Monte is Disturbed...Film at Eleven?

From the Poking the Bear Department:
Having published the following letter in the STAR, it seems that Monte Couch wanted the world to know that he is disturbed... so we'll reprint his little missive here.

Monte is a nice guy....really. He's just gotten a little cranky of late.
Now that Mealy character....that impish hack.....he's something else!

We think, however, that some of Mr. Couch's own words might be tweaked a bit and be cause for his own introspection:

"Those who write cheap shots to try to aggrandize their assumed lofty position in the scheme of things may attract limited attention but do not in our opinion contribute anything useful."

If he's so disturbed...offended...whatever....we suggest Mr. Couch refrain from sneaking peeks at the SP-EYE blog. Life is too short.

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4-8-2010 8:55am

Howdy Al !

Some of the results of the election were a bit of a surprise to me. Thinking it over, it my be that because you were set up as the lead guy, promoting just before the election, more heavy spending, it cost you some votes. That led me to wonder why in the world, those decisions were timed as they were.

We thank you for serving on the board. You offered some needed common sense in a number of situations for your fellow board members consideration. Your sincerity and efforts on various matters compared to the light hearted efforts of others was pronounced. None of us agree on the positions others take from time to time, but you made your analysis of the information available, and quietly offered your decisions. Often you offered your reasons why or how you arrived at the decision you made.

Someone suggested I look at the current posting by Rick Mealy on his blog following the election as it was worth a laugh. I looked, and was disturbed he would use the web to belittle like that. Trying to post facts, offer careful analysis, is one thing. Those who post cheap shots to try to aggrandize their assumed lofty position in the scheme of things may attract limited attention but do not in my opinion contribute anything useful. Just want to make sure you know I do not support the blabbering of Rick Mealy.

Some people may think former board members should hunker down and go away. I do not subscribe to that idea. We thank you for serving, and I hope you will as a former board member, continue to follow board activities , offering your considered thoughts from time to time.
monte couch

The biggest secret in Sun Prairie...

...and perhaps most school districts...

...is that once a year, YOU-- the residents of the Sun Prairie School District (18 yrs or more)-- get to vote on the property tax levy portion of the school district's budget. But you don't. Sadly, it's because the annual electors meeting is one of the best kept secrets in this or any other school district.

What is the annual electors meeting?
The annual electors meeting is statutorily mandated and represents the ONE crystal clear opportunity that school district residents get to determine the tax levy. Certainly, the school board gets to approve a budget, but every annual school district budget rides pretty firmly on the amount of property tax levy voted on at the annual electors meeting. If the electors vote for a lower tax levy than the district wants, then the district and school board will have to sharpen their pencils and re-work their budgeting. Sometimes when this happens, thinly veiled threats of having to cut major programs are heard.

Think the school district is spending (or budgeting) too much (like having a surplus of $1.5M last year that YOU paid for with property taxes!)? Then attend the annual elector's meeting. Sure...the school district does what it minimally must to announce the meeting. But it could do a lot more. Like publish the meeting notice for at least 6-8 weeks prior to the meeting on the website--instead of waiting for some nasty website to alert them to do so. Or perhaps sending a flyer out to all district residents. The annual electors meeting is certainly worthy of the costs for a special flyer.

Twice each month at board meetings, you get to speak your peace and have the school board either force a smile or roll their eyes at your comments before rubber stamping whatever the district wants with their votes. ONCE each year, YOU have the opportunity to take back some control over what the board and district do with your tax dollars.

But...nobody comes. Except of course for the usual suspects [ Who IS Keyser Soze?] : school board members, administrators, and many teachers and a very few residents who are keenly aware of the meeting and do what they can to have their voices heard.

What happened at this year's electors meeting?
On Monday October 13, the annual electors meeting was held at the usual place and time: high school auditorium, 7:00 PM. We get anywhere between 4000 and 8000 voters to come out for spring and fall elections, but, as is usually the case, less than 50 electors attended the meeting.

At this meeting, the electors who were present voted to:

• Freeze school board member annual 'salaries' at $3,500 (president) and $3,200 (others). This motion, interestingly enough, was made by former school board member Mary Ellen Havel Lang.
• Set the date of NEXT year's annual meeting for Monday October 12, 2009. Mark your calendars NOW.
• Voted to approve the purchase of land for the high school's home construction program, and also allow sale of the finished home. This is a great program, and, while other districts have not been so fortunate, Sun Prairie has more than covered its costs each year.
• Set the 2009 tax levy at $41,124,489 by a vote of 26 for, 11 against. This vote came after resident Rick Mealy made a motion to approve a tax levy of $40,424,489 failed by a vote of 10 to 27. Mealy's motion was based on (A) returning $500,000 of this past year's surplus to the taxpayers (instead of using it to pay down future debt) and then (B) reduce the levy by an additional $200,000 to send a message to the District that they need to curb their wasteful spending and reign in their budget in tight economic times.

$1,500,000 Surplus in 2007-08 Budget!!!!

Whether it be by over-budgeting, or underspending, the proposed budget presented to the school board on Monday September 8, 2008 shows that just under $1.5M is in "Un-Designated" Fund Balance account 933 000.

Funny this figure has not been widely publicized. In fact, at the August 25 Finance Committee meeting, Phil Frei announced that $500,000 was "leftover" from "dock days and utilities savings. He never indicated that the TOTAL surplus was 3 times as much.

Neither did board member/Finance committee chair Jim McCourt:

"There is one item in here that is very good news. We didn't use all of last year's funds, and there's about a half a million dollars that's left that we are going to be taking as an advisory item at the annual meeting and asking at the annual meeting if we want to use it to pay down the debt or use it to reduce the tax levy, or some combination there of."

[SP-EYE: Are you looking at the same "budget" sheet as us, Jim? Because we see $1.5M...not just $500K.]

Roger Fetterly commented that DPI rules and opinion offered by the Attorney General do not allow a school district to plan on (and includes as a line budget item) a surplus in the Ending Fund Balance, Unappropriated (Acct. 933 000).

Stackhouse Steams

Fetterly exceeded his 3-minute time limit and thus quickly summarized: "I think you get the message: your budget isn't very good." Before Fetterly returned to his seat, board president David Stackhouse asked Frei point-blank, "Mr. Frei, has the district violated the law?" Fetterly remained at the podium in order to hear Frei's response even after being told several times by Stackhouse to take a seat. "You don't tell me when to stand and when to sit down," Fetterly said." After a very pregnant pause, Phil Frei gave the classic defendant's response to Stackhouse's question: "Not to my knowledge."

So what about that $$500K??

District Administration and the school board would LIKE to apply that $500,000 against future Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) loan payments. However, Finance Committee citizen representative Rick Mealy suggested that the $500K should be used to reduce the tax levy and the mill rate, and that the decision should be made by the electors at the annual meeting.

Now Jim McCourt is says that while the board may ask the electors what their preference is for the $500K, that is advisory only...and the board can do whatever it chooses.

What about the other $1M surplus???
When asked about the other $1M in surplus, Phil Frei indicated that it would be used for "cash flow" during the 2008-09 school year. Cash Flow Accounts are kind of like a home equity loan...you use them as you need them but the intent is to return the money to where it came from. Note however that in the budget, the $1.5M disappears. The only thing projected to be left at the end of the 2008-09 school year is $100,000...the intent of which is to add that to the existing "Fund Balance". (Think of it as a "rainy day" fund).

Since that $1M never reappears as an addition to the fund balance, that means that it is intended to be consumed/spent during the 2008-09 school year. And that means that the amount of money needed for the 2008-09 budget is really $1M higher than it appears to be.

Banks have to follow "truth in lending" rules. Why don't school districts have to follow "truth in budgeting" rules???

STAR says: Vote 1. NO 2.yes 3.NO on Sun Prairie High School Referendum

SEE: http://www.sunprairiestar.com/editorial/editorial.html

Question 1 (new 10-12 High School; remodel HS to an 8-9 school)

The remodeling of the high school into a middle school will allow for construction of a larger high school, which we still think could be constructed for 2,400 students (that’s 600 students per grade) until space demands require construction of a second high school in roughly 10 years. That was always part of the district’s long-range planning for its west side piece of land – and our proposal would not change that. That size is consistent with previous editorials regarding this issue – as is the phasing. Of course, west siders want their own high school and will likely turn out against this proposal because of that.

There are plenty of reasons why we think voters will reject the Nov. 6 referendum, but the failure of the district to recognize the community’s desire for one large high school is perhaps the greatest among them. For those reasons, [the STAR] suggest[s] voters VOTE NO on Question 1 to authorize borrowing $96 million.

Question 2 (swimming pool for the new high school)

Although [the STAR] believe[s] the vote will be a symbolic one because [the STAR] believe[s] question 1 will go down in flames, [the STAR] suggest[s] voters VOTE YES on question 2 to support borrowing $3.325 million for a swimming pool.

Question 3 (exceed revenue cap each year for swimming pool operating costs)

Did the board make the same requirement when the district’s other athletic facilities were constructed? Did it require an exceed the revenue cap question when gymnasiums were constructed to pay for heat, lights and equipment? No. So why then would the school board require taxpayers to pick up the tab associated with the operation of this facility?It’s a question the board needs to answer – and until then, [the STAR] urge[s] voters to VOTE NO on Question 3.

Construction Manager position snakes through school board.

Learned at the annual meeting (Oct. 8th) that the board had held interviews for an selected a Construction Manager for the 7th elementary school to monitor cost control. The position is a good thing. The way that the board went about it however, has a certain stench to it.

SP-EYE asked when the interview meetings were public noticed. On 10-22-07, Phil Frei responded that ,

" Administration was directed by the HR committee and School Board to bring a recommendation to the Board on a Construction Manager for the building projects. Adm. sent out RFP's and set-up interviews with three Construction managers. Adm. asked School Board members if they wanted to sit in on the interviews. This was administrative work, not a meeting of the School Board.

Mary Ellen Havel-Lang and Jim Carrel did sit in on the interviews.

The HR Committee also felt that this should not even be a "real" position, but simply an out-sourced service.

Hmmm. Let's see. When the FTT Committee was interviewing Construction firms for elementary #7 thisa spring, THOSE interviews were public noticed and held during open meetings. Even school board candidates for Jim Gibbs' vacant seat were interviewed during an open session. For such a large project, and for a new position--albeit a "temporary" one-- why was this done so quietly?

School Board can't even make a simple determination.

How many school board members does it take to screw up? Just one. Take your pick.

Over a month ago, SP-EYE asked Jim McCourt, chair of the Finance Committee why Tim Culver's paid memberships exceeded the boundaries set by his contract.

http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2007/09/is-anyone-watching-books.html

McCourt had no answer, and Mary Ellen Havel-Lang tried to shut the discussion down, crying "Point of Order!" SP-EYE pressed on and asked why the Finance Committee approved the check to pay for Culver's Rotary dues. McCourt said he would look into it and get back to us. RRRRRRRIIIIGGGGHHHTTTT!

This past Monday, Dr. James Murray asked about the status of the complaint and was told, "We're not going there." So much for open meetings, communicating with the public, and a decisive school board.

How hard is this? You were wrong. Culver over-extended his contract, and someone needs to own up to the responsibility. The dues need to be reimbursed by Culver, and the Board should be demanding it. You can even issue an empty apology for the "oversight". Again...what the hell are you teaching our children???

These "leaders" want us to approve $100M for a referendum, but can't even manage to watch these simple expenses. Gotta wonder how much Sun Prairie is being fleeced on the cost of this referendum.