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.

Using Google for good...

Oh, the things you find in cyberspace...

Armed with only a Pentium 4 processor, a wireless connection and a powerful search engine, one can find many, many interesting factoids on the web. While researching some information for a family member, I ran across a database referencing Wisconsin statutes; specifically Chapter 118, which covers General Schools Operations.

For example, look at this statute below:

118.24 School district administrator. (1) A school board may employ a school district administrator, a business manager and school principals and assistants to such persons. The term of each employment contract may not exceed 2 years. A contract for a term of 2 years may provide for one or more extensions of one year each.

Hey, isn’t PBCG our business manager and didn’t we give them a 5 year contract?

What gives, RUSD?

Updated @ 1:15 CST 9/7/07: I spoke with a school board member about this. He said the contract signed was a 2 year contract, with 3 1-year extensions. Perhaps an Open Records Request for a copy of the contract is in order.

I am still disseminating this information - I cannot for the life of me try to figure out why the board approved this.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. I didn’t even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I do think this needs further investigation, however.

Reading between the lines

In trying to fully understand the latest RUSD brouhaha, many in Racine look to the local media for answers. Unfortunately, even after reading numerous news articles many readers (including myself) still have questions. I am sure I am not the only one that is trying to decipher the comments of the parties involved.

For example take the following comment from Alioto, which is from the 9/6/07 JT story – he is disputing the fact that the original contract was drawn up without proper legal counsel:

"(The document) clearly proves that Dr. Hicks had provided a full copy of the proposal and contract document to legal counsel and had asked counsel to work on the contract document together with PBCG and that, based on counsel’s handwritten notes, the contract entered into did reflect many of the suggested changes," Alioto said.

Okay, I have questions. I believe Alioto is stating the initial proposal and contract was reviewed by legal counsel, and then changes were made.

What "handwritten notes" were NOT included in the final contract?

Was the final contract (with the changes) reviewed and signed off by RUSD legal counsel??

Reading between the lines is not a reliable way to get information – we deserve some real answers.

PBCG still working in Unified

This morning, while having coffee with my husband and discussing the recent RUSD events, I realized that my husband did not realize that the district has not removed PBCG from the CFO and COO positions. The board statement, as reported in the press, states “it has become clear to both parties that a consultant acting in the role of COO and CFO creates a potential conflict”, but the statement does not state that their contract was terminated, only that the contract will be renegotiated.

Granted, Mr. Alioto and Mr. Dickson may no longer work within the walls of Unified, but many PBCG employees are still very much working in Central office, including Mark Lindem, the Chief Operations Officer.

I was surprised when I realized my husband thought the CFO and COO positions were no longer PBCG employees. I am wondering if they are others out there that think the same thing.

Better customer service from the RUSD Transportation Department

(Because it always seems that I write disparaging comments about RUSD, I must make a point of sharing the good things that happen, too.)

For those readers who know me, know that I have had ongoing issues with the RUSD Transportation department. In fact, I wrote about my first good experience last year about this time.

Okay, first the bad news:

Unified apparently did not get all the bussing information to the parents as promised.

My daughter did NOT receive any bussing information from the RUSD Transportation Department. Of course, this has happened so many times in the past that I don’t even panic anymore. I drive them the first few days until I can finally get a hold of somebody in the Transportation Department and get it straightened out.

Now, the good news:

The Transportation knew (?) the students who did not receive bussing information and personally called what must have been every family with the bussing information. I received my phone call late Saturday afternoon.

While I am very appreciative of the phone call I received Saturday afternoon, I do respectfully suggest the following for next year:

Plan ahead.

I realize that many children move in/out throughout the summer and the district tries to hold off creating the schedules until all the transfers are done, but I suggest you make a deadline for changes and stick to it. It seems by trying to accommodate a few, many more suffer .

Has the RUSD board whitewashed Hicks' record?

I have a question for all of you…

By releasing Dr. Hicks from his duties (but continuing to pay him until June 2008), has the board “whitewashed his record”? Have we really lost the last 6 years as one Racine resident suggests in a recent JS story?

I’m sure I will take plenty of heat for this, but here is my take on the matter.

First, a brief overview of the facts: Dr. Hicks did NOTHING illegal; he acted with the authority OUR ELECTED BOARD granted to him. PBCG is taking bonuses in the “savings” they found, even though most of the savings are revenue enhancements that will result in higher taxes. Again, because Dr. Hicks was granted the authority to enter this contract – there is NOTHING illegal going on here.

Slimy and unethical, definitely – but not illegal.

As far as losing the last 6 years on an academic level, this is rather hard to prove. Educational reform is rather subjective – what works in one city may not work here in Racine. Every community is unique and has its own challenges and Racine is no different.

So let’s talk about his reform initiatives. Why haven’t they worked? I challenge you to simply Google the phrase “school reform”, you will soon discover, as I have, that many districts across the country have found much success using the same concepts Dr. Hicks brought to the district. Why has it worked in other places, and not here?

There of course are numerous answers to this question – the most obvious one is the “leadership” factor. For many unnamed reasons, Dr. Hicks failed to engage the teaching staff from Day 1 and never really recovered.

So in short, I believe the RUSD board did the right thing by accepting Dr. Hicks’ resignation and “whitewashing” his record.

OK, now let me have it.

Breaking News - I'm Angry

This just in – I ‘m angry. After reading some of the comments attached to the recent JT article where Randy Bangs, a RUSD board member, calls for the resignations of some of his fellow board members, I am stupefied by many of the comments. I know what he did was brash, I agree - I talked about this earlier in the week, but many of the comments are uninformed and just plain stupid.

Stupid comment #1 – “As I understand it, Mr. Bangs is a stay at home father with nothing better to do.”

I won’t even address stupid comment #1, it’s just that dumb…

Stupid comment #2 – “Bangs monopolizes meetings and discussions so the work that needs to be done (work for the children of this district whom we are trying to educate) cannot even be addressed in many instances and cries foul when anyone disagrees with his vastly superior intelligence.”

Many of the occurrences that this person is referring to was Randy trying to get the board to take a closer look at the issues that needed looking at. Test scores, superintendent evaluations and contract extensions, and more importantly, a closer look at consultant contracts.

All I can say is this, you might not like Mr. Bangs’ delivery, but the message he is trying to convey is NOT wrong.

Stupid comment #3 – “Don't change your tune/vote when confronted, and don’t pass blame on others.”

When has Mr. Bangs ever changed his tune/vote?? He has been extremely consistent in his message to the public; this is something every elected board needs. He has been questioning the contracts since the day he took office, and the public records will prove that.

If these comments are any indication of the community in which I live, it’s no wonder Racine has such a problem with its self-image.

You know, people might be right after all. Racine is dumb.

The PBCG Legacy

Thought I would pass this link along - it was written by a former St. Francis School board member. The post is somewhat lengthy, but please read the whole thing...

As many of you know, PBCG has done work with many school districts across Wisconsin and this is not the first time that PBCG has created havoc within a district.

We're #1

The good news:Racine is finally number 1 at something!
The bad news: We’re number 1 for our jobless rate…

My perspective on this is simple; it’s the schools, stupid!! Companies will not, and are not, moving to this area because we have a low-performing school district.

I ask this question of all the community leaders in the Racine area, “Please, please, please help RUSD solve their problems!”

We cannot continue to have the local politicians wring their hands and look the other way. I’m so bleeding tired of hearing, “RUSD is a separate taxing body. We cannot do anything! Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.”

The schools belong to everyone, and everyone needs to step up and do their share. If we do nothing, the situation will NEVER change.

Who's to blame for RUSD fiasco?

Everyone I have talked to about the recent happenings within RUSD is looking for someone to blame. Some blame the consulting group PBCG, some the (now former) superintendent, Dr. Hicks, and finally some are blaming the board for their lack of oversight.

Having watched all three parties in action over the years, I would agree that all 3 (Hicks, PBCG and RUSD board) are culpable in the matter. Hicks may be guilty of abusing his Executive Limitations, PBCG may be guilty of fleecing the district and the board is definitely guilty of not providing any oversight over both of them.

Policy Governance, the governing style the board adopted in January 2006, is the main culprit (in my humble opinion). This governing style is a “hands-off” approach, the board members do not approve payments on a regular basis and the superintendent has near-autonomous control over everything. The board "clarifies" their needs, and the superintendent goes about trying to meet those needs anyway he sees fit.

You can quickly understand how RUSD got itself into this mess…

But I hear very little about another party that can be blamed for this fiasco; the voters and taxpayers of eastern Racine County. If we (as a collective group) continue to vote board members in that do not understand the true meaning of accountability – this scenario will keep playing out again and again. Do yourself a favor next April; actually try to make an INFORMED vote. Go to a forum, call the candidates, but just get acquaint yourself with the candidates!!

And if you are not apprised of the issues or candidates, please do me a favor and stay away from the polls on Election Day.

Bangs calls for more resignations

The Journal Times is reporting that Randy Bangs, a RUSD school board member, is calling for the resignations of some of his fellow board members. While I wholeheartedly agree that certain board members should voluntarily resign, I respectfully question his methodology.

This district is in absolute turmoil; the resignation of Hicks and the uncertainty of PBCG’s relationship in the district is certainly bad enough, isn’t asking for resignations via a newspaper article a little brash? There has got to be a more subtle way, although Bangs is not known for his subtleties.

(Of course, that is akin to the pot calling the kettle black; I am not known for my subtleties either!)

I believe that board needs to get together informally and have a little heart-to-heart with one another. I am certain after a fashion, the 9 of them can come up with one or two board members that need to “take one for the team” and resign.

My thoughts on Hicks resigning

It's been a couple of days, and I think I have finally figured out exactly how I feel. I know the feeling is not "happiness" - yet it's not "sadness" either. I do, however, feel somewhat vindicated because I now have a 5 page report that validates my every thought for the last 4 years, but I find absolutely no joy in being right.

I wish I could just say "bite me" to all the people that have called me a whack-job (or even worse) for years, but I cannot. I will not be high-fiving the people on the street either. Hicks stepping down may be a reason to celebrate for some, but not for me.

He has done (possibly) irreparable damage to this district over the last 6 years, but he is not the only person to blame. The board is as guilty as Dr. Hicks, but that is a whole other story for another time...

120 seconds

That’s all it took for tonight’s meeting, 120 seconds. In that very short amount of time the RUSD board approved both Dr. Hicks’ resignation and removing PBCG as the COO and CFO. Talk about anti-climatic…

They also released the long-anticipated 5 page report from the legal firm that conducted the recent audit. I’m sure I will pick this report apart for days, but here are my initial thoughts on some of their findings…

Preliminary Finding C: There was insufficient oversight for PBCG payment.

The law firm points out that “nearly all the payments were based on future estimates, which contradicts the requirement that PBCG achieve “actual savings” before it is compensated.”

Ya think?? Hey didn’t I say that over 1 year ago??

The law firm also points out that Energy Education Inc, another consulting firm hired to find savings in the district’s utility bills “contacted RUSD to initiate a relationship before PBCG began working for RUSD”. This means PBCG should not have been paid a bonus on the anticipated savings.

Wait, I think I said that over a year ago, too!

Perhaps, if the board had listened to me and others like me, the district would not have had to shell out $200,000 for an audit that states that the district’s contract “problems” stem from having little oversight for the CEO.

Ya think?

Finally, some answers?

According to the Journal Times, the RUSD board will be meeting Monday at 7:00 to discuss Dr. Hicks' contract and the 1st phase of the PBCG audit.

I will not speculate on tomorrow's meeting; what I think might happen is simply my opinion and I prefer to hold my comments until after the meeting tomorrow.

However, I do hope the APATHY the permeates this district takes a permanent vacation. This brouhaha (hopefully!) has opened many eyes, and I certainly expect that the board room will be packed tomorrow evening to hear the information firsthand.

It's about time...

Updated at 9:06AM 8/27/07:

Nevermind, the redistricting work session has been cancelled due to the "special meeting" tonight at 7 and the "secret meeting" at 5:30.

In my never-ending quest for documented information regarding the PBCG contract, I recently visited the RUSD website. What I found was surprising, at least to me anyway. I found a notice of a scheduled work session meeting that will discuss redistricting.

My first thought was, “WHAT IS THE BOARD THINKING??? DON’T THEY HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS TO TALK ABOUT??

(Actually that is not exactly what I was thinking, but Racine’s Report Card is a family-friendly blog, so you will have to put up with my edited version)

However, I quickly recovered and started thinking about past board actions (or should I say inactions??). As I see it, NOTHING ever gets done because important and EDUCATIONALLY BENEFICIAL decisions are always put on the back-burner as the board flits from managing one crisis to another.

(Yes, I realize this crisis may be more serious than past ones, but I digress)

Thankfully, it appears that this behavior has come to an end! Going ahead with the business at hand, while still managing the current crisis IS the right thing to do. I wholeheartedly applaud the board, and its new leadership in Mr. Baumgardt, for trying to accomplish what we, as taxpaying voters, elected them to do.

It’s about time…

Racine's Report Card opines over PBCG audit

By analyzing my StatCounter, I can only assume my few remaining loyal readers are looking for me to comment on this or this. But folks, that’s not going to happen, or at least not yet. That’s right, kinda like the RUSD board holding back the report, I will hold back any comments until I see the full report of the audit.

I’m not doing this in the name of integrity or anything noble like that; I’m just so flippin’ tired of caring about RUSD. I think I'm just going to let y’all carry the slack for awhile...

P.S. If you really want to know how I feel, check out my archives.

Will the Supreme Court decision affect RUSD?

The Supreme Court released their long-awaited decision on 2 separate school integration cases. The question of the day is this – Does this affect RUSD and their voluntary desegregation plan in any way?

While many will tell you that the 2 school districts (Seattle and Louisville) face issues that RUSD does not, I beg to differ. You see, we have magnet and charter schools that DO use race as a factor in determining enrollment.

A couple of years ago, a neighbor of mine tried to enroll her son at one of the district’s charter schools. She was told outright that her child was both the wrong color and sex – they simply had already fulfilled their quota of young white males.

I value diversity, but not more than I value parental choice. My children have been fortunate enough to attend RUSD magnet schools for most of their lives. I believe that these programs should exist, and I think that the original concept of magnet schools is the best way to achieve diversity because it is voluntary – not mandated.

I feel true diversity is easier to nourish and develop when it is voluntary. There are many suburban parents that WILL send their children to an inner-city school if they perceive that the educational opportunity is a better one than the school in their neighborhood. However, no parent, whether they are black, white, green or purple want to be told that their opportunities are limited based on their skin color.

Which leads me to the next issue – will the recent Supreme Court decision have any effect on the bussing/neighborhood school/redistricting issue the RUSD board is supposed to tackle in the 2007-2008 school year?

Where our tax dollars go (or don’t go!)

Anyone not living under a rock knows that RUSD spends a lot of money on state-mandated programs. Take the state mandate on providing Gifted and Talented programming:

S. 118.35, Wis. Stats. Programs for gifted and talented pupils.

1. In this section, "gifted and talented pupils" means pupils enrolled in public schools who give evidence of high performance capability in intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, or specific academic areas and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided in a regular school program in order to fully develop such capabilities.
2. The state superintendent shall by rule establish guidelines for the identification of gifted and talented pupils.
3. Each school board shall:
a. Ensure that all gifted and talented pupils enrolled in the school district have access to a program for gifted and talented pupils.

In conjunction with this statute, schools districts MUST provide access, without charge for tuition, to programs not offered at the district’s schools. This program is called Youth Options; it allows the children (mostly high school age) access to advanced course work at area colleges and universities.

Here is a list of classes approved recently (by the RUSD) board) for one student for the 2007 Fall semester:

Gateway Technical College Perm Techniques 502-302
Gateway Technical College Shampoo Treatment 502-301
Gateway Technical College Facials 502-318
Gateway Technical College Womens' Haircutting 502-331
Gateway Technical College Chemical Straightening 502-303

While I wholeheartedly approve of students being able to take Advanced Calculus, Russian or other classes not offered by our schools, having the taxpayer picking up what seems to be an entire first semester of a cosmetology degree leaves me a little confused.

Is this what the DPI deems as programs for the “Gifted and Talented”?

Haircut 100 was an awesome 80’s band, but somehow I do not think that most people are aware they are paying for classes such as Haircut 100 at Gateway with their tax dollars.

If the intent of the above statute was to provide programming for the Gifted and Talented student, is the example above taking advantange of the opportunities available to the students?

Keep in mind that the STAR program (the Gifted and Talented program for the elementary schools) is a program in name only; there is not enough money to adequately fund this program.

My question is this, does the district not have enough money for the truly gifted and talented elementary children because of this costly mandate of the Youth Options program???

Mt Pleasant ignores recommendation of park referendum

Dontcha just love it when politicians want to ignore the will of their constituents?

Okay...I'm moving to Houston and setting my house on fire

RUSD wants input from the outlying communities

Caledonia Unplugged is reporting that the Community Development Authority, the Village Board and the Wisconsin Taxpayer’s Alliance will be meeting to determine a scope of services for the proposed feasibility study. In case you’ve been under a rock for the last few months – this is a study that will examine if the Village of Caledonia can sustain an independent school district.

The RUSD Board of Education’s Legislative Committee has met twice with leaders from the outlying suburbs to address the issues that have been brought to the surface with the proposed study.

Dr. Hicks has asked the Village Trustees what the school district can do (specifically!!) to address the needs of the suburbanites. I don’t care what side of the fence you’re on- having Caledonia pack up and leave will be extremely difficult and definitely not a good public relations move for RUSD. I have no official opinion on the issue until I see the cold hard facts of the study – but I definitely think a study is in order!!

So back to the original question - what can RUSD (specifically) do to make Caledonia and the other villages stop the process of looking for alternatives for RUSD?

Racine community reaction to reopening of Winslow building

I have read the online comments about the reopening of the former Winslow building with much interest this morning. I thought I would share a few insights – first of all deciding to close that building was a difficult one. The closing of the building was due in part to the district needing an immediate increase to their cash flow. Because of the lopsidedness of the schools’ enrollments, this school was very much underutilized. If you partner that with the decaying facility, Winslow was the school that drew the short straw.

At the time of the closing, Administration did not state it would be closed forever; they suggested once the facility plan needs were addressed and the redistricting done, Winslow (and Caddy Vista) COULD be reopened. I guess we assumed that the school would be reopened for elementary school kids. (I guess you should never ASSUME anything.) The lack of bathroom facilities has made the Winslow building not an attractive choice for the expanded 4-K program.

Secondly, everyone is complaining that the district needs to address the growing problem of drop-outs and children with behavior issues. According to the JT story, the Mack Achievement Center has outgrown its facilities. When the district finally begins to addresses this problem, there is a prevailing NIMBY attitude. Would you just rather have these “children” roam the streets, or would you rather they stay in their "home school" ? The big high schools cannot serve this students as well as a smaller environment can.

I think that bashing Unified for every decision has become the norm for this community. I have a litany of gripes with some of the decisions made in the past – the decision to transform the Winslow building to a school for at-risk students is just not one of them.

Tribute to our Military Fathers

Kind of puts the whole annual "what should I get Dad for Father's Day" debate in perspective, doesn't it?

Happy Father's Day ( a week early) to all the daddies out there!

Principal arrested for kissing feet

Oh, if only this was our biggest concern in our schools….

Park issue may go to referendum

I have a question, if the Racine County Board is advising the Village of Mt. Pleasant to hold an advisory referendum on the Stuart-McBride Park issue; do you think they will advise Caledonia to hold a referendum the next time the Tabor Woods issue comes up?

No more RUSD board grandstanding, please!

In the past when there is discussion regarding RUSD board member debate, my alliances have usually been with the very vocal minority of the board. However, I cautiously approve of the referral made by Dr. Warner last night to limit the number of times a board member can debate an issue. You see, the board meetings have been a political pissing match lately; limiting the public grandstanding of board members might actually allow the board time to make some REAL decisions that might ACTUALLY benefit the children of this district.

I am NOT suggesting that the board should not allow dissenting views or public debate – but there has to be an alternative to what has become the status quo on Monday nights. Board meetings, where NOTHING is accomplished, should NOT take over 4 hours to happen! A board member should be able to make his/her point after a couple of times around the table. Mr. Nielsen is a shining example of this; last night he provided a short, but POWERFUL reason for his no vote on accepting the EL-12 Monitoring Report (Learning Environment/Treatment of Students) as compliant.

I am sure that are many that think that approving this measure are certain of the “slippery slope” scenario where there will soon be a time when all future debate/dissent is silenced. I think that argument is a baseless one – at least I hope so. The children of this district deserve better leadership than what we have been accustomed; the board cannot continue on the path they are on – if they do, NOTHING will ever be accomplished!

For those of you who think I have gone completely crazy, I double-dog-dare you – No, I triple-dog-dare you – to attend at least one board meeting in its entirety. You will then understand why such a measure is so desperately needed.

Interesting news from MPS

There is interesting news from MPS this morning… The MPS Board voted to create a new position - a Policy Analyst. Michael Bonds, the board member who proposed creating the position, said the analyst would help ensure that the board receives "objective information in a timely manner."

I haven’t quite figured out if this is a good idea or not. On one hand, having a policy analyst on hand may have prevented the latest brouhaha over the PBCG contract here in eastern Racine County. On the other hand, I believe that adding a whole other layer of administration is a waste of tax payer dollars. I won’t even begin to get into the possible problems the likely micromanagement will cause.

Shouldn’t elected school board members just do the job they were elected to do?

Does spending more guarantee good test results?

Please allow me to preface these charts with a couple of comments.

1. I dislike using the WKCE as the measure of success as it only a snapshot in time and does not reflect the progress made throughout the year in the classroom. With that said, the state does need a tool for measurement and the WCKE is the only game in town.

2. I realize that RUSD faces challenges that many districts do not, but frankly I am tired of that excuse. Saying a poor child cannot learn is ignorant, and in some cases bigoted.











It is clear that RUSD (in the past) spent more than some districts and have far less (in test scores) to show for it.


My question is this - since the referendum for June 12th has been cancelled (therefore less money for the district for the upcoming school year) what sort of impact do you think we will see next year at this time?

While the Cat's Away...

Hello everybody, Mr. Racine's Report Card here. Brenda is out of town, and made the mistake of leaving me the keys to the blog. The first thing she said was, "Don't change any of my settings. Don't change the font or color." HA! HA! HA!

So what should we talk about?

Brenda called me about the time that she was supposed to be arriving at camp. She was lost. Made a wrong turn somewhere. Now on her behalf, the map from the school that she was following was a bit crude. So I hopped on the old interweb, and got a good map of the area where she was supposed to be.

Once I figured out where she was, I started telling her how to get back on track. She had the audacity to start telling me I was wrong. I kept my cool for a bit, but she kept insisting that roads were not where I was saying they were. I finally lost it and said, "Do you have a freakin' map? I have a freakin' map. Listen to me!". "Oh, I guess you're right. I thought blah blah blah ... ", she says. Yeah, you thought wrong.

Now don't get me wrong, Brenda is one of the most intelligent people I know, but sometimes she makes me mental. She did finally make it, although a bit late. You're welcome Honey.



Maybe later I'll invite Mr. Kat's Cradle over, have a few beers, and see what this baby can really do. Stay tuned.

We'll be back right after these important messages...

There is so much happening on the RUSD front and normally I would be all over it, but I will be out of town until Friday afternoon. I will be chaperoning 5th graders on a camping trip.

Please check back Friday for my incredibly astute and thoughtful analysis (Ha!) of any recent developments.

(Now if only I could get Mr. Racine's Report Card to figure out this Blogger thing...)

Will they or won't they?

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.)

Much ado about 'Roots'

RUSD is in the headlines again, and this time it’s not about allegations over its business practices– it is about the curriculum of a 6th grade social studies class. Social Studies, if you remember, is a course of study including geography, history, government, and sociology. Children learn about the cultures of different people, and hopefully use that knowledge to understand current and past human events. It is NOT simply studying the topography of different countries.

Unified’s official stance on canceling the showing of Roots is the following:

1. It does not support the district’s curriculum.
2. It is not a “judicious” use of media.
3. The content is not “appropriate” for the grade level.
4. The district did not approve it.

All of these reasons above may indeed be valid, but I ask the following questions:

1. Does designing a board game based on a favorite novel support the curriculum? My “advanced” 6th grader had such an assignment. Instead of learning how to identify the conflict, plot or antagonist/protagonist in a novel, we have our 6th graders designing board games based on a book they read. In my opinion, this is an assignment more closely aligned with the learning capacity of a 1st grader.

2. Is showing Honey, I Shrunk the Kids or Spy Kids in MATH class a judicious use of media? We have 6th grade teachers, showing these (and many more) movies in MATH class so the teachers have time to grade tests.

I may be off-base, but I find the hypocrisy of the decisions of central office administrators disturbing. It is okay for a MATH teacher to show Spy Kids, but not okay for a SOCIAL STUDIES teacher to show Roots to his students?

What is the real reason for canceling Roots? It is disturbing and may not be appropriate for some 11 and 12 year olds, but please do not insult my intelligence and tell me it’s all about the districts policies.

Racine's Report Card takes a vacation

I guess I have worked myself out a job, so to speak. There are numerous bloggers talking about both the recent allegations of the PBCG contract and there are new allegations rising every day…

The list of bloggers is growing exponentially so I apologize if I miss anyone:

Peter
Fred
Still Unreal
Kay
Nick
Caledonia Unplugged
Gop Folk

And of course a special thanks to Kat , who like me, has been paying very close attention to RUSD for the last few years.

I’m glad y' all are finally realizing how serious the problems may be – and I want to give a "shout out" to the person who made this all possible (you know who you are).

Rest in Peace, Jasmine

Visitation for Jasmine Owens will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday at New Pitts Mortuary, 2031 W. Capitol Drive. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at Mason Temple Church of God in Christ, 6090 N. 35th St.

Two funds have been set up for Jasmine's family. One is at Legacy Bank, 2102 W. Fond du Lac Ave., Milwaukee, WI . The other is Educators Credit Union, 7025 W. Appleton Ave which is also in Milwaukee.

Word of the day

Use this word in a sentence:

bafflegab

(Please do not use a dictonary)

Al Gore Sings Grease Summer Nights about Global Warming

This doesn't really need an introduction!

Napoleon Dynamite -- White and Nerdy

This one is for you, Kat!

Vote for Pedro

A fractured fairy tale

Once upon a time, there was a great village with many riches. Over the years this village decayed, but since there were still young people with dreams living within this village, the residents ignored the decay around them. The schools, full of those young villagers with dreams, soon began to decay too. The leaders of the village brought in a stranger to lead and help the decaying schools. He came with dreams of returning the schools and the village back to the greatness it once had. But alas, his dreams were expensive; the poor village did not have enough gold to give the stranger they brought in to lead their schools.

Then one day, a group of strangers wandered into this once great village with its once great schools. They told the village that they could help the schools find more gold – but it would cost the villagers a little of their gold for their efforts. The school leaders were excited, for in fact these strangers seem to know exactly where all the gold was. The school leaders took the advice of this new group of travelers and soon turned their schools into shining beacons of learning. The stranger, the group of travelers, and the entire village lived happily-ever-after.

Of course this is just a fairy-tale. We know now that instead of using the consultants as they should have been used (on a consulting and temporary basis) we are now relying on this for-profit company to handle not only the finances of our district, but MANAGE the entire operations. In reality, this group should have been used on a short-term basis to help us better manage all the “gold” the villagers give to the schools.

Board defines scope of audit tonight

Tonight, the RUSD is having a special meeting to “discuss and define the scope and objective” of the proposed audit of the PBCG contract. Much hullabaloo has been made of this business partnership over the last week or so. Hopefully tonight the RUSD board will lay the groundwork to answer all the questions, rumors and accusations that are flying around town.

Remember, we get what we deserve. A well meaning phone call today (even to just leave a message) might not be a bad idea. Here is the contact information for the board; do yourself and your neighbors a favor and give them a call to let them know how you feel! I suggest both “sides of the fence” do this; the board needs all the input they can get.

If you do or say nothing, how can you complain about the results? RUSD is the largest recipient of our local tax dollars, yet there seems to be some kind of disconnect in the community. This community (collectively) gets all excited over the funds for remodeling Monument Square, Pointe Blue, and $200 bumpers yet we continue to ignore the very real problems the Racine area faces – poor performing public schools.

Suggest a question for the RUSD board

The JT has an interesting weblog today; it is titled “Suggest a question for Tom Hicks and Nick Alioto”. They and the Journal-Sentinel have been granted 15 minute interviews with Dr. Hicks and Mr. Alioto of PBCG.

This weblog is a good idea – I’m sure all the stakeholders of the district have questions they want answered. In fact, this idea is such a good one I think I will start my own!

When the school board meets on Monday to discuss the audit of the PBCG contract, what sort of questions do you think the board members should ask? Should the scope of the audit be purely financial, or more comprehensive?

(Please note that some RUSD board members do read this blog on a regular basis so your suggestions will not be in vain…)

I will start it off with some questions of my own. School funding resources are finite; there are limited grants and resources to the +400 school districts in the state. If PBCG is representing more than 1 school district, how do you determine which school district is the one that should seek out any extra financing? Is PBCG representing any other district of similar size/demographics?

Okay now it’s your turn… What do you think the board should examine in its audit?

The Real Tragedy

Today, the RUSD board voted unanimously on having the current PBCG contract/payments audited by a neutral 3rd party. I applaud this new board’s way of tackling problems head-on. With that said, I wish the discussions about the contract and bonuses would have happened last year when the contracts were signed.

Under current board policy, however, the superintendent can retain professional services (such as PBCG) without board approval. For those of you who know me; you know that I hate Policy Governance with every ounce of my being. I like “accountability” and Policy Governance leaves just too many loopholes for any true accountability.

You would also know that in recent months, I have had a “coming to Jesus” sort of revelation about the district’s academic plans for the future. I desperately want this district to succeed, and cannot understand why there is not more attention paid to the everyday happenings of RUSD. You all get sanctimonious over $15.00 car rental fees and choo-choos to Chicago but no one seems to care where and how over $250,000,000 is spent each and every year!!

I predict that nothing will come out of the proposed audit; after all Dr. Hicks was operating under the limitations the board THEMSELVES wrote and PBCG’s only crime is capitalism. I do not think it was a good idea for administration/board to hire a for-profit company to control governmental monies, but that is a whole other issue for another time.

The real tragedy, as I see it, is that with all of the negative attention RUSD has received over the last couple of days, the June 12th referendum is doomed to fail. Under the new Chief Academic Officer’s leadership, the monies from the referendum would have benefited, both directly and indirectly, the children of this community. A failing referendum will not hurt Dr. Hicks, Nick Alioto or Roger Dickson – it will only hurt the children, families, and other stakeholders of the district. Perhaps the citizens of the community are finally ready to accept the challenges we face and conquer them together. I hope so, because we cannot continue to ignore the very real problems our community faces.

Are the PBCG bonuses justified?

Way last June, certain Racine area bloggers (me and RDW) questioned the $304,000 bonus paid to the Public Business Consulting Group, the consultant group that is acting as RUSD’s financial team.

Now, 11 months later, long-time district employees are (finally!!) questioning the bonuses paid to PBCG. It also seems the payouts are even larger than expected.

As I have said in the past, I am sure that everything in the contract is “legal” , but I still question paying bonuses on savings not realized yet and the practice of having an outside consultant act as the business manager of our district.

What do you think?

Update: PBCG has worked in RUSD for the past 1 1/2 years, and under the guidance of their team the district has cut millions from its operating budget. They have also moved some expenses to accounts that do not operate under the revenue cap. I am not questioning their actions or any legalities, I know that this team knows the ins/out of school finance like no others in the state. I am simply questioning the amount of the bonus. Doesn't a 20% bonus seem a little high, especially since their contract (5 year) is over 2 million dollars?

Please keep in mind that this team replaced one person, who did not make over $400,000.00 dollars a year.

The legacy of our past

Turmoil in the political structure of our schools is not new – the greater Racine community has a long acrimonious history with its schools, most likely starting with the formation of a unified school district. Perhaps I am not the best person to reflect on the past since I was only a child when the school strikes in the 70s happened. When the teachers turned to the Blue Flu tactics in the 90s, I was an adult but did not yet have children in the district. As such, my interpretations may be slightly off the mark.

The way I see it is this – if we cannot learn from our past, we are doomed to make the same mistakes again and again. Anyone who understands the current climate of RUSD knows that this is not the first RUSD board that is dysfunctional. In the 90’s we had a board that micromanaged every proposal administration made – there were even numerous censures of board members. Clearly the leadership of that board added to the Blue Flu Epidemic of 1998. Obviously, no one wishes to repeat this ugly saga.

Because the board does not want to repeat the mistakes of former board members, our Board of Education has taken a hands-off approach for fear of being accused of micromanaging. Here lies the conundrum, having a hands- off approach is not the solution either. As with most problems, the true solution is most likely a compromise of sorts.

Having the board micromanage the district is not the answer.

Giving the superintendent free reign without accountability (and yes, that may include some critical comments/concerns) is not the answer.

The stakeholders in this community need to work together and find the right answer or we are doomed.

I want a guaranteed contract too

So, Dr. Hicks wants a contract extension with a guarantee that no one will question his objectives – that sounds good. Where can I get a gig like that?

After a long and sometimes excruciatingly painful process, I believe the district is at least headed in the right direction. I also understand that a change in leadership may negate the progress that has been made, but where is the accountability if your 9 “bosses” cannot question/comment on the work you have done?

Isn’t this the reason we have elected officials in charge?

Update on RUSD special meeting

This is what I understood and wholeheartedly believed in before attending the "special" meeting of the RUSD BOE meeting tonight that discussed improper board member behavior.

1.Everyone has a right to free speech, even for sitting board members to criticize fellow board members in the local media.

2.Having the right to say something does not absolve one from any responsibility.

This is what I undertsand and wholeheartedly believe after attending tonight's meetin.

1. Our board is only concerned with the rights of the "majority" voice.

2. The entire section of the Policy Governance Manual that deals with board behavior needs to tossed out with the recyclables since it is apparent the policies are not going to followed by anyone.

3. If the board could just remove this continuing political posturing of epic proportions from its procedures, perhaps they could focus on what they were elected to do - hold the administration accountable for the education of our children and the responsible use of tax dollars.

Now, wouldn't that be refreshing?

(By the way, in case you hadn't figured it out - there was not any action taken at tonight's meeting.)

When parents go bad

Can the parents involved be expelled as well?

When board members go bad

Yet again, the RUSD board has an item on the agenda that will be dealing with board behavior. This is becoming all too common – I certainly hope this will not be a recurring theme.

However, there is one main difference. This item is not scheduled in closed session as it has in the past; it is being dealt with in a special meeting tonight at 7:00 PM. Hats off to the new RUSD BOE President, Tony Baumgardt for recognizing that an open forum is the best (and most legal) way to take when dealing with board behavior.

However, with that said, I would think that if we did not have board members condoning changes to the US Constitution we might have a little more progress in the governing process and less bad behavior from the board.

Take the RUSD Board of Education test

Amusing column from Mike Moore of the Journal Times… How did you score? Share your thoughts….

MPS wants to handcuff its students

Since I have strayed from RUSD to MPS, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss the recent MPS board approval of flexible handcuffs to subdue unruly and violent students. I have to admit at first, I was slightly taken aback. It does seem inhumane, but after some additional thoughts on the matter, I believe I could support something like this in any school district.

Like it or not, some of our schools are dangerous places and most of them do not have full-time police officers on duty. For safety sakes, sometimes the best solution would be to restrain a child with these cuffs. As long as these handcuffs are used to keep other children/staff safe, and NOT for discipline, I think it is a sad, but reasonable, measure to take.

Springtime in Wisconsin: Cut your grass and cut educational programming

Springtime in Wisconsin means different things to different people. Some people cannot wait to get back outside, work in the garden and cut the grass for the first time. Others, like school administrators and board members dread spring, because the cutting they have to do is not outside, but in the classroom. You see, each spring they have a budget to complete for the upcoming year and every year it seems a little harder to complete.

Many districts across the state have joined the ranks of RUSD in cutting programs in order to balance the budget. One of the reasons why RUSD seems to be continually asking the residents of eastern Racine County is that when the revenue caps went into effect in 1993, the RUSD board did not levy the maximum amount (thinking the revenue caps were only going to be in effect for a few years). However, the revenue caps were made permanent and RUSD has been behind the proverbial 8 ball ever since.

I think the revenue caps are a great idea in theory, but the current constraints of the QEO (Qualified Economic Offer) and the equalization aid is now hurting many districts across the state. Clearly, we need a different way to fund our public schools. We need to take the burden off the property tax rolls and make it more equitable for all.

Back in 2003, Governor Jim Doyle appointed a blue-ribbon commission to study the issue and they recommendation was an increase in the sales tax.

Is shifting the burden of funding our schools from the homeowners to all consumers the best way to do this? What do you think?

Note to self...

Note to self: Nothing good will come out of throwing produce at RUSD board members.

Urban school reform: It takes a village

This morning as I was making my way through the Cheddarsphere over my morning coffee, I stumbled across an entry from Jay of folkbum's rambles and rants which discusses the intensive and comprehensive reform plan MPS is undertaking. Over 40 educational experts got together and drafted the plan.

You might ask “Brenda, what’s so great about drafting a plan? Don’t you think RUSD has a plan to be the best urban district by 2010?”

My answer would be that of course I know that RUSD has a plan, but the public was not part of the planning/input sessions. Also MPS is asking for feedback for the draft plan at upcoming listening sessions and get this – VIA THE WEB - for those stakeholders that cannot attend the listening sessions.

I wish more people in our community would demand to be part of the process of improving our schools…

RUSD Board to silence all dissent

Already some of the local bloggers (here and here) have weighed in on the proposed changes to the RUSD Board Governance policies, but I feel a strong desire to weigh in the issue myself and provide a slightly different perspective.

Having been in attendance at most of the RUSD board meetings for the last few years, I have seen the progression from how they did business a few years ago to how they currently run their board meetings under the “new” Policy Governance. I can say that I have never been a huge fan of their new way of doing business, but I can now say that Policy Governance (with the proposed changes) is NOT the direction I would head if I sat on the board. I believe the board is moving to silence all board dissent and perhaps even trying to rewrite the Constitution. RUSD Board Members ARE elected officials, and they are elected to represent their constituents and ask questions. This is NOT disrespectful – it is RESPONSIBLE.

Furthermore, I question the judgment of the leadership of the board member(s) timing of these changes to the board policy. Helloooooo, there is referendum scheduled for June 12th!! Do they want this to pass or not?? Having asked many annoying questions over the years, and probably ticked off more than my fair share, I have watched the district slowly and painfully try to turn itself around and move in a positive direction. Up until today, I was convinced they WERE moving in the RIGHT direction.

Now, another debacle they have to overcome and another fire to put out. Instead of moving ahead in a positive direction, the leadership of RUSD will be sidetracked by this snafu that could potentially harm the district and the children it serves. We need to continue to move ahead in a positive way, our children are losing ground against their peers each and every day…

If the referendum fails because of the negative publicity the district will undoubtedly receive by trying to limit the free speech of their board, they only have themselves to blame.

My sincere thanks to the RUSD board member who passed this information to me - you are NO LONGER on notice (or dead to me).