Here's Your Mulligan. What You Do With It Depends on YOU

The School board has called a special Elector's meeting for THIS Tuesday, November 14th at 7 PM at the Cardinal Heights Upper Middle School.

The issue on the table is busing.
On Sept 30th a small group of people voted to reduce minimum distances required to ride a bus to school for middle schools and high school.  That move will cost the district $429,000 this year...and more every year thereafter.

Do you agree with that decision...or not?
Whatever you feel, we encourage you to spend an hour of your precious time and come out and cast your vote.  You need not speak to the issue.  Just vote.

If you want our opinion, we need to just say NO to making decisions with major tax ramifications with less than 130 voters in attendance.

We are concerned that if this decision is not over-turned, then  more will follow.  Next will be to redue elementary school bus distances.  After that?  Why not bus every damn kid in the district.  It's only your tax dollars...right?

Paging Mr. C. O. Jones! You're Needed for Policy KG.

We live in a school district with many things.  But one thing we mot definitely lack is any administrators with cojones.  As Metallica would sing, "Sad, but true."  The district office is populated by eunuchs.  We thought that Joe Palooka might bring a pair with him to Buildings & Grounds, but apparently the rule is that one's cojones must be tuned over in order to obtain your district ID.  Lord knows that Tim Culver grows evermore like Tootles, constantly in search of his lost marbles.  Phil Frei is a fiscal wizard, but don't ask him to hold anyone accountable for paying their bills.  Sad but true.   One would think that collecting money due would be the prime directive for a Business Manager....wouldn't one?

Now we understand that money due to the district--and UNPAID--- for camps and such exceeds $40,000 just for the past school year alone.  And the usual suspects are all whining and moaning about how to collect it.  Or even whether to bother collecting it at all.  Just tack maintenance costs onto the tax levy.  After all...it's all for the kids, right?

Here is yet another version of 10 Things We Think We Think about field/facility rental:

Is it too much to ask?

1. 40K of unpaid bills.  How much RTI assistance would $40K buy?  $40,000 represents 5% of the purported cost of turfing Ashley field.  And that's just fees unpaid for 2012-13.  That's lot of money we're throwing away.

2. The only "groups" unhappy about being charged for facility usage is coaches holding "for profit" camps.  You don't see gaggles of blue haired old ladies screaming, "Don't charge the coaches for using the fields!" There are a lot of folks in the district without kids, and when they hear about this, they get angry, too.   But that anger comes from the opposite position.

3. Are coaches employees of the school district over the summer?  They retain their keys to buildings and use of e-mail.  They do not collect unemployment.   They have signed contracts for the next school year.   An employee of a school district cannot profit from  use of publicly owned facilities.  It's against state law.   So why are we enabling (facilitating?) it?

4. Is "negotiation" of fees owed even allowed?  If so, what are the rules governing how one can reduce the fees for facility use via negotiation?  is the same mechanism afforded to all similarly affected parties?  e understand that some coaches have quietly haggling down the fees they owe.   One would think that a Business Manager would understand how that doesn't work.

5. How can we expect ANY coach to pay their required fees if others refuse to pay?  They either all must pay or none must pay.  And the latter must not be an option.  Hell it would violate policy KG as it exists today.

6. Why aren't we simply garnishing wages of those employees who refuse to pay for field/facility use for camps?  We could attach our attorney and court fees for the collection process as well.

7.  The "No Pay, No Play" concept will simply not fly.  Next spring, the district eunuchs will relent and allow the camps to be run despite the coaches having yet another year of unpaid bills.  Hell this has happened for years.  The mantra seems to be, "We'll get 'em next year!"  This has to be the year we get all the money due and start with a clan slate.

8.  If the revenue from these camps truly gets turned over to the booster clubs, and they in turn give it back to the district in the form of equipment or uniforms, why don't we cut out the middleman?   Have the coaches running camps have registration fees sent right to the district and the money be deposited into a sinking fund for that sport  The district could then take a percentage fee off the top for field and facility maintenance.  Then the boosters wouldn't have to spend any time depositing all that money.

9.  And if the money is going to the booster clubs, why is it that the camp fees are mailed to the home address of the head coach running the camp?  Why doesn't it get sent to the address for the booster club?    We get it.  The coaches should get "something" for their time.  How about we tie it into their contracts.  Hold a camp and you get $_____ extra dollars compensation.

10.  Why are we even arguing about this?  And why does it take so long?  Would we allow the Facilities Manager to hold a concert in the PAC without paying a use fee and collect all revenues from attendees?  Would we allow the Pool Manager to earn money on the side teaching swimming lessons in the high school pool without paying a fee?  How about a group of employees to use the field house for a holiday craft fair --free of charge-- and then collect the revenue from charging vendors for booth space?  

Stop pussyfooting around and make these folks --all of them---pony up the fees that are due!  Thy were told they'd be charged...right?  Because this all came to a head in June/July 2012...long before the start of 2012-1 camps.

Annual Meeting Hijacked...$429,000 added to the Tax Levy

It’s not about the decision; it’s about the process.

On Monday September 30^th, 2013, the Sun Prairie Area School District held its annual electors meeting.  In a district with over 7500 students and 30,000 or more registered voters, decisions were made by less than 150 people.  More than 10 times as many people voted for 3 school board members last April that were running unopposed.  Now, that number is not atypical.  But that’s part of the problem.  The process doesn’t work.

At this meeting, a group of residents essentially “hijacked” the annual meeting to force a reduction in busing distances at the high school and middle school levels to 1.5 miles.  The vote for the middle school change passed by about 40 votes.  The vote for the high school passed by only 7 votes.  SEVEN!  The 2013 decision added an additional $429,000 to the tax levy.  That’s a 33% increase over the proposed levy increase.   It’s also more than a $9,000 increase in the tax levy for each of those deciding 47 votes.

Before going any further, let’s just nip the “tit-for-tat” argument firmly in the bud.  The special interest group behind the busing change cited an action back in 2009 wherein a larger turnout of residents (184 voting 124-60) voted to reduce the tax levy by about $2M.  That move, however, was vindicated when the school district ended the year with almost $1M in surplus!  So ended the long-term practice of over-budgeting as a means of funding reserves.  The people behind this year’s vote were all about their own children.  Don’t kid yourselves that they were doing this for all kids.  It just aint so, Joe.  And let those without sins not be the ones casting stones.

The special interest group spoke about safety and the value of our kids’ lives.  They raised the spectre of child predators lurking along Highway 19.  Newsflash, people.  These predators generally don’t operate in heavily trafficked areas.  The kids that are at risk for predators are those walking alone on empty side streets…not major thoroughfares.

Regarding safety, it’s funny that the state, after several reviews, has not deemed the path an unusually hazardous area.  As further proof of their self-serving agenda, one gentleman asked that elementary school busing distances also be reduced.  The spokesperson indicated that the idea had some support within their ranks, but they needed to focus on their needs first.  Funny how after the vote went their way, they forgot about that guy.

Who says it ends here?  Next year, will another 150 people come to change the busing from distances down to a mile?  A half-mile?  How about, since we’re so concerned about the safety of our children, that we bus each and every single child in the district?  What would it cost to bus all 7500 kids to and fro each day?  A whole lot more than a couple of large pizzas each month.  Who’d want to live in a district with property taxes that high?

Or what happens if 200 angry senior citizens turn out next year to change the distances back to 2.0 miles?  Remember, folks, there are more electors living in the district WITHOUT K-12 age children than those with children.   

What happens when Kobussen has to purchase a whole bunch of new buses to meet the needs of this year’s decision only to have that decision subsequently rescinded?  But we’re not thinking of consequences of our decisions, are we?  What does that teach our kids?

Yes, transportation is one of the “powers” (s. 120.10, Wis. Stats.) of the annual meeting, but let’s stop being smugly disingenuous.  More than 99% of the community doesn’t even attend the meeting (or even know about it), let alone understand that a vote of such significant property tax ramifications could be made by less than 150 people.

And what happens when the district wants the taxpayers to vote—likely within the next year— to build an 8^th elementary school?  Is that when we’ll hear the rebuttal of folks that did not attend the annual meeting?   Will they resoundingly vote down a new school in light of the increased taxes from busing distance changes?  Can these same parents then live with larger class sizes?  Can you say “ramifications”, boys and girls?

The problem here is not the desires of this special interest group.  Rather it’s the process.  The statutes simply afford too much power (I know, right?  Who would ever believe we could wield too much power?).  The annual electors meeting needs to be modified to assure that votes of this importance not be made by such a small percentage of the electorate.

We need a mulligan, here.   We need a mechanism to ensure that issues of this significance are communicated clearly and unequivocally to the entire community.  We need people to have all the key information associated with their decisions, including costs involved and any ramifications.  Then we need to reach out and ensure that all voters take as much interest in casting their vote as they will for the next gubernatorial election.   

Changing the process itself is going to be a task of Sisyphusian proportions.  But there is an option.  State statute allows any member of the community who collects 100 signatures to demand a special elector’s meeting for any subject within the powers of the annual meeting—like busing.  Alternatively, the school board has the power to call such a meeting themselves.   As Captain Picard would say, “Number One…make it so”.

Does SPASD have 50% Turnover in 3 years?

We've been hearin' t'ings.

Coerced resignation?

We've heard several reports that the district has an interesting way of removing folks....permanently.  The story goes that one is called into Human Resources (with no pretense given)>  The conversation allegedly goes down something like this:


HR:   "We're terminating you.   Or....you can resign."
Employee:  "Can I have some time to think about it?"
HR:  "No.  you need to resign right now or be terminated."

And when the unawares soon to be ex-employee agrees to resign, a sheet of notebook paper (notebook paper!!!) is whipped out and the employee is told to write down exactly what they are told.
Et voila...a resignation is created.

We happen to get a hold of one of these letters and learned of the existence of at least one more.
Sensing a pattern, we made an open records request asking to inspect all resignation and retirement letters received by the district over the past 3 years.  Of course we needed to broaden the scope to protect the identity of those folks that are very frightened of the power wielded by Culver et al.

This was the response received:

Tim Culver wrote:

To locate all records that might comply with your request will  require review of over 500 stored personnel files of ex-employees, which is estimated to take a secretary between 16 and 18 hours.    Therefore the cost to locate all such records that might exist is estimated to be between $336 and $378.  That is the actual, direct and necessary cost of locating such  records.  Please let me know if you wish to proceed with this request and incur such a fee(which will be finalized after the location effort  is complete, but will not exceed the maximum estimated).  After all  such records are located, if you wish to have copies following your inspection, there would be the customary copying fees for copies more than 10.

If you wish to modify your request and/ or make it more specific, we will be happy to recalculate the fee for locating records under different parameters.
If you wish to proceed with your original request please let me know.

Sincerely,

Tim Culver

So....one has to look through 500 employee personnel files to find resignation or retirement letters?
Retirements are usually about 25 or so a year.  That makes 75 total.
Does that mean we have 140 other people leave each year?

In a district of about 1000 employees, if they have to search through 500 employee files, doesn't that mean 500 leave over 3 years?  Doesnt that mean at least 50% turnover over 3 years?

Do we have a human resources / employee retention issue?

For a district that prides itself on its technical prowess, are you telling us that we don't have a database that can be queried for resignations?  retirements? over a specified timeframe?

And if we do...is this "charge" of $336-$378 simply a tool that Culver uses ...now... to discourage the public from seeking information?

Has the sun set on Sun Prairie?  Is transparency dead?
And is coerced resignation the way we do business?

All good questions.

You Sunk My Battleship!!!!

Have we perhaps developed a game of battleship when it comes to athletic fields and facility use?  Reports coming in make us wonder.   There's a lot of activity going on and we're even hearing rumors of brash attempts to thwart detection.

On July 8th, District administration was alerted to facilities reservations at the high school field house under the name "Open Gym" from 6:45 am to 8:00 am on June 26, 27 and July 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, 25, 29.  All reservations were made under the name Nate Grundahl...who happens to be the asst. varsity basketball coach.  Community observers report that the only folks present at these "sessions" are members of the high school basketball program.  Reports also indicate that Coach Boos is present.  Perhaps this was all according to Hoyle, but one has to ask the question....is this a violation of WIAA rules for coach/player contact.  There are rules for how many days of contact (5) [with coaches] can occur during the summer.

By mid-week, we heard several reports that Operation Open Gym had become compromised and the location had been clandestinely moved to the Patrick Marsh gym.   Hmmmm.  Switching things up like that begs the question.....a lot of questions, actually.

While we remain hopeful that everything is being done in strict accordance with WIAA rules.....we wouldn't want to incur district-wide WIAA sanctions, would we?......some investigation i in order.  A complete and transparent accounting of these activities MUST be initiated.

One concern is that there are WIAA rules governing "Open Gyms".  One of the requirements is that these be announced publicly so ANY student can use the gym .  The only place this "Open Gym" was noticed was as a listing on the Facility Use calendar.  And that wouldn't have happened unless the District Buildings & Grounds Manager stepped in and forced the issue.   The only kids that seem to be partaking of the Open Gym opportunity are the basketball team, the reservation was made by asst varsity coach Nate Grundahl, and there have been multiple Boos sightings at both the Fieldhouse in June and at Patrick Mrsh this past week.

All those things make for a particular odor, and the odor is not a good one.
Here's what the WIAA has to say about Open Gyms:

You have several rules which affect this situation. First the open gym rule. Open gyms are school sponsored recreation for students. They cannot be organized practices by the coach or any other person. Open gyms are "pick up" situations. Coaches and schools cannot be involved in out-of-season practice for athletes. However, open gyms do not violate WIAA rules if they are conducted according to the following guidelines: 

1) The open gym is made known and available to all students in the designated population of that school that are interested in attending. Open gyms may be gender specific. It is also acceptable to include people from the community. Schools may conduct "open gyms" in any activity. It is not acceptable to include athletes from another school, public or nonpublic. 

2) There is no instruction during the open gym by a coach or anyone else. 

3) Coaches may supervise open gyms, but they may not instruct, organize drills, etc. Coaches can also recreate with students in school sponsored, open gym settings that are purely recreational in nature, i.e., there is no instruction, sport skill demonstration, organized drills or resemblance of a practice being conducted. 

4) There is no organized competition, such as established teams participating in round-robin competition, etc.

"Open Gym" is not a code word for out-of-season practice. The philosophy of the open gym is students from that school may attend, for wholesome recreation, or for pur- poses of improving their skills, but it's something they do on their own. It would be a violation of WIAA rules to mandate attendance at open gyms, or to provide incentives for athletes to attend open gyms, or to limit participation based on athletic status, or to allow athletes from other schools to come and work out or compete against the host school's athletes. (BL – Art. II and RE – Art. VI, Sect. 2) During the school year, no activity in which they are engaged during the school year should resemble in any way a school team practicing or competing out-of-season. (Handbook, p. 39, Art VI, Sect 2, Par A). With this rule, "Captains Practices" may not be held during the school year. Participants must be diversified and coaches/schools may not be involved. 

They are allowed during the summertime where limitations on athletes assembly are removed. If the players are organizing in a practice situation, then this rule comes into play. The question to be asked: Is the situation you describe an Open Gym or a spring practice designed to appear as an open gym? In a true open gym, the kids grab a ball and recreate. If they are running plays, then I would say they are practicing.

Someone (ahem...Tim Culver) needs to be investigating this.  If it is true, then we need to issue a cease and desist order, take immediate and appropriate corrective measures,  and turn ourselves in to WIAA.

Ground control to major Tim, 
your circuit's dead, there's something wrong.
Can you hear me, major Tim?

What lesson are we teaching our kids in this whole approach to rules?  Is it OK to break rules as long as we don't get caught?

One Step Forward...TWO Steps Back

OK...so we're doing better with the district's Facilities Use calendar...

But..... now the transparency has been removed. One USED to be able to click on any reservation and view the "permit" information including who the "client" is, any charges which will be assessed and whether or not the user's insurance is up-to-date.

Geee....and coincidentally when things are starting to heat up regarding "Policy KG" (Use of District Fields/Facilities).

Now that Jimmy Mac is gone....who will we blame for this "unintended error"?

Shame, Shame, SHAME!

State Aid picture remains rosy for Sun Prairie

Watch out because groups will soon be rushing out of the woodwork.


The Department of Public Instruction (DPI)'s July 1 estimate of state aid for the 2013-14 school year shows Sun Prairie getting 10.98% MORE aid than last year.

The most current budget estimates projected we'd receive a 10% increase over last year.

The net effect is that the district is receiving $3.8M more than last year, and $382K more than projected.

Let the spending begin!

Wait...this s only an estimate.  Maybe we shouldn't get too crazy just yet.  Maybe we should wait until the final numbers are in?

Nevertheless... it sure looks like great news.
Our only question is how sustainable is it?  And what happens when the increases stop?

Only 21 districts had a higher percentage increase.

Only 3 districts received a higher dollar increase: Racine, Green Bay, and West Allis.

229 districts will see a reduction in aid.

193 districts will see an increase.

Our friends in Middleton will see about a $570K DECREASE.

New district website takes a giant leap forward

Long ago we had given up on the district website.
Too many fish to fry; not enough fry pans for the lot.

But it was awful.  No...actually it was something that aspired to one day be awful.  It was amateur (and that's being kind).  The frames overlapped and you couldn't read text.

But after a rather major effort (we cringe at the ultimate cost...)....the new website (which we'll dub as version 2.0) is complete and is a HUGE improvement.  The quality is now on par with our similar-size district peers.


Yes....things are in different places, and you'll have to re-discover them.  It doesn't appear that "re-direct" have been created.

Version 2.1 needs to include more "accessibility" features.  A larger font size would be better.  It's still a work n progress as pages get populated.

But, you WILL like the look and quality.  Try it.
http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/

If you have any trouble locating things you can contact the district at this link:
http://www.sunprairie.k12.wi.us/district/do_contact_us.cfm

Sound of Sun Prairie...not off the hook

We may have been mired down in the field/facilities usage and AD Jimmy Mac shenanigans, SOSP...but we have not forgotten.  In fact, the fields/facilities usage ties in with y'all.

Those old enough my remember those adds for Certs candy/breathmint (the only mint with Retsyn&reg).  What?  The only one with retsyn!?  We must have it.  Except retsyn was the food additive equivalent of smoke and mirrors.  One of the greatest advertising coups of all time.  They literally made something from nothing.

There's a lot of smoke and mirrors associated with the Sound of Sun Prairie (SOSP) too.  Except we believe there's something behind this one.  There's simply too much hand waving and cries of , "It's a great program for the kids and the community".

• SOSP is a school sponsored activity.  
• It's a summer school option (except not available through the on-line registration).
• The district receives between $300 and $400K of state aid for the summer school attendance. 
• We're just not certain exactly how much of the detail has been shared with DPI.
• It's one of those things where you wonder if the aid would be there if the right questions were asked.

• We pay the leaders a stipend.
• The band boosters are believed to also financially award the leaders.
• Kids are required to pay a hefty fee ...to the band boosters...not to the district.
• Yet they use our fields and facilities free of charge.
• Isn't summer school supposed to be at no charge to students?
• Then why do they have to pay an enormous fee?

• Will the SOSP open its books for inspection to the district (we seriously doubt it)
• Where does all this money go?

And if we are now (in theory) charging coaches running summer athletic camps and using fields/facilities...
...why aren't we charging SOSP?

We still have a lot of questions...
...and we think answers are in order.

As we've said before...SOSP IS a great opportunity for kids.  But that does not relive them of their responsibility to pay for the use of facilities.

You Can't MAKE This Sh*t Up!

Captain's Log June 2012: This month the facility rental agreement follies (i.e., Policy KG) were exposed. This planet is headed for disaster.

 Captain's Log June 2013: One YEAR later.  No progress made.  There's no sign of intelligent life here.  We find only a colony mired in petty personal agendas and shenanigans.

Seriously...one simply cannot make up the crap that has gone on with field/facility rentals.  It is an exhausting table of foils, fumbles, and errors.  It is a tale spiced with egos and attitudes.  To change the policy (KG)...which was NOT.is not  being followed in any way shape or form is being presented as an attack on the boosters and the athletic coaches who run camps.   A lot of revenue was generated, but all we hear is whining that "we don't make that much".  Let;s get crazy back on the bus.

Policy KG falls somewhere between the school board's Community Engagement and Operations Committees.  Jill Camber Davidson's committee was initially taking the lead, but this lack of action does not jive with what we've seen from Ms. Camber-Davidson.  Someone or someones are stalling!

This issue has got Jimmy Mac's fingerprints all over it, and we're sure he'll eventually get hung with all the blame.  After all...isn't that where this district excels?  At pointing fingers at the person who last sat in a particular chair?  But it's not just the MacMan that's involved here...there are many others.

Let's take a look at just a fraction of the nonsense:

• Just this week, nobody seemed to know that the Brewers were using THREE fields (including Summit Field)  for a $395 per kid (~100 kids) baseball training workshop.  It wasn't listed on the public facilities calendar...and still was not as this went to press. There are rumors that even grounds staff had no clue.

• SP Little League has "squatted" on the varsity and JV softball field for all of last summer and now reserved the fields---free of charge-- all this summer.  Even if they aren't using them, no one else can.

• The district office knew about the squatting last year, said they'd fix it and did not.  Now they've known that it was reserved for like 80 days straight this summer for several weeks.  As of today, the facility calender STILL shows those fields being squatted on. Seriously...how hard is it to go in to "the system" and revoke a reservation?

• Dr. Culver...who is ultimately accountable....apparently knows nothing about the field issues.  WTF?  REALLY?  Oh wait...has he retired already?  Sometimes it seems he's nodding off at more than the occasional board or committee meeting.

• The coaches are all upset because they are being billed for their camps this year (except for "contact days", more to come on that).  Really?  Did you think this was free when you're charging a fee?

• Nobody seems to know what the purpose of the athletic camps is.  And the story seems to change like the weather.   Is it fundraising? Is it for the kids?  Who's running it?  The boosters? The coaches?  The school district?  Where does the money go?  

• And if the boosters are involved, why do the kids have to send their money to the coaches' home?  Take a look at the flyers, people, and Google the address checks are to be made to.  The Internet will set you free.  Not to pick on football...but the 2013 Sun Prairie GridIron camp flyer has kids sending their forms to the Waunakee football coach. How does that fit?   Check it out here:  
2013 Gridiron Camp flyer

• The coaches are apparently making some money off the camps...but should they be?  Shouldn't their coaching stipend cover that?   Should they being paid both a stipend and a share of the revenue?  And if a camp is held during WIAA contact days...are they even ALLOWED to be profit from it?  Just askin'?

• We have it on good authority that one camp had revenues of about $17,000.  Wouldn't you like to see the expense accounting for that one?  Where did all the money go?  A pair of short or a t-shirt that one gets for signing up cost a pittance to provide.

• Several coaches have rejected the notion of being charged a fee .  They claim that they made an "in kind" donation.  They claim they had the kids "pull some weeds".  REALLY?  WTF is the definition of an "in kind" donation, anyway?

• And when rentals ARE billed (of course we don't know if the district is actually collecting payments)  the fees charged don't match the fee schedule attached to policy KG.  WTF!  Are we the only ones that read these policies?

• The proposed changes to policy KG provide a clause that the "renter" has one year to pay or make a donation in kind.  REALLY?  Do you get  year to make your rent or mortgage payment?  Who the hell has the wherewithall to track invoicing for which payments may not come in for a year? 

• Didn't Jimmy Mac expound on the wonderful system he purchased to track field/facility rentals?  Oh yeah...I guess the old garbage in= garbage out adage deserves a corollary:  No data in means no data out.  We hear from good sources that there were several "off public" calendars that Jimmy Mac and the coaches used.  Maybe that's where the Brewer's Baseball Academy rental was listed.

There's a whole lot more nonsense that we don't have the time to list here.
Are the monkeys running this zoo?

It's time for the school board to once again take charge since Dr Culver seems incapable of providing a speedy resolution.  Note to John Whalen...this would not fall under the label "micro-managing".  This is called managing, which the board is forced to do when the district appears incapable of doing so.

What's in order here is for the board to call a special working session and make change happen.  We cannot wait any longer.

Was There a Happy Ending With That?

And teachers say they aren't appreciated?
We find...thanks to a watchful resident...that for Teacher Appreciation day, the district provided 21 hours of massages.  We're not sure whether there were any happy endings.

Really?
Oh...it gets better!

For a cost of $1239, we added a $240 tip!  For "services" rendered?
Oh...and not to worry...it wasn't your tax dollars at work.  The funding came from the "Pepsi money".
WHAT Pepsi money?

Oh...and seeing as this all happened during a school day....how were teachers "available" for a massage?  Please don't tell us we paid for substitutes!  And isn't this the time that these "professional educators" are supposed to be working on lesson prep and grading papers?

There has been a lot of poor data coming out of the district, but now we see that the icing on that cake is poor decisions.  And high school Principal Lisa Heipp and Deputy DA Phil Frei signed off on the approval.
REALLY?  What on earth led anyone to believe that this was OK?  Is this yet another instance where Tim Culver was outside the loop?  Did the school board know?

Where dd all this occur?  Some back alley in dimly lit rooms?

We have a lot of questions....and we'll be making some records requests.  Stay tuned.

Do we need district training in how not t make poor decisions?  Don't we nag kids about the importance of making good decisions.

It just continues to be one step forward and several leaps backward.

Was the "Manly Man's" package an option?

Put a Fork in Her, Captain...She's Done

Ashley Field is once again on the agenda for tomorrow night's Planning Committee meeting.With a new projected. cost of $5.1 to $5.7 M (give or take 5%), all we expect to hear is the death rattle.

...Ashley Field proposal

All told, there was a lot of talk being talked, but no Benjamins made the walk for this folly.  For all the interest in football in Sun Prairie, no donations could be mustered to even form the nucleus of a real plan.  Meanwhile, the pedal is firmly to the metal on the new $7M 2-sheet ice arena.

How is it that donations or financial commitments could be generated for the ice arena and Summit Field turf, but football came up with diddly squat?   Don't hang Dave Stackhouse for this one.  He's got enough to atone for.  Was it the 11th hour "need" for a new baseball field to replace the field at Ashley the final nail?   Was fundraising held hostage by the baseball folks?  We hear rumblings to that effect, but logic would dictate that this is the football community's show to blow.

It seems the epitaph has been written...

Due to the significant increase in the proposed budget for improvements to Ashley Field, the competing need for funding other facility security and maintenance issues, and the apparent limited public support of the initiative, it is recommend that nothing be done at this time with Ashley Field; that the fields continue to be used as are. 

We have far more pressing issue on the...cough, cough....ACADEMIC and SAFETY fronts to wate any more time on a grandiose Ashley Field.

Nope. Nothing New Here

Another year...another drought of National Merit Scholarship winners.

Yeah...we get it...but for all the back patting that goes on, it sure seems like we do better in sports than we do in academics.  Not saying that sport championships aren't a good thing.  But couldn't we---SHOULDN'T we---be recognized for both?

Wouldn't it be nice to have Tim Culver publicly declare that our GOAL is to develop our students academically such that each year we have at least 2-3 scholarship winners?  And then make it so.

On April 24, 2013

April 24--A Lodi High School senior has been named one of 18 corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholars in Wisconsin.

On May 8, 2013

Fifty-one students graduating from Wisconsin high schools were among the 2,500 National Merit Scholarship winners announced Wednesday.
Out of the 51 Wisconsin winners, 18 are from counties in the State Journal’s circulation area and 14 are from schools in Dane County.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/national-merit-scholarship-winners/article_738057f5-8916-57c3-866e-8bcc5ccc1d70.html#ixzz2UzeTWuuR

At least Middleton wasn't named, but Madison had 12.

On May 31, 2013

Seventy graduating high school seniors in Wisconsin have been selected as National Merit Scholarship winners in the college-sponsored scholarship category.
Of the 70, 19 are from south-central Wisconsin, including 17 from Dane County.
The winners were announced Wednesday. This is the third of four rounds of National Merit Scholarship winners to be announced.
More college-sponsored award winners will be made public on July 15.
The college-sponsored awards give between $500 and $2,000 per year for up to four years of undergraduate study at the college financing the scholarship.

Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/education/local_schools/more-national-merit-scholarship-winners-announced/article_07b4ee68-ca8a-52c6-8fba-f05d94c37897.html#ixzz2UzfaiTce

Middleton had 4 in this round; Madison another 10


Maybe in July we'll get one?

To be considered for a National Merit Scholarship, Semifinalists had to fulfill requirements to advance to Finalist standing. Each Semifinalist was asked to complete a detailed
scholarship application, which included writing an essay and providing information about
extracurricular activities, awards, and leadership positions. Semifinalists also had to have an
outstanding academic record, be endorsed and recommended by a high school official, and earn
sat scores that confirmed their qualifying test performance. From the Semifinalist group, some
15,000 met Finalist requirements.

Uh oh, Dr. C!

May 30, 2013 - SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, closed, 5:30 p.m. at the District Office (Room 220), 501 S. Bird St.

Discuss and Review the District Administrator's Performance Evaluation

A really good joke here would be....
WHAT Performance?
Why do you hold  meeting to discuss something that didn't happen?

Sorry, Dr. Culver....we couldn't resist.

But REALLY, people.  How about changing the agenda item to discuss Dr. Culver's NON-performance?
We have Jimmy Mac playing it footloose and fancy free.  On paper he reports to Lisa Heipp, but apparently he's allowed to run to Dr. Culver. Can't you jut hear it?

"Dr. Culver.....Ms. Heipp won't let me do thing my way!"

Dr. Culver even put in a new requirement that all Jimmy Mac's reports had to be reviewed and approved by the Management Team.  Guess that didn't work because that team approved a horrifically, embarrassingly incomplete--not to mention inaccurate and poorly supported-- request for budget proposals.

If the Board had not stepped in, we could have made another epicly poor decision on par with the hockey fees scandal.  We might not have added Lacrosse as a school sponsored sport.  Good old loyal-to-Administration-to-a-fault John Whalen even questioned why we would elevate lacrosse to the school sponsored tier when it i not WIAA-sanctioned.  Gee JohnE....(as VP Welke so tactfully pointed out) then why is SOSP school sponsored?  Cheer?

The athletics calendar is a complete mess.  We have teams that legitimately scheduled field use being bumped by teams that use the coaches only double secret probation calendar.  Is it really that difficult to schedule field and facility use.  Wait....we need to add to that ...when you use only a single public calendar?

Dr. Culver is allowing policy to be violated by not billing coaches who ran athletic camps in oh...FOREVER...according to policy.

There are grave questions about what would we find if anybody chose to dig into booster clubs and how much they REALLY donate to the school.  Yet another policy that has been ignored on Dr. Culver's watch.

And Dr. Culver declared himself publicly to be responsible for Title IX compliance when we haven't really looked at it...have we?  Oh wait...let's answer the way Admin would if their feet were held to the fire:  they look at the aspects of Title IX where we can show we are OK...and turn a blind eye to the ones suspect (know?) we are not.

These are just a few of the things that have been going on.  Maybe Dr. Culver should spend a little less time taking Dr. Feelgood pictures of kids in classrooms and more time actually getting a grip on what's going on in the district.

So....school board...will you have a non-discussion with Dr. Culver?  Or will you have the conversation that needs to be had.  Warning: big boy (and girl) pants required.

Time to Cry Over Spilt Milk?

Though they'll never publicly admit it, top members of SPASD Administration my finally be seeing what we tried to prognosticate to them during our last construction phase.  To wit:  What are we really getting for the $7,300 per month we paid for a Construction Manager?

$7,300 dollars per month!

That could pay for several families' entire monthly bills.

And what did we get for it?   It's probably easier to answer what we DIDN'T get for it!

The high school fields need serious work to improve drainage...wait...shouldn't that have been part of construction?
Have you seen the backstop at Summit Field?  Even in the gust front we had two weeks ago, they aren't supposed to bend that way.   What about the whole outfield fence?  Who's going to pay to replace signs for those that donated?

Remember the bleachers fiasco?

What about the wrong diving board for the pool?

There are MANY more items on the list.

What do the rest of us do when we pay a lot of money to have something done and it fails?  Of COURSE we call that contractor back and say , "FIX IT".  Some (not all) of that may be happening behind the scenes now, but up until THIS school board, and folks like Joe Palooka, the district just used to open its checkbook and pay to have something done twice.  Your tax dollars at work.  Hell, not even the SPARClers would agree with that mentality (we think...hope).

Here's what we said back when....when Phil Frei and Tim Culver looked at us like we had six heads.   A couple or three chins maybe...bit only one head.

The money we spent on a Construction Manager may have been better spent paying down the 5+% interest on the State Trust loan!  Certainly we spent a lot of money on that position, and while they'll publicly say what a wonderful job was done, they know the truth.  Like most public personae though...they can't handle the truth.


http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2010/05/cutting-cord.html

http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2009/05/post-mortem-on-questionable-decision.html

http://sp-eye.blogspot.com/2007/10/construction-manager-position-snakes.html

The Story of Adam (and Eve?)

This is the story of Adam, who commented on our little blog about his girlfriend's (we'll call her Eve) experience getting a teaching position in Madison (we believe).   We sincerely appreciate Adam for coming forward and speaking his piece.  But on the flip side, he underscores that old quote about statistics: What they suggest is intriguing, but what they conceal is vital.   Adam shares some numbers with us...just enough for us to poke a few holes in the logic bag.

ADAM's e-mail comment is provided completely uncut.   All we did is split it up into bite-size chunks and offered our response.

Enjoi!   And much thanks to Adam for bravely going where very few venture.

ADAM:

My girlfriend and I have been together for 3 years, and she is finally moving up to the Madison area.

SP-EYE:

You do not say from where your GF moved "up to Madison".  Is it Janesville? Beloit?  Illinois?  Or some ultra-rich suburb somewhere inbetween.  Makes a difference in salary grids.

You also say "my girlfriend"...NOT my fiance...although you've been together 3 years.  While not trying to pry into things personal, it's important to consider whether this relationship will eventually become a legal merger of both people and finances.  It helps figure out the money thing ...read on.

ADAM:

We started looking for apartments that would cost between 1,000 and 1,1000 a month. After getting her contract, (being a teacher for 10 years mind you), we have now decided that we can afford only 800 dollars a month.

SP-EYE:

OK...now we have some data to work with.  10 yrs removed from college puts her in her at about 32-34 years old.  So we're guessing you're both past the crazy kid-out-o-school splurging on "me" things. Hopefully.

10 years teaching experience translates to a salary in the low to mid-40Ks....with only a B.A.   But since she has 10 years experience she has to have renewed her license...probably twice.   We're guessing she must have accumulated two 6-packs of credits post Bachelors, so we looked at Madison's "Track 2"

Madison' s Track 2 at 10 yrs experience translates to a salary of $43,523 per year  (yes, for 9 months Adam).  On a monthly basis, that translates to gross pay of $3,627 per month (again spread over 12 months).  The guiding philosophy is not to pay more than 25% of your gross towards rent, so...yes....we would agree that SHE should limit an apartment rental rate to $907/month or less.   But if you're living together, don't you have TWO incomes, Adam?  If you're bringing home any bacon at all, then surely you can afford more.  Wait...you ARE working, aren't you?

And actually, she could probably afford a small house or condo and get in before values really start rising and interest rates are still low.  Payments on a $150K mortgage (30 yrs) would be about $675/mo.    Oh yeah...you gotta tack on probably $300 to $350/month for property taxes.  

But let's dig a little deeper.  One teacher we know pretty well has been out of school exactly 2 years....so...you know...low on the salary grid totem pole.  And that would be in the heart of Milwaukee, where the grids aren't very friendly.   But even she can afford $700/month for rent.  So we're having a hard time figuring out how TWO of you, and the teacher with 8 more years on the grid, are struggling to pay $800/month.  Do YOU work, Adam?  Just askin'....cuz the numbers aren't adding up, yo!  Or do you two both drive Mercedes?   Eatin' sushi...or seabass... every night?  Sorry...forgive us for the absolutely shamelessly gratuitous Seabass reference.

ADAM:

 She took a 14,000 pay cut to come to Madison. In case you had not noticed that is about an entire years worth of rent.

SP-EYE:

Zing! Ouch...that stings, Adam!  But, yes, we noticed.  Funny though...we instantly looked at it from the angle that you must be some catch (LJH-esque?) for someone to take a $14,000 pay cut.  And possibly even foot the entire bill for an apartment!  But hey...love is blind, right?   We are very familiar with a damn fine dude who quite his job and moved halfway across country to be with the one he loved.  That didn't end well

But of course while it is implied that she came up here for you, maybe it was for family...or a chance to work in a better school district.  One wouldn't take a pay cut AND choose to work in a worse district, would they?  We think you're probably a pretty good catch, Adam....but THAT good?   Not after 3 years and no ring!  ZING!   How'd that feel, buddy?!  :-) 

ADAM:

Then comes the aspect on working conditions...but that is like trying to explain how to gut a fish to a member of PETA.

SP-EYE:

Working conditions?  Really?.  You make it sound like being a teacher is akin to working 16 hour days in some 3rd world sweat shop for peanuts.  Um...REALLY, Adam?  Much of the rest of the world works 260 days per year.  When was the last time you checked the base pay of ...say...firefighters or police?

Adam...we're afraid to have to tell you, but someone slipped you the Kool-Aid.  We grow tired of this whole "working conditions" crap.   And that' not fair to crap.  

We do dig the PETA/fish gutting analogy though.  That was clever.

 I am sure you are one of those people that say things along the lines of, "don't get me wrong...I don't hate teachers", or "teachers get their summers off so this is more than fair." Truth is, that is exactly what I would expect someone to say that doesn't know a thing about the situation. 

SP-EYE:They say that expectations are only met with disappointment, Adam...and  we wouldn't want to disappoint you. Fact is, Adam...we DO respect and value teachers...at least the ones that aren't whiney.  Oh...did we say that out loud?  We have both publicly and behind the scenes been pushing to raise the floor for teachers' base salaries...but also to establish a cap.

But the whiney ones and the dead wood have to go.  We'd love to get a whole bumper crop of new energized teachers that aren't going to drink the Kool Aid.  Poor working conditions?  Please!  Not sure you' know what poor working conditions were unless it but you on the behinder.  What is needed to create "good" working conditions?  Ice cream socials every Monday?   Only having to teach two classes a day?   We're sure that teaching five classes a day is absolutely inhumane.

ADAM:

Have you gone into a school lately to shadow a teacher to see what they do? I didn't think so.

SP-EYE:
Can't say we've shadowed a teacher for a day Adam...you see we work for a living.  But we did see a teacher's shadow on Groundhog Day this year...do we get half credit?  

Oh...and that's 12 months a year that we work....260 days....not 190.   But we know some teachers very well.  There are teachers (and administrators) in the family.

Honestly Adam..have YOU shadowed a teacher lately?  Of course, if you're not working, maybe you have the time to do that.  Tell you what though...we'd challenge YOU to spending a day in a teacher's class right alongside with us.  Got the stones for that, Adam?  You know our number.

ADAM:

I wish I could say it in a way that would make sense to you, but the truth is, it will never makes sense to you. Fairness is all that you preach about, but can't for one moment understand what fair actually is until you walked a day in their shoes.

Cheers

12:58 p.m., Saturday May 18

SP-EYE:

Geeez if you aren't the pot callin' the kettle black with all the negativity!.  Were you asleep in class when they talked about taking the high road?  Wanna talk about fair, Adam?  We know quite a few folks in the public sector that are paid LESS than people with LESS seniority and LESS productivity in the same job.  Can't say as we've ever heard of such a thing with teachers.

Here's a little life lesson, Adam...life is quite frequently unfair.  It's how one deals with it that is the true measure of a man or woman.  

SPASD Wall of Shame Announces 2013 Inductees...

...Dr. Culver and the SPASD Management Team!

Which we understand to be comprised of:

     Tim Culver
     Phil Frei

     Alice Murphy
     Jenifer Apodaca
     Annette Mikula


And it's really a downright shame, because we genuinely like and appreciate at least a few members of the Senior Management Team.

Why are they being awarded this dubious distinction?
Because they are responsible for reviewing and approving all budget proposals that are brought forward to the pubic and the school board.  And Athletics & Activities Director Jim McClowry prepared a 4-part budget proposal (including hiring himself an Assistant AD!!! ) which was incredibly poorly written, incomplete and lacking any real substantiation or supporting data/rationale in most areas.

DOESN'T ANYBODY REVIEW THIS CRAP?!

Somebody should be keelhauled and hung from a yardarm for even allowing this to be presented.  Why expect good quality work when you are clearly accepting of piss poor shoddy performance?

We don't know what the vote was within the Management Team ranks, but we're willing to bet that there was not unanimous support for including Mr. McClowry' proposals.  That means it falls on Dr, Culver's head.  Funny....at one point during the meeting Dr. Culver even asked "It says see attached data.  Where's the data?".  Hello!  It wasn't there the first go around and you let this fly.  NOW you want to know where the data is?  Maybe you should have read the proposal MONTHS ago!

What's especially troubling is that Culver recently made a decision, based on the poor quality of data presented, that ALL reports and data to be presented by Mr McClowry would require Management Team review.   Gee...guess that was a hollow sanctioning.  And once again...SPASD Administration says one thing and does another.

Newsflash Dr. C....that's not how you go about building community trust.  And you just might need the community to trust what you say when you say you need to go to referendum for an 8th elementary school in the next 1.5-2 years.  Might want to ponder that a bit.

What we do  not know is where Lisa Heipp fis in here.  As Mr. McClowry's 1st line supervisor, one would THINK that she reviewed his proposals first.   But there's something about Mr. McClowry that makes us suspect that Ms. Heipp was bypassed.  But we could be wrong.

Where in the World is....

Lisa Heipp???!!!

As the Stylistics once melodiously wondered...

Have you seen her...Tell me have you seen her?

Why do we ask, you ask?

Well...because once again, Athletics and Activities Director Jim "Jimmy Mac" McClowry was on the public stage presenting the rest of his woefully inadequate budget proposals, and his supervisor was nowhere to be found.

Given the past history McClowry has for making presentations to the public (and the poor quality thereof), once would have thunk that Ms. Heipp might have a vested interest in attending.  We could offer her the benefit of the doubt...maybe she had more pressing matters which needed attending to....but she missed his last performance as well.

Even the good Dr. Culver apparently woke up (literally!) and realized that the proposal that his senior Management Team approved was sadly lacking in substance and rationale.

The Ballad of Joe Palooka: Can You Smell What the District is Cookin'?

If you're paying attention....something's been happening at the district with respect to athletic, particular field and facility scheduling.


We've heard anecdotal reports from community members that they legitimately sign up to use one of the district fields only to find that someone else has been given authority to use the same field at the same time.

How could that be you ask?  Didn't Athletics (Oh, and Activities) Director Jim McClowry tell us in public about the spanky field scheduling software program he brought on line recently?
How could such a zippy new tech tool fail us and allow double booking of fields?

The answer, of course, is ...it can't.  This therefore suddenly gave us credible evidence of the existence

of the Double Secret Probation Field Scheduling Calendar!  That's right!  We have heard from multiple sources that Mr. McClowry's office has maintained at least one additional calendar for his coaches to use.   Geee....that's nice.  So a member of the public can sign up to reserve a field, get their team members all lined up only to find that someone else had the field reserved!!!!   And then it's left for the two coaches to work things out?  WE DONT FRICKIN' THINK SO!

 Further evidence of the (former) Double Secret Probation Field Reservation Calendar comes from the virtual plethora (there...now we feel like an NFL announcer because we used plethora in a sentence) of magically new field reservations that now appear on the District's facility use calendar.

It sure appears that Joe Powelka has come out fighting.  Joe has finally decided that the nonsense shall stop.  He shall therefore be dubbed "Joe Palooka" in honor of the cartoon character of the same name.  Joe Palooka would always prefer not to fight, but when push comes to shove, he does what is necessary.  It's not perfect; some users still appear to not be being charged due to the hallowed SPLL clause.   And some that are scheduled to be billed, we await to see (A) if that happens, and (B) will they pay.  We also need the coaches who ran athletic camps last year and perhaps the year before to pony up for the field use fees.  But overall...we're making progress.

In the meantime...

Say Dr. Culver...can we address the Conflict of Interest Issue?

Why is Athletics (and Activities) Director McClowry allowed to (continue to) serve on the Board of Directors of Sun Prairie Little League? Shouldn't he represent ALL sports (and activities) equally?

Would any other public sector employee be allowed to serve on a Board with such obvious conflict of interest?

We did notice a slight change however.  Up until mid last week, Mr. McClowry listed his school district e-mail and phone number.  Hmm....doing Little League business while at the district?   No wonder he is requesting a 1/2 FTE Assistant Director position!

Wethinks, however, that Jimmy Mc got a trip to the 'Splainin' Room where the lesson for the day was NOT to list his school district contact info.   Unfortunately, the 'splainin' fell short of where it needed to go: directing Jimmy Mac to resign his position (or serve on ALL the sports boards).  Here's a tip....someone else probably needs to have that same discussion.

The IFTK Exemption

One loophole that needs to be immediately excised is the IFTK (It's For the Kids!) exemption.

District Staffer: "You want to reserve ball field? That will be $25/hour.  For 3 hours use, that would be $75."

Prospective Field User: "$25/hr?  But....but...it's for the kids..." 

District Staffer: "Oh...why didn't you say so!  There'll be no charge."

IFTK is deceptively beautiful.  All one has to do is cry, "IFTK!", and the guy on the other side of the issue immediately has to defend himself against the ultimate allegation:  (s)he is anti-kids.  Who wants to wear that crown of thorns?

Do field /facility fees really break the bank?
$25 per hour is all it takes to reserve the top fields in the Sun Prairie school district.  That is if the Little League program lets you use them.  They already have locked out use of the two softball fields from June through August.  That's right...whether or not they'll actually use them doesn't matter.  They've reserved them.  Check that...they are squatting on them (figuratively, of course).  And they won't pay one red cent, despite the fact that some of those dates fall outside of the "Little League agreement".  Despite the fact that the "Little League agreement doesn't even mention the word "softball".

Poor Poor Pitiful Coaches
We can't honestly expect the coaches who run athletic camps to pay for the use of these fields, can we?  It'll take money out of their pocket.  It would make the cost of the camps unaffordable to "the kids".  Really?  You guys charge anywhere from $50 to $175 for these "camps" and the cost of the field rental might add $1 to that?

The Rental Fee doesn't even cover maintenance cost!
The athletic community is raging about having to pay for the use of fields (which by the way, they should have been paying for all long, but the district through a series of nods and winks and handshake deals has never charged them).  But we hear too many reports about the disgusting shape the fields/facilities are left in.  Sunflower seed packages and hulls, trash, and even tobacco slugs.  (Wait....why is tobacco even being used n a district field?).  The cost of a district maintenance worker to clean this crap up, including benefits and vehicle usage, comes to far ore than $25 per hour.  So the district and taxpayers are only deeper in the hole.  But..1.it is for the kids...right?

Rampant Abuse
The abuse of IFTK is running rampant in Sun Prairie, and Tim Culver, despite being the ultimate authority for all things school district, is clearly not going to do anything about it.  And why should he?  He doesn't want to be "the bad guy".  After all, he's the SuperNintendo!

Joe Powelka, the new Buildings&Grounds Manager (at least according to policy...oh wait...we don't follow policy unless it serves our needs) is the district goalie who ensures that field and facility renters pay the fees established by policy KG.  But he's more like Swiss cheese.  And...for now...we won't hang him for that.  He's probably still on probation, likes his job (pretty decent pay and benefits), and doesn't want to blow it all by standing too firmly.

But that's not doing anybody any good.  This needs to stop, dammit!  Sadly, it's going to take four school board members who have the kahungas to stand tall and knock IFTK from the bully pulpit.

It's for the kids!