Evansville School Administration screws up.. so last day of school is June 7th.

The administration screwed up snow days this year.   So the last day of school this year has been pushed out to June 7th because we missed some school.     Their screw up was discussed at length at a earlier board meeting.  NOW if you already had plans and this extended schools days screws up your plans .  YOU do legally get 10 school days a year that you can pre-excuse your child from school with and the school has no say in if you can do this or not.    People should not have to change their plans because the district screwed up.

Budget In put meeting tonight.

This easily could go down as the biggest waste of time.   Below is what I submitted on the school’s website under the budget input link before they removed the link.

I had several people question where that link went.   So I told them just to email board members.  Below is what I submitted before the link was removed.  The fact they removed the link goes to show they really do not want to hear from the public,  you know the people who pay very high taxes in part because of the school.

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I am writing with some thoughts on the school board budget.   I know that all of you would like to blame the majority of  these issues on Gov. Walker when it comes to the  mess you are in.

But the simple truth is you have done it to your selves.   The board and  administration has been warned for years about declining numbers and money and have failed to make any substanial

changes.

There is plenty of blame to go around    . The board is as much at fault as administration.  Because the board gives the last o.k. for the budget.,  for expenditures.

The teacher’s are also to blame.   They have been greedy and felt entitled for years and look at the toll it has taken on the district.

First you have failed to addressed the issue of all the students fleeing the district through open enrollment.  That is a lot of money.    Being you are in the financial trouble you are in  the joke really is on you  that you have not taken this issue seriously.

I have been told by staff members of certain classes at the high school that have less than 10 students in them.   Why are you paying a teacher to teach classes with low numbers.   That is a huge waste of money.

Take a good look at what you are paying coaches.   WHY did teacher’s come forward last year and took pay cuts  yet  you are still paying these coaches the same as they were?   Why have these coaches not come forward and offered to take pay cuts ,   or take very little pay?

Sorry to tell you but Evansville is not a sports power  house yet some in administration like to pretend we are.

You need to have better curriculum choices at the high school.  You  are so being out played by almost every district around you when it comes to better and more curriculum choices.

Why  would you allow administrators do work out there contracts before the budget issues were worked out?    Pretty convenient how they made sure they got what they wanted, and now they are out to screw the teachers.

My cousin subs within the E.S.D. and its embarrassing some of the things going on.

I  do think money has to be spent on technology and new text books.   It’s a shame the board and administration has allowed our district to get so far behind everyone else.    I know for a fact the Junior High is very text book anemic.

Well that is about it.

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In the end the school board and administration will do as they please  regardless of input.    They always have and that is why they are in the mess they are.  It all circles back to them.

They like to act like they know so much more than the taxpayers , but by the mess they are in it goes to show they are not.   It is just a act.

The love affair between W.E.A.C. and the Evansville Athletic Association.

It is absolutely amazing that administration would this last week came  to the school board wanting to add another COACH.    The administration wants to add an assistant girls softball coach.

They are asking to add another coach without making any kind of cuts at all to the co/extra curricular budget.    But yet the district continues to lay off teachers its is looking like they will lay off a minimum of 10 teachers this year.    10 teachers.   That is a lot considering the size of our district.

The board meeting this last week was heavily attended by teachers as it should have been.   Every single teacher in this district should be irate. .   That they are looking to add to the athletic programs ,  but cut academics  AGAIN.      Every single parent should be ticked.

Those involved like Brian Cashore,  Scott Everson, Robert Flaherty and Jerry Roth seem scared to death someone is going to cut their sports programs.   Yet NOT ONE single board member has even suggested that.   The only thing the board has asked is they look at their budgets.    The board has asked them repeatedly for certain information about co/extra curricular budgets and issues and the administration has failed to give it to them.  HOW many people would still have a job if your boss told you to do some thing and you did not?

A couple of weeks ago they came to the board suggesting we could close the open enrollment numbers if we added a sport like HOCKEY, to draw kids to our district.  That we could cover the costs of these programs by cutting a position.   That of a teacher.    THIS is the crap these clowns bring to the board.

NO one has ever suggested cuts.  NO one.   They just simply wanted information, better insight about what is going on.

WE have some administrators who thought they were jocks in high school and just can not let it go.   They live for sports .   They are protective of these programs like a MaMA Bear.  Yet no one has threatened them.

BUT to have the BALLS  to come to the school board and want to add another coach,  while at the same meeting talk about how many teacher’s they are going to cut.

There just seems to be this love affair between W.E.A.C. and the Evansville Athletic Association.     A deal of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.

The Evansville School District most definitely needs its co/extra curricular activities.

For some kids it’s these sports/activities that bring them to school.   It these sports/activities that make them strive to get that 1.5 g.p.a. when other wise they may not.  They know where they have to be grade wise to play and take part.    For some kids it gives them the connection to school and people, friends, teachers that they may not other wise have.

NO one is suggesting not having these things but good grief open you eyes and plant some priorities.    Academics have to come first.

This have been a long on going love affair between   W.E.A.C.  and the Evansville Athletic Association.     They really have gotten hot and heavy the last couple of years.

IT is embarrassing.

Parents send their kids to a school district for academics not sports.

Those darn back loaded bonds.

I have heard several people in the last few weeks talk about the  ‘ back-loaded bonds.’      I think we all notice that our tax bill goes up every year.    Sad news it will continue to go up.

It’s not that the school board does not make cuts.  It does.  It has made quite a few over the last several years.  Painful cuts.    But because of these bonds and things have not worked out like the board had wanted and needed in terms of continued growth both residential and commercial the bonds are really quite costly.    Bill Connors posted on the Evansville Observer about these bonds several years ago.   He states it in a very clear way.  Very understandable.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Nostalgia: September 2005: On “Backloaded Bonds”—-Classic Mr. Connors

Re:Bill Connors writes: School District Debt Service Heavily Back Loaded; Reflection on the Growth bicycle; or What mix and rate of Growth is right?

— billconnors wrote:

———————————
Managing growth is essential. But it would not be
prudent to constrain growth too much. The school
district’s debt service for 2005-06 is $1.98 million.
In 2014-15, the school district’s debt service will
exceed $3 million, even if no additional debt is
issued between now and then. In 2020-21, the last
year of payment on the bonds for the new high school,
the school district’s debt service will exceed $4
million. The school district heavily back-loaded the
repayment schedule on the bonds for the new high
school, which means they are counting on large
increases in the school district’s property tax base
through new construction to be able to pay for the
escalating debt service costs.

This appears to be prudent financial planning on the
part of the school district, but I wonder how many
people are aware that continued growth is essential to
keeping the school district’s mill rate in line.

Of course, we could get away with fewer new houses in
the school district if we had more commercial or
industrial development or a greater proportion of the
new houses were larger and more expansive, and fewer
new houses would save on operating costs for the
school district.

Bill Connors
Evansville City Administrator

—
Posted by billconnors to Evansville Observer at

So when you hear certain perspective board members ‘claim’ they are going to fight against cuts both program and employee cuts they are LYING or not educated enough on the issues the board is facing.  Which if that is the case , they need to keep their mouths shut.   Because the school board is in such a position with its budget there will be cuts.   The board’s budget consists of over 80% goes to staff salary and benefits.    That is just huge.   

Come to a board meeting and listen to the current board members struggle with cuts that need to be made.   THERE is no money.   So for a perspective board member to try to state they can do better is absolute crap. 

Really what needs to happen is the current school board needs to stand strong and make the cuts they need to make to balance the budget.   Everyone knows they are not happy about it, but its the hand they have been given.    It’s not going to be less painful to make these cuts by dragging it out.

These staff need to know what would you rather have cut some benefits which you can and will adapt to ( the rest of us have.) or have them cut more positions trying to make up for the money they lost by not cutting benefits.  You are not going to get it both ways.   Really everything is on the table to look at cuts.   But the best people to make those choices is clearly those on the board.   But the private sector has lived with job cuts, hour cuts, benefits cuts for years.  Yet teacher’s, staff and programs some thought they were untouchable.

The world is just not rocking that way.

http://evansvilleobserver.blogspot.com/2007/07/nostalgia-september-2005-on-backloaded.html

Q2. In what ways might you foster stronger communication between the school board and all school staff? The school board and the community?

 

 

Maybe the teacher’s and staff should try coming to school board meetings.  Before the building of the employee handbook , which replaces the working contract.  Before the employee handbook came into play ,  you seldom found teacher’s and staff members at school board meetings.   Once in a while if some thing was on the Agenda they personally wanted approved they would come.  But they get the hell out of the meeting when their issue had been addressed. They did not stick around to learn what else is going on in the district, or to try to understand where the board is coming from in their decisions.

With the building of the employee handbook some do come now, but not nearly as many as you would think.  The last meeting I think there was 3? teachers and 3 support staff.     That was it.  So how concerned can they really be?

I have been to many school board meetings where there is not a single teacher or staff member.  Just the board, administration, Melissa and my self.    It’s lonely for the board when no one comes to see what is going on in the district.

WHY should the board have to have better communication with the staff , if the staff clearly has made very little attempt to have communication with them.   Really all teacher’s and staff has to do is pick up a phone.   I have called many board members and they have either answered or returned my call ALWAYS.    I also send emails and I have always got a answer back.   It’s not that hard.

Are the teacher’s looking for board members who will kiss their butt?   Chase them around and see how they are feeling?

The community is always welcome to come to board meetings, call board members or email.     I will also add that the board on bigger issues does post notices around town and in the paper trying to draw people’s interest in the bigger issues , and often the turn out is still very low.

Really the community is just not paying attention.   The school board tries.

 

Good Grief.

Evansville School Board Meetings, Better than any thing you can D.V.R. on Monday nights. Flinstone’s or Jetson’s?

In recent months the Evansville School board meetings have become more interesting than they have been in some time.    I had been to school board meetings but not in a while, but in recent months I have made it to several.   I went to last night’s, I stayed for most of it.

That is the nice thing about it, if you see some thing on the agenda you want to learn more about you can go just for that, and leave when they are done discussing the issue that interested you.   No one has to stay for the entire meeting unless they want to.

Once again on the agenda was approving employee handbook policies.   The board talked in length on a couple different policies, before deciding the draft needed to go back to Jerry Roth and administration for some more work.   The  issues they talked about was phasing out cash-in-lieu for all.  They would cut the amount employees get over a couple of years  before discontinuing it all together.  But that is not written in stone, and will be some thing the board will continue to discuss each year.

The board can not simply ignore the fact of the huge savings they would have by eliminating cash-in-lieu.  That is the hard part for some of them is not wanting to make that change but realizing the district  can not continue on with this ” perk.”

Yesterday I said  the teacher’s and staff had some ” cushy” working conditions but really not some much ” cushy” as they in their union driven contracts had a lot of ” perks” .

IF these teacher’s are honest with them selves they would take a good look around and see the private sector had to let go of these “Perks” , some a long time ago, some recently.    I will also add that several districts that I am aware of are no longer have cash-in-lieu.  It is an expensive perk.

Sadly –   Sharon Skinner has resigned from the board.   Sharon has been quite sick for a while and regrets having to leave the board.   Sharon is just a super nice lady.   I met Sharon when she and I both were going to the B.A.S.E. meetings.   She has been a super hard worker for our district, very sweet and I thank her for all the time and hard work she has put in.

The board will wait until after the spring elections to start interviewing someone to take her position on the board.

At last night’s meeting as I sat listening to the back and forth about the employee hand books that replace the working contracts.  I sat there thinking  ” Seriously who would want this thankless job/position?”

These board members deserve A LOT of credit.   They give their time,  a lot of their time to our district.   They hear people complain all the time.  Everyone from parents, teachers , administrators,  and  students.

Often people are not happy with the choices they make about the budget and the cuts that have to be made.   Listening last night to them talk back and forth it was clear these choices that have to be made about the budget and the these ” perks”  ,  it is hard for them making these decisions but they have to be done.   The district just does not have the money to run the way it used to.

Dennis Hatfield has been very out spoken about making it clear he does not want anyone to feel like they are less valued because of the decisions the board has to make.  It is not like they are sitting on a pot of money and are just being stingy.    There just is no money.

Jerry Roth gave a brief technology update.   I will be interested in hearing more on how Evansville is going to catch up to the districts around us.  It will require a lot of money but we can not continue to be left in this area .

It feels like some districts are like the  Jetsons  ( remember them? ) and the Evansville school district is more like the Flinstones   We are just so behind compared to some districts.   The district can not continue to run like we have been and be competitive.

All prospective school board candidates were in attendance last night.     That was the first time I have found all four candidates at the board meeting,  Eric Busse is always there as he is a board member but before last night I had never saw Kris Schmidt there so it was nice to see him.    Sandy and Melissa were there.   But Melissa is always there as well.

So the next time you see a board member please remember to thank them for all the time they give.   It is a difficult time for the district and they are being asked to make some difficult decisions.   It’s clear it is not easy for them because these decisions they are having to make involve real people and their families.

When you think about the cuts that are being made I think its important for people to know that a little over 80% of the schools budget goes to staff salary and benefits.  That tells you right there if there is going to be cuts made this is more than likely where they will be made from.  Maybe not all cuts from there, but salary and benefits is a huge part of the schools budget.

So is the Evansville School District going to be more like the Jetson’s or the Flinstone’s?

Evansville School Board Meeting Tonight at 6:30 P.M.

   It did not want to copy and paste properly so this is the link where you can find the Agenda for tonight’s meeting.

http://www.ecsdnet.org/School-Board/Board-Meetings/2012-2013-School-Year/index.html

 

School Board Candidate Melissa Hammann introduces herself.

Hello! Thanks to Chasin’ for this opportunity to introduce myself to the voters of the Evansville Community School District (ECSD). If you are regular readers of The Review, many of you may be familiar with my byline. Today I’d like to give you “The Brief History of Melissa.” My name is Melissa Hammann and I’m running for a seat on the ECSD Board of Education. I have been actively involved with the School District since our oldest child began Kindergarten in 1999. Beginning with learning stations in 1999 and continuing with K-5 PTO publicity co-chair from 2005-2009, I became familiar with what the district does well and areas that could be improved. With the help of the ECSD voters, I was privileged to serve on the ECSD Board of Education from 2007-2010. I served as Board Clerk and was a key contributor to a number of committees including Finance, Long-Term Strategic Planning, Co-curricular contract evaluation and Policy.  My background as an industrial Analytical Chemist for over fifteen years served me well in these roles, particularly in the areas of finance and student achievement analysis.

 

We have three children who have attended or are attending ECSD. Sarah graduated last year and is attending UW-Madison. Holly is a sophomore at EHS and Will is a seventh grader at JC McKenna Middle School. My husband Bill has been Plant Manager at D&K Coatings in Janesville since he sited and built the plant in 1997-1998. He has also been actively involved with the city as both a council member and now as a citizen member of the planning commission.  We have embraced Evansville as our hometown and appreciate the many ways available to give back to the community.

 

In addition to being involved with civic matters, our family has actively supported the Eager Free Public Library for many years. When we first moved here, the library was instrumental in providing opportunities for our kids to explore their world with the pre-school activities they sponsor weekly. As a way to repay this wonderful foundation for our kids, each year we have helped out with the EFPL Friends summer fund raising activities. The kids bake cakes, set up tables and scoop ice cream while Bill and I do our best to win bids at the auctions during the ice cream socials. We provide early morning muscle to organize and display about a ton of books (OK, maybe it only feels that way) for the annual City Sidewalk Days book sale.  We love our library!

 

You have probably surmised that my hobbies lean heavily toward reading of any kind. The scientist in me is also challenged by many different daily puzzles, including crossword, Cryptoquote, Sudoku and Kenken. I work on maintaining my fitness with a daily walk and Yoga at Creekside Place. When the pool is open, I swim laps whenever I can.

 

I’m running for school board because, while I believe ECSD has many good attributes, I envision its excellence. Every child deserves a public school education that prepares them to successfully pursue their dreams, whether those dreams are to attend Harvard Medical School, to become the most outstanding carpenter in the tri-state area, to sing on Broadway or to enlist in a branch of the Armed Services.  A vendor who was once trying to sell me a million dollar instrument asked me if I was from Missouri “because you don’t believe anything I tell you without me showing you.” That effectively summarizes my approach to everything: Trust but verify.  School board members that provide an independent analysis of educational initiatives are valuable assets to their districts. I believe my data analysis skills were valuable when I was on the board previously and will continue to be an asset to the board if I am elected again this spring.

 

The coming years of increased expectations in student achievement through Wisconsin’s new Agenda 2017 combined with unrelenting budgetary challenges will require board members who are capable of evaluating enormous quantities of data and drawing conclusions from that data that will help their district. I come before the voters ready to undertake that challenge. As an added bonus, I am fully informed as to the inner workings of School Finance. One common problem that often surprises new school board members is the relatively long learning curve on the way to becoming an effective board member, particularly in the area of how schools finance their programs. Some board members have noted that they were finally becoming comfortable in their role just as their seat was up for re-election.  I have been continuously monitoring ECSD board business since 2006, first as a citizen activist, then as a board member and finally as a free-lance journalist.  Those seven years of scrutinizing ECSD business is more than some current board members’ tenures. This experience will enable me to hit the ground running while preserving an essential eagle’s eye view of where ECSD has been and, more importantly, where it is going and how it can achieve its vision of excellence in all aspects of education.

 

 

Four running for Spring school board election.

There will be four people running for the spring school board election.  They are  Sandy Spanton Nelson, Kris Schmidt, Melissa Hammann, and Incumbent Eric Busse.

That’s is excellent amount of people running for school board, very impressive.

I feel very strongly that’s Melissa Hammann is the best candidate for the one school board opening.  Melissa and I do not see eye to eye on every issue.  There are several issues we’re really do not agree on.  Melissa is extremely knowledgeable about school board issues.  Everything from budget to programs.
She has gone to almost every school board meeting for years. She used to be on the school board.

The last time I knew it was not allowed for teachers to run for school board I would think that would also include school subs.

We have found Eric Busse to be a very ineffective school board member.  He needs to go.

We will be covering this election as it goes.

Please READ Melissa’s Hammann’s article’s in The Review.. Should Johnny turn in his home work?

I had waited for this week’s paper to come out.   Keep in mind that the Review is not always some thing I buy, but I will buy it to read Melissa’s reports.

I have stated on here before and I will state again, she is the one to be reporting on the school and school board issues.  She understands the numbers and the in’s and out’s better than anyone else in town, not including current board members.( O.K. maybe she even understands it better than a couple of them.)

I am beginning to think she understands the budgets better than the administrators.

I would like to know WHY THE ADMINISTRATION is allowed to disrespect the school board members like they have and continue to do.

IF you follow Melissa’s reports , or have sat in on a meeting, or are familiar with administration , MOST people who hold a job and have dead lines to meet or get canned.   MOST of  us wonder why the school board has to ask NUMEROUS times for reports or SURVEYS about why people are leaving the district.

The board has asked many times for different reports from administration..  and NEVER gotten them.

HOW is it administration continues to  be allowed to not turn in what is really their assignment by the board?     SHOULD our students not turn in home work if they do not feel it is necessary?

The attitude shown by our administrators towards the school board is just plain DISRESPECTFUL.

Should our children treat teacher’s and administrators the way the administrators have treated members of the board?     IF kids treated them like they treated the board there would be a flood of detentions for disrespect.

WHY IS administration so afraid to talk about the budget of extra curricular and really if Scott Everson does not have any thing more intelligent to say than ” equal is not necessarily fair.” he should probably just sit there and be quite.

So the board is not allowed to ask simple questions with out a dodge and duck answer&  attitude from the administration.

READ Melissa’s article’s in this week’s REVIEW.       I will tell you the article on the budget is very informative. ..  nothing beats being there but Melissa’s article makes one feel as though they are, very informative.

Please also read the 2nd article on Co and extra curricular activities and contracts.

Related articles

• LONG Board Meeting on May 14 Was a Breath of Fresh Air – Melissa’s thoughts on May 14th’s board meeting. (chasinthenews.wordpress.com)
• Open Letter to Superintendent Schulte in Janesville . Written by Melissa Hammann (chasinthenews.wordpress.com)
• Madison School Board passes budget (channel3000.com)
• REWIND : What Does G.P.A. Mean To You? Why was the bar set so low. (chasinthenews.wordpress.com)