Tonight, the RUSD board will be discussing if the June 12th referendum should be cancelled. In case you have been under a rock, the administration and board have taken quite a beating over the last couple of weeks because of the brouhaha of the PBCG contract.
I will be attending tonight's meeting to see what the ultimate decision will be - they have a difficult decision to make. The way I see it is that they have to take in consideration the following thoughts:
1. Voting is one sure-fire way for voices to be heard. They are many people that want the referendum to be their sounding board over the latest scandal. There are also others on the other side who believe in the referendum. If the referendum would be cancelled, none of these voices would be heard.
2. If the money has already been spent (printing ballots), cancelling the referendum would be a complete waste of taxpayer funds.
3. There will not be enough time to schedule another referendum before the fiscal year starts on July 1st, so scheduling it after the proposed audit would be not possible for spending in the upcoming year. If the referendum fails, there will be 42 positions cut. Folks, there will not be a do-over.
I urge the board to consider these and other arguments as they vote tonight to decide whether or not to continue with the referendum.
UPDATED AT 8:49PM:
The RUSD board has voted 7-1 (Carlsen absent) to rescind the referendum resolution. The sole dissenting vote was cast by Ms. McKenna. She explained her reasons for her vote well, and some of her comments were in the same vein as my above comments.
This was a difficult decision for the board to make - I cannot fault the ones that voted to rescind the referendum resolution. Hopefully, the district can learn from this experience so it never happens again.
Regarding the 42 FTEs on the chopping block, Dr. Vanden Wyngaard stated that the Teaching and Learning division (which she oversees) has NOT had a discussion regarding cutting art, music, library and Phy Ed in the elementary schools. This was an ugly rumor she wanted to put to rest. She will try to cut the $3M + in other areas (materials, equipment, etc) before cutting staff. That is good to hear.
(FYI - The county has already spent somewhere in the vicinity of $11,680 for the special election-the district will have to reimburse the county for its costs.)
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13 comments:
I am positive that the referendum wouldn't have passed after all the scandal anyway.
My one concern is the 42 jobs cut. We can say good bye to the IMC,(Instructional Materials Center) most likely the Audio Visual department, may be the bindery. It could be ugly. It really is a shame. In the end, it's always the hard working, dedicated "little people" that lose their jobs.
Cuts are never pretty - it does make you wonder where the money goes.
I realize our (local) tax rate is low in comparison to other districts, but our per pupil spending is in line with other districts.
It does make you wonder how much money could have been allocated differently over the years.
Brenda give up the tax rate stuff, it does not play.
It is one part of a three part equation, you can not just look at the one part.
Total levy and per pupil spending are the key figures and RUSD is not light on those.
Fred,
Please reread the post--
I am trying to debunk the mill rate myth.
"but our per pupil spending is in line with other districts"
My apologies if I misunderstood.
I was reacting to your comment here.
Apology accepted - you're right to question...
I just start out every referendum statement with that disclaimer, because I am tired of the same old argument.
Yes we have a low mill rate - BUT our spending does not reflect this.
We have a VERY generous per pupil spending according to every report.
My question is where is that money going, cuz it ain't in the classroom...
Fancy dinners, expensive consultants, first class digs for conferences, seminars all over the country, hiring PR flunkies, multiple layers of administration, sub schools, sub principals, stupid mandated programs...
Shall I go on?
Sub-schools (along with a correspondign sub-school principal) are needed in high schools when the enrollment is 2000 children. Our high schools are dangerously overcrowded.
Mandated programs are not RUSD's fault - the rest of your comments are indeed of a concern to many, especially ones with children in the district. Somehow, its a little more "personal" when you see the effects of the cuts first-hand.
Yes Brenda but do we need as many sub schools as we have?
Kenosha's numbers are similar and they operate better with less.
Some would call me a "PR flunkie", but at one time, I was hired to be the district's communications/community relations director. It was during the late 1990s when teachers were striking because of wages and working conditions. I went toe to toe with some old fart who wasn't interested in negotiating in good faith, only getting lots of press. His lackies, who went on to run RUSD's teachers' association weren't interested in settlement either. All that at the expense of kids ... told me where their heart really was ... and it wasn't for the kids.
Anyway, I've followed this blog w/ some interest, and it isn't any ONE thing that has caused the on-goign problems at RUSD. But, it has been a lack of good AND SUSTAINED leadership. Sustained leadership would weed out the poor performers and get truly committed folks to manage the district. There also has to be a sincere commitment to doing what is right for the kids of RUSD, not what benefits the adults (staff and others).
Keep up the good work, Brenda.
Where does the money go? Very simple........roughly 85% of the budget goes for a lavish RUSD salary and benefit package. The gold standard health care plan must be eliminated, this type of plan is not affordable. This coupled with an insane retirement package that allows for retirement at 54 (I believe). Often times these same employees then return to RUSD after retirement in another capacity and collect yet another pension!!! Yet at the same time they scream that it's all about the children! I think not.
Thanks anonymous for your insights in the inner workings of RUSD. I do understand that the dysfunction of RUSD is not a new trend, but one that has roots firmly tied to our past.
Thanks for reading; I hope you continue to do so in the future.
real debate stated:
"Kenosha's numbers are similar and they operate better with less."
Actually, I checked the DPI website and Kenosha's big high schools (Tremper and Bradford) have four principals, just as Case Horlick and Park have.
When schools are as big as they are, one administrator just is NOT going to cut it.
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