From 2 Large Pizzas to Little Blue Scoops

Last night's public hearing on the budget had it's ups and downs. In the credit column, about 40 or so people turned out (normally we can count the attendees on one hand). There was also some good discussion and comments. In the debit column, we have the microphones that weren't working well (nothing new there!) and nearly indecipherable handouts of the budget information slide show.

Two commenters in particular stood out, because they provided diametrically opposed views on the school district budget. Our very own Tale of Two Cities.

The first young woman spoke excitedly about all the wonderful things that the school district has to offer our children. In fact, she gushed so much, the Vegas odds have her heavily favored to either be a district employee, a spouse of a district employee, or someone who's annual income is the the Culver zone. She ended her comments by stating that the proposed property tax increase, a mill rate of about $12.00 , represents a monthly cost of $13 to $15 for a $200,000 home. She liked that to having to her family having to forgo 2 large pizzas per month. And she can live with that.

Then the other shoe dropped. Another woman got up and offered her comments. We didn't catch every word, but it sounded like her message was that her salary had been cut by 15%, health care benefits were reduced, and remaining staff were forced to take one unpaid furlough day every month. She was thankful she had a job.

She also recognized the value of education offered by the school district but shared a little anecdote. If we captured this correctly, it seems that a company known for making cocoa had established a trademark of sorts by including a "little blue scoop" inside the container that was sized to prepare the perfect cup of cocoa. When times were tough,m the company sought ways of cutting costs. One such idea was to cease including the little blue scoop. It seems the little blue scoop--as nice as it was-- was equivalent to a tablespoon which can be founded in virtually every household. Said company was able to weather the economic crisis by making this small cut in its costs. The woman challenged the school district to seek out and eliminate its own "little blue scoops".

We're pretty confidant this unidentified woman is not a school district employee. Nor is her household income in the Culverosphere. She makes do by pinching pennies where she can.

Which one is right?
So...who's right? The woman who insists the proposed tax increase is only "2 large pizzas per month"? Or the woman who challenged the district to find its own little blue scoops?

Ha! It's a trick question! They both are, of course. Each spoke quite candidly about the world they live in...and we sincerely appreciate their coming forward an d offering comments. They just inhabit two very different economical worlds. They both value the education provided by the district. One has enough disposable income such that doing without 2 large pizzas per month is very "doable". For the other, life has become a more prolonged struggle to do things more efficiently, making do with less.

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics, Part 2.
We are endlessly amused at how the district attempts to present property tax increases in the most positive light. With the pool referendum it was a battle cry of "For only 6 of your favorite coffee drinks...".

We're a little confused by the math this go around however (must be more of that :"new" math). What we learned last night in consecutive slides doesn't seem to add up.

Slide 1: We were told that the projected mill rate (assuming 1% increase in Equalized Value) would be $12.00.
Do the math, folks, for a 200,000 home, that translates to 200 x $12.00 or a $240 increase to the property tax bill of a home assessed at $200,000.

Slide 2. Then we were told that the increase translates to $12.67 per month on a $200K home.
Wait! $12.67 x 12 months (there's still 12 months in a year, right? They didn't mess with that with "new" math...did they?). That comes to $152.04. What happened to the rest of the $240?

Well...see...that's where the statistics comes in. Or...as we said in school...the art of making numbers look like you want them to look. The district isn't wrong...they just chose to show a slice of the pie. A slice that made the pie taste more like apple pie than fruitcake, if you will.

How the District got their numbers of "Estimated Monthly Property Tax Increase"
Here's the deal. What the district was trying to convey with their slide was that LAST year, the mill rate was $11.24. THIS year (2010-11) the mill rate is PROJECTED to be $12.00. The difference between the two mill rates is $0.76. Then, if you multiply 76 cents (per $1000 of assessed value) x 200 you arrive at the district figure of $152. And $152 divided by 12 months is $12.67...,,,or the cost of two medium Pizza Hut or Domino's pizzas (if you stiff the delivery guy).

Why stop there?
Hell...$12.67 per month translates to about 43 cents per DAY! So...is funding the school district budget worth a little more than half the cost of your daily newspaper?

You can twist numbers anyway you like...but at the end of the day, a $200,000 home is going to pay $2,400 in property taxes JUST FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT. And you can add in another $2,000--at least--for the city portion, MATC, and Dane County.

Compare that to a certain home we're aware of on Cape Cod...yeah...THAT Cape Cod....right across the road from the water. It's assessed at $550K, and the TOTAL property taxes are only $3,900. That's a mill rate of about $7.10.

And their test scores are better, too.
93% proficient in Language Arts, 88% in Math. Now of course some will cry, "The tests aren't the same!". And they're not. But you get the point. Massachusetts and Wisconsin tend to be mirror states.

You decide...is everything roses, and we should cut down on our pizza and just smell the District roses? Or does the district (as managed by the school board) need to dig a little deeper and find some of thoise "little blue scoops"?

People are still hurting. Well... at least those whose incomes are well outside the Culverosphere. Yes, the school district offers some wonderful things. But that's chiefly due to the teachers and support staff.

Buried on page 8

We've been meaning to mention this one for a bit....because it DOES merit mention. Sun Prairie tries very hard to reward staff and students for performance. Sadly, rewards are usually based on food...such as pizza or subs. Not only do those kind of rewards not sit well with a general district wellness policy, but they don't (ahem) stay with us very long.... period. If you get my drift. So not only does the offer of a pizza party for good performance in the classroom fly in the face of healthy eating, but it's hard to get all jacked up for.... pizza or subs.

Certainly some of the incidents in Sun Prairie during the past year have added some pockmarks to the complexion of our schools and our community: trouble on the "Monkey Bus"; 400% increase in expulsions; presence of a meth lab, shootings in the city.

So, cultivating character is a "to do" list item that has to be shuffled to the top of the deck. Recently, Westside elementary schools recognized two students from each of grades 3 through 5 for demonstrating good character. Historically, this event would have drawn even odds of culminating in a pizza or sub party for the honored students. Thankfully, we have a teacher who thought outside the box, drawing on her personal six degrees of separation (or one degree in this case) to offer a really innovating and long-lasting reward for the students.

Music teacher Letrice Stanley reached out to her brother, St. Louis Rams receiver Derek Stanley, who provided authentic NFL footballs autographed by members of the St. Louis Rams!

Anyone who follows local sports or the NFL will recognize Derek Stanley as a standout athlete for Verona High, who went on to star at UW-Whitewater and was the first UW-Whitewater player ever drafted (7th round) in the NFL last year. Last December, Stanley saw the field as a kick returner and showed some of the speed and vision he translated to success at the high school and college level.

A hearty thank you to Ms. Stanley for providing these kids with a tangible reward that not only adequately punctuates their classroom performance in building character, but provides something that can awe and inspire them further. Coming from tiny UW-Whitewater, many wouldn't have give Stanley (or anyone) any hope of a shot at the NFL. But here is Derek living his dream and serving as a role model to others for both his determination, and his willingness to help give back to the community. Each football contains the autographs of quite a few NFL stars. Certainly that's something that will stick with these kids a whole lot longer than a meal of pizza.

We don't know what the criteria are to earn a "Piece Keeping" award from Dr. Culver, but in our book, Ms. Stanley and her colleagues at Westside certainly deserve one. Maybe it went unnoticed because the story was buried within a photo caption on page 8 of the June 5th edition of the STAR.

More pizza and subs for District Adminsitrators

In this edition of the B.A.F.F.L.E (Biweekly Administration Fast Food Lovers' Expense) Report:

The school board package for the August 27th 2007 meeting, Biweekly Check Register reflects two more recent purchases of lunch on the taxpayer's dime.

• Check #80470 to COUSIN'S SUBS 07/16/2007 $85.04 for "Multiple Invoices"
  
• Check #80564 PIZZA HUT 07/27/2007 $58.62 for "DO STAFF DEVELOPMENT SUPPLIES"

No one seems to care that we now pay for lunch for these people. Board members have publicly supported this. What's next? making their mortgage payments for them? How about assigning a district vehicle to each?

See for yourself.

For details, download the file ,"Finance Committee - August 27, 2007 " and at:
http://www.spasd.k12.wi.us/web/glking/stories/storyReader$26

There is no "Check Detail" file posted as yet, but if that is done, that file will help explain what "Multiple Invoices" means.