Dr. Jackson Parker, the RUSD interim superintendent, has “hope” for the district – that’s good, so do I and many others. We see the bigger picture, what’s good for RUSD is good for the entire community. What I find most refreshing is that there is universal approval of Dr. Parker. The teachers, business community and the RUSD board all have high expectations for this year – I include myself in this list. Dr. Parker has a proven track record in this district and I assume he only left in the late 80s after the research and curriculum department he oversaw was cut from the budget.

My only fear is that when the time comes for Dr. Parker to return to his lazy days of retirement, we won’t want him to leave. Wouldn’t that be ironic after the last decade of so of superintendents?

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

“Apathy is the glove into which evil slips its hand.” - Bodie Thoene

Redistricting by the numbers

Tonight, the RUSD Board had a work session on redistricting; they had an update from administration on the proposed scenarios which was followed by discussion. Schools should reflect the community they serve, and the board rightfully directed administration to redistrict the schools to reflect the Socio-Economic Status (SES) make-up of the community as best it could, as based on recommendations of the Equity and Access Committee.

OK – here’s the numbers, because I’m a numbers kind of person. The current SES for schools included in the study is 53% - which translates to 53% of the children qualify for free or reduced lunch. The RUSD board would like all of the schools in the study to use a SES guideline of 30-70% - basically plus or minus 20% the district average.

Redistricting Scenario #1:

District SES average for schools included in the study - 56.58%
Number of schools out of compliance with SES guidelines – 4

Redistricting Scenario #2:

District SES average for schools included in the study – 52.54%
Number of schools out of compliance with SES guidelines – 10

Redistricting Scenario #3:

District SES average for schools included in the study – 54.51%
Number of schools out of compliance with SES guidelines – 2


Simply looking at the percentages of SES, the 3 scenarios are not that far off from one another, that’s not the problem.

Numbers are easy to understand, it’s the “emotional quotient” of what these numbers represent that may be the problem.

Scenario #1 is our current configuration, which based on the recent Supreme Court decision, is illegal - so go ahead and scratch that one off the list.

Scenario #2 is where ALL children will have the opportunity to attend a school close to their home, and Scenario #3 is where children will be bussed to balance SES.

Of course, it’s not really about the numbers, is it? It should be about providing EVERY child with a great school filled with qualified teachers and educational opportunities that will engage EVERY child. There are advantages and disadvantages for each scenario which I’m sure will be discussed at length, but sometimes it’s easier to make an “emotional” decision when you have the facts before you. Let's try to keep these facts in the back of our minds as we go forward in our discussions.

After further review...

... Da Bears still suck.

Does anyone care about the violence in our community?

Some say I am prone to bouts of overreaction - surely I am hypersensitive to the many incidents of random violence occurring these days; all of these accusations are somewhat valid – but I AM outraged by the recent events of the weekend.

A 17-year old girl, who by all accounts was one of the “good” ones gets mowed down by a car and the community, as a whole, says “Oh, that’s tragic” and moves on with their busy little lives. The police, even after all the first-hand witnesses claiming it was not simply a traffic accident, are probably going to only charge the driver with reckless driving, instead of a more serious charge.

There are credible witnesses who indicated that driver of the car was aiming for rival gang members and lost control of the car and hit Sarah, who was waiting with her younger sister for their grandmother to pick them up after school. Today there are some reports that both the driver and the victim were fleeing the same fight in the Marriot parking lot when the terrible accident occurred.

Obviously, there will be many different accounts of this incident of Friday, but there is two constants in all renditions. There was a fight in the Marriott parking lot. A young woman was seriously hurt when hit by a car.

Whether this fight was school related or not is not germane to the discussion, what is important is that there is an obvious lack of respect in many of our young people today. Does the young driver show any remorse to possibly ruining the life of a very promising young woman? Do the young people engaged in this fights have any respect for each other?

When will ALL the grown-ups in this community finally stand up and start doing something about the seemingly random violence in our community. Our community has more than one police department and numerous high schools which blurs the lines of responsibilities. These organizations need to work TOGETHER and SHARE information; jurisdictional lines and different organizational policies are only some of the barriers our community faces, but these are the barriers that can be removed.

My thoughts and prayers are with Sarah and her family at this time, but I feel like this isn’t enough. I feel powerless. How many more innocent young people like Sarah have to be hurt before this community reacts?

RUSD work session on redistricting planned

From the RUSD website: The Board of Education has scheduled a work session on Monday, October 8, 2007, at 7:00 p.m. at the Administrative Service Center in the Board room.
The topic of the work session will be update and discussion on redistricting by administration.

This may be one of the first times the public will see and hear the new interim superintendent, Dr. Jackson Parker speak. While I am confident that this meeting will not break any new ground in the sometimes contentious neighborhood/busing debate, I think it will be interesting to hear what the "newcomers" to the district have to say.

I'll try to post something immediately following the meeting tomorrow if time permits.

A new alternative for Racine news-junkies

Did you ever wish you had an alternative to the Racine Journal Times - a place where you can get QUICKLY get all the information you need and a place to exchange ideas? The Journal Times will always be my first choice, but sometimes, when I am in a hurry, there is just too much "extra" information for me to sort through.

For those that do want a quick alternative, there is now one available - the website Racine Post. Racine Post is a new venture for Dustin Block, formerly an editor of the Journal Times.

From what I read, I am certain that I will be returning to the site in the future.

Good luck, Dustin, as you begin your venture in the New Media!

WKCE testing sets low standards

There is a story in today's Journal-Sentinel that may be shocking to some - our state proficiency testing, the WKCE, sets low standards for the children in Wisconsin public schools. This, however, is not "news" for some.

The report was based on research by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), an organization that works with about 2,700 school districts across the United States, including some in Wisconsin, on improving educational programs. The organization has its own testing program, the Measures of Academic Progress(MAP).

RUSD is one of those Wisconsin districts that uses NWEA-MAP testing three times a year to monitor student achievement, not simply relying on the annual WKCE results. I'm not suggesting that the district has thrown out the WKCE, that is impossible, but the district does rely on the almost immediate feedback of the NWEA-MAP to adjust and realign teaching in Racine - area classrooms.

RUSD is bucking the trend in Wisconsin by not using the WKCE as their sole monitoring tool as other districts across the state do. I am certainly NOT suggesting everything is rosy in the district, but it is somewhat good news that RUSD has recognized that the Wisconsin state standards are low and are trying to do something about it.

Coming soon to a theater near you...

Wednesday's Words of Wisdom

"People want JUST taxes more than they want LOWER taxes." - Will Rogers

Did you Know?

In order to frame any upcoming discussions on what RUSD needs to do to transform its schools for future generations, I thought I would pass this presentation along.

(Dr. V included this in a recent presentation to the RUSD board.)

I realize its a little "new-agey", but please listen to it in its entirety. The message is a good one.

RUSD school goes green

The Johnson Foundation, as everyone who reads the JT knows, is going green by installing a solar energy system at their offices located at Wingspread. What Racine residents may not know is that Walden III, a RUSD school, has plans to go green as well.

From a recent Walden III newsletter: Over the summer two companies submitted estimates for the installation of a 14kW solar electric system on the roof of Walden’s main building. A week or so ago, representatives from central office came to Walden to give not only their approval for the project, but also permission to use the energy and the money it will generate to increase the energy efficiency of other parts of the school.

Like the Johnson Foundation’s project, 60% of the costs will be covered by grants and the students of Walden, through fundraising, will cover much of the remaining costs. Whatever your opinion on the whole “greenhouse” and “carbon footprint” debate is – you have to admit that investing in alternative energy sources makes sense.

With all due respect to the other schools, having young people focus their time and resources on making a school green is far more meaningful than some of the community service projects being done across our state.

The saga continues: PBCG and Unified

Fred has some interesting questions over there at RDW regarding the PBCG investigation, and I have a couple of my own, too.

1. If, and when, the RUSD board "closes" the investigation with Reinhart-Boerner, will all those 20,000 documents used in the investigation THEN be returned to the district?

2. If not, how is the board ever going to know what went wrong, when it went wrong and why it went wrong? How is the board going to learn from their mistakes, if in fact mistakes were made?

I think everyone agrees that this ugly incident needs to be resolved, but I guess there are different viewpoints on "how" it should be resolved.

Perhaps hiding the facts is not in the district's best interest, but hey, what do I know?

Because I'm the Mom

You don't have to be a mom to appreciate this, but it does help...

Budget Watch

Still no state budget - some might think that's not necessarily a bad thing, but when it comes to public K-12 education - it IS a huge deal.

Now districts all over the state have to choose between cutting programs (which have already been in place since the 1st week of school) or raise local property taxes.

Since the legislators missed their statutory deadline, therefore breaking the law, why can't we just throw the entire useless bunch in jail?

Using public education as a pawn in this crappity-crap-crap partisan debate is immoral and sickening to me.

PBCG Update

Just a quick note on the PBCG audit, the Racine Unified School Board Audit Committee will be meeting in executive session (closed to the public) on Monday, October 1st. The committee will be discussing the possibility of continuing the 2nd phase of the audit. As most of you are aware, the audit was released to the board on August 20th, so any decision made will DEFINITELY not be one made in haste.

Also, the full RUSD Board will meeting immediately after the committee meeting to discuss the ongoing negotiations with PBCG. Again, this meeting is in closed to the public, as allowed in Wisconsin statute 19.85 (1)(e). The sticking point, of course, is the $3.8M in unbilled incentives, which is based on future savings and revenue enhancements, NOT any realized savings.

Will the board send PBCG riding off into the sunset with money this district can ill afford, or will the RUSD board stand up for the children of this district? Facing another $3.8M shortfall will only hurt the children of this district with more cuts to the classroom.

Wouldn't it be nice?

Wouldn’t it be nice if our community came together for community-wide fundraising events like our neighbors in Oak Creek?

Judging by the overwhelming success of the creation of the Kids Cove and Kids Connection playgrounds, I do believe our community supports children, at least we support building them cool places to play.

How about we come together and build them cool places to learn?

Helping my child cheat?

Okay - I need your input on this one. Is checking over my child's homework cheating, or is it simply me doing my rightful job as a parent?

If my son asks me for help - I'll help, no questions asked. But if I see that he is having a difficult time with a new concept - I will spot check his other answers to see if he understands the new material. When I inform him that his other answers are wrong, and that he should look at them again - he completely FLIPS OUT and informs me that my checking over his answers is CHEATING! I calmly (OK, maybe not so calmly every time) that I am simply doing my job as a parent!

I believe this stems from an experience when he was in 3rd grade, when a long-term substitute told them that their homework was their own and any help from anyone (including parents) is cheating.

So I ask again, is helping a child with their homework or checking completed homework cheating? How do you handle homework in your household?

Wednesday's Word of the Day

Use the following word in a sentence; please refrain from using a dictionary to look up the meaning.

logorrhea (log-uh-RI-uh)

Good news, bad news

First the good news – overall Wisconsin did better than average on the latest NAEP test (the closest thing we have as a national standardized test).

Now the bad news – Wisconsin has the largest achievement gap when comparing black/white scores. Clearly, it would seem that Wisconsin is doing something wrong.

What can be done about this? More neighborhood schools, more busing, magnet schools, charter schools? What's the answer? We need to find it quickly - our state cannot afford to have this designation.

Must see TV

I am consciously trying to point out the positive things that are going on in the district - there is enough negativity to go around. In that same vein, I will withhold all my negative comments regarding the inter-personal dysfunction of the board (as a collective unit) from last night's meeting. You can see it for yourself - as I mentioned earlier this year the business meeting is now being taped and will be shown on Channel 20.

Currently, the August business meeting is being shown. Start looking for last night's meeting next week or so, or simply consult the Television Programming Guide found on the district's new website.

I will say this though, I hope Mr. Hazen (the new interim/permanent CFO) didn't run screaming from the building last night after witnessing what has become a normal occurrence in the board room.

RUSD gets new leadership

Tonight the RUSD board voted on, and approved, two separate recommendations from the Executive Search committee. The new RUSD interim superintendent will be Dr. Jackson Parker, and the interim/permanent chief financial officer for the district will be Mr. David Hazen. Both men have long and successful careers, and both have previous ties to the school district.

Dr. Jackson Parker started his teaching career in 1963 in Racine. He was one of the co-founders of Walden III, Racine’s most successful middle and high school. He went on to become a RUSD administrator, and left the district in 1989 to become the superintendent of Burlington’s school district. He retired from that position in 1997.

Mr. David Hazen has an extensive background in finance – he has an MBA and is a CPA, having his own successful business for over 20 years. He also served on the Racine Unified School District Board of Education from 1995-2003, two of those years as RUSD Board President. He is also a current Racine County Supervisor.

The district is lucky to have both of them on board. I have to be honest, my first choice for interim superintendent would have been Dr. Marguerite Vanden Wyngaard, but fate does work in mysterious ways. When one door closes, another opens - if Dr. V had to deal with the day-to-day dealings of the district, she would not have time to transform our secondary schools.

Dr. V unveiled her “Secondary Transformation” plan tonight for the RUSD board and the 4 people in the audience. Unfortunately the JT reporter had left by then, so I will probably be the only person talking about her visionary plan in the immediate future. I apologize up front for what I’m sure will be a never-ending discussion of her plans for the district.

RUSD Board to recommend interim superintendent?

Will the district be getting an interim superintendent soon?

It does appear that the board is closer to a decision in bringing some stability to the district since Dr. Hick's sudden departure 1 month ago. Tonight at 7:00PM is the regularly scheduled RUSD business meeting.By the action items on the agenda it does seem to indicate that the board is finally ready to publicly release possible choices for both interim superintendent and chief financial officer.

I imagine the recommendations will yield some very interesting and familiar names, simply because the situation at hand calls for candidates who are familiar with the trials and tribulations of the district.

Hopefully, the board can agree on the candidates chosen, so Dr. V (who is currently serving as acting superintendent) can continue with her mission to improve our schools academically.


Updated @ 2:48PM 9/24/07: The Journal Times is reporting retired Burlington administrator, Jackson Parker, is expected to be named interim superintendent. Mr. Parker has ties to RUSD which is good - an interim superintendent needs to jump right in and get things done. Having first-hand knowledge of the district will be a huge help.

The Summer of 64

Dr. Vanden Wyngaard, RUSD Chief Academic Officer and Acting Superintendent, was recently interviewed on the radio. The interview is a must-listen for anyone that is concerned about public education here in Racine.

I am not going to rehash everything she spoke of – but I do want to point out what I feel is pivotal for the continuing success of our schools. Most of the past focus has been at the elementary level – Dr. V is now looking at transforming our secondary schools. She knows, as many do, that for any reform to be successful, 90% of the direct stakeholders need to “buy-in” and commit 100% to the initiatives.

She spent the summer, dubbed as the “Summer of 64” with 64 RUSD employees (teachers, principals and others) working on this monumental task. It is my belief that past reform initiatives have suffered because of the inconsistent implementation – there is also the notion that former leaders of this district did not engage the staff in planning sessions, therefore alienating the front-line staff from the beginning.

It is completely refreshing to see a leader willing to engage her staff from the start! I am excited, (as I am sure others are) to see what comes out of the “Summer of 64” planning sessions.

Where is the outrage?

Where is the outrage? I cannot believe the lead story this morning was OJ being released on bail, when what is probably the biggest civil rights demonstration in my adult life is at this very minute happening in Jena, LA.

It is horrific for me to realize that in 2007, when we obviously still have racial injustices like this happening, the media only wants to focus on OJ and Britney.

Bringing home the "gold"

For those of you who don’t follow the world of education, you might not have heard of the Broad Prize. Like the Stanley Cup and Lombardi Trophy are for the NHL and NFL, the Broad Prize is the pinnacle of success for large urban school districts across this country.

The New York City school district, the largest in the country, is the latest recipient of this prestigious award. Why should I mention this and what in the heck does this have to do with our local schools?

You might be interested in knowing that RUSD has ambitions to bring home this prestigious award by 2010. In fact there are signs all over RUSD – Beat Atlanta – to continually remind RUSD employees of who is our biggest competition for this award.

Under Dr. V’s tutelage, this actually could happen, in my humble opinion. I think she is focused enough to accomplish this by drawing on her strengths in closing the achievement gap and realigning our curriculum. She has only just begun, and I am already seeing positive changes in the middle school curriculum.

Hopefully, the board will act expeditiously in bringing in a new superintendent and business manager, so Dr. V can concentrate on the teaching and learning division and finally making RUSD an academic success.

Am I a Republican? Seriously?

Sometime ago, when I first started this blogging thing, somehow I was placed on some blog roll that is “helping Wisconsin become a red state” or something to that effect. I did not seek this out, but you know what they say – as long as they spell your name right…

Now, I am finding that some readers are coming to my site via a Blognet RSS feed – again I did not seek this out, but have since included a link on my site for this feed.

What I want to know is this - once you all figure out that I am not a Republican (although I am fiscally conservative) will you still visit me daily? Please?

For the record, I am not a Democrat either. I prefer to think of myself as an independent voter who often “throws” her vote away on a 3rd party candidate, as both sides of the aisle quite often disgust and sicken me.

The wheels of government roll slowly - Part 3

Disclaimer: The comments below are my own feelings and interpretations - you may not agree with them. If you choose to comment, please be courteous and remember there are 2 sides to every story.

The way I see it is this - the RUSD board (and district as a whole) is at a crossroads right now. The steps that will be taken, or not taken, in the very immediate future will determine the district's path for many years to come.

Quite frankly, the public does not have a favorable view of the district - operationally speaking that is. Regardless of the very positive academic changes happening at this very minute in some of our schools, what happens at Central Office does not stay in Central Office. Central Office, like it or not, is not a vacuum.

The dysfunction of having outside consultants managing RUSD employees does not bode well for any RUSD stakeholder. The dysfunction of the board does not bode well either. Every board member needs to take the initiative and do their own part to save this district - don't wait to be asked. Just do it!

The only way for many to speak their mind is by voting, and that they are sure to do. I want everyone to understand that if decisions are not made quickly, the public is certain to lose faith in our schools. What will happen the next time a much needed referendum is on the table?

Do you really think that Racine has that short of a memory? Some very important decisions need to made quickly - I realize this mess is complicated and cannot be fixed in a short amount of time - but please start doing something!

Last night's meeting was a perfect example - 2 hours and nothing NEW was accomplished. I am grateful that the board has formalized its priorities, but nothing new or substantive was added to the already completed list of priorities. It's time to stop talking, the Racine schools need some action.

The wheels of government roll slowly - Part 2

I reported yesterday that I had expected the board to announce a candidate for interim superintendent last night - the board had even revised the agenda to accommodate this action.

But surprise! There wasn't any action on that item - in fact, the chair of the Search Committee (Kutz) did not have ANYTHING to report at all.

Have to admit, I wasn't surprised but I was disappointed, especially since I keep hearing from many of the board members how we have to "move on". How exactly can they do they if they just keep spinning their wheels?

The wheels of government roll slowly

The RUSD Board received the results of the 1st phase of the PBCG audit on August 20th. Today is September 18th - in other words, its been 29 days.

Do you think the RUSD Audit Committee has met to decide if a 2nd phase was necessary, or even talked about the results of the audit and possible remedial actions so the board does not make the same mistakes again?

Of course, the answer is NO. Not surprising, but still disappointing.

Re-engineering the way schools work

Our neighbors to the northwest in Waukesha will be experimenting with a new configuration of its schools - not by geographical boundaries, but by age - according to a recent JS article.

It is interesting to note that this exact grade configuration was recommended in the notorious Paullin Group facility study the RUSD board commissioned. The study, done almost 2 years now, is now most likely gathering dust on the former Superintendent of Buildings and Ground's bookshelves.

One of the reasons why nothing has been done with the study is most likely due to the price tag of the recommendations - $375M! I believe, in part, that the reason the board has not acted on any of the recommendations is because of the grade configurations that were included in the final report. You see, the board gave Dr. Paullin specific guidelines for the buildings (Pre K-6, 7-9 and 10-12). They did not ask for the K-3 schools that Waukesha is experimenting with in their district.

I understand there may be some educational benefit in grouping children this way, but the negative unintended consequences of such a configuration outweigh any benefits.

Do most parents really want to have children split up that way? Can you imagine trying to schedule parent-teacher conferences? It's bad enough now! Also what happens to a 3rd grader that reads a much higher level than her peers? Don't we want to have parents involved in the schools, how easy will that be if a parent has to be at more than location at a time?

Actually, I think that districts that have K-8 schools (Union Grove, Yorkville, and most of the parochial schools) are the ones that are doing it right. Studies have shown that changing schools is a traumatic enough experience; now we want to to change schools 4 or more times in their young lives? Does that make sense to anyone?

What do you think - should RUSD re-engineer the schools to a K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12 configuration as recommended in the Paullin Group Master Facility Plan?

Something missing from tonight's agenda?

Looking over the agenda for tonight's RUSD Board of Education's meeting, I realized there is a glaringly obvious item missing from the agenda - there isn't any discussion on the interim superintendent position. Last week's "special" board meeting hinted that the newly formed Executive Search Committee was going to bring forth a candidate to be voted on by the whole board this evening.

I realize that they cannot just appoint any Joe or Jane off the street for this position, but Dr. Hicks has been gone (unofficially) since August 24th - 3 weeks ago! As I understand it, interim postions are "normally" announced within a much shorter time frame. How long is this going to take?

Note to board, why not just take Kat's advice and look behind the milk. You may already have a perfect candidate in your midst...

Updated at 11:35AM 9-17-07: The agenda has now been revised to include discussion/action on the interim superintendent. The board has also noticed another closed meeting to be held before the open meeting. I guess I'll let them slide (this one time, LOL!) on that whole 24-hour rule that WI statutes regarding Open Meetings dictates.

Child predator remains free

Have you read this? As a parent of a young girl, I am much more than “stunned” by Judge Timothy Van Akkeren’s overturning of the jury’s guilty verdict. He based his decision on the premise the park shelter, where the bathrooms are located, was not a “secluded place” as required by state statute. I’m not even sure if there is word that describes my complete horror and disbelief…

Come on, a bathroom stall isn’t a secluded space? Racine residents, particularly parents of RUSD students, are very well aware of what can happen in a bathroom stall.

The police charge him, a jury convicts him, and a judge lets him go? THIS is our legal system??? Unbelievable!

I cannot even imagine the roller-coaster of emotions this little girl’s parents must be experiencing. First the horror of this happening to your child, then finally some kind of justice when the jury finds the defendant guilty – and THEN watching why the judge calmly dismiss the charges based on some weak interpretation of a state statute.

My heart goes out to these parents who now have to explain to their daughter why the “bad man” went free to hurt others…

This judge needs to be removed from office, now. Seriously.

H/T RDW

Update on special RUSD meeting

The RUSD board met briefly Wednesday to discuss the forming of the Executive Search committee and to formalize the PBCG renegotiation committee.

The following board members were approved for the Executive Search Committee:

Brian Dey
Susan Kutz (Chair)
Julie McKenna
Don Nielsen
Gretchen Warner

Don Nielsen and William Van Atta are handling the renegotiation of the now infamous PBCG contract.

In regards to the Executive Search Committee, Ms. McKenna posed a question. Legally, can 5 board members serve on a committee - especially since 5 board members constitute a forum? I'm glad she raised this question for the record, because I asked the same exact thing.

While the board was still waiting Wednesday evening for a legal response from counsel, it appears it may be legal - as long as all the recommendations from the committee are brought to the full board to be voted on and all meetings are properly noticed.

The board also met to discuss the search process and timeline for the Interim Superintendent and Business Manager position. The board, as has been reported on in the past, is seeking an interim superintendent and business manager to hold down the fort until permanent replacements can be found.

From what I gathered (before they adjourned to closed session), a candidate for the interim superintendent was going to be decided on that night and brought to the board next Monday to to be voted on.

On a related note, if they would only follow Kat's suggestion, we would already have the interim superintendent in place and the board could focus their attention elsewhere.

Should the Feds pay for safe routes to schools?

It’s not often that I agree with a JT Editorial Board commentary, but occasionally it does happen. The editorial staff is suggesting that the federal government should not be doling out funds to create safe walking routes to schools, and I agree.

It is primarily the responsibility of the parents to teach their children how to safely cross streets; remember when we were taught to look both ways? Hey, this is not rocket science and we certainly do not need waste federal tax dollars to assist parents in teaching their children some common sense!

For those communities that will be using federal funds to determine where sidewalks be placed, the best place for crossing guards, etc, I have a question. Isn’t that more the role of LOCAL government? If your community (like mine) doesn’t have sidewalks, isn’t that the responsibility of my local government?

Why should a taxpayer from Missouri be funding a study to determine the best walking routes for children from Wisconsin and other states? Our federal government spends way too much already; couldn’t the $612M be better spent somewhere else?

New curriculum focuses on writing

More good news, at least I predict so… The middle schools have a brand new English curriculum! While everyone else was enjoying the (mostly) beautiful summer we had, Dr. V and her staff were definitely working hard to overhaul the curriculum for our schools. I’m anticipating great things, as it appears to have much more emphasis on writing, which is one of the district's overall weaknesses.

Hopefully this means the homework activities will no longer include designing board games based on books read, and actually focus on how to write comprehensive book reports!

Contracts make for better students

Looking over my last few posts, I realized it was time to share some positive happenings here in the Racine area. School has begun, and for the first time in a very long time, my children look forward to going to school. Okay, maybe they are not jumping-up and down with excitement (although the younger one is close!), but there is definitely a different vibe this year – and that’s a good thing.

Since one of them is attending the same school as last year, I spent some time trying to figure out what is so different this year from last. They are so much more relaxed and seem confident of what it expected of them. The answer dawned on my earlier this week after I signed what seemed to be the 1000th piece of paper that had to be returned to school.

In each and every class at my son’s middle school, they have been told what to expect throughout the year – the grading policy, the tardiness policy, etc. I’m not suggesting that this has never happened before, but signed contracts (with the exception of Orchestra) are a first! Every classroom contract was signed by the teacher, the student AND the parent with clear objectives and goals – it makes the student “own” his academic performance and record. I’m sure it will also help hone the soft skills that are needed for success later in life.

I’m not sure if this is done at other schools in RUSD, but I think it definitely should be!

Still waiting for news on the PBCG settlement

It’s been, what, about 3 weeks now since the board received the preliminary report of the PBCG audit? Three weeks, and the public is still very much in the dark about PBCG’s future financial relationship with RUSD…

Is the RUSD board going to terminate their contract without any further payment, or will PBCG be given a lovely parting gift, courtesy of the taxpayers and the children of the district?

The way I see it is this – the board has 2 basic duties, and each of these duties are equally important. As elected officials, their first role is representing the taxpayers and the children of this community, and the second is representing the district in a professional and positive way. I fear that some board members are having difficulties addressing both of these duties simultaneously.

Trying to terminate the contract without any further payments could result in a lawsuit from PBCG – even though the audit shows that PBCG failed to perform even their most basic accounting duties. Many people believe that they have not held up their end of the bargain, so why should the district uphold theirs? Don’t even get me started on the unbilled incentives based on “revenue enhancements” (BTW, that is a code word for tax increases, not savings!)

However, lawsuits do have a tendency to get ugly and there may be some on the board who would rather try to make this all quietly go away, and spend millions doing so, in the name of bringing some kind of quick and painless closure for the district.

However, this action may have its own unintended consequences. I cannot believe that many of the Racine area residents will take this scenario lying down. Instead of having the RUSD board deal with important issues like grade configuration, busing, and other educational matters – the board may ultimately end up dealing with their own recall elections.

The alternative - standing up to PBCG and not paying them the unbilled incentives from the still unrealized savings and “revenue enhancements” - would be the righteous and noble thing to do, according to many in this community. It’s the “right thing” to do on the behalf of the taxpayers, and it’s definitely the best for the children within this district. Terminating the PBCG contract and paying them the contentious bonus will only take more money from all the classrooms in the district.

Let me put it this way – I’d rather have the district take their chances in a court fight then pay PBCG any kind of settlement outright. At least then I could respect the board for trying to represent the best interests of the taxpayers, the children they serve, and the district they represent.

September 11th

... and we will never forget.

RUSD seeks new administrator

For immediate posting:

Large, rural-suburban-urban school district seeks energetic administrator to lead into 21st century. Candidate must be dynamic and have a thick skin; must be willing to accept criticism from all sides at all times and be second-guessed on all decisions. The candidate should be embraced by the business community, community leaders, teaching staff, parents, and taxpayers regardless of how impossible that would be.

Job duties include:

1. Engaging apathetic community members.
2. Teaching parents how to be parents.
3. Raising test scores 100% in the first year. (Anything less will be considered a failure by the public).
4. Bringing innovation to the teaching and learning division in such a way that the teaching staff does not realize they are doing anything different.
5. A complete understanding of the budgeting process.
6. Ensuring every child’s bus ride is less than 10 minutes, additionally; door-to-door service must be provided for all.
7. All the above must be accomplished without spending any additional tax dollars.

Only qualified candidates need apply. Salary and benefits package will be determined by the local tax payer advocacy group.

PBCG under fire again

PBCG, the consultant group that manages the RUSD business office, is under fire once again – but not from the usual suspects, the angry torch-wielding public. This time it appears a RUSD board member, Brian Dey, is leading the charge. Mark Lindem, RUSD’s Chief Operations Officer, AND a PBCG employee, apparently faced problems with the last school district that employed him as its Business Manager.

For the record, I’m am going to state that being the Business Manager of a school district is a crap-shoot. A good business manager has to gamble sometimes – they have to create the schools budget before the state has completed their biennial budget. How exactly can someone plan long term for a district’s financial well-being when he/she doesn’t even know how much money the district will receive from the different taxing authorities? Factor in revenue caps, the QEO, and expensive mandates from NCLB and the average person’s head will start spinning like that little girl in the Exorcist.

However, with that said, Mr. Dey does make excellent points. He explains that because of our contract agreement with PBCG, PBCG was allowed to fill any position with whomever they deemed fit. I am fairly certain, if given a vote to extend a RUSD employment contract to Lindem, Dey and others on the board would have had some very serious concerns. In fact, Dey and others did have concerns when PBCG brought him on board last year, but because Lindem is technically not a RUSD employee, these concerns fell on deaf ears.

It certainly seems that many “concerns” have fallen on deaf ears since PBCG has taken up residence on Northwestern Avenue.