Policies, policies everywhere...

...but how the heck does one find them?

Over the last several years, what have we learned about the Sun Prairie school board? We've learned that they like to talk the talk, but rarely walk the walk. They TALK and TALK about Community Engagement, but they only LISTEN if you come to the microphone to sing their praises or to support their decisions.

They TALK about Community Engagement. They even established a Community Engagement Task Force. More talk. Even less action.

This board of seven elected representatives --key word there--- was elected to LISTEN to WE the people, and support OUR wishes. Well, if they wont listen to us the easy way, then perhaps it's time to get their attention via a mechanism they better understand: their own policies.

Our buddy Webster defines policy as:

1 a: prudence or wisdom in the management of affairs b: management or procedure based primarily on material interest

2 a: a definite course or method of action selected from among alternatives and in light of given conditions to guide and determine present and future decisions b: a high-level overall plan embracing the general goals and acceptable procedures especially of a governmental body

We suggest that more of the community needs to (A) familiarize themselves with the school board policies and then (B) hold the board's collective feet to the fire when they violate them (which seems to occur more frequently than situations in which they STICK to their policy. And, if we find policies to be inadequate, unacceptable, or just plain non-existent, then we need to speak up and demand that they be changed.

Wait. Hold the phone there, Zippy. How exactly does one even find school board policies of interest? The board has developed an alien language construct with which to catalog their policies. Making matters worse, their seemingly web-friendly "search our policies" feature actually doesn't limit its search to JUST policies. It searches pretty darn near everything, even pulling up meeting minutes from 5 or more year. How frustrating is it when you want to search on policies using a phrase like "public record" only to find hundreds of matches, none of which is what you seek?

So we need a road map to their policies, don't we? Other schools have clear transparency of their policy manual. SP-EYE checked out several local school district websites as well as districts that are of similar size to Sun Prairie for the comparative ease of finding policies. Surprise! Nearly all had a link to the entire manual on the home page of the district website! Most had a simple numerical system and a complete listing of all policies by section with hyperlinks to the actual policy. For a school district that likes to pat itself on the back for its technology prowess, Sun Prairie falls shamefully far from the mark. Check it out:

Here's Sun Prairie''s system for reviewing policy:



Beloit
http://www.sdb.k12.wi.us/
http://www.sdb.k12.wi.us/boardpolicy/


Madison
http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/boe/
http://www.madison.k12.wi.us/policies/



Middleton-Cross Plains
http://www.mcpasd.k12.wi.us/
http://www.mcpasd.k12.wi.us/proceduremanual.admin.cfm


Stevens Point
http://www.wisp.k12.wi.us/
http://www.wisp.k12.wi.us/education/components/docmgr/default.php?sectiondetailid=4580


Waunakee
http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/
http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/Policies.cfm


Wauwatosa
http://www.wauwatosa.k12.wi.us/
http://www.wauwatosa.k12.wi.us/policies.cfm\

YOU BE THE JUDGE. Do we measure up?

If you think our website needs some work, give a schoolboard member a call or e-mail --or even tell them at a meeting--and let them know.

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3 School Board slots- Time to get signatures!

It's that time again, folks! As of Monday December 1, candidates for spring elections can begin to circulate nomination papers.

There are 3 school board seats up this April. The two candidates with the highest number of votes will each be awarded a 3-year term; the candidate coming in 3rd will be awarded a 1-year term, serving the last year of Jim Carrel's slot:
School board seats up for grabs:

John Whalen
Terry Shimek
Al Slane

The buzz is that John Whalen has had enough and will be saying "When"; our sources suggest he will NOT be running for re-election. It's likely, however, that Shimek and Slane will want to make their temporary positions more permanent.

This school district is sorely in need of candidiates that will speak freely, ask tough questions, and NOT rubber stamp approval of each and every district administration desire.

How does one go about running for office?
You can pick up a package of required forms at the District office. But...in doing so, you will be declaring your intent to the school district administration. They will likely size you up and if you are perceived as a threat to the continued status quo, board members will just as likely actively seek out a more "like-minded" candidate to run.

Alternatively, you can "fly under the radar" by obtaining papers on your own and file your completed paperwork at the very last minute. You'll need 100 signatures of school district residents age 18 years or older. You'll also need an official "Declaration of Candidacy" form, which must be notarized) and a "Campaign Registration Statement" form. This last form is pretty easy....sign that you will spend less than $1000 on your campaign, and no filing of campaign finances is required. It's tough to run a campaign that cost more than a couple of hundred dollars--and you can even run without spending a dime.

Nomination papers (Form EB-169, 10 signatures per page).
Form EB-169

Declaration of Candidacy (Form EB-162)
Form EB-162

Campaign Registration statement (Form EB-1)
Form EB-1

More information on how to run for local elected office in Wisconsin:
UW Extension Guide: How To Run For Office

SAGE Compliance Questioned

Culver: "I'm accountable; I'm responsible for SAGE compliance"

A review of the district's SAGE program was on the agenda for a joint meeting of the school board's Finance and Education & Policy committees this past Monday evening. Alice Murphy and her staff presented a nice report detailing the accomplishments of the SAGE program including metrics they have devised to evaluate the program.

District resident John Welke, who requested the agenda item, spoke about the value of the program as he has experienced it through his own children's participation in SAGE classes at Bird elementary. Mr. Welke had high praise for Murphy and the SAGE program. His only concern was that, based on 3rd Friday counts over the past 6 years, Sun Prairie has not been in compliance with SAGE program guidelines. Welke expressed concern that non-compliance could jeopardize the nearly $500K annual state aid which the district receives for participation in SAGE. He asked for accountability, and he asked for responsible management of the program.

That's when a visibly angered Culver stepped to the microphone and tried to wave off Welke's data and statements, claiming that Welke had requested the SAGE program agenda item with "ulterior motives". Culver went on to state that he had had discussions and e-mail correspondence with DPI staffers and he assured the audience that "Sun Prairie is in perfect compliance".

Now that is an absolutely clear example of the district's philosophy of "community engagement". (You see, of course how many of the recommendations that came out of the Community Engagement Task Force have been enacted...NONE!) Sure...Culver and the school board are all sunshine and roses when someone agrees with them or supports their private agenda...but just try to raise an issue of concern, and their fangs come out. Then they use their wonderful "We get the last word" policy and tell the listening and viewing audience that the speaker is in error, has ulterior motives, or in some other way attempts to malign their character.

When is the school board going to stop circling the wagons around Culver and start realizing that you can jam dirty laundry into some back closet, but eventually it starts to stink up the whole joint? Is there even ONE board member with sufficient vertebral structure to stand up and say, "We have some dirty laundry, and it's time to get it to cleaned up before stains set in"?


Welke's data is both real and accurate (Just look at the number of exceedances (in red) in the graphic summary.) And it requires a strong response from the school board. And we don't mean one of their typical, "the citizen is wrong and we fully support Dr. Culver and all his faux pas" responses.

The definition of "Class Size" under state law....SAGE LAW – s.118.43, Wisconsin Statutes – says, " In this section:(a) "Class size" means the number of pupils assigned to a regular classroom teacher on the 3rd Friday of September."

The law doesn't say that you are in compliance if the average of class size is 15 or less--although that's an "interpretation" that other school districts, perhaps including Sun Prairie, have tried. Hey...that's an idea! If you ever get pulled over for speeding, just say, "But...officer, on AVERAGE my speed is under the posted limit." See what that line of reasoning gets you.

In fact, when you look at the average class sizes for each grade in the data above, it doesn't take a genius to realize that if the average is above 15.0, then AT LEAST 1 class at each grader level had to be above 15. That's called non-compliance. In fact, you could have 2 classes of 15, 1 class of 14, and a 4th classd of 16, and THAT would average out to 15.0. But you would STILL have one class that violates the INTENT of the law. And nowhere does the law say "on average" class sizes must be 15:1.

Culver and Frei both indicated that they have "had discussions with DPI" and that "Sun Prairie is in compliance. Please note folks, that even IF the DPI has chosen not to enforce the law (as Culver and Frei allege) , it doesn't mean that non-compliance is acceptable. Compliance with the law and enforcement of the law are two mutually exclusive issues. Just as one naturally slows down upon sight of a state trooper in the median, whether or not DPI is enforcing the law, Sun Prairie needs to remain in compliance with it.

The law is the law, and our school board and district administration need to comply with the law TO THE LETTER. What kind of a message does it send to our children when the adults in authority use weasel words and twisted logic to rationalize that they are in compliance with law when they are not?

And...it's not like complying with the law is so difficult. If a district exceeds even ONE SAGE classroom size limit on the 3rd Friday in September, a request for waiver must be filed. The school board will have to hold a public hearing on the matter, and following the hearing, they signify approval and the waiver gets submitted. As long as the district, in the waiver request, indicates to DPI that it has a plan for dealing with the class sizes greater than 15:1, certainly the waiver will get approved.

The DPI sent a letter to all school districts recently to clarify what class size compliance means:
DPI letter to all school districts on SAGE class size compliance

A key excerpt of this letter states,

Dear District Administrator:
Recently, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) received several requests for information and clarification in relation to the SAGE class size requirement. The intent of this correspondence is to clarify the class size requirement.

State law requires schools in the SAGE program to maintain [emphasis
added] class sizes of 15:1 in grades K-3. SAGE funding is intended to
supplement, not supplant, the local cost of maintaining these class sizes. This
requires a significant local commitment to the educational value of small class
sizes including the allocation of local and federal funds necessary to meet the
SAGE class size requirement.

Given the current economic pressures, as well as classroom space limitations facing many schools, some SAGE class sizes may have gradually increased over time. If your district is not in compliance with the class size requirement, your district must submit a SAGE waiver request to the DPI. This also includes schools that reduce class sizes in core subject areas only (reading/language arts and
mathematics.

So...will the school board be like Spike Lee and do the right thing? Or will they simply circle the wagons and establish a perimeter of defense around Tim Culver? Where are the sanctions when the district administrator violates board policy?

Is Board Docs a Board duck?

If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck, it just might be a duck.

On Tuesday of this week, school board members sat down from some training on the new "BoardDocs", web-based, electronic school board meeting and documentation system.

The decision to use BoardDocs was an idea hatched by former school board member Jim Carrel after seeing a demonstration at an annual school board conference. The school board voted to purchase the software, licensing, lap top computers---at significant cost to the district--in December 2007. The plan was to launch the system this past September. Obviously, that has not transpired.

At least one district resident attended the training session and offered the following commentary:

Individual board members are unable to type in their version of how a motion they wish to make should be worded and have it shown to all including the public. So as a discussion was carried on, various wording due to suggested changes could be lined through and new words added. to develop an understandable, acceptable and usable motion. Board members have to ignore their laptops and verbally tell one person who controls that part of the program, or send that person a note and wait for that person to type in the words, and let the one who authored the motion see if it is correct. [SP-EYE: THAT represents progress?]

The impressive terms tossed about describing in general a non detailed idea of having an electronic Board setup a year ago, was blindly approved back in December. Without the required detailed planning such activity demands, if there were solid projected budget figures set by the board, they will be exceeded big time. [ SP-EYE: Does anyone wonder how much this project has cost to-date??? ]

One huge problem: the BoardsDocs people do not convert the existing polices to the format for their program, this massive job must be done by district staff. At this late date, having already spent a ton of taxpayers money and time, there is no time line set up to complete the conversion needed to implement this so called electronic board meeting capability.

[ SP-EYE: We can see the writing on the wall...they'll want to hire more staff!!! ]

The talk back in January was training in July, up and running in September. [ SP-EYE: Talk is cheap. ]

Board members were told at this meeting they had an 800 number so any problem would be responded to 24/7 and by people who spoke English! BUT when [board member]Jill [Camber-Davidson] could not enter her password and the Board Docs rep used her cell phone, she could not contact any one to solve that problem during the "training" session!! [ SP-EYE: Oh...that sure bodes well! ]

SP-EYE: Can you say "boondoggle, boys and girls? Sure. I knew you could!

"I was amazed at the lack of flexibility coupled with the need to funnel information, ideas or changes wanted through one control person."
-Sun Prairie school district resident.

BoardDocs can certainly be a viable board meeting management system, but it requires a district and board that are very heavily tech-savvy. Compare our district website to other area districts,...or to district of similar size and judge for yourself whther we can make BoardDocs work or whether it will be another Board boondoggle. This was Jim Carrel's baby, who was very technically skilled, but he is also very gone.

More fuzzy math....

At the FTT meeting last Monday, attendees and committee members were told that the "total savings" on the Creekside Elementary construction project amounted to $718,200.

Yeah, team...right? Not so fast. We're as jazzed about cost saving as the next guys, but let's un-spin this tale and take a harder look at the numbers.

Total amount authorized by referendum........... $14,675,000
Total cost (to-date) to build/equip Creekside... $14,559,900
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Actual cost savings............................................... $ 115,100


Hey....we're not knocking it. ANY costs savings is a huge thing the way this school district spends money. But...but... where did they come up with this $718,200, cost saving number?

Here's the rest of the story. When they borrow money for the construction, they borrowed it all at once (unlike the high school, where the money is being borrowed in 3 equal installments of $32M each). Obviously, the whole $14.6M wasn't spent all at once. So....we--- the district ---actually earned some interest on the construction money squirrelled away. The total interest earned was $603,1000.

So the real story is:

Actual cost savings............................................... $ 115,100
Interest earned..................................................... $ 603,100
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total $$$ returned to the taxpayers.....................$ 718,200

So...in the inimitable style of the board/district, they want to be congratulated for a savings amount 80% of which is purely due to interest earned.

Food for thought:

1. How much of the "true" $115K savings was directly related to imput from the "Construction Manager" we hired....and paid $$7300 per month from November 2007 through September 2008. And how does that aproximately $83,000 we paid the construction manager factor into the cost savings?

2. Given that we banked/invested the $32M bond funds for the high school borrowed to-date and the state of the nation's investment structure, did we lose any of the money we have borrowed to-date?

THE HEAT IS ON!

Thanks to a very detailed, factual, citizen-submitted Situation Report outlining what precisely was achieved from last March's boundary decision, the fires are crackling once again under the school board.

"I feel the heat on me right now."

- school board member Caren Diedrich

The only question is, if Town of Bristol resident (and situation report author) John Welke saw so crystally clear that the actions taken by the board accomplished little--if not nothing, then why didn't the board? Why did it take a resident, instead of a board member, to raise this issue?

Mr. Welke's well-researched situation report identified the following problems resulting from the boundary decisions made last March:

• Only 17 Students of the District Office’s projected 53 students actually transferred from CH Bird to Westside.


• There was no significant reduction in F\R lunch percentages or balance in socio-economics at Westside as a result of the student movement from CH Bird to Westside.


• There was no significant space created at CHB to get below the schools capacity and create a long term solution to the schools attendance numbers and projected growth.


• The total number of “instructional classrooms” at CHB currently being used this school year has not been reduced.


• The District office, based on their policies and the lack of reasonable interpretation of their policies, forced younger siblings of "grandfathered" students to be separated even though there was room for them at CH Bird.


• The Free and Reduced (F&R) Lunch percentage increased at CH Bird School.


• The description of the affected area in the Town of Bristol is flawed.


• The affected area has created an island without what most people would consider a “neighborhood school”.


• Area developers report that new construction in Bristol Gardens has been slowed primarily due to the instability of the school boundaries and the lack of a true neighborhood school...NOT the economic slump that is currently occurring.


• Loss of public trust in the school district/school board and increased open- enrollments out of the school district

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After hearing from a number of residents who supplemented Mr. Welke's facts with anecdotal evidence, the board unanimously approved the following motions:

1. Require the Policy and Education Committee to review Voluntary Placement and Extreme Circumstances policies and practices so that they are in line with the spirit of “Connectedness” and are sympathetic to student and family needs.

2. Convene a special school board work session to discuss approaches that might ensure a more permanent, successful resolution to overcrowding of particular schools.


Read the full text of Mr. Welke's Situation report in the Board package for 11-10-08.

Principal injured in accident?

Sadly, during Monday night's (Nov. 10) school board meeting, CH Bird Elementary principal Chad Wiedmeyer was tossed under the bus by Tim Culver and Phil Frei. Early reports did not indicate the extent of injuries Mr. Wiedmeyer received.

During the boundaries discussion prompted by a Situation Report offerred by Town of Bristol resident John Welke, Mr. Welke asked why a designated science room was still being used as a classroom. This had been a point of contention during the recent boundaries fiasco.

Last March, the overcrowded state of Bird elementary was emphasized by district staff statements that designated specific areas for specialized curriculum, such as the "science" room, had to be used for classrooms. The school board and district staff both favored boundary changes that would reduce overcrowding at Bird allowing these specialized instruction areas to be used for their intended purposes. Mr. Welke pointed out that the science room continues to be requisitioned for classroom space as Bird is STILL over-capacity. Mr. Welke asked who made the decision to use these specialized instruction areas for classrooms.

Tim Culver turned to Phil Frei and asked Mr. Frei for an answer. Frei then stated loudly and clearly that, "it's the principal's decision to use the science room for regular classroom space".

At that moment, Culver and Frei, who both have waxed prophetically about the importance of caring and support for their employees during discussions about spending tax dollars on flowers and memorials, carelessly tossed principal Wiedmeyer under the bus.

Gee....so THAT's how we show that we care about the district employees? Isn't Culver the one who's ultimately responsible for all district decisions? If Culver and Frei disagreed with Mr. Wiedmeyer's decision to use the science room as needed classroom space, why didn't they direct him not to do so? If Culver and Frei were unaware of the situation, shouldn't they have simply said, "We'll have to check into that and get back to you" (as is usually the case)? Couldn't they have simply taken Mr. Wiedmeyer (if allegations are tue) to the woodshed privately? Or were they more interested in saving their own derrieres in front of the school board? As they say in the wastewater treatment business..."stuff" rolls downhill. Guess the hill stopped at Mr. Wiedmeyer.

Poor form, Misters Culver and Frei.


Oh, yeah...and Mr. Wiedmeyer turned 40 last weekend! Happy Birthday, Mr. Wiedmeyer. We hope you got a "Get Out of the Woodshed Free" card as a gift.

See? Sometimes the board/district CAN listen and act quickly!!!

Rick Mealy reports receiving this invoice (see below)in Thursday's mail. Mealy has waged a battle against the forces of fiscal irresponsibility for sometime. First at the Finance Committee and then at the October 27th school board meeting, Mealy implored the board to cease using taxpayer dollars to pay for memorials/floral arrangements when a family member of a school district employee passes.

Seeing the board about to adopt its usual attituide towards anyone that challenges it, Mealy threw up a Hail Mary and asked that if the board was "hell bent to spend the taxpayers' money uinappropriately", then Mealy offerred to pay for the memorials out of his own pocket.

And there, ladies and gentlemen, you have a first. The board/district acted both quickly and decisively, and proceeded to send the following invoice to Mealy.



SP-EYE caught up with Mealy, who had the following to say about the whole sordid affair,

"Al Slane talked about how he contacted the WASB [WI Association of School Boards] and WASB indicated that memorials could certainly be considered costs associated with operating schools. Good one, Al! That's like asking John McCain if he thinks Sarah Palin is qualified to be President. Geeez....what's next? Asking the students if they think they should be given homework?"


For pity sake...stop trying so hard to justify a bad decision. Two weeks ago, Business Services Manager Rhonda Page said that if the taxpayers want to stop using tax funds for memorials then the school board needs to change the policy. HELLO! I see that the lights are on, but is anybody really home?? The policy says that the District Administrator MAY purchase flowers or memorials. It doesnt say he HAS to. It's a choice.

They say it's only a small amount of money, but you know what? What REALLY does sending a $30 plant do for someone that's lost a loved one? If it's the thought that counts, then send a personal note and skip the plant. Use the money to pay for books or something that will DIRECTLY aid in the education of our kids.

Is this retribution? Mealy was asked.

"Several people have suggested that it might be, but I'd like to think the board and district administration are above that kind of behavior. But who knows?" I said I'd pay for them and I will....better me than the entire community have to be part of this mess. Gee...now not only do I get to pay my own taxes, but parts of other people's as well!", Mealy responded.

Sometimes it has to be done.

Former NFL MVP and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had to do it. And may have to do it gain. According to reports, Colts QB Peyton Manning also had to do it....several times. Neither one of them really wanted to do it. But it had to be done. What did they do? Why did they do it? And what in tarnation does this have to do with the Sun Prairie School Board?

What both QBs had to do was undergo surgery to clean out an infection that developed following recent surgical procedures on their knees. Their doctors were the highest paid and most qualified in their field. Yet, infection developed nonetheless. Failure to go back in and clear the infection could have led to permanent damage to their knees.

As Hawkeye Pierce would say, the Sun Prairie school board performed the equivalent of meatball surgery using a rusty machete when they implemented boundary changes this past spring. Infection is running rampant, and the whole goal of performing the surgery has not and will not be achieved. It's time that our school board of boundary surgeons gets back into the OR and perform corrective surgery to address the situation. We're afraid that the patient's "finger" needs to be amputated.

1. Only about 19 Students of the District Office’s projected 53 students transferred from CH Bird to Westside.

2. There was no significant space created at CHB to get below the schools capacity and create a long term solution to the schools attendance numbers and projected growth. Bird remains OVERcapacity. To compound this issue there are currently at least 4 elementary shuttles that transfer students from school to school because their home school did not have room for them.

3. The total number of "instructional classrooms" at CHB currently being used this school year has not been reduced. The DO staff indicated in a presentation to the board and the community that CHB was only designed and built for 24 "instructional classrooms". The DO asserted negatively that "rooms originally designed for Science (Room #21) and Special Ed (Room #38) have been converted to instructional classrooms". Despite this stated concern Room #21 is still being used as an instructional classroom housing a 2nd grade class and Room #38 is also still being used as an instructional classroom housing a 3rd grade class. Meanwhile instructional classroom #15, one of the largest and newest classrooms in the building, is only being used intermittently for specialized classes and instruction. Eastside elementary ALSO continues to use non-instructional space for classrooms.

Meanwhile....

• at least 8 classrooms at the lovely new Creekside elementary sit gathering dust. There is only a single 5th grade class!
• Creekside is barely half full and somehow is being allowed to operate as if it were a 3rd SAGE school with less than 15 students per class on average in grades K-2.
• Northside, Eastside and Bird schools are either over capacity or within a handful of students of being at capacity.
• Westside sits at 70% capacity.
• the socio-economic balance between schools has not changed.
• a neighborhood had been torn apart...despite rallying cries of the school board that all their boundary decisions are made to retain "neighborhood" schools
• the approval rating of the school board is lower that President Bush's

With the economic slow-down, projected to last through 2009, it's clear that the build-out of Smith's Crossing is not going to populate Creekside significantly for years.

School Board members, take a memo: It's long past time to prep the patient for another surgery on the boundaries. Don't let this infection fester any further. Prep "the finger" for amputation.

Kids being shuttled OUT of brand new school?

This is a tale of two lists. One list was provided with the school board packets for 10-27-08. The other was requested of the District on 10/24/08.

The reason for the request was that several individuals reported to SP-EYE that students were being shuttled OUT of the brand new Creekside elementary.

Ludicrous, you say! Creekside is a brand new school that is barely half-full! There's no WAY the district would be shuttling students OUT of Creekside. Or is there? Stranger things have happened in this school district. When you get less than 40 residents of voting age to attend the annual elector's meeting, it can look pretty easy to slide one by the goalie.

That sounds like one of those political ads that can only be deciphered after a visit to FactCheck.org.

The list below is taken directly from the "Sun Prairie Area School District Enrollment Breakdown" Reported dated 10-1-08:

THEN, we have the OTHER list received on 11-1-08 in response to an open records request:

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Can't you just see Tom Cruise grilling Jack Nicholson in "A Few Good Men",

"Why the two lists, colonel?"

Simple error? Sure. Could be. But the list actually gives bus names associated for the Creekside to Westside run. That seems a tad less error-y, doesn't it?

Conspiracy theorists might suggest that there is some value in trucking kids over to Westside because it is a SAGE school. For every child (as of the 3rd Friday count), grades K-3, in a SAGE school that is eligible for free or reduced price lunch ("F/R"), the school district receives $2,250 in state aids. But no one would actually believe such a thing. We're just sayin'.

Whatever the reasons, be this a simple error....or something else, do you hear something? That voice coming from the other room? "Luuuuuccccyyyyy...you have some 'splainin' to do!"

Gathering dust?

The Sun Prairie school board and district made a significant technological leap with the completion of Creekside elementary. Each of 24 classrooms was equipped with "Smartboards", electronic blackboards that facilitate learning.

Smartboards are part of the district's "Classroom 2010" plan. The plan is to eventually install Smartboards into every classroom.



The question of the day is:
Why do we have 8 empty classrooms at Creekside where this great technology sits and gathers dust?

What did the boundary changes accomplish?

A great letter in the the October 30th edition of the STAR asks the Sun Prairie School Board the question,

"What did you accomplish with the March 2008 Boundary changes?"

We have ONE answer ladies and gentlemen:

A number of Bird parents got "the finger"!!!!

The facts are simple:
1. The board's boundary decision was designed to reduce overcrowding at Bird.
FACT: As of this year's 3rd Friday count, Bird remains 1 over capacity. Since then, MORE students have been added.

2. The board's boundary decision was designed to populate the new Creekside Elementary.
FACT: As of this year's 3rd Friday count, Creekside has 273 students with a capacity for 516. Why are we allowing a brand new school to be HALF FULL when Bird, Eastside, and Northside elementary are each at 98% capacity or MORE? You'll be told that the projected complete Smith's crossing Development calls for 357 students in the neighborhood. HELLO! Can you say economic downturn? And the PLANNED build out was for 10 years from now! And even with 357 neighborhood students, that's still only 70-75% of capacity.

3. The board's boundary decision was designed to make the "socio-economic balance" (READ: number of students eligible for free/reduced lunch) more equitable between schools.
FACT: The number students eligible for free/reduced price has changed from:
------Westside: 44% (48% last fall)
------Bird: 28% (27% last fall)
------Royal Oaks: 11% (10% last fall)
------Creekside: 32%

All this heartache results in the move of just 19 students (not 53, as projected) from Bird to Westside.

As Jeff Probst would say, "Worth playing for?"