Candidate Wordles

They're called "tag clouds". The theory is that they can give a good representation of what someone is all about. Or ....at least...provide some interesting insight...kind of a "come inside my mind".

How they work
The more frequently a word is spoken (printed) the greater that word's size appears in the 'tag cloud'. What one can glean from that is that the larger the word, the more importance it holds for the speaker.

How we did it
We took candidate answers to questions posed by the STAR, the Isthmus/League of Women Voters, and SP-EYE. Obviously, since Diedrich and McCourt refused to respond to the latter two, we had less to work with. So...keep that in mind.

We also removed any references to other candidates (admittedly, it was kind of creepy that Diedrich and McCourt must have frequently referred to one another....make of that what you will).

Finally, we removed the words "school, schools, and board" because they kept popping up.

What was left, we found...well...interesting. Here they are...

ok...so maybe McCourt never really said "seabass". How did that get in there!

Not ONE Thin Dime...

Last Monday the school board played their own version of the once popular gameshow "Supermarket Sweep". This was more like "Referendum Sweep". As reported previously, just shy of $1.2 MILLION dollars was left after all construction was completed and we took over ownership of the $100M new high school, pool, and conversion of the existing high school to an upper middle school for grades 8 and 9.

Given the demeanor of taxpayers who came out in droves to the annual meeting last year, you might think our school board became educated enough to "throw 'em a bone" and return some of the surplus.

Not happening.

In fact, the only non-incumbent candidate for election to the school board next Tuesday, John Welke, has made a case for returning SOME of the surplus funds to the taxpayer. OK...Al Slane has more quietly discussed the idea...but no one heard ANYTHING about giving any back to the taxpayers last Monday night.

Of course, the board will tell you that it's not a good thing to do because it cuts your taxes by only pennies. What they don't tell you is that is we put some of that $330,000 "reserve fund" against debt services, we would reduce 20 YEARS of interest. And that, folks, matters.

Endorsements Are All The Rage...

Yep...it's that time .... anyone who's anyone is handing out endorsements.
Well....maybe it's time that SP-EYE got in the game.

Let's start with a summary look at the candidates...

John Welke
John made a more than respectable run as a write-in candidate last year. Since then, he's kicked it into overdrive. He secured a position as citizen representative on the school board's FT&T Committee, and presented more situation reports than any board member in the past 3 years. This is a guy that not only wants to TALK about the issues affecting Sun Prairie, but also DO something. What he doesn't puff his chest out about is even more credit-worthy. He IS involved in the schools as a WATCHDOG and with the community through youth ministries. In addition, his law enforcement background makes him a top-shelf candidate that is beyond reproach. He's clearly a proactive guy vying to change the operating philosophy of a very reactive board. Welke will demand accountability from district administration and will speak loudly and clearly for board transparency and being good stewards of our tax dollars.

Al Slane
SP-EYE has had a "Love-Like-Wanta Smack Him Upside the Head" thing going with ole Albert. There are many times when Al has stepped up to the plate, and a few others where we want to throttle him--figuratively speaking, of course. Mr. Slane took a brief vacation a few weeks back--first in some time, we understand--and he seems to have come back all re-energized like a US Cellular battery swap. Subsequently, we like what we have seen. The fact that he and his ideas are not getting a lot of love from fellow board members perhaps underscores the merits of his ideas. They want the status quo...and Al seems to be stepping out from their shadows. Good for him. We are very hopeful for Al's future, but need to see a little more from him in terms of making sure that things get on the table and discussed.

Caren Diedrich
When she's not sitting at the board table, Caren is a genuinely likable woman. Unfortunately, when she IS at the board table, the Koolaid flows mightily through her veins. On the one hand, we like that she speaks her mind freely...rather than some other board members that just look at what the majority does and then echo that sentiment. On the other hand, a lot of what she says is really out there. Or...if things don't go her way, she gets a little bit pouty with a "I'm going to take my basketball and go home" 'tude. Case in point the vote this past week regarding the piano. Seeing the other 6 had voted to fund a piano (which she did not favor), Diedrich's response, when called for vote, was , "It doesn't matter...I'm not going to vote". We also have a bit of a problem with her recent statements that she and the board "shut off certain community members when they get up to speak". You may not like their message, Caren, but they ARE community residents and you OWE them your attention. Ms. Diedrich also did not provide any response to questionnaires provided by both SP-EYE and The Isthmus/Dane Co. League of Women Voters. That indicates either a sense of entitlement, or less than valiant effort to be reelected. Neither is good. Finally...we think 12 years of one person's opinion on ANY board is enough.

Jim McCourt
It's abundantly clear that Mr. McCourt would much prefer to be either dining on sea bass or working on his latest business project than putting in even a half-hearted effort on the school board. He misses too many meetings (more than 25%) without a real reason. He's been absent for some of the biggest issues taken up by the board. We simply have too many significant issues to resolve in the district to continue to accept a board member that can, at best, offer only 3/4 of his attention. Like Ms. Diedrich, McCourt also did not provide any response to questionnaires provided by both SP-EYE and The Isthmus/Dane Co. League of Women Voters. He is also is quoted to have been very lukewarm about even running for re-election. He clearly is not actively campaigning in any way. Actually, only Welke is showing any real interest in running for the position. Perhaps all 3 incumbents are running on a sense of entitlement. This is not a guy that is serious about the school board...so why should we seriously consider him as a candidate?

...and the vote goes to...
Whatever you do, cast a vote for John Welke. This board needs change, and Welke has proven that he's a leader that can effect positive change within the district.

IF YOU WANT TO SEND A MESSAGE LOUDLY & CLEARLY:
Vote John Welke
Write-In: Al Borland
Write-In: Jill Taylor

Which ONE Incumbent Deserves your vote?
Al Slane clearly and distinctly has earned another kick at the cat. He's only had a year, and has shown the most growth as a board member. Toss Albert a bone, but either leave that last space blank...or better yet...cast your 3rd vote for Al Borland or Jill Taylor. You know those two are not afraid to say, "I don't think so, Tim!"

SP-EYE's ballot
We're sending a message to the board. We're afraid the board might have forgotten last fall and the fact that WE elect THEM to represent US. We think ole' Al(bert) Slane will be just fine without our vote. Unlike the board, SP-EYE has faith that the community is far smarter than the board gives them credit for, and we're sure the community knows that Al Slane is worth saving.

Girls Basketball: GAME ON!!!!

************************ PRESS RELEASE *****************************
Date: 3/23/2010

Subject: Sun Prairie Girl's Basketball

The Sun Prairie Education Association will be filing a grievance regarding the non-renewal of basketball coach Liz Hrodey in the very near future. The grievance will look into the proper application of the collective bargaining agreement. We believe some of the provisions of this agreement may not have been followed in this situation. This is an unfortunate situation for everyone involved but it is important that proper evaluation procedures are followed to insure situations like this do not occur in the future.

No further comments will be made public until the grievance procedure has been completed.

Respectfully Yours,

Brad Lutes
S.P.E.A. President

Incumbent Collage: Caren Diedrich

Meet 5-term (15 years) school board member Caren Diedrich, who is currently up for re-election. It's no secret that Ms. Diedrich is unabashedly a fan of Dr. Culver's.

Caren is perhaps most noted for her shouting match with Bristol residents during the "Boundary Wars" fiasco. As the STAR has pointed out, she is also known for her "different" ideas. During the high school quandary, for example, Diedrich--quite seriously--suggested building two school and separating the kids by gender rather than sides of the town.

Diedrich also staunchly defended the rationale for NOT bidding the architecture work for Horizon, Creekside, and the High School/Pool/Upper Middle School projects. That's nearly $150M of building. At an average architectural fee of 5%, that's a cool $7.5M in the architect's pocket. We DID get a 0.5% break on Creekside since it was basically built using the same plans as Horizon. Not to mention the fact that bidding the architecture might have provided the district with lower priced, yet equally fancy designs. Of course, we'll never know.

Another logic-defying argument Diedrich routinely makes is in regards to the "check approval" segment of Finance Committee meetings. You see, when a committee member suggests that a check NOT be approved, Diedrich always argues that the services have been rendered and therefore we need to pay for them. We agree that they should be paid for, Ms. Diedrich...just not on who should write the check. Regardless, if the committee's option is ONLY to approve all checks regardless of questions, what is the point of the process?

Perhaps the biggest indication that it's time for a change came during last night's vote on whether or not to commit funds to the pool hallway. When asked initially for her vote, she said (clearly frustrated), "Come back to me...I'm thinking". After the other 6 board members voted "Yes", it was Diedrich's turn again. This time, even more frustrated, her response was, "What's the point...there's already 6 votes...right...I'm not going to vote." Well, Caren, perhaps we should say, "What's the point" and not vote to re-elect you.

Based on what we've observed from Ms. Diedrich over the years, one might surmise the following:

Favorite Song: Tie: "Culver Moon" by Jackson Browne and "Bark at the Moon" by Ozzie Osbourne

Favorite Book: "Death of Common Sense" by Philip K. Howard

Favorite Poem: "The Death of Common Sense" by Lori Borgman

Favorite Movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (we suspect she's a closet Jack Nicholson fan)

Favorite Getaway Destination: Culver City, CA

Favorite time of day: 12:00 (AM or PM) ...Hands straight up, baby!

Favorite phase of the moon: Full moon , of course

Favorite Meal: Why, Culvers, of course!

======================================
SP-EYE: With all due respect to Ms. Diedrich, 15 years is enough--it's time to let someone else bring something new to the equation. Just check out the body language of her fellow board members. It's clear THEY want no part of her.

3 Years Later...Who Will The Star Endorse This Time?

Time travel back, if you will, just about 3 years ago to March 24, 2007

The STAR Editorial for this date read:

Jim McCourt
"Jim McCourt’s background as a small business owner as well as his attendance at Sun Prairie School Board meetings -- and his statements about bringing decorum back to the board -- will be welcome at the board table."
-Sun Prairie STAR Editorial 3-24-07 [emphasis added]

[cough... cough] Attendance at school board meetings? Editor Chris Mertes gets many things right. But Mertes didn't just miss the boat on this one. He missed the whole pier! Not only did McCourt only show for a handful of board meetings 3 years ago, but in 2009 his attendance record was 75%. So far in 2010, it's 60%. He's already missed the two biggest meetings of this year. As for decorum? Decorum can be over-rated. Give us a passionate discussion representing both sides of an issue any day over blind allegiance to whatever Culver wants.

McCourt was --IS -- chair of the Community Engagement Task Force, which hasn't met in nearly 2 years and hasn't adopted a single committee recommendation. One could argue that the valuable time of 21 committee members was simply wasted. McCourt was also hot to revise the entire board committee structure over a year ago. It appears that McCourt is a "Planner", not a "Do-er".

Caren Diedrich
"Caren Diedrich is a refreshing presence on the board. At times painstakingly honest and a little avant garde with her comments, Diedrich is an experienced treasurer on the board whose working knowledge will be missed if she is voted off the board. We believe she should be reelected. "
-Sun Prairie STAR Editorial 3-24-07 [emphasis added]

We get the "painstakingly honest"...and possibly even the "avant garde" comment. We suspect even her fellow board members might choose a couple of different words, however. As for Diedrich being a "refreshing presence"...WTF? Let's call a spade a shovel, why don't we? More often than not, her comments would officially be termed "OUT THERE", as in WAAAAAY Out There. If decorum means being disingenuous when desperate to say something nice about someone, then we're not a card carrying member of Decorum United Local 5150. As our mothers used to say..."If you can't find something nice to say about someone...then say nothing". What they never told us was the second part... "Don't stretch the truth completely out of shape just to say something nice about someone either!".

Here's looking forward to the STAR endorsements for school board. Let's keep it real this time, Chris.

Incumbent Collage: Jim McCourt

Meet school board member Jim McCourt, who is currently up for re-election. The main things we know about him from his board tenure are (1) given the opportunity, he prefers to dine on sea bass (at least when it's on the taxpayers' dime), and (2) he only attended 3 out of every 4 (75%) board meeting in 2009 and only 3 of 5 meetings (60%) so far in 2010.

Based on this information one might surmise the following:

Favorite CD/album: Jimmy Buffet's "Living and Dying in 3/4 Time"

Favorite Book: "Three Quarters Dead" by Richard Peck

Favorite Movie: Strauss: The King of Three-Quarter Time

Favorite Getaway Destination: A drive down I-75

Favorite Biblical verse: John 3:4 - "Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law"

Change in his pocket: 3 quarters, ya think?

Favorite Quote: The probability is that too many people are too stupid by three-quarters. - John Major

Favorite time of day: 9:00 (AM or PM) ...Three quarters to noon (or midnight)!

Favorite phase of the moon: Waning gibbous, or 3/4 moon on the down side

Favorite Meal: SEA BASS!

SP-EYE: With all due respect to Mr. McCourt, it seems that his start-up business needs more of his attention than he has to devote to the school board. These are trying times in our school district, and we need board members who can devote full time and energy to their board duties.

School Board Candidate Questions - Their Answers

...well...half the candidates responded, anyway.

Frankly, it came as no surprise to us that we didn't receive responses from Caren Diedrich or Jim (Seabass) McCourt. Ms. Diedrich even said quite clearly recently (on a Talk of the Town candidates segment) that "we" [the board] ignore certain community members. She also says she doesn't "do e-mail", yet we caught her publicly state that she sent e-mails to state representatives regarding school funding. Hmmmm.

As for Seabass....well...he's probably busy setting up his business. Heck...if I guy cant even make more than 2-3 out of every 4 school board meetings, how can we expect him to have time for trivial matters such as this...right?

YOU be the judge, people. And judge with your vote on April 6th. Which candidate(s) will best serve us --you--- for the next 3 years?

Besides...we figured you needed a break from all the girls basketball sappy crappy.

2010 SP-EYE School Board Candidate Questions and Answers

1. Please assign the school board a letter grade for its efforts in Community Engagement. Discuss the rationale for awarding that grade.

Al Slane: Grade: B-

The Board has made some strides since having the engagement task force, but has failed to make enough progress on the items that we took away from that process. I think we have done a better job of getting and listening to input as well as getting information out to the public. One issue is people are busy and don't tend to get involved in yet another activity unless there is an issue that directly affects them. When we talk about changing class size or dropping HS electives, people come out of the woodwork. One good thing that came from last years annual meeting and the cost cutting, is more people realize they need to be involved and be informed about what is going on. The Board can do a better job of keeping everyone involved.

John Welke: Grade: D
The only community engagement activity the board is involved with are reactive activities such as returning phone calls and emails and listening to district residents concerns at school board meetings. I believe that the board knows that this is a weakness for because in 2008 they authorized a group of community members to form the Community Engagement Task Force (CETF). The CETF was charged with making recommendations to the board on ways to increase the communication between the school board and the community. After a number of meetings and brain storming sessions the CETF made 6 recommendations to the school board that they thought would increase communication between the board and the community. Unfortunately, to date the board has not implemented any of the 6 recommendations. Normally I would give the board a “C” for at least being accessible to the public via phone and email but I cannot ignore the fact that they went to the extent of asking the CETF to give them ideas to increase community engagement and have not implemented any of their recommendation in the last 17 months. For that I give the school board below average grade of “D”.

Caren Diedrich: Did Not Respond

Jim McCourt: Did Not Respond
____________________________________________
2. If it were solely your decision (i.e., not a board of 7), what would your ideas be to address the growing socioeconomic diversity inequity in our elementary schools?

Al Slane:
I don't pretend to have the answer, but I think we need to be looking at how we address this issue as it continues to spread across the district. First we need to decide if SAGE is the answer or not. If it is, how do we maximize its benefits, since we can only have two SAGE schools. If it is not the answer, how do we restructure things to get the best outcome for all of the kids.

We also need to consider how inequity is creeping into the schools due to the ability of different parent groups to raise more or less money, and the fact that some schools are new. Equity is considered as items are updated, but we may need to be a little more creative in funding of school budgets to make sure things remain equitable.

John Welke:
To best address socio-economic disparity one must understand that there are short term and long term ways to address this issue.
Short Term: For the short term there are programs such as SAGE (Student Achievement Guaranteed in Excellence) and Schools of Hope that are designed to address schools with a high poverty rate and lower student achievement. Student achievement should be actively monitored and the staff and administration in those schools should be regularly consulted to see if there are any resources above and beyond the norm that the State or School District should be providing these schools to level the educational playing field.
Long Term: Several years ago the school board attempted to adjust the socio-economic imbalance between elementary schools during the redistricting process to populate Creekside Elementary. At the time the Board ignored the recommendations from the Boundary Task Force and the community and came up with their own boundary changes that they argued were to make long term socio-economic changes to balance out students of poverty. This process was flawed from the beginning because there were no clear objectives and the board rushed to make a decisions with unreliable information. Now the elementary schools are in a worse imbalance than before the boundary changes.

Looking ahead and working proactively, Elementary School number 8 will likely be needed for the 2014-15 school year which is not that far off. If balancing socio-economics at a time that there is already going to be boundary changes I would begin work immediately to identify the areas that were flawed in the last boundary change process. I would work towards identifying primary and secondary objectives for the next boundary change. I would have the district administration begin assembling information so that the board will get the most current information by which to make a well informed decisions. Perhaps the most critical piece of this preparation process would be to begin communicating with students, parents and community members that a boundary change is on the not-to-far horizon so that they can prepare for potential changes.

Caren Diedrich: Did Not Respond

Jim McCourt: Did Not Respond
__________________________________________
3. As we know, hindsight is 20:20. Look back on the past 3 years, tell us 3 things that the school board could/should have done differently.

Al Slane:
Unfortunately, not much hindsight is needed to know the previous boundary changes were not handled well. There are always unhappy people when boundaries are changed no matter how good a job is done, but the previous changes were handled so poorly, that we split up the community. Moving forward, there needs to be more of a process instead of making quick decisions because we are out of time.The pool was not treated as a first class citizen when it was forced to be a separate question on the last referendum. By doing so, it was never fully integrated into the high school, and we are now forced to add a pool hallway after it is completed in order to complete the task.

The lack of a football stadium at the new high school is another cost cutting decision, that with hindsight, appears to probably be the wrong decision (home games become away games at Ashley Field because there is no locker room facility at Ashley). Moving forward we will have to live with the decision until another solution presents itself.

John Welke:
The three things that the school board should have done differently over the last three years are:
1. Ensured competitive bidding for the architectural work on the New High School, pool and remodel of the “Upper Middle School”. For some reason the school board deemed the architect that was used was a “sole source provider” and did not utilize a competitive bidding process. This was a lost opportunity to potentially save taxpayers’ dollars.

2. Increased community engagement. In 2008 the Community Engagement Task Force (CETF) gave the school board 6 recommendations to increase community engagement. Unfortunately none of the 6 primary recommendations were implemented by the Board. The 6 recommendations from the CETF were:
Establish an on-going community engagement standing committee
Improve Board member accessibility
Leverage the Web (it is the future)
Establish on-going communication committee
Produce a professional, district-wide, visually appealing newsletter
Increase Key Communicator usage

3. The process to populate Creekside elementary school and establish new elementary school boundaries in 2007 was flawed in many ways. The decisions made by the board did not achieve the stated objectives other than populating Creekside. This process pitted district residents against each other and created a situation of diminished trust with the school district. I hope that the board will use lessons learned by the mistakes made with this situation as they move forward in preparation for the opening of elementary school #8 in 2014-15.

Caren Diedrich: Did Not Respond

Jim McCourt: Did Not Respond

_______________________________________________
4. 60% of middle schoolers earned honor roll status recently. Some feel it is a reflection of grade inflation. Do you agree? Do you feel that grade inflation is a significant issue in the district? Why or why not?

Al Slane:
Perhaps, but if you look at the WKCE data, the number of kids in the proficient and advanced category exceed the numbers of kids on the honor roll. The disconnect is should grading be based on a bell curve or based on what kids know. From there, you have to decide if proficient and advanced are equivalent to B's and A's. This is where the jury is still out for me, as proficient is a pretty wide sale.

I think grade inflation becomes more of an issue as you get into high school. This is something we can measure, as core grades should correlate to ACT scores, and we are doing more ACT-type testing moving forward (EPAS passed at 3-8 Board meeting). It is also important because kids going to college need to be prepared for how things work in the real world, where there is a curve, and sometimes, good people don't make the cut.

John Welke:
Grade inflation is an issue that has come up recently. During my campaign I have had an opportunity to talk with a number of district residents who have expressed their concerns in this area. There is no doubt that if one were to simply look at the number there are quite a few students that make the honor roll. I do not feel that I have enough information on this issue in order to make a well informed decision/opinion. I will say however that up to this point much of the focus has been on the seemingly high percentage of students making the Honor Roll. I guess what I would like to see is the grade distribution of the students NOT on the honor roll. I believe that bit of information would go a long way in providing a clearer picture for everyone whether or not there might be a valid concern over grade inflation.

Caren Diedrich: Did Not Respond

Jim McCourt: Did Not Respond
________________________________________________
5. Each year electors in the district have an opportunity to actively participate in the Annual Meeting. In October 2009 the community voted to reduce the proposed tax levy by $2M. The economy is not in that much better condition and the proposed levy will increase 8.6% to about $48.05M. If the community again reduces the levy from the proposed amount what will your position be?

Al Slane:
I would not be very happy, as the proposed budget is under the cap while opening two new schools, which was not easy to do. A large portion of the increase is due to the increase in the debt levy and the increased expense of opening the schools (more people), all of which the community voted for. If we had not added 4K last year, we would be in a much worse situation then we are today. I am in favor of trying to bring the budget in more by finding some more permanent cost savings, but it becomes increasingly difficult without cutting services, which many have been very vocal about maintaining. More important, in my opinion, is making changes to prepare for potential state cuts in future years.

John Welke:
First let me say that I was pleasantly surprised to see the active participation and higher than normal attendance at the 2009 Annual Meeting. Typically the Annual Meeting is poorly attended with little community input. At the 2009 meeting the message was clear that the community was hurting economically and they wanted some tax relief and voted accordingly. Fortunately the approved tax levy coupled with budget cuts and use of Fund Balance will be sufficient for the district to make it through this school year.

The current projected 8.6% levy increase for 2010-11 has me a little worried. As you accurately stated the economy is not in all that much better shape and I’m sure community members, now better informed about the annual meeting, may show up in force to try and trim the school district tax levy even more. If too much is cut at once from the tax levy it may not be sufficient to operate the school district without significant cuts in areas that will negatively affect student achievement.

I think that the school district budget can and should be trimmed and that this should be an ongoing process throughout the year. The school board should be involved at every step in the budgeting and planning process and the administration should be more creative in finding areas to trim. In addition, I believe that increased community engagement will garner better support and trust by the community in the school board and district administration. This increased trust will benefit all parties involved.

Caren Diedrich: Did Not Respond
Jim McCourt: Did Not Respond
________________________________________________

John Welke added the following to his response. We offer the contact information as a measure of equity, as the other candidates have prominent school district phone numbers and e-mail addresses:

Thank you for the opportunity to answer questions for your readers. If you or your readers have any further questions you may contact via phone at (608) 825-7960 or by E-mail atJohnMWelke@Gmail.com.

Can We Talk About Those Student Activity Forms?

Ok...so we've all heard the rumors. This whole basketball is already being tried in the court of Facebook, internet chatrooms, and even the Discussion/Commentary pages of the electronic versions of statewide newspapers. As of yesterday, the comments regarding removal of Sun Prairie Coaches (40) outnumbered the big spread regarding the elegance of the new Sun Prairie high school fieldhouse (25). In fact, the coaches issue was the second most read and second most commented on article. That is a fact, Jack. The coaches story received more comments than the article regarding the events that led to the St. Mary's hospital error (37)....and only came in second to Congressman Paul Ryan's "numbers" issue.

While we wait for all the inevitable legal wrangling to final put this sordid affair to rest, what we CAN do is take a look at some of the systems that were supposedly put into place to address some of the nastiness that transpired. One very interesting factoid that no one is talking about publicly is that all student athletes AND their parents are required to read and sign that they will live by the Sun Prairie Student Athlete Code of Conduct. Whooops! It seems some players and parents may have forgotten about those silly forms they sign. We're thinking that the signed copies of these forms likely will come back to haunt some folks real soon.



The Code contains the following:

The privilege of participating in our athletic and activities programs is extended to all students who are willing to assume certain responsibilities. Parents are expected to attend one extra-curricular code meeting with their child along with reviewing all policies in this handbook.
Your greatest responsibility is to be a credit to your team/group, school, parents, and community. Therefore, it is required that you…

• Display high standards of social behavior.

• Follow the student code of conduct on a year-round basis (365 days per year).

• Display outstanding sportsmanship as a participant and fan.

• Display proper respect for those in authority, including teachers, coaches, and officials.

• Display a real spirit of cooperation and sportsmanship.

• Dress appropriately when attending a contest or activity away from home.

• Use language that is socially acceptable. Profanity will not be tolerated.

• Provide a reasonable level of dedication/commitment to your school, activity, sport, coaches, advisors, and teammates.



Chain of Communication

Perhaps what's most intriguing about the student athlete Code of Conduct is the chain of command that student athletes --and their parents-- agree to follow:


CHAIN OF COMMUNICATION WHEN YOU HAVE A CONCERN WITH A PROGRAM
Communication among or between students, parents, and coaches is encouraged and becoming ever more necessary. Coaches are encouraged to operate under an open door policy where they will candidly respond to questions and concerns from either the athlete or the parent. There are situations that may require a conference between the coach and the parent. It is important that both parties involved have a clear understanding of the other’s position. When a conference is necessary, the following procedure should be followed to help promote a resolution to the issue:

1. If the student or parent has a question or concern about the program, the question or concern should be brought directly to the coach/advisor.

2. Contact with the coach/advisor should be accomplished as much as possible during normal school hours via the tool established by the coach/advisor (i.e. email, phone call, office hours, etc.).


3. Coaches/advisors should schedule the meeting with the student and/or parents in a private setting. Communication, by all parties, will be carried out in a rational, calm, mature discussion with respect shown to all.

4. If the student, parent, and coach/advisor cannot mutually resolve the concern or questions are not answered, the subject should then be brought to the Activities Director. The Activities Office phone number is 834-6715.
------------------------------------------

Ssssh...be quiet for a moment. Do you hear that?
It sounds like a rather Rubenesque woman singing...doesn't it?

BBallGate II: The Coaches Plan

...and here is the Plan for Transparency drawn up by coaches Hrodey, Bartow and Young, and submitted in response to the girls' concerns. This one was rejected. Thanks again to the Sun Prairie STAR for obtaining this document.

Now you have both the girls' plan and the coaches plan...which was rejected. Decide for yourselves which was the better of the two.

Transparency Plan for Remainder of Season

The following was the response submitted by SPHS girls basketball coaches Liz Hrodey, Steve Bartow and Erin Young, and Sun Prairie Education Association union representative Brad Lutes, to the 11 Problems and Solutions submitted by 14 SPHS varsity players and a team manager.

Disclaimer: The coaching staff is responsible for all personnel decisions. No guarantees should be expected by anyone regarding the amount of time they will play in a game.

Student-athletes must come forward with concerns to the coaches immediately. A non-coaching adult designee will be made available upon request of the student if a parent/guardians can pre-schedule meetings with the coaches.

Do not approach a coach after a game or practice. Parents/guardians can pre-schedule meetings with the coaches.

Do not approach a coach after a game or practice. Immediately document and disclose any concerns to the Athletic Department.

Transparency Plan for Remainder of Season

1. Parents/Guardians will be welcomed and encouraged to attend all team practices.

2. Each practice will be taped and a DVD will be made available upon request by any parent/guardian.

3. All written practice plans will be made available upon request by parents/guardians.

4. Coaches will initiate no person-to-person contact with student-athletes at any time other than during practices or games unless coordinated via the Athletic Director or non-coaching designee.

5. Coaches will hold only a pre-game and half-time meeting in a locker room. Post-game meetings will be brief and take place on the court.

6. A non-coaching school designee will accompany the team on the bus for all remaining varsity away games.

7. A non-coaching school designee will be present for all remaining home and away pre-game and half-time locker room meetings connected to the game.

8. Text messages will no longer be initiated by the coaching staff. Coaches will use email to communicate with students and parents.

9. A non-coaching adult advocate will be made available for any student-athlete that requires a more private natured conversation with any member of the coaching staff.

10. All members of the varsity basketball team will practice together and be coached by Liz Hrodey and Steve Bartow and Erin Young.

11. Steve Bartow will be the lead coach for varsity reserve.

12. There will be no official team activities scheduled that conflict with varsity reserve games.

13. Any person-to-person contact from a parent to the coaching staff must include the presence of the student-athlete.

14. Any further self-evaluation or student survey will be conducted by the athletic department in strict confidence.

15. Only members of the varsity basketball team will practice with the team.

16. All practices will end on time.

BBallGate II: What The Girls Want(ed)

The following is represented in the March 18, 2010 edition of the Sun Prairie Star as the list of Problems and proposed Solutions as Prepared (and signed) by 14 members of the girls varsity basketball team. Thanks to the STAR for providing this...we had planned to request this document via Open Records.

+++++++++++++ PROBLEMS - SOLUTIONS

The following -- Problems and Solutions to Varsity Girls Basketball 2009-10 Season - was submitted to Sun Prairie Athletic and Activities Director Jim McClowry and signed by 14
SPHS players and a team manager.

1. Problem: We are scared of individual conferences.
Solution: We will be allowed to have conferences with representatives ex: parents or teammate.

2. Problem: 18 girls on one varsity team with 5 freshmen.
Solution: Freshmen get a say whether they play varsity or not.

3. Problem: Attacks, derogatory remarks, yelling won't be tolerated.
Solution: Document everything.

4. Problem: Players feel there is preferential treatment to certain players.
Solution: Not Ashley's (Bartow) fault! Or any other players, they are put into these bad situations.

5. Problem: Playing time confusion and unclear communication.
Solution: Explain and set standards to stick to.

6. Problem: Split practices. Half the girls on one side of court, half the girls on the other, starters and non-starters.
Solution: Come together as a team, one side = one team.

7. Problem: VR is not being coached as it should.
Solution: Assistant coach should coach with actual passion and varsity players should be able to attend to support the team.
They should be able to go to away games and ride the bus with their teammates as they do for us in a regular game.

8. Problem: Try-outs meant nothing, teams were pre-determined.
Solution: Coaches shouldn't be able to tell players their standing before try-outs or anything about the team.

9. Problem: Private evaluations were read by others not meant to.
Solution: Keep personal responses confidential.

10. Problem: Before game conferences with select members of team.
Solution: All-or-nothing, it's selective and we need to be a TEAM.

11. Problem: "Height is more important than hard work" and "height is everything"- coach Bartow.
Solution: This is NOT true. Skill and hard work should over rank an uncontrollable trait like height.

Surprise! Board Stands By Admin; Hrodey Issued Non-Renewal Notice

An unidentified source close to the basketball issue tells us that:

" Based on two years of performance concerns, the administration of the Sun Prairie Area School District determined it was time for a change in the leadership of the Varsity Girl's Basketball program. Therefore a recommendation to non-renew the coaching contract of Liz Hrodey was presented to the School Board. On March 15, 2010 the School Board approved this recommendation. Because there is potential for further contractual or legal processes in this matter, the school district's legal counsel has advised that no further information about this matter be released at this time. "

The feeling is that the issue is not nearly as cut and dry as it has been argued in the public domain. The board anticipates this action will be challenged with a grievance.

SP-EYE: The public domain has called this a lose-lose-lose situation. We disagree. There were some winners here. The 14 girls that signed a petition to remove Hrodey/Bartow and their meddling parents all won. They were the squeaky wheel and they got lubed.

Liz Hrodey lost big time. Her reputation is getting smeared. Not to mention personal suffering.

Ashley Bartow loses as well. Here is a classy, very talented girl that may never want to play again.

The public loses because not only did they pay for 2 additional coaches, but it's nearly certain that a grievance will be filed. We're betting the school district loses on the grievance and the taxpaying public will get hit with a sizable damages award or settlement.

Shocking Revelations in the Girls BBall Folly...

We now learn that...

"[the coaches ]... verbally attacked players by yelling at them and making derogatory remarks."

Wisconsin State Journal article on tonight's closed door meeting to discuss the girls basketball "situation".

Oh dear God! We hope the girls have been provided with intensive counseling!
It must have been awful.
Coaches actually YELLING at their players!
You know what we should do? Cancel all varsity sports and just have the kinder, gentler intramurals. Think of all the money we could save from the budget!

"Fourteen of 17 varsity players signed a petition alleging Hrodey and Bartow verbally attacked players by yelling at them and making derogatory remarks. The petition also alleged favoritism and said players were scared to meet alone with the coaches."
--Wisconsin State Journal

Oh...and there were allegations of
"discrimination due to height,"

Seriously. There are like 1,000 things that we could say to address this. Only which one to choose?
Not gonna do it. Nuh uh!
We think the allegation speaks for itself.

The action comes as Hrodey's lawyer and Bartow say the coaches have been cleared of specific harassment allegations filed against them by players through the district's formal complaint process.

In a March 5 letter Bartow shared with the State Journal, Annette Mikula, the district's human resources director, wrote she found "no evidence" of "harassment or discrimination against a protected class" by Bartow.

Please, school board. Try, try, TRY to get this one right.
Stop the madness.
Nah...it'll never happen.
Our school board lacks cajones.

Can the board "man up" and fix the BBall issue?

Hey Ho...One Must Go!

The snow is gone; the yard signs are appearing en masse. It's that time of year: spring elections.

Two years ago, the community spoke loudly and clearly regarding the need for change on the school board. The message they sent was to oust long-tenured school board member Mary Ellen Havel-Lang from the catbird seat.

Last year, there were 3 incumbents running for 3 seats. Then community resident John Welke mounted an admirable write-in campaign that fell just short of the mark. What should be taken away from that, however is that Welke received nearly 800 votes and his name wasn't even on the ballot!

This year we again have 3 seats available and the 3 incumbents all want their seats back. The difference is that Welke is back in the race. But this time his name appears on the ballot. He won't have to rely on a wing and a prayer that people will remember to actually write his name onto the ballot. He's also got a year more under his feet. Detractors, grasping at straws to find a weakness in Welke, like to call him a "one issue guy". Sure, Welke spoke out against the boundary fiasco 2 years ago. But he's not talking boundaries, now. He's talking about community engagement, dealing with growing socioeconomic inequity in our schools, and about being good stewards of our tax dollars. He's actually prepared more situation reports for the school board than virtually every sitting board member. And he's not afraid to tackle the tough issues. What's not to like?

If you're like most in the community, dear readers, then you believe that what our school district needs most to effectively move forward is change on its governing body - the school board. As they say, "Change Happens". For change to happen, the school board needs to go to tribal council; and one of its members must be voted out.

Hey K-SUN...Can We Get a Close-Up Shot?

Those of you that watch school board meetings...either live and in person, live on K-SUN, or via replay on K-SUN have to have come to one conclusion: it actually is painful to watch how these meetings are managed! And by even using the word "manage" we're being kind. You know what we're saying.

Sure...it's easy when it's a fluff issue and all they have to do is go around the table and say, "Wow...what an awesome _____. Thank you!" or "I don't have any comments". But put a little meat in there...as we had on the agendas this past week...and the seams come unglued.

These people wouldn't know Roberts Rules if it bit them square on their keesters. It all got us to wonder if maybe...just maybe...board president John Whalen hasn't borrowed something from Sarah Palin's bag of tricks.

What's it cost to heat & cool 425,000 square feet?

As you should know by now, the new high school building is in (gulp) the hands of our administrative gurus. Anybody want to guess whether the district budgeted for energy costs at the new building prior to July 1?

The pool is filled and running. Anybody else want to guess if any money was budgeted in 2009-10 for the cost of running pool pumps, filtration, heaters, and chemicals?

The district was banking on $40,000 SAVINGS from turning down thermostats during the winter and turning them up this spring. And we all know that no one has found a way to cheat those thermostats by...say....putting a cold damp cloth over them...right?

We don't exactly have the Wizards of Waverly place running the show here. There will be no magic. They might just pull a rabbit out of somewhere though...mainly because old man winter didn't pack as powerful a punch as he has in recent years.

What's important now is that we have just added 425,000 square footage of buildings to the district holdings. That's a 36% increase over the 1.1M square feet we owned as of last fall.

Let's not forget that in addition to paying off loans and adding new staff, we also effectively incur a 36% increase in new ANNUAL utility costs.

Has anyone seen the projected 2010-11 budget for utilities? We have "more than 85%" of the budget expenditures in place...right?

Vampires in Sun Prairie? Someone call Buffy!

David Stackhouse's less than subtle jab about energy vampires last Monday night reminded us how much the district has done regarding vampire energy. Well...exactly nothing. Unless of course, like everything else, after publicly denouncing the idea brought forth by a community resident, the district regrouped and quietly started attacking the problem behind the scenes.

That's what happened with pizza, Kit Kat bars, ans who knows what else. You see, the district administration --AND the school board--- share a basic psychological problem. They cannot simply take the high road, admit when they are wrong, and thank residents when they point flaws in their system out to them.

Oh, hell no! Their psychological issues require them to be viewed as the smart ones...the ones that "know what they are doing". So, instead of owning their problems, their mental tactic is to rally around each other an make ludicrous arguments to support what they are doing, and attempt to make any resident who believes otherwise, look foolish. THEN, of course, they scurry off like rats and cease whatever practice gets called out.

So...back to energy vampires. This issue was raised exactly a year ago. Administration again gave the citizen the look of "You've got to be kidding". And then there was quiet. The citizen raised the issue, particularly because the district has a rather large population of computers and cell phones, both of which rank high on the list of "energy vampires".

Before approving the purchase of 1075 computers with referendum dollars, the district already owned 2439 computers. This new purchase will bring the district tally to 3514 computers. Care to guess how many cell phones the district has? How many cell phone charges are sitting on desks plugged into an outlet, awaiting to mate with the cellphone for some charging action? How many computers are sitting turned off, but still plugged into an outlet? Let's not even talk about computer monitors!!!

When that citizen pushed the issue through e-mail, the district position was that they could not unplug computers--or even turn them off--at night because it would take so long for them to boot up and connect to the servers in the morning. That, friends, underscores a weakness in the server capability that should be addressed immediately! Allowing vampires to lurk among you because your servers are inadequate is just not good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Stackhouse....energy vampires are not the coffeepots or small refrigerators of which you spoke. Certainly, those are a power drain for the district--and we like your idea to have the district make sufficient "Energy Star" refrigerators available for staff. When that annoying citizen spoke of energy vampires, the concern was for the high technology devices that suck juice EVEN WHEN TURNED OFF!

Instead of sticking a stake right through the heart of employee morale (or some silly game of retribution because the teachers refused to volunteer a furlough day) by insisting on personal appliance fees, the school board should direct administration to evaluate the impact of and find a solution to energy vampires.

Are your personal appliance fee projected revenues of $6,000 per year REALLY what's at issue here? Industry estimates suggest that your 3500+ computers alone can cost you over $100,000 in vampire energy costs alone. It seems, once again, that you've hit way too many potholes and your priorities are out of alignment.

Oh...and Mr. Stackhouse? Please don't take this as a personal affront. Frankly, overall, we like your renewed vigor at the school board table. Whether fueled by rejection from your fellow board members, or whether you've simply started eating your Wheaties before board meetings, more often than not of late your comments are on target. We thank you for that.

...and for you unbelievers out there...here are some facts

"About Vampires" by Energy Star

FTT Forwards Some--Not All-- Projects to School Board "For Consideration"

On Tuesday night, a special meeting of the FTT was held to review and recommend (or not) a list of additional projects associated with the new high school and upper middle school using the estimated $1.1M in "surplus" from the $100 M construction project.
At their last meeting, FTT members tabled this issue, requesting the school board provide the committee with an amount (of the $1.1M) that the board would allocate for additional projects. Subtly missed by many, this was yet another incidence of the board not wishing to touch a political "hot potato", particularly as elections draw near. You see, many in the community feel that the community deserves to receive at least SOME of the "$1.1M surplus". Of course board members will tell you that they are only hearing from community member who tell them to "spend it all".

We don't think that really captures the pulse of the community. And our feckless school board once again abdicated any sense of responsibility. Instead of OWNING their decision (eh, Tim?) the board refused to establish a "cap" on the extent to which the $1.1M could be spent. That's right, folks, they refused to say that even one dime of the $1.1M surplus must be held in reserve and returned to the taxpayers. Instead, they left the FTT Committee to hold the bag, so to speak. Oh the board knew that there would be great pressure on the FTT committee to spend it all as various groups came out in force to rally for their piece of the pie. The board just wanted to put itself in the most favorable light and be able to say from its lofty table, "We have to respect the desires of the FTT Committee...if they say spend it all, then we need to support that."

Welke Seeks Middle Ground
But they didn't. That's right, the FTT did not "spend it all". Perhaps it was FTT Citizen Representative -- and School Board candidate John Welke's words that struck a chord. Welke encouraged the committee to return a portion of the surplus to the committee as an act of good faith and to demonstrate good stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Perhaps leaning on the old adage, "it takes money to make money", Welke further encouraged the committee to place a premium on the consideration of those projects that could serve as revenue generators for the district. The pool hallway was a perfect example. Pool meets are a great source of revenue to offset costs for any school district, but, without the hallway project, it would be very difficult to hold meets at the new pool. Similarly, lighted ball fields allow for continuous play after dark, a setting which works well for tournaments. And tournaments held in Sun Prairie mean not only revenues for the school district, but all for the city itself, as tournament teams and their travelling fanbase will take advantage of food, beverages, and shopping in our city.

Projects making the cut (votes varied from 3-2 to 5-0)
• Pool Hallway $157,000
• Grand Piano for the PAC - $75,000
Note: The FTT committee approved this on a 5-0 vote, but board member Terry Shimek, who was in the audience, voiced strong opposition. It seems Mr. Shimek agrees with Caren Diedrich and Jim McCourt that, because a group is actively raising funds for the piano, the school board doesn't have to commit a dime. That means only a 4th vote is needed to kill it...JohnE Boy Whalen perhaps?
• Wrestling mat $10,000 or less
• Company Switch for Auditorium Stage $27,000
• Lights for sports fields $520,000
--- Lights for baseball fields $195,000
--- Lights for softball fields $85,000
--- Lights for track/soccer field $240,000
• Improve PE fields (irrigation) $45,000

Projects recommended to be placed on hold
• Greenhouse $150,000

Projects about which there seems to be question

• Replace bleachers in upper middle school (existing high school) gym $152,000

Note: The STAR reports that this project was forwarded to the board for approval. Reports to SP-EYE suggest that that is not what the committee decided - that the committee did NOT vote to approve this project.

Projects which did not make the final cut
• Upper middle school (existing high school) gym facelift $46,000
• Entrance canopy for upper middle school (existing high school) $49,000

So...how much was forwarded for consideration to be spent?

If you tally the projects which we're certain were forwarded for consideration, the total is about $834K. If you then factor in the $150K for a greenhouse that the committee voted to hold in reserve for a year, the total forwarded for consideration comes to about $984...leaving about $116K available for the school board to return to taxpayers.

On the other hand, if the board believes that the bleacher project was forwarded for consideration, that brings the total for consideration NOW to $986K, with another 150L in reserve for the greenhouses. That would mean nothing goes back to the taxpayers unless a year from now, the board decides against the greenhouse.

What happens now?
This will be forwarded to the school board for consideration at its next meeting, ostenbsibly the March 22 meeting just prior to the election. Of course, in the interests of keeping their jobs, we may see some school board members scrambling to postpone this vote till AFTER the elections. Can't you just see Tim Culver whispering in John Whalen's ear, "Psst...John...you set the board agenda as President. You might want to hold off on this until after the election. After all, this is a critical decision, and all board members should own it."

Appliance Fees: Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost

On Monday March 8, the school board reviewed Phil Frei's status of budget reductions. Mr. Frei reported that a motion which failed out of committee (citizens 2, board 3) was to repeal the infamous "Appliance fee".

Al Slane took the solitary position of offering a compromise, supporting at least a "Principal's option"to waive the fee if the appliance was being used for the good of the kids ("coffee pots don't get waived as --hopefully-- most of these kids aren't drinking coffee"). Albert got no love from his fellow board brethren and sistren...no one would even second his emotion.

David Stackhouse took a shot a certain citizen, claiming that these very appliances are the "energy vampires" complained about last spring. Somehow, Jimmy Buffet came to mind.

Talk about denial
And dysfunctional things
Head’s like a bell somedays
It dongs and it dings
My brain playing tricks on me
It likes to shift gears
Spend lots of money
But I’m tackling my fears

Vampires, School Boards and the Holy Ghost
These are the things that terrify me the most
--(edit ted from) Jimmy Buffet: Vampires, Mummies and the Holy Ghost

In the end, the board voted resoundingly to retain the controversial Appliance Fees.
Someone take a memo:
Take that, SPEA...whup-isssh!
Love and kisses, your school board

Stackhouse's Energy Vampire jab
Hmmm...let's see...last spring, that certain citizen asked whether or not in it's $9,000 per month fee, Energy Educators Inc was even remotely discussing the issue of "energy vampires" within the district (that's a negatory, good buddies...what did you expect for $9,000 per month? Rubber bisquit?). Response: Nothing. Unless you count glazed stares and looks of disbelief.

NOW you want to raise it as a valid concern? We don't think so, David.

Appliance Fee Update
Man do we have some creative teachers! First came paying the appliance fee in pennies. Now we here that a number of creative staff have opted to make a check for their appliance fee payable to the utility company!!!

As Chris Farley (we miss you dearly, Chris) would say,
That...

was...

AWESOME.

5 Questions from SP-EYE

This past weekend, SP-EYE generated a set of 5 questions for the school board candidates. We're betting that only half the candidates respond. We will print whatever answers we receive, but thought you all should see the questions they received.

Candidate Questions 2010
1. Please assign the school board a letter grade for its efforts in Community Engagement. Discuss the rationale for awarding that grade.

2. If it were solely your decision (i.e., not a board of 7) , what would your ideas be to address the growing socioeconomic diversity inequity in our elementary schools?

3. As we know, hindsight is 20:20. Look back on the past 3 years, and tell us 3 things that the school board could/should have done differently.

4. 60% of middle schoolers earned honor roll status recently. Some feel it is a reflection of grade inflation. Do you agree? Do you feel that grade inflation is a significant issue in the district? Why or why not?


5. Each year electors in the district have an opportunity to actively participate in the Annual Meeting. In October 2009 the community voted to reduce the proposed tax levy by $2M. The economy is not in that much better condition and the proposed levy will increase 8.6% to about $48.05M. If the community again reduces the levy from the proposed amount what will your position be?

2 Write-In Candidates Emerge for School Board!

Rumor has it that two write-in candidates have materialized in the Sun Prairie Area School District School Board race.

None other than Al Borland and Jill Taylor, of TV's "Home Improvement" fame, are tossing their hats in the ring. Asked whether they have a campaign platform in mind, both simulataneously answered, "Sun Prairie needs school board members that are willing to step up to the plate and set a new tone for the board, with a rallying cry of...

" ...I don't think so, Tim!"

Words from Al Borland & Jill Taylor sound bite Home Improvement sound bites

Readers Write: Slane Shows Great Vision; Culver Manipulates

We received this e-mail this morning. It comes to you unedited.

[appears to be addressed to the school board as a whole].

I found this scrawled on the inside cover of a copy of "Robert's Rules for Dummies" and figured one of you must've dropped it. Sure wasn't anyone sitting up front. Please return to the author for use as he/she sees fit.

I would like to commend Al Slane for attempting to be proactive in addressing the interrelated issues of class size, FTEs, and course offerings. Though wordy, it is the first alternative I have heard yet to the status quo, which is waiting for Dr. Culver to hand us a poop sandwich and tell us that the kitchen is closed and there are no alternatives.


Speaking of Dr. Culver, I marveled at his response to the suggestion that he conduct a study to examine these details. He looked like an education major who had been accidentally given an engineering exam and said he didn’t understand how he was going to be evaluated on the results. News flash, Dr. Culver, THERE ARE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES HERE THAN HOW YOU ARE EVALUATED. Since Dr. Culver has no clue what the assignment is, I’ll take a crack at it. Though I don’t have the education in education or experience in higher education administration, I dated an El-Ed major in college, and I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. I’ll give two options on how to proceed, and let the experts choose:


Option 1: The status quo
We keep all the classes that enjoy high enrollment, and then take a survey of students to see how they like the offerings. His evaluation (the primary consideration), like the course schedule and prom queen selection, will be based primarily on student popularity. We say we are sorry, but we have stupid taxpayers so that is how it is. Oh yeah, we need 4 more administrators and 1.3 new computers per child, most of which will stay in the box until it is time to pay to dispose of them. The hiring of the new assistant principal followed a(n) (il)logical sequence something like this:


--we are doing just fine with the current level of administrative staffing
--the new school is designed to be easier to manage
--we need more administrators and fewer teachers in critical job skills


In the interest of full disclosure, on the SPASD website we publish a list of career fields that we are not going to support, and that if you think that your child may want to be one of those when he/she grows up then there are some lovely houses in Middleton or DeForest and maybe you should live there.


Option 2: The “My kid needs job skills” option.
We look at course requirements and recommendations for university programs and employers and make sure that our students are not disadvantaged when they get to college or on a job application. There is probably a counselor or someone around there who took a course in vocation selection and preparation at one time or another, and with the extra assistant principal they should have a little more free time. This may mean larger classes in some core curriculum courses, or fewer core offerings. We take advantage of the 32 CCTV cameras at the new high school for the force multiplier that they are and pare administration costs, taking advantage of the fact that we paid extra to have the new high school constructed in such a way that it is easier to manage. This lets us keep the same number of assistant principals without blood running in the streets.

Once again, kudos to Mr. Slane for having a little foresight. He should be encouraged to take the time and effort required to break this project into simple enough pieces that even Dr. Culver can understand. I understood the issue at “We are in a mess this year, so let’s start now to avoid the same mess next year.”

(signed)
Long-time listener, first-time caller
(SP-EYE: just so that this e-mail is viewed in the proper light, it comes from a prominent local attorney)

Whalen Hail Marys; Shimek Costs Us $140K

Oh...what a night...

Except it wasn't late December, wasn't back in 1963, and it certainly wasn't a special time for anyone. Last night the school board showed the form that reminds us of the Boundary Wars. It was like the Keystone Cops play school board member for the night.

OK...there were some good moments ( very few...more on that to come)....but the fumbling and bumbling which led to incomprehensible decisions was maddening...and embarrassing.

Whalen's Hail Mary

Sadly...this was not a Doug Flutie to Gerald Phelan moment. Not even close. more like fingernails on the chalkboard.

The first major folly came when Al Slane requested that the recommendation to hire another Assistant Principal (read: $ new $100K club member) be considered in a separate motion from the additional teaching and support staff. John Whalen made a motion to approve the hiring. His motion was seconded by Jill Camber-Davidson.

As board members spoke--before the vote--, it was clear that Whalen, Davidson, and Diedrich supported the new assistant principal. Stackhouse (We're a year away), Shimek (We need to try [going without it]) and Slane would vote "NO".

Wait a minute....since ole Seabass McCourt was absent --AGAIN---that would make the vote a tie at 3-3-1. Tie votes fail and the assistant principal would not be hired, saving us $100K.

Tim Culver to the Rescue!

Quasi-board member [we know...that's not possible] Tim Culver practical leapt out of his slouch and cried, "This is a critical decision! I recommend that you table this until the full board is here. I think everyone should own that decision."

We all saw the light bulb go on over John Whalen's head. "Yeah, that's right....um....I move to ...um....table this until the March 22nd board meeting", Whalen stammered.

RIP: Robert's Rules of Order

Roberts' Rules state that a motion to table shall have no discussion. Well...that must be the "modified" Roberts Rules that the school board follows,m because discuss it they did. Al Slane courageously called out Whalen's move for what it was ...a desperate move to hold off until Seabass McCourt could be present. We all know that he'll support anything King Culver wants, thereby breaking the tie. Of course, that would depend on McCourt actually being present for the next board meeting. He's missed 2 of 5 (4o%) in 2010 to go along with missing 25% in 2009.

Uh oh...It seems Jill Davidson will likely not be available for the 3/22 meeting! Gadzooks! Back to a 3-3 tie!

Motion to table fails!

Incredibly, the motion to table the item failed on a 3-3-1 (McCourt!) vote, with Stackhouse, Slane and Camber-Davidson voting AGAINST the notion to table the issue.

Shimek Flip-Flops Worse than John Kerry

...and suddenly the tide turned. Terry Shimek completely reversed everything he has said earlier, and it became clear that he was now fully in favor of supporting the hiring of an additional Assistant Principal. Of course there was a minor Goober Pyle moment when Shimek asked, [Well gee whiz...]can't we hire an administrator for like $40,000? Newsflash Terry...the school board set a policy that basically means we hire assistant principals at a MINIMUM of $75,000 per year. Most make close to $100K.

And that's how it happened, sportsfans...Terry Shimek flipflopped his vote ensuring that King Culver got the additional administrator [ one more minion to control!]...and the taxpayers are now on the hook for yet another salary nearing $100K. With benefits, we're looking at more like $140K per year.

Thanks Terry. Be VERY glad you aren't up for re-election on April 6th.

Oh...and did we mention that Jim McCourt missed yet another school board meeting last night? And this was likely the most important board meeting of the year.

This Smells Funny, and We're Not Eating It

The school board is voting on the grand PC Purchase Plan of 2010 tomorrow evening.

Back in December, the plan (which smelled even funkier back then) called for purchasing 1375 NEW PCs for the combined new high school and upper middle school.

The PCs cost $497.34 each, so the amount of referendum funds budgeted for this action was $683,842.50. That's real money, folks. And keep your eyes on that figure, because as the numbers change, one has to wonder....if that much was budgeted for PCs and it isn't spent on PCs, where does it go???!

Asked for a breakdown of the purchases, we were told, 1100 for the new high school and 275 for the upper middle school. The audience was shocked, knowing that projections call for the high school to open with about 1400 kids. That's darn near ONE PC per kid!!!

High School Hijinx

The school board will tell you that administration revised it's plan and now plans to buy 884 PCs for the 1400 kids at the new high school and only 251 PCs (to go with the existing 528) for the upper middle school. That comes to a total of 1135 PCs to purchase for a total of $564,480.90.

Where's the $120K?

'member what we said? OK...since they budgeted like $680K and now plan to spend $560K....what happens to the $120,000 that will now be "surplus"? Hey! That's about the cost of a Steinway "D" concert grand!

Upper Middle School Madness

Funnier still is the Upper Middle School. The number of PCs currently at the high school is sufficient for the 1750 kids currently there. Next year there will be nearly 50% FEWER kids, yet they want to INCREASE the number of PCs by about 50%.

That's gotta be that new Math stuff we keep hearing about!

as great Aunt Gert says, "This smells funny, and I'm not eating it!"

PC Equity?

Look across the district, and you see PC inequity throughout.

As the graphic indicates, the elementary schools average 1 PC for every 2.7 kids.

The current middle school is at 1 PC per 2.5 kids, and the high school is at 3.3 kids for every PC.

The proposal calls for the Upper middle school to have a district low 1.2 kids per PC while even the new high school will be at 1.6 kids per PC?! What's up with that? How much sense does that make?

Ya know...we hear whispers that the plan is to buy all these PCs with revenue money and then spread them through the district like veritable Dell Santas. Hope that's just a vicious rumor....cuz that absolute reeks of shenanigans.

What the Board SHOULD (but Won't) Do
Logic would suggest that, rather than a building "plan", a goal for the number of kids per PC (or vice versa). And let's not be funny and suggest a goal of 1 PC per child. Then we might as well just buy a PC for every kind in the district every 5 years. Think of the software licensing issues!

At 1 PC for every 2.5 kids, that would be 800 maximum for a high school with its full capacity of 2000 kids.
For the upper middle school, with an expected maximum capacity of 1000 kids, the number of PCs would be 400....which means they wouldn't have to buy ANY for the upper middle school.

What say we cut the number down to a nice round 1000 PCs to purchase. That would make yet anouther...oh...hey $67,000 with which a class piano could be purchased.

As Aerosmith sang, Dream On!