The August 20, 2007 BOE meeting probably seemed pretty uneventful to people who were not tuned into the many nuances of the ECASD recent history and the issues. But I can really say that under the surface there is a LOT going on and most of it is for the better. So I hope you take time to read my "unofficial" minutes of the meeting and share the small pleasures of accomplishment and change that are taking place in the district. Comm. Bollinger was not in attendance at the meeting.
Again, adequate copies of the Agenda and supporting material were available for the public in attendance. Two weeks in a row! Materials included full copies of the 2 Power Point presentations about the 2006-07 budget and information about relocating the Central office. Very comprehensive, professional looking and helpful to all.
Announcements and reports included info. on starting the new school year including:
Butler met with the new teachers and substitutes for the year. Normally there are 70 or 75 but this year only about 35. I don't know why that was or what it means. No explanation was given. Anybody?
Pam Gardow (sp?) at Memorial HS was honored at the Governor's Mansion for her Teen Literacy initiative.
Board Docs demonstration will be at the Sept. 10th BOE meeting.
The Comprehensive Facilities Report has been updated.
America's Promise voted EC one of the 100 best communities for young people. I don't know what their criteria are but it sounds good.
Pam Rewey of WASB will be coming on Sept. 10th from 4:30 to 5 for a short meeting with the BOE to discuss the community involvement in the search for the new Superintendent.
And now for the TWO BIGGIES:
1. Dr. Leary will be meeting with all the staff at MHS on 8-28 at 8:00 a.m. to conduct an activity with them to begin the new year. Again, seems minor, but over the last several years Dr. Klaus and Pres. Carol Olson discontinued meeting with the staff at the beginning of every year. When my friends who are teachers told me that, I was absolutely dumbstruck that the relationship between leadership and staff was so poor that spending 20 minutes at the beginning of the school year was not considered worthwhile by the leadership nor valuable by the staff. So we are off on a NEW footing this year!
2. Dr. Leary also indicated that on Sept. 10th for the Grievance process that is scheduled at 5:00 p.m. a **NEW** law firm (Davis and Kolthoff??) from Madison will be representing the district. WHOA!!! Finally some recognition that having Pres. O'Brien's employer represent the ECASD in a quasi-judicial proceedings is unacceptable. Again, small but significant changes. Dr. Leary continued to speak in glowing terms about the expertise that this person has regarding Conflict of Interest and that having him back for a session would be valuable for the board members. Pres. O'Brien stared straight ahead with no expression.
Approval of the Minutes was delayed when Comm. Craig questioned a sentence about the Comprehensive Community Plan (CCP) process which appears to be under major revision. Dr. Leary indicated that his initiatives are "in no way" a CCP as it is an internal only process. The Needs Assessment document is being reviewed in Administration and soon it will be out to staff in buildings. (More on this topic later.)
The motion to approve the Little Red Study Committee passed unanimously. I am still not sure exactly the membership of that committee. Comm. Cummins volunteered to be on the committee in place of Comm. Bollinger if he does not have the time to attend meetings with his work and travel schedule. (My guess is that this is in response to the pathetic attendance record of Comm. Wogahn on the Gifted and Talented Advisory Committee that he managed to attend only once or twice in 2 years of meetings!)
Dan VandeWater gave an extremely comprehensive report about the preliminary (unaudited) budget results for the 2006-07 year. He reviewed the history of his tenure since the Fall of 2005 where he recognized the strengths of the district: Curriculum, staff, infrastructure and community partnerships as well as "strong leadership in the schools" (but not in Administration or the BOE!) my parentheses.
His goals were: get control of the debt service data (after the district blew the calculation of the levy!), improve communication between his dept. and other parts of the district, reconstruct the budget process (which was completely inadequate, inaccurate and broken), restore a couple of positions that were cut and engage a benefits consulting firm (to collect data and manage benefits programs more effectively.)
Goals were accomplished as follows: he verified outstanding debt and created an amortization schedule (it is absolutely incredible to me as an accountant that this had not been done before Dan's arrival!), he increased meetings and site visits to schools and other departments to improve communication and information, he totally streamlined and revised the Chart of Accounts to make the budgeting process easier and more informative, changed outdated practices and improved and consolidated others, eliminated "carry-forward" of budget dollars and implemented Zero Based Budgeting (which is best in scenarios of scarce or declining resources), and, in the end, only needed the one additional position (not two) since other efficiencies resulted from changes.
AMAZING. He stepped into a disaster, assessed what was needed, planned and prioritized and accomplished the work. It seems kind of sad to get so much enjoyment out of a professional doing the job they are supposed to do and being totally accountable for the result, but that shows how little of it has been seen at the ECASD over the last many years.
Then Dan went thru a mini Accounting 101 lesson for the BOE and community that explained that Fund Balance is the accumulated surplus of revenues over expenses but is not a revenue stream that should be relied upon to fund on-going expenses. The Fund Balance of the ECASD has been growing (mostly) from approx. $9 million in 2000 to an anticipated $19 million at the end of 2007. Reminder: The BOE planned to take $4.4 million out of fund balance in '06-'07 so it was expected to be only $15.2 million.
The reason for the favorable variance in the budget was mostly due to increased revenues ($0.3 million), and lower than budgeted expenses in Salaries and Benefits ($1 million), $1.8 million in lower costs related to transportation (gas costs for buses did not increase as much as budgeted) and heating costs in buildings were lower due to the mild winter), savings in supplies ($.5 million) and decrease in Workman's comp ($0.2 million) from efforts of the Safety Manager.
Dan repeated his concern that the Fund Balance should not be used to fund ongoing expenses (even though that is what the BOE planned to do last year). In summary he graciously thanked his staff and the many others in school buildings who helped make so many critical changes last year to accomplish so much. He said that the district now has an ability for more accountability, control of data and attention to detail. While 2006-07 ended on a positive note, the ongoing budget problems remain.
There was a lengthy discussion by the BOE. Comm. Faanes indicated that he would not be "comfortable" with a $13 million fund balance (neither would I). Comm. Cummins was concerned that the community might think that the '07-'08 cuts were "reactionary" and Comm. Craig pointed out that the BOE was willing to use Fund Balance for the '06-'07 shortfalls. Comm. Wogahn waxed philosophical about the similarities between the Fund Balance and he and his wife's VISA bill when it is less than anticipated and then thinking they can spend more on other things. He said the community reaction to the referendum was to tell the school district to "live within your means". Comm. Cummins indicated that her information from the community was a response to the "failure to plan" on the part of the leadership of the BOE and Administration.
Pres. O'Brien graciously thanked Dan and his staff for all their hard work. He added that "the budget is now understandable and that was not the way it was for my first several years on the board." So you didn't ask questions until you did understand it? So it never crossed your mind that the district had no real financial expertise on board? So you just kept your fingers crossed that nothing bad would happen and you might be part of the problem?
MAJOR DIGRESSION: I am sorry, but I met with Butler and the Director of Finance, several years ago with some BASIC questions about the School District finances. Neither one of them could answer a darn thing. I literally left that meeting and went home to my husband shaking my head and told him "All is lost" with the school district. Shortly afterward the tax levy error occurred and, I guess, I was the only one who wasn't one bit surprised. I told former BOE commissioner Evans about my serious concerns and she confessed that the BOE knew that this area was "the weakest link" and former Pres. Olson just rolled her eyes when I mentioned my concerns. They knew. They did nothing. They hoped for the best. Leadership at its finest.
Back to the Meeting...
Charie Kramer gave a comprehensive presentation on the costs associated with relocating the Central Office. Options were as follows:
1. Stay as is. Annual cost per sq ft. is approx. $4
2. Remodel the building at a cost of $14 million then lease it out to another tenant (parking limitations) for an annual net cost per sq. ft. of approx, $10.
3. Move Central Office to Montessori (Lincoln School) building. This plan would require performing the facility work planned at Lincoln, but does not include costs to relocate the Central Office nor Montessori or additional parking or additional AC req's. Annual cost per sq. ft. would be approx. $7 but Comm. Faanes pointed out that if the costs that are planned anyway to update the facility were remoced, the incremental cost would be approx. $3 per sq. ft.
4. Move to another leased site that costs $10 sq.ft. This estimate does not include the relocation costs.
5. Build a new 50,000 sq. ft. facility at a cost of $100/sq. ft. 20 year cost would be approx. $10 pe sq. ft.
6. Relocate to Little Red. Not reasonable since the LR building only has half of the needed square footage.
Another fairly lengthy discussion about the technical considerations for moving the NOC (Network Operations Center) which would be extremely expensive as we would lose a very favorable deal with Charter for the fiber network and it would cost $1 to $2 million just to construct and a little less than $1 million to buy new servers (not the SAN). Comm. Faanes inquired about contract servers but the IT people indicated that they are very specific for educational functionality and such servers are not available for contracting.
So it seems that for the short term, staying in the building is the right decision. In the long term, this would require a new look.
Final Discussion: Planning
Another update from Patti Iverson about the City/County Planning effort that is now named "Clear Vision Community Plan" and will kick off in October and, presumably an BOE member will be the designated ECASD representative.
Dr. Leary indicated that his initiatives, called the School Improvement Plan (SIP), are well underway with the Philosophy Policy being reviewed by the BOE and the Needs Assessment (NA) filtering down thru Administration. Again, this is an INTERNAL assessment process. From the NA a Goals statement will be developed and so on... Carol Craig again interjected that in February the BOE made a commitment to the community to do the Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) with their involvement and she was concerned how that will happen. Had enough acronyms?
A lengthy discussion ensued about these 3 (three!) planning initiatives. There was agreement that the BOE had "a lot on our plates" (Pres. O'Brien) with the new Supt. search, the little Red Study Committee, etc.... Dr. Leary indicated he was not on board in Feb. so he could not speak to that commitment but he is not opposed to it. Comm. Craig reiterated her concerns that the BOE made a commitment to involve the community and that they must explain to the public why that did not happen. Dr. Leary said that in his meetings with community members (approx. 100 so far!) he hears that they want to see a strong organization with a clear plan and when they hear of the internal assessment they seem to be pleased with that.
Comm. Cummins said that she is hearing from the community: "Get us a leader." She supports Dr. Leary's initiatives and believes that the new superintendent should be on board for the full engagement of the plan. Comm. Faanes requested that the BOE meet before the next scheduled BOE meeting and find where these different plans are co-dependent and what the timelines are and to define the goals for the outcome. He indicated that there is information that they can and should be gathering along the way. Comm. Wogahn indicated that a timeline would be helpful. Comm. Kneer wondered what is the benefit of a strategic plan because it won't tell them that they don't have to make cuts (!?!?)
ENOUGH!
You can take 15 minutes and be involved. Please go to the separate postings about the Needs Assessment or the Philosophy Statement and look them over and then communicate SOMETHING to the BOE members. What parts of either of those proposals seem important/valuable/critical/essential for the future of our district? This doesn't have to be lengthy. Just let them know that you are reading what is being considered and tell them what is important to you, for our students, for our schools. Thanks!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
LT article about Dr. Leary's Initiatives
Please see below an article that was published in the LT about a lot of Dr. Leary's initiatives. GREAT STUFF!!
I guess my only comment is to enjoy reading between the lines!
Maria
Saturday,August 11, 2007
By Mary Stegmeir
Leader-Telegram staff
When James Leary was selected as the Eau Claire school district's interim superintendent last month, he knew exactly how he wanted to spend his year in charge.
While assisting the school board in choosing a permanent system leader,
Leary also wanted to help district officials set educational and operational
priorities. During some of his first meetings with board members this
summer, Leary started to lay out a school improvement process the district
will follow this year to plan for the future.
It's a method that's tried and true, said Leary, noting that the process has been followed by more than 100 school districts across the country.
"I know this works," he said. "It's all about setting goals and being accountable."
Leary developed the program about 25 years ago. He has shared his process with school leaders as president of MacroVision Associates, an education consulting firm in Holcombe that is temporarily shut down while the administrator works at the Eau Claire school district.
The program starts with board members crafting a district philosophy and setting goals for the system. Next, the board, along with teachers and administrators, will evaluate the district's needs, selecting up to 60 areas for improvement. Annual objectives also will be developed to ensure the new ideas are put into practice.
"We'll do the work this year so that the new superintendent can step right into the swing of things," Leary said. "I want this plan to be fully operational in this year so that it can form the basic foundation for allowing Eau Claire to move forward over the next three to five years."
The process is internal, but residents will learn about the district's plans throughout the year, Leary said. The school improvement plan is separate from the community comprehensive plan that the school board has discussed creating.
"Experience has shown that's important that we work and get our plans together in-house first," Leary said. " ... We should be able to solve our own problems in-house and then reach out and give."
Leary's school improvement process benefited the Chippewa Falls school district, said board president Roberta Rasmus. The administrator served as interim superintendent with that system in 2003-04.
Using Leary's planning process, district employees realized the system needed to add a human relations position. The new job cut costs by decreasing the number of employee grievances, Rasmus said.
"He helped us understand possible changes we could make or where we should be prioritizing our limited resources," she said. "When he left us we were at a really good place to have a new superintendent come in."
Eau Claire school board members started working on their school improvement plan last month. One of the first steps is completing a district needs assessments. The surveys list 112 objectives, from adding more after-school programs to establishing a public relations program. Board members are in the process of selecting which objectives are most important for the district.
Teachers and other staff members will complete assessments when the school year starts.
"I think this is an excellent way to get everybody involved," said board member Brent Wogahn. "After we figure out what we perceive our needs to be, then we can go to the public."
The improvement plan can guide progress in the years to come, Leary said. He hopes that Eau Claire can one day be recognized as a top school in the state and nation.
"There's just so much potential for this school district," he said.
I guess my only comment is to enjoy reading between the lines!
Maria
Saturday,August 11, 2007
By Mary Stegmeir
Leader-Telegram staff
When James Leary was selected as the Eau Claire school district's interim superintendent last month, he knew exactly how he wanted to spend his year in charge.
While assisting the school board in choosing a permanent system leader,
Leary also wanted to help district officials set educational and operational
priorities. During some of his first meetings with board members this
summer, Leary started to lay out a school improvement process the district
will follow this year to plan for the future.
It's a method that's tried and true, said Leary, noting that the process has been followed by more than 100 school districts across the country.
"I know this works," he said. "It's all about setting goals and being accountable."
Leary developed the program about 25 years ago. He has shared his process with school leaders as president of MacroVision Associates, an education consulting firm in Holcombe that is temporarily shut down while the administrator works at the Eau Claire school district.
The program starts with board members crafting a district philosophy and setting goals for the system. Next, the board, along with teachers and administrators, will evaluate the district's needs, selecting up to 60 areas for improvement. Annual objectives also will be developed to ensure the new ideas are put into practice.
"We'll do the work this year so that the new superintendent can step right into the swing of things," Leary said. "I want this plan to be fully operational in this year so that it can form the basic foundation for allowing Eau Claire to move forward over the next three to five years."
The process is internal, but residents will learn about the district's plans throughout the year, Leary said. The school improvement plan is separate from the community comprehensive plan that the school board has discussed creating.
"Experience has shown that's important that we work and get our plans together in-house first," Leary said. " ... We should be able to solve our own problems in-house and then reach out and give."
Leary's school improvement process benefited the Chippewa Falls school district, said board president Roberta Rasmus. The administrator served as interim superintendent with that system in 2003-04.
Using Leary's planning process, district employees realized the system needed to add a human relations position. The new job cut costs by decreasing the number of employee grievances, Rasmus said.
"He helped us understand possible changes we could make or where we should be prioritizing our limited resources," she said. "When he left us we were at a really good place to have a new superintendent come in."
Eau Claire school board members started working on their school improvement plan last month. One of the first steps is completing a district needs assessments. The surveys list 112 objectives, from adding more after-school programs to establishing a public relations program. Board members are in the process of selecting which objectives are most important for the district.
Teachers and other staff members will complete assessments when the school year starts.
"I think this is an excellent way to get everybody involved," said board member Brent Wogahn. "After we figure out what we perceive our needs to be, then we can go to the public."
The improvement plan can guide progress in the years to come, Leary said. He hopes that Eau Claire can one day be recognized as a top school in the state and nation.
"There's just so much potential for this school district," he said.
BOE Philosophy of Education
Here is a first draft from Dr. Leary to the BOE members of what could become a Policy that defines what the Philosophy of Education is in the ECASD. Again, totally new territory for our district and it will be part of the foundation for future decisions, strategic planning and priorities. Please see below the draft a sample of the Philosophy statement of Palatine, IL School District (a Baldridge Award winning school District!)
My comments about the first draft :
1. It seems a little old fashioned in its wording, i.e., "creed", "truthfulness" and "station in life."
2. It has language that does not seem to reflect so much potential to go from "good to great" for things like student achievement, i.e., "attainment of basic skills" and "acquiring job entry skills." What about students who go to post secondary education?
2. It does NOT have any of the words that I would hope are part of our philosophy, i.e., "excellence", "best", "enrichment," "electives," "core knowledge or content," or "high expectations."
More importantly: What Do You Think?? Please comment on the blog and share your thoughts as well as to BOE members and Dr. Leary.
Thanks, Maria
1ST DRAFT OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION FOR THE ECASD:
The Board of Education of the Eau Claire Area School District, recognizing both its legal and moral responsibilities to the community-at-large and specifically to the children and youth of the community, does hereby attest its commitment to the aforementioned obligations through adoption and acceptance of the following:
We believe that all students of the school district, regardless of age, race, creed, sex or environment are entitled to educational opportunities consistent with their interests and commensurate with their abilities, to the extent the school district is able to provide the financial, physical and human resources required to meet those needs. Further, the school system shall, through the development and provision of programs, procedures, practices, and a well-qualified staff, endeavor to:
Promote education as a right, as well as a privilege.
Promote the development of capable, enlightened, effective and responsible citizens through the attainment of basic skills.
Provide the opportunity for acquiring job entry skills.
Provide an awareness of the need for living in a manner that appreciates nature and provides for a sustainable future.
Promote individual success in a supportive, challenging, and non-critical learning environment conducive to a feeling of self-worth.
Promote development of the powers of logic and reason.
Provide for an awareness and understanding of the processes of the democratic form of government and the role of the individual as a participant in that government.
Develop respect, appreciation, and acceptance for the principles of honesty, integrity, and truthfulness.
Engender a respect for all persons regardless of their beliefs or station in life.
Encourage an awareness of, and appreciation for, the contribution of the humanities to the cultures of the world.
To this end, for the enhancement of the future of humankind, the Board of Education commits its understanding, appreciation, time and abilities.
*****************************************
School District Philosophy (Palatine, Illinois)
The District 15 community agrees that mastery of basic skills in all subject areas is fundamental, but it also realizes that with information doubling every 18 months, the mastery of facts and concepts is not adequate to prepare the community’s children for tomorrow. They must have the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to become lifelong learners, productive workers, and contributing citizens. We must encourage them to become enthusiastic about learning.
Such a set of priorities and conditions redefine how we think about the district’s mission. As a result, the mission of District 15 is to produce world-class learners. The mission is accomplished by building a connected learning community.
World-class learners are competitive with students worldwide. World-class learners achieve exemplary levels of understanding in academics and the arts compared to world-class standards and internationally recognized tests.
A connected learning community shares information, develops leadership from many sources, invites citizen participation to work actively together, promotes volunteerism to increase the leverage of what people know and can do, provides civic education that makes the community the classroom, and promotes intercommunity cooperation to develop the capacity for producing world-class learners.
The District’s core values, which are the foundation for continually improving performance, are described below:
Student and Constituent-Driven Quality
Students and constituents judge the quality of education in School District 15. This means that we focus on expectations and constantly monitor expectation levels among various constituents. Quality expectations include the relationship between the district and its constituents and the results the district achieves that meet or exceed those expectations.
Public Responsibility and Citizenship
School District 15 needs to stress its responsibilities to the public and practice good citizenship. This responsibility refers to basic expectations and the organization’s ethics and protection of public health, safety, improvement of all citizens, improving health habits in the community, environmental excellence, resource conservation, community service, and sharing facilities and other resources.
My comments about the first draft :
1. It seems a little old fashioned in its wording, i.e., "creed", "truthfulness" and "station in life."
2. It has language that does not seem to reflect so much potential to go from "good to great" for things like student achievement, i.e., "attainment of basic skills" and "acquiring job entry skills." What about students who go to post secondary education?
2. It does NOT have any of the words that I would hope are part of our philosophy, i.e., "excellence", "best", "enrichment," "electives," "core knowledge or content," or "high expectations."
More importantly: What Do You Think?? Please comment on the blog and share your thoughts as well as to BOE members and Dr. Leary.
Thanks, Maria
1ST DRAFT OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION FOR THE ECASD:
The Board of Education of the Eau Claire Area School District, recognizing both its legal and moral responsibilities to the community-at-large and specifically to the children and youth of the community, does hereby attest its commitment to the aforementioned obligations through adoption and acceptance of the following:
We believe that all students of the school district, regardless of age, race, creed, sex or environment are entitled to educational opportunities consistent with their interests and commensurate with their abilities, to the extent the school district is able to provide the financial, physical and human resources required to meet those needs. Further, the school system shall, through the development and provision of programs, procedures, practices, and a well-qualified staff, endeavor to:
Promote education as a right, as well as a privilege.
Promote the development of capable, enlightened, effective and responsible citizens through the attainment of basic skills.
Provide the opportunity for acquiring job entry skills.
Provide an awareness of the need for living in a manner that appreciates nature and provides for a sustainable future.
Promote individual success in a supportive, challenging, and non-critical learning environment conducive to a feeling of self-worth.
Promote development of the powers of logic and reason.
Provide for an awareness and understanding of the processes of the democratic form of government and the role of the individual as a participant in that government.
Develop respect, appreciation, and acceptance for the principles of honesty, integrity, and truthfulness.
Engender a respect for all persons regardless of their beliefs or station in life.
Encourage an awareness of, and appreciation for, the contribution of the humanities to the cultures of the world.
To this end, for the enhancement of the future of humankind, the Board of Education commits its understanding, appreciation, time and abilities.
*****************************************
School District Philosophy (Palatine, Illinois)
The District 15 community agrees that mastery of basic skills in all subject areas is fundamental, but it also realizes that with information doubling every 18 months, the mastery of facts and concepts is not adequate to prepare the community’s children for tomorrow. They must have the opportunity to acquire the necessary skills to become lifelong learners, productive workers, and contributing citizens. We must encourage them to become enthusiastic about learning.
Such a set of priorities and conditions redefine how we think about the district’s mission. As a result, the mission of District 15 is to produce world-class learners. The mission is accomplished by building a connected learning community.
World-class learners are competitive with students worldwide. World-class learners achieve exemplary levels of understanding in academics and the arts compared to world-class standards and internationally recognized tests.
A connected learning community shares information, develops leadership from many sources, invites citizen participation to work actively together, promotes volunteerism to increase the leverage of what people know and can do, provides civic education that makes the community the classroom, and promotes intercommunity cooperation to develop the capacity for producing world-class learners.
The District’s core values, which are the foundation for continually improving performance, are described below:
Student and Constituent-Driven Quality
Students and constituents judge the quality of education in School District 15. This means that we focus on expectations and constantly monitor expectation levels among various constituents. Quality expectations include the relationship between the district and its constituents and the results the district achieves that meet or exceed those expectations.
Public Responsibility and Citizenship
School District 15 needs to stress its responsibilities to the public and practice good citizenship. This responsibility refers to basic expectations and the organization’s ethics and protection of public health, safety, improvement of all citizens, improving health habits in the community, environmental excellence, resource conservation, community service, and sharing facilities and other resources.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Change is Uncomfortable
On Aug. 6th Dr. Leary held a Work Session with the BOE titled "Creating the Realities of Our Own Future". I expected it to be very similar to the Board Governance presentation that was done in May but it was quite different. But I want to re-state my openness to doing things differently than have been done in the past in the hopes that we get new and better results for the district.
Right off the bat there was PROGRESS in that copies of the material were available to those of us attending from the community.
Some of the main points of the presentation were:
The Importance of Perceptions in that they are different based on our own point of view and that our Perceptions lead to Behaviors which in turn lead to Results (Perceiving, Behaving and Becoming) the implication being that if we (the BOE) perceive our goals to be achieving results then we can direct our behavior as well.
Implications of decision-making are to recognize that decisions have 3 components: Informational, Political and Emotional and the best decisions need to have all 3 components in balance. The decision about Little Red was used as an example of a decision that changed ("close it" to "keep it open") but there was little understanding by the public or what was reported in the newspaper about what caused the change; new information? the political climate of the community? or the new board members? or just a change of heart emotionally by Kneer, Wogahn and O'Brien who changed their votes?
Other topics included discussion about the fact that Conflict is not always negative, good/accurate information is key, and Fear tends to cause misinformation. Additional discussion about the value of Lateralized Thinking (pattern shifting within a pattern) and paradigm shifts that up-end everything. Leary encouraged BOE members to use Futuristic Planning (What do we want to have in 5 years and work the implementation backwards to achieve that) rather than traditional planning that looks at one year increments. He encouraged BOE members to recognize what the various components of the community are looking for from the district (listening to WIIFM radio station: "What is in it For Me?") and then try to reflect those points of view in decisions.
BOE members also did a "Social Styles Inventory" to help all of them recognize the kind of decision-makers they all are and begin to understand the differences. Pretty interesting. On the grid of Analytic, Driver, Expressive and Amiable Leary himself was the only Amiable (less assertive but more emotional), Ken Faanes was the only Analytical (less emotion and less assertive) and most others were at different levels of assertiveness and with emotional responses.
The end of the session was really different, but understandable after the personality exercise above. Leary played a couple of children's songs (after all, this IS about children) that encouraged listeners to allow enough transparency so that others can see us as we see ourselves.
After the encouraging Work Session the Regular Meeting seemed to have the same uncomfortable and dysfunctional feeling as before. I am sure that all of this change takes time but it didn't seem to carry over after just half an hour.
Again, with Public Comment required before information is given a community member not aware of the change in the policy really struggled to give input with no information. Pres. O'Brien simply told her she could give input without the information and then could return in 2 weeks to comment on what she heard later in the meeting. Not exactly the kind of thing that wins the hearts and minds of voters.
I thanked the BOE for providing adequate copies of the Briefing Statement and for moving ahead on the formation of the Little Red Study Committee and looking at the Board Docs technology. I asked, again, that all BOE Committees be in compliance with the WI Statues about Open Meeting Laws and notice their meeting times and locations as well as Committee members, their contact information, Agendas and Minutes. Nothing but uphill on a muddy slope but a few footholds are being made.
Bev Christianson repeated her request that Pres. O'Brien not serve on the negotiating committee because of his conflict of interest situation with his employment with Weld Riley. Mr. O'Brien grimaced.
A lengthy discussion began about the formation of the Little Red Study Committee. Pres. O'Brien announced that membership would be: Comm. Craig, O'Brien and Bollinger plus Butler (groans from audience members) as well as the lead teacher at LR and a LR stff member, a Putnam Heights staff member, 2 parents from LR, 2 parents from PH and 2 at-large community members. Discussion about the scope of the committee concerned including other "resources" such as Charlie Kramer, County planners, real estate agents, EC Transit, etc...
Comm. Cummins was concerned that the committee membership would be divisive and pit LR against PH families. (NOTE: this is a classic G. Butler maneuver that has been used successfully in closing Cleghorn, Lincoln, etc...) Comm. Craig was concerned that decisions made by the cttee. would naturally "spill over" to other schools and the "big picture" needed to be considered. Butler agreed that there are implications for several schools. Comm. Craig suggested asking parents already on the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) to be involved. Comm. Cummins indicated that according to policy the committee needed to have a very specific "charge" before being formed. Much word smithing ensued and a motion was made and passed unanimously about the final charge. I will have to look at the Minutes of the meeting to get the final motion as it was lengthy.
Dr, Leary indicated that his best efforts to gather information about other district's Conflict of Interest policiies is being frustrated by many "no policy" replies as well as the vacation season. This discussion was postponed to get a quality information.
Dr. Leary passed out his 1st Draft of the BOE Philosophy Policy that will be the foundation for setting goals for the ECASD. This will be the first step in the year long planning process with the next step being the setting of GOALS. My favorite part about the briefing document from Dr. Leary is the paragraph about District Philosophy and Goals which reads: "While reviewing the Board of Education Policy manual, I did not find a statement of a District Philosophy or of Goals that form the basis for comprehensive annual and long range school improvement planning."
Yes, folks, it took bringing in somebody from outside the crazy Black Box of the ECASD to notice what many of us have been saying for years: THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES ON! Our Board and Administration has been rudderless and without a map for years. So we are moving in the right direction. More Progress!
Pres. O'Brien suggested BOE members e-mail suggestions to Dr. Leary. I will try to get an e-copy of the 1st draft and post it here. I think the community should have a voice in this process as well. Silly me.
Next topic: BoardDocs technology to go to paperless (or at least less paper) Agendas and information for BOE members as well as for the community. It is currently used in LaCrosse and you can look at the result at their website: Members agreed a demo would be good. http://www.boarddocs.com/wi/sdlcwi/Board.nsf/Public?OpenFrameSet
A welcome moment of humor for the board and audience members was provided by Comm. Kneer who stated: "I don't want it. I am busier than all of you people who sit in front of computers all day."
Announcements were that the Charter School Committee has been meeting all summer and they hope to present their results to the BOE in October or November. The legislative update was slightly more understandable with comments from O'Brien that the difference between state student aid to districts is being debated (VanDeWater pointed out that the lower # would result in $650,000 less for ECASD). Also something about the QEO can avoid consideration of the financial status of the district (?), and they are fighting over health insurance in Madison now. I sure hope that we get some information that would tell us what the potential savings to the ECASD might be with the Healthy WI proposal.
Patti Iverson gave an update on the Initiating activities of the Community Visioning effort that is being done at the County and city level. She indicated that she is just part of the Initiating rather than the ECASD representative who will be a BOE member. That is a big clarification that alarmed a lot of us initially.
Comm. Craig made a point of saying that the Community Visioning is totally different from the ECASD Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) process and that they need to re-visit that pledge that was made to the community in March about any adjustment in timeframes. In the process somebody recognized that nobody from the district even bothered to get back to the 3 planning consultants that gave presentations on June 26th (6 weeks ago!) Again, much confusion about whether or not the CCP process will be pursued or with Dr. Leary they will just focus on internal Needs Assessment and School Improvement Planning. Comm. Cummins indicated that she is comfortable with not setting a 5 year plan before a new Superintendent is in place.
Leary commented on the importance of getting "getting our own act together internally" before seeking community input. He commented that in his discussions with community members he does not feel pressure to include them. I do not know exactly who in the community Leary has already met with, but it can't be any of the folks I know. I guess that I think it would be a wrong start if only BOE members and Administrators and principals and staff and teachers responded to prioritize the Needs Assessment list to set priorities for goals for the ECASD. I think that the BOE should establish some mechanism to have community members respond to the same information as it will be the FOUNDATION for setting goals in the district. As always, your comments to the BOE and Sup. Leary would be helpful here.
I agree with Comm. Craig when she said that in Feb. when the motion was made and passed unanimously to begin the CCP process that they took on a specific charge and told the community that they would do certain things in certain timeframes. If that has changed then the BOE should make changes to either the task or the timeframe.
How else can we measure accountability? In Feb. they said they would do something and defined the scope and timeframe and unanimously approved it. Now in August they are missing the deadlines, or things have changed with the new Superintendent, or they have another approach with new timeframes, or whatever. Fine. Tell us what you are going to do and when you will do it and how the community will be part of the process. We will give you input about that plan and then you/we can proceed to accomplish the new objective and we have benchmarks to measure progress and now when we have completed the goal.
Final discussion was about the timeframe proposed by WASB in the schedule to hire the new Superintendent. Leary made a few modifications. Pretty straightforward. Still no definition on how the greater community will be involved in this extremely important endeavor. Man, even I am getting sick of hearing myself ask the same darn questions at every discussion! Can somebody else pick up the baton and then maybe even the BOE will have that as part of every process without our having to beg like a bunch of 4 year olds.
Right off the bat there was PROGRESS in that copies of the material were available to those of us attending from the community.
Some of the main points of the presentation were:
The Importance of Perceptions in that they are different based on our own point of view and that our Perceptions lead to Behaviors which in turn lead to Results (Perceiving, Behaving and Becoming) the implication being that if we (the BOE) perceive our goals to be achieving results then we can direct our behavior as well.
Implications of decision-making are to recognize that decisions have 3 components: Informational, Political and Emotional and the best decisions need to have all 3 components in balance. The decision about Little Red was used as an example of a decision that changed ("close it" to "keep it open") but there was little understanding by the public or what was reported in the newspaper about what caused the change; new information? the political climate of the community? or the new board members? or just a change of heart emotionally by Kneer, Wogahn and O'Brien who changed their votes?
Other topics included discussion about the fact that Conflict is not always negative, good/accurate information is key, and Fear tends to cause misinformation. Additional discussion about the value of Lateralized Thinking (pattern shifting within a pattern) and paradigm shifts that up-end everything. Leary encouraged BOE members to use Futuristic Planning (What do we want to have in 5 years and work the implementation backwards to achieve that) rather than traditional planning that looks at one year increments. He encouraged BOE members to recognize what the various components of the community are looking for from the district (listening to WIIFM radio station: "What is in it For Me?") and then try to reflect those points of view in decisions.
BOE members also did a "Social Styles Inventory" to help all of them recognize the kind of decision-makers they all are and begin to understand the differences. Pretty interesting. On the grid of Analytic, Driver, Expressive and Amiable Leary himself was the only Amiable (less assertive but more emotional), Ken Faanes was the only Analytical (less emotion and less assertive) and most others were at different levels of assertiveness and with emotional responses.
The end of the session was really different, but understandable after the personality exercise above. Leary played a couple of children's songs (after all, this IS about children) that encouraged listeners to allow enough transparency so that others can see us as we see ourselves.
After the encouraging Work Session the Regular Meeting seemed to have the same uncomfortable and dysfunctional feeling as before. I am sure that all of this change takes time but it didn't seem to carry over after just half an hour.
Again, with Public Comment required before information is given a community member not aware of the change in the policy really struggled to give input with no information. Pres. O'Brien simply told her she could give input without the information and then could return in 2 weeks to comment on what she heard later in the meeting. Not exactly the kind of thing that wins the hearts and minds of voters.
I thanked the BOE for providing adequate copies of the Briefing Statement and for moving ahead on the formation of the Little Red Study Committee and looking at the Board Docs technology. I asked, again, that all BOE Committees be in compliance with the WI Statues about Open Meeting Laws and notice their meeting times and locations as well as Committee members, their contact information, Agendas and Minutes. Nothing but uphill on a muddy slope but a few footholds are being made.
Bev Christianson repeated her request that Pres. O'Brien not serve on the negotiating committee because of his conflict of interest situation with his employment with Weld Riley. Mr. O'Brien grimaced.
A lengthy discussion began about the formation of the Little Red Study Committee. Pres. O'Brien announced that membership would be: Comm. Craig, O'Brien and Bollinger plus Butler (groans from audience members) as well as the lead teacher at LR and a LR stff member, a Putnam Heights staff member, 2 parents from LR, 2 parents from PH and 2 at-large community members. Discussion about the scope of the committee concerned including other "resources" such as Charlie Kramer, County planners, real estate agents, EC Transit, etc...
Comm. Cummins was concerned that the committee membership would be divisive and pit LR against PH families. (NOTE: this is a classic G. Butler maneuver that has been used successfully in closing Cleghorn, Lincoln, etc...) Comm. Craig was concerned that decisions made by the cttee. would naturally "spill over" to other schools and the "big picture" needed to be considered. Butler agreed that there are implications for several schools. Comm. Craig suggested asking parents already on the Parent Advisory Council (PAC) to be involved. Comm. Cummins indicated that according to policy the committee needed to have a very specific "charge" before being formed. Much word smithing ensued and a motion was made and passed unanimously about the final charge. I will have to look at the Minutes of the meeting to get the final motion as it was lengthy.
Dr, Leary indicated that his best efforts to gather information about other district's Conflict of Interest policiies is being frustrated by many "no policy" replies as well as the vacation season. This discussion was postponed to get a quality information.
Dr. Leary passed out his 1st Draft of the BOE Philosophy Policy that will be the foundation for setting goals for the ECASD. This will be the first step in the year long planning process with the next step being the setting of GOALS. My favorite part about the briefing document from Dr. Leary is the paragraph about District Philosophy and Goals which reads: "While reviewing the Board of Education Policy manual, I did not find a statement of a District Philosophy or of Goals that form the basis for comprehensive annual and long range school improvement planning."
Yes, folks, it took bringing in somebody from outside the crazy Black Box of the ECASD to notice what many of us have been saying for years: THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES ON! Our Board and Administration has been rudderless and without a map for years. So we are moving in the right direction. More Progress!
Pres. O'Brien suggested BOE members e-mail suggestions to Dr. Leary. I will try to get an e-copy of the 1st draft and post it here. I think the community should have a voice in this process as well. Silly me.
Next topic: BoardDocs technology to go to paperless (or at least less paper) Agendas and information for BOE members as well as for the community. It is currently used in LaCrosse and you can look at the result at their website: Members agreed a demo would be good. http://www.boarddocs.com/wi/sdlcwi/Board.nsf/Public?OpenFrameSet
A welcome moment of humor for the board and audience members was provided by Comm. Kneer who stated: "I don't want it. I am busier than all of you people who sit in front of computers all day."
Announcements were that the Charter School Committee has been meeting all summer and they hope to present their results to the BOE in October or November. The legislative update was slightly more understandable with comments from O'Brien that the difference between state student aid to districts is being debated (VanDeWater pointed out that the lower # would result in $650,000 less for ECASD). Also something about the QEO can avoid consideration of the financial status of the district (?), and they are fighting over health insurance in Madison now. I sure hope that we get some information that would tell us what the potential savings to the ECASD might be with the Healthy WI proposal.
Patti Iverson gave an update on the Initiating activities of the Community Visioning effort that is being done at the County and city level. She indicated that she is just part of the Initiating rather than the ECASD representative who will be a BOE member. That is a big clarification that alarmed a lot of us initially.
Comm. Craig made a point of saying that the Community Visioning is totally different from the ECASD Comprehensive Community Planning (CCP) process and that they need to re-visit that pledge that was made to the community in March about any adjustment in timeframes. In the process somebody recognized that nobody from the district even bothered to get back to the 3 planning consultants that gave presentations on June 26th (6 weeks ago!) Again, much confusion about whether or not the CCP process will be pursued or with Dr. Leary they will just focus on internal Needs Assessment and School Improvement Planning. Comm. Cummins indicated that she is comfortable with not setting a 5 year plan before a new Superintendent is in place.
Leary commented on the importance of getting "getting our own act together internally" before seeking community input. He commented that in his discussions with community members he does not feel pressure to include them. I do not know exactly who in the community Leary has already met with, but it can't be any of the folks I know. I guess that I think it would be a wrong start if only BOE members and Administrators and principals and staff and teachers responded to prioritize the Needs Assessment list to set priorities for goals for the ECASD. I think that the BOE should establish some mechanism to have community members respond to the same information as it will be the FOUNDATION for setting goals in the district. As always, your comments to the BOE and Sup. Leary would be helpful here.
I agree with Comm. Craig when she said that in Feb. when the motion was made and passed unanimously to begin the CCP process that they took on a specific charge and told the community that they would do certain things in certain timeframes. If that has changed then the BOE should make changes to either the task or the timeframe.
How else can we measure accountability? In Feb. they said they would do something and defined the scope and timeframe and unanimously approved it. Now in August they are missing the deadlines, or things have changed with the new Superintendent, or they have another approach with new timeframes, or whatever. Fine. Tell us what you are going to do and when you will do it and how the community will be part of the process. We will give you input about that plan and then you/we can proceed to accomplish the new objective and we have benchmarks to measure progress and now when we have completed the goal.
Final discussion was about the timeframe proposed by WASB in the schedule to hire the new Superintendent. Leary made a few modifications. Pretty straightforward. Still no definition on how the greater community will be involved in this extremely important endeavor. Man, even I am getting sick of hearing myself ask the same darn questions at every discussion! Can somebody else pick up the baton and then maybe even the BOE will have that as part of every process without our having to beg like a bunch of 4 year olds.
Comments about the return of Deputy Butler
Many, many people are shocked and not happy that Dr. Butler is now back in his office. Here are some of the comments that people have sent to me that they wish to remain anonymous on:
Dear Blogmaster Henly,
I also was excited about the obvious change of direction hiring Dr.
Leary seems to promise. His presentation at the last board meeting
showed considerable thought as well as a willingness to disturb the
comfort zones of complacent board members, district leaders, and
community members. I left feeling very positive and upbeat about his
arrival.
Why then is my comfort zone suddenly upended? Simply put - I cannot
understand why the board has brought back Gregg Butler. The
overworked cliché of “the fox in the henhouse” keeps coming to mind.
Are there board members who want the status quo until it drowns us?
Or is Dr. Leary willing to look at what past leadership did to the
district to try and right the ship before bringing an entirely new,
out-of-district, skipper onboard to guide the ECASD on its new course?
I certainly hope it is the latter as bringing part of the original
problem back into a decision-making, leadership role strikes me as
much worse than two steps backward. And moving backward is not
something we can afford to do! Thank you.
*******************************************************
I am actually sick to my stomach that they have hired GB back . . . .and he will slide right into the Sup job next year . . .. how absolutely pathetic.
****************************************************************
And discouraging news about the deputy sup, but how about that buried quote at the bottom: "I've been gone seven weeks, but it feels like only a weekend"? Hah.
******************************************************************
Dear Blogmaster Henly,
I also was excited about the obvious change of direction hiring Dr.
Leary seems to promise. His presentation at the last board meeting
showed considerable thought as well as a willingness to disturb the
comfort zones of complacent board members, district leaders, and
community members. I left feeling very positive and upbeat about his
arrival.
Why then is my comfort zone suddenly upended? Simply put - I cannot
understand why the board has brought back Gregg Butler. The
overworked cliché of “the fox in the henhouse” keeps coming to mind.
Are there board members who want the status quo until it drowns us?
Or is Dr. Leary willing to look at what past leadership did to the
district to try and right the ship before bringing an entirely new,
out-of-district, skipper onboard to guide the ECASD on its new course?
I certainly hope it is the latter as bringing part of the original
problem back into a decision-making, leadership role strikes me as
much worse than two steps backward. And moving backward is not
something we can afford to do! Thank you.
*******************************************************
I am actually sick to my stomach that they have hired GB back . . . .and he will slide right into the Sup job next year . . .. how absolutely pathetic.
****************************************************************
And discouraging news about the deputy sup, but how about that buried quote at the bottom: "I've been gone seven weeks, but it feels like only a weekend"? Hah.
******************************************************************
The Cat in the Hat is Back!
In another wild and inexplicable turn of events at the ECASD we have Deputy Gregg back in his office (that he had just vacated a few weeks earlier!) Did anybody else notice his comment in the LT that "I was gone seven weeks, but it feels like I've only been gone one long weekend."
Excuse me? According to my recollection Gregg resigned in April to be effective at the end of May. Then he applied for the Interim Superintendent job (make sure you read the posting about Dr. James Leary to get an idea of Butler's "application" for the job). The BOE met and interviewed candidates on June 25th and decided to hire Leary. Butler was still fully entrenched and working in his office at that date. So his comment about 7 weeks is either really bad math skills or outright delusion. Isn't Honesty one of the Core Values of the ECASD?
By my calculations he was supposed to retire at the end of May but he "forgot" to:
1.) have a going away party,
2.) be recognized and get his farewell plaque at his "final" BOE meeting,
3.) turn in his keys, ID badge and other district-issued items,
4.) pack up his things and move out of his office,
5.) stop meeting with other ECASD personnel, in ECASD buildings and discussing ECASD business and accessing ECASD files and information!
Does the ECASD not have a policy about retired employees and procedures that are followed when one ends employment in the district? Are retired teachers allowed to come and go in buildings and access district information as they please after retirement? Another crazy, sloppy, mis-managed scenario that makes those of us watching wonder who is making decisions and what is the quality of those decisions.
Did Klaus happen to notice that 3 weeks after Gregg "retired" that he was still coming to work? Their offices are right next to each other's. Did he say anything? Did Gregg and Bill just continue to meet and work together? Another ECASD mystery.
Needless to say, I have gotten LOTS of e-mails about this and will post them separately.
FYI: Compensation for Butler is as follows:
The Board will compensate Dr. Butler $2,750 per week for the term of his contract this year as Interim Deputy Superintendent. He has a 49 week contract and the annual equivalent of this would be 52 weeks for $143,000. The only
additional cost will be the Board's required share of social security which would be an additional $156 per week. There are no board contributions for retirement, dental, health, life, long-term disability insurance, or annuities.
For 2006-07, Dr. Butler's total salary and benefits totaled $163,384.
Excuse me? According to my recollection Gregg resigned in April to be effective at the end of May. Then he applied for the Interim Superintendent job (make sure you read the posting about Dr. James Leary to get an idea of Butler's "application" for the job). The BOE met and interviewed candidates on June 25th and decided to hire Leary. Butler was still fully entrenched and working in his office at that date. So his comment about 7 weeks is either really bad math skills or outright delusion. Isn't Honesty one of the Core Values of the ECASD?
By my calculations he was supposed to retire at the end of May but he "forgot" to:
1.) have a going away party,
2.) be recognized and get his farewell plaque at his "final" BOE meeting,
3.) turn in his keys, ID badge and other district-issued items,
4.) pack up his things and move out of his office,
5.) stop meeting with other ECASD personnel, in ECASD buildings and discussing ECASD business and accessing ECASD files and information!
Does the ECASD not have a policy about retired employees and procedures that are followed when one ends employment in the district? Are retired teachers allowed to come and go in buildings and access district information as they please after retirement? Another crazy, sloppy, mis-managed scenario that makes those of us watching wonder who is making decisions and what is the quality of those decisions.
Did Klaus happen to notice that 3 weeks after Gregg "retired" that he was still coming to work? Their offices are right next to each other's. Did he say anything? Did Gregg and Bill just continue to meet and work together? Another ECASD mystery.
Needless to say, I have gotten LOTS of e-mails about this and will post them separately.
FYI: Compensation for Butler is as follows:
The Board will compensate Dr. Butler $2,750 per week for the term of his contract this year as Interim Deputy Superintendent. He has a 49 week contract and the annual equivalent of this would be 52 weeks for $143,000. The only
additional cost will be the Board's required share of social security which would be an additional $156 per week. There are no board contributions for retirement, dental, health, life, long-term disability insurance, or annuities.
For 2006-07, Dr. Butler's total salary and benefits totaled $163,384.
Classes cut at Memorial and North
Please find below a list of all the classes that were cut at North and Memorial High School due to budget reductions. I did not get an electronic copy of this info. so this is tedious and I hope I got it all right! I have entered the Dept. where the cut was made, then the staff cut that was made and then the # of students displaced by the cut classes. When the info. indicated that an entire section was cut, I assumed that to be 28 students.
My comments about this list are that this is just one more example of what happens when there is absolutely no leadership functioning at the top of our district for the last several years. There was NO PLANNING at all for the budget shortfalls that have been building for years. In 2006-07 there was a $6 million deficit that the leadership just took from the fund balance and even after that they made NO PLAN for the coming years!! In addition, there was NO PLANNING by the ECASD leadership in the event that the referendum failed. So on April 4th, the day after the election, principals had to scramble to come up with their best shot with NO OVERRIDING POLICY OR GUIDELINES to make these huge cuts. The ECASD BOE did not even bother to meet in the intervening 2 weeks to craft some sort of educational/programming philosophy as a guideline for principals.
I am not faulting principals Leibham or Valk at all for this! They did their best without any information in a ridiculous timeframe. But it is clear that cuts were based on low enrollment rather than curriculum standards. When you see huge chunks of the AP curriculum erased along with the Charter School offerings decimated next to cuts in Keyboarding and Culinary II classes you know that there was no overriding VISION for what the district is doing.
Sad, sad, sad.
MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL: 6.8 staff and 1077 students affected (this means that more than half the Memorial students lost a class!)
Agriculture, .2 staff, 38 students:
Horticulture and Wildlife Mgmt. II
Art, .3 staff, 18 students:
Comm. Art II
Business/Marketing, .4 staff, 74 students
Keyboarding, Prep. 21, Acct. II (reduced from yr. to sem.) and Intro. to Web
Family/Consumer Ed.: .3 staff, 46 students
Culinary II, Parent/Child, Child Care
Health: .1 staff, 28 students
Health 1000 (1 sect.)
Language Arts: .9 staff, 139 students
1 section each of English 10, Enriched English 10 , AP Lit. , Prep. 21; GUM (?), Adv. Theater
Math: 1.0 staff, 121 students
1 sect. each of Geometry, Alg/Geom. 3, Accel. Pre-Calc., AP Stats and Tech. Math
Music: .4 staff and 88 students
Jazz 4, Jazz 5, Show Choir 3, Music Theory and the Band Coord.
Science: .7 staff and 131 students
1 sect. each of Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Botany plus Env. Science B
Social Studies: .6 staff and 81 students
1 sect. of Civics plus AP US History, Philosphy !!, Anthropology and SWAT sem. (?)
Tech Ed: .6 staff and 60 students
Intro. Const., Aviation, Elect., Digital, Woods II
World Language: .6 staff and 50 students
French 1, German 5, and i sect. of Spanish 3
Charter School: .4 staff and 63 students
Intro. Comp. Tech., Operations Syst., Cisco I, Cisco III, Animation
Misc.: .1 staff and 28 students
1 sect. of Personal Awareness/Zeegers (?)
Phy Ed: .2 staff and 56 students
1 sect. each of PE 9 and Team Sports
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
NOTE: I received an XCEL spreadsheet but I don't know how to paste it in this blog so I just copied and pasted the information. The first section is classes dropped to low enrollment, followed by classes dropped due to budget reduction and then classes cut due to both factors. Classes are not categorized by Dept. The information is listed as follows:
Class Name, class #, staff cut, students enrolled
Totals at North High are 8.0 staff (3.7 due to low enrollment) and 598 students.
Dropped/Low Enrollment 2/2007
Introduction to Natural Resources 104 0.10 3
Vet Science II 114 0.10 16
Wildlife Management 2 118 0.10 15
Advanced Computer Applications 306 0.10 1
Intermediate Web Design 334 0.10 5
Families First 422 0.10 9
Food Science and Nutrition 432 0.10 8
ASL 2 540 0.20 9
Advanced Journalism 622 0.20 0
Stagecraft 632 0.10 7
Concert Band 802 0.20 7
Chamber Choir 822 0.20 10
WSI/LGT (EB Semester 2) 0910 .10 12
Early Bird - 12 0917 .10 4
AP Biology II 1126 0.20 4
Adv Chemistry A 1132 0.10 13
Adv Chemistry B 1133 0.10 16
AP Chemistry II 1134 0.20 0
AP Physics C: Mechanics 1142 0.20 4
AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism 1144 0.20 1
AP US History 1202 0.20 12
History of Philosophy II 1234 0.10 9
Architectural Design (Drafting II) 1320 0.20 10
Computer Int Manf (CIM) 1326 0.20 12
Vocational Metals 1344 0.20 6
4/11/2007- budget reductions
Floral Design and Horticulture 102 0.10 18
Vetrinary Science 1 112 0.10 18
Combined Visual Arts 200 0.10 19
Desktop Publishing 312 0.10 14
International Business & Marketing 316 0.10 17
Culinary II 418 0.10 17
French 5 508 0.20 12
German 4 516 0.20 16
German 5 518 0.20 1
Journalism 620 0.20 16
Advanced Theatre 630 0.10 20
Marketing II CO-OP 326 0.20 20
Algebra & Trigonomety A 713 0.20 15
Honors Earth Science 1102 0.10 19
Botany 1130 0.10 14
DS Middle East 1238 0.10 16
Intro to Aviation 1308 0.10 18
Electronics 3 1314 0.20 10
Pre-Engineering CAD 1322 0.20 9
Principals of Engineering 1324 0.20 14
Intro to Op Sys 1402 0.10 10
CISCO 1 1408 0.10 18
CISCO 2 1410 0.10 13
CISCO 3 1412 0.10 7
CISCO 4 1414 0.10 7
Basic English 9 2002 0.20 5
Basic US History 2004 0.10 2
Cut 4/24/07 - Low Enrollment/Budget
Business Co-Op Classroom 1602 0.20 15
Business Co-Op 1604 0.20 13
Ap Calc BC 728 0.20 12
My comments about this list are that this is just one more example of what happens when there is absolutely no leadership functioning at the top of our district for the last several years. There was NO PLANNING at all for the budget shortfalls that have been building for years. In 2006-07 there was a $6 million deficit that the leadership just took from the fund balance and even after that they made NO PLAN for the coming years!! In addition, there was NO PLANNING by the ECASD leadership in the event that the referendum failed. So on April 4th, the day after the election, principals had to scramble to come up with their best shot with NO OVERRIDING POLICY OR GUIDELINES to make these huge cuts. The ECASD BOE did not even bother to meet in the intervening 2 weeks to craft some sort of educational/programming philosophy as a guideline for principals.
I am not faulting principals Leibham or Valk at all for this! They did their best without any information in a ridiculous timeframe. But it is clear that cuts were based on low enrollment rather than curriculum standards. When you see huge chunks of the AP curriculum erased along with the Charter School offerings decimated next to cuts in Keyboarding and Culinary II classes you know that there was no overriding VISION for what the district is doing.
Sad, sad, sad.
MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL: 6.8 staff and 1077 students affected (this means that more than half the Memorial students lost a class!)
Agriculture, .2 staff, 38 students:
Horticulture and Wildlife Mgmt. II
Art, .3 staff, 18 students:
Comm. Art II
Business/Marketing, .4 staff, 74 students
Keyboarding, Prep. 21, Acct. II (reduced from yr. to sem.) and Intro. to Web
Family/Consumer Ed.: .3 staff, 46 students
Culinary II, Parent/Child, Child Care
Health: .1 staff, 28 students
Health 1000 (1 sect.)
Language Arts: .9 staff, 139 students
1 section each of English 10, Enriched English 10 , AP Lit. , Prep. 21; GUM (?), Adv. Theater
Math: 1.0 staff, 121 students
1 sect. each of Geometry, Alg/Geom. 3, Accel. Pre-Calc., AP Stats and Tech. Math
Music: .4 staff and 88 students
Jazz 4, Jazz 5, Show Choir 3, Music Theory and the Band Coord.
Science: .7 staff and 131 students
1 sect. each of Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Botany plus Env. Science B
Social Studies: .6 staff and 81 students
1 sect. of Civics plus AP US History, Philosphy !!, Anthropology and SWAT sem. (?)
Tech Ed: .6 staff and 60 students
Intro. Const., Aviation, Elect., Digital, Woods II
World Language: .6 staff and 50 students
French 1, German 5, and i sect. of Spanish 3
Charter School: .4 staff and 63 students
Intro. Comp. Tech., Operations Syst., Cisco I, Cisco III, Animation
Misc.: .1 staff and 28 students
1 sect. of Personal Awareness/Zeegers (?)
Phy Ed: .2 staff and 56 students
1 sect. each of PE 9 and Team Sports
NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
NOTE: I received an XCEL spreadsheet but I don't know how to paste it in this blog so I just copied and pasted the information. The first section is classes dropped to low enrollment, followed by classes dropped due to budget reduction and then classes cut due to both factors. Classes are not categorized by Dept. The information is listed as follows:
Class Name, class #, staff cut, students enrolled
Totals at North High are 8.0 staff (3.7 due to low enrollment) and 598 students.
Dropped/Low Enrollment 2/2007
Introduction to Natural Resources 104 0.10 3
Vet Science II 114 0.10 16
Wildlife Management 2 118 0.10 15
Advanced Computer Applications 306 0.10 1
Intermediate Web Design 334 0.10 5
Families First 422 0.10 9
Food Science and Nutrition 432 0.10 8
ASL 2 540 0.20 9
Advanced Journalism 622 0.20 0
Stagecraft 632 0.10 7
Concert Band 802 0.20 7
Chamber Choir 822 0.20 10
WSI/LGT (EB Semester 2) 0910 .10 12
Early Bird - 12 0917 .10 4
AP Biology II 1126 0.20 4
Adv Chemistry A 1132 0.10 13
Adv Chemistry B 1133 0.10 16
AP Chemistry II 1134 0.20 0
AP Physics C: Mechanics 1142 0.20 4
AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism 1144 0.20 1
AP US History 1202 0.20 12
History of Philosophy II 1234 0.10 9
Architectural Design (Drafting II) 1320 0.20 10
Computer Int Manf (CIM) 1326 0.20 12
Vocational Metals 1344 0.20 6
4/11/2007- budget reductions
Floral Design and Horticulture 102 0.10 18
Vetrinary Science 1 112 0.10 18
Combined Visual Arts 200 0.10 19
Desktop Publishing 312 0.10 14
International Business & Marketing 316 0.10 17
Culinary II 418 0.10 17
French 5 508 0.20 12
German 4 516 0.20 16
German 5 518 0.20 1
Journalism 620 0.20 16
Advanced Theatre 630 0.10 20
Marketing II CO-OP 326 0.20 20
Algebra & Trigonomety A 713 0.20 15
Honors Earth Science 1102 0.10 19
Botany 1130 0.10 14
DS Middle East 1238 0.10 16
Intro to Aviation 1308 0.10 18
Electronics 3 1314 0.20 10
Pre-Engineering CAD 1322 0.20 9
Principals of Engineering 1324 0.20 14
Intro to Op Sys 1402 0.10 10
CISCO 1 1408 0.10 18
CISCO 2 1410 0.10 13
CISCO 3 1412 0.10 7
CISCO 4 1414 0.10 7
Basic English 9 2002 0.20 5
Basic US History 2004 0.10 2
Cut 4/24/07 - Low Enrollment/Budget
Business Co-Op Classroom 1602 0.20 15
Business Co-Op 1604 0.20 13
Ap Calc BC 728 0.20 12
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Spring 2007 Election Campaign Finance Reports
On July 20, 2007 all Campaign Finance Reports for the Spring 2007 elections were due. Here is some summary information on the 6 School Board candidates as well as the Political Action Committee (PAC) for the failed referendum.
OUR SCHOOLS OUR FUTURE ( REFERENDUM PAC)
Total money raised was slightly less than $10,000
Total money spent was approx. $9,000 so, presumably there is about $1,000 left for the next time.
Contributions greater than $100 were:
Brent Wogahn: $1,000
Eau Claire Student Transit: $1,000 (the bus company for the district)
WEAC: $1,000
AFT: $1,000
Eau Claire Anesthesiologists: $500 (JoAnne Evans' husband's employer)
Market and Johnson: $500
Richard Baer: $500 (owner of Avalon Florist)
Carol Olson: $500
RBC Dain Rauscher: $300
JoAnne Evans: $250
Bonni Knight: $250 (teacher and organizer of One Voice group)
Mark Faanes: $250 (Ken Faanes' brother, also employes at Wipfli who does the ECASD audit)
Huebsch: $250
Sharon Manz: $250 (also employed at EC Anesthesia)
Landmark Company: $250
Dell Construction: $250
Ayres Associates: $250
Kimera Way: $125
George Clay II: $150
SDS Architects: $150
Expenditures greater than $400 (total)
L&M Mail Service mailings: $3,188
Leader Telegram ads: $2,540
Copying: $1,149
Yard signs: $1,139
*************************************
MIKE BOLLINGER
No donations. He spent $3,394.35 of his own money for his campaign.
Expenditures greater than $100
Leader Telegram ads: $2,254
Yard signs: $868
Copies, printing: $146
**************************************
KEN FAANES
Approx. $450 in small donations from 8 people (all $100 or less).
He spent $2,809 of his own money for his campaign.
Expenditures greater than $100
Leader Telegram ads: $2, 093
Yard signs: $868
Copies, printing: $165
*******************************************
MARIA HENLY
Total receipts: approx. $4,500 (cash)
Donations greater than $100:
Wisconsin People Conference: $500
EC Area Educators: $500
Progressive Majority of WI: $462 (in-kind donation of voter lists)
Maria Henly: $358 (total out of pocket)
Karen Schreiter: $200
Jill Barland: $175
Ruth Rosauer: $150
Jane Lindsay: $150
plus 41 donations of $100 or less
Expenditures greater than $100
Leader Telegram ads: $1,109
Printing/copying: $829
Yard signs: $763
Volume One Ads: $756
Stickers: $300
Senior Review ad: $300
T-shirts: $286
**********************************
BOB JANKE
Mr. Janke declared that his campaign cost less than $1,000 so there is no requirement to file a State Elections Board Finance report.
***********************************
TERRI STANLEY
Total Receipts: $1,465 (cash)
Donations greater than $100
AFSCME: $500
Jim Moessner: $250
Progressive Majority of WI: $462 (in kind voter lists)
Expenditures greater than $100
Yard Signs: $586
Printing: $497
Campaign workers: $320
**********************************
BRENT WOGAHN
Total expenditures of $3,425. All funded by the candidate.
Expenses greater than $100:
Leader Telegram ads: $2,214
Yard Signs: $980
Printing: $197
*******************************************
Election Results
Referendum YES: 6,388
NO: 8,026
Faanes: 7,366
Bollinger: 6,570
Wogahn: 6,226
Henly: 5,903
Stanley: 5,407
Janke: 4,636
All election pundits are welcome to dissect this information and give us their analysis!
OUR SCHOOLS OUR FUTURE ( REFERENDUM PAC)
Total money raised was slightly less than $10,000
Total money spent was approx. $9,000 so, presumably there is about $1,000 left for the next time.
Contributions greater than $100 were:
Brent Wogahn: $1,000
Eau Claire Student Transit: $1,000 (the bus company for the district)
WEAC: $1,000
AFT: $1,000
Eau Claire Anesthesiologists: $500 (JoAnne Evans' husband's employer)
Market and Johnson: $500
Richard Baer: $500 (owner of Avalon Florist)
Carol Olson: $500
RBC Dain Rauscher: $300
JoAnne Evans: $250
Bonni Knight: $250 (teacher and organizer of One Voice group)
Mark Faanes: $250 (Ken Faanes' brother, also employes at Wipfli who does the ECASD audit)
Huebsch: $250
Sharon Manz: $250 (also employed at EC Anesthesia)
Landmark Company: $250
Dell Construction: $250
Ayres Associates: $250
Kimera Way: $125
George Clay II: $150
SDS Architects: $150
Expenditures greater than $400 (total)
L&M Mail Service mailings: $3,188
Leader Telegram ads: $2,540
Copying: $1,149
Yard signs: $1,139
*************************************
MIKE BOLLINGER
No donations. He spent $3,394.35 of his own money for his campaign.
Expenditures greater than $100
Leader Telegram ads: $2,254
Yard signs: $868
Copies, printing: $146
**************************************
KEN FAANES
Approx. $450 in small donations from 8 people (all $100 or less).
He spent $2,809 of his own money for his campaign.
Expenditures greater than $100
Leader Telegram ads: $2, 093
Yard signs: $868
Copies, printing: $165
*******************************************
MARIA HENLY
Total receipts: approx. $4,500 (cash)
Donations greater than $100:
Wisconsin People Conference: $500
EC Area Educators: $500
Progressive Majority of WI: $462 (in-kind donation of voter lists)
Maria Henly: $358 (total out of pocket)
Karen Schreiter: $200
Jill Barland: $175
Ruth Rosauer: $150
Jane Lindsay: $150
plus 41 donations of $100 or less
Expenditures greater than $100
Leader Telegram ads: $1,109
Printing/copying: $829
Yard signs: $763
Volume One Ads: $756
Stickers: $300
Senior Review ad: $300
T-shirts: $286
**********************************
BOB JANKE
Mr. Janke declared that his campaign cost less than $1,000 so there is no requirement to file a State Elections Board Finance report.
***********************************
TERRI STANLEY
Total Receipts: $1,465 (cash)
Donations greater than $100
AFSCME: $500
Jim Moessner: $250
Progressive Majority of WI: $462 (in kind voter lists)
Expenditures greater than $100
Yard Signs: $586
Printing: $497
Campaign workers: $320
**********************************
BRENT WOGAHN
Total expenditures of $3,425. All funded by the candidate.
Expenses greater than $100:
Leader Telegram ads: $2,214
Yard Signs: $980
Printing: $197
*******************************************
Election Results
Referendum YES: 6,388
NO: 8,026
Faanes: 7,366
Bollinger: 6,570
Wogahn: 6,226
Henly: 5,903
Stanley: 5,407
Janke: 4,636
All election pundits are welcome to dissect this information and give us their analysis!
Dr. James Leary information
Please see below the press release about Dr. James Leary that he prepared and was given to the LT but not published. It is a clear indicator of his energy and desire to effect positive change for our district, our students and our community.
I was interested to find more biographical information on Dr. Leary so I asked at the ECASD Main office if I could look at the resumes of the 3 final candidates for the position. (This required making sure the district legal counsel (Weld, Riley) was OK with the request. It was.) So I stopped by the office and the secretary showed me the material that was submitted by all 3 candidates for their application for the position.
Before telling you more about Dr. Leary, let me just inform you that Gregg Butler's application/resume/cover letter was a pathetic, unprofessional JOKE. (Reminder, this is a job application for the equivalent of the CEO of a $120 million dollar organization that is one of the biggest employers in Eau Claire.) Gregg Butler submitted a single piece of paper with huge font (it reminded me of what my youngest son did in 4th grade when he needed to make a flimsy book report look more substantial!) that had one sentence written on it:
"Please consider me a candidate for the position of Interim Superintendent for the ECASD for the 2007-08 school year."
That's it. No resume. No cover letter. No statement of his goals for the position. No information about why he thinks he is qualified. I actually asked the secretary if it was missing something because it looked so pathetic and she said that she asked Mr. Kling the same thing. Nope. That was it. What the _____? It was beyond wierd. It was pathologic.
I could not figure it out at all. Was he so supremely confident of getting the job that no effort was required? If anybody else has an idea or clue about the meaning of this, please post a comment.
OK, back to Dr. Leary. In contrast to Butler's application, Dr. Leary submitted 14 pages of information that included a detailed cover letter with his initial assessment of what was needed by the ECASD and how he could help the district be successful based on his experience of 25 years in Administration (10 as the Superintendent in a suburban Detroit district.) Since then he has had a consulting firm, Macro Vision Associates. Most recently he was the Interim Superintendent in Chippewa Falls where he helped move the district from a negative to a positive fund balance, changed elementary boundaries with support from citizens, reorganized their administrative group and helped them prepare a 5 year administrative/board plan.
Dr. Leary has a Bachelors and a Distinguished Service Award from UWEC, a Masters degree from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from Wayne State. While working in Michigan his district was named one of the "25 most effective school systems in the nation" and the IDEA and Kettering Foundation named it a Number One School. He also included numerous ideas he had for school/community paratnerships, and newspaper articles about his time in CF. The paper reported that when Dr. Leary came to the CF graduation ceremony (after being in the district ONE YEAR) the Senior class "roared" in appreciation and he was given a standing ovation by the crowd. At the Memorial HS graduation this year nobody from the ECASD Administration showed up and Trish Cummins (Carol Craig had a family medical emergency) was the only member of BOE leadership. Kinda sad but true statement about our leadership and the community.
PRESS RELEASE
I am honored to have the Eau Claire Board of Education select me to serve as their Interim Superintendent. It will be a pleasure to work with the board, the staff and community to make improvements within the school system while building strong school-community relationships. My many years of work with schools, businesses and governmental units throughout the country will allow me to bring the very best of all features to Eau Claire.
My desire is to set the tone and model the processes necessary for Eau Claire Public Schools to provide exemplary service to its students and citizens, as well as the many businesses, service organizations and citizen groups that comprise this dynamic community. I have great respect for this city and commit my energy and skills to improving the quality and character of learning and living here.
There are many influences that will be in force as we focus our combined efforts to bring about positive changes. Recognizing the rich heritage of this school system, I feel confident that we share a unified desire to create an environment that results in Eau Claire Area Schools becoming a national model of educational excellence. I accept that challenge and look forward to working with our employees, students and all community sectors as we take initial steps in the attainment of that vision.
I was interested to find more biographical information on Dr. Leary so I asked at the ECASD Main office if I could look at the resumes of the 3 final candidates for the position. (This required making sure the district legal counsel (Weld, Riley) was OK with the request. It was.) So I stopped by the office and the secretary showed me the material that was submitted by all 3 candidates for their application for the position.
Before telling you more about Dr. Leary, let me just inform you that Gregg Butler's application/resume/cover letter was a pathetic, unprofessional JOKE. (Reminder, this is a job application for the equivalent of the CEO of a $120 million dollar organization that is one of the biggest employers in Eau Claire.) Gregg Butler submitted a single piece of paper with huge font (it reminded me of what my youngest son did in 4th grade when he needed to make a flimsy book report look more substantial!) that had one sentence written on it:
"Please consider me a candidate for the position of Interim Superintendent for the ECASD for the 2007-08 school year."
That's it. No resume. No cover letter. No statement of his goals for the position. No information about why he thinks he is qualified. I actually asked the secretary if it was missing something because it looked so pathetic and she said that she asked Mr. Kling the same thing. Nope. That was it. What the _____? It was beyond wierd. It was pathologic.
I could not figure it out at all. Was he so supremely confident of getting the job that no effort was required? If anybody else has an idea or clue about the meaning of this, please post a comment.
OK, back to Dr. Leary. In contrast to Butler's application, Dr. Leary submitted 14 pages of information that included a detailed cover letter with his initial assessment of what was needed by the ECASD and how he could help the district be successful based on his experience of 25 years in Administration (10 as the Superintendent in a suburban Detroit district.) Since then he has had a consulting firm, Macro Vision Associates. Most recently he was the Interim Superintendent in Chippewa Falls where he helped move the district from a negative to a positive fund balance, changed elementary boundaries with support from citizens, reorganized their administrative group and helped them prepare a 5 year administrative/board plan.
Dr. Leary has a Bachelors and a Distinguished Service Award from UWEC, a Masters degree from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from Wayne State. While working in Michigan his district was named one of the "25 most effective school systems in the nation" and the IDEA and Kettering Foundation named it a Number One School. He also included numerous ideas he had for school/community paratnerships, and newspaper articles about his time in CF. The paper reported that when Dr. Leary came to the CF graduation ceremony (after being in the district ONE YEAR) the Senior class "roared" in appreciation and he was given a standing ovation by the crowd. At the Memorial HS graduation this year nobody from the ECASD Administration showed up and Trish Cummins (Carol Craig had a family medical emergency) was the only member of BOE leadership. Kinda sad but true statement about our leadership and the community.
PRESS RELEASE
I am honored to have the Eau Claire Board of Education select me to serve as their Interim Superintendent. It will be a pleasure to work with the board, the staff and community to make improvements within the school system while building strong school-community relationships. My many years of work with schools, businesses and governmental units throughout the country will allow me to bring the very best of all features to Eau Claire.
My desire is to set the tone and model the processes necessary for Eau Claire Public Schools to provide exemplary service to its students and citizens, as well as the many businesses, service organizations and citizen groups that comprise this dynamic community. I have great respect for this city and commit my energy and skills to improving the quality and character of learning and living here.
There are many influences that will be in force as we focus our combined efforts to bring about positive changes. Recognizing the rich heritage of this school system, I feel confident that we share a unified desire to create an environment that results in Eau Claire Area Schools becoming a national model of educational excellence. I accept that challenge and look forward to working with our employees, students and all community sectors as we take initial steps in the attainment of that vision.
Public Comment Policy
Please see below an e-mail that I wrote to the BOE members and Sup. Leary requesting that the public receive more information in advance of BOE meetings to make their comments to the board both meaningful and intelligent. We did make a little progress at the following Aug. 6th Work Session and BOE meeting as there were adequate copies of information available for the public. There also was an Agenda item about the BoardDocs technology and there will be a demo presentation in the future.
Sadly, the silly Public Comment policy requiring the public to comment before the information is presented continued. A community member who came to offer comments and was unaware of the policy change really struggled with the demand that she make her comments without any information. I can't believe that BOE members watching and listening to her felt comfortable or satisfied with the resulting discomfort and unhappiness that this created. Pres. O'Brien told her that she could come back in 2 weeks to comment on the presentation of information that occurred later in the Agenda.
Well, what is one more voter who is concerned enough to attend a meeting and rewarded with the cold shoulder of the new policy. At least she is in a really big club!
Dear BOE members and Dr. Leary,
I am writing to ask you to respond to what I believe is a completely
reasonable request that I have made numerous times. That is, that
community members be given IN ADVANCE as much information as is
available to BOE members about the topics on the Regular Meeting
Agenda. At the very least, would it be possible for paper copies of
the material being presented at the meeting to be available to
citizens in attendance? To attempt to follow overhead projections
that tend to be out of focus and moving is, again, not reasonable.
If you honestly believe the statement that is printed on the back of
the Agenda "Your presence here is always welcome. We hope that your
visit will prove to be enjoyable and enlightening." then you will make
your citizen guests feel included and part of the process rather than
only spectators.
With the recent change in policy in the timing of Public Comment to be
at the beginning of every meeting rather than during the normal
discussion time when the information has been presented, it makes
community member attendance and participation at the meetings
meaningless. To expect community members to attend a meeting based on
2 or 3 words on the Agenda and then to wait and listen to a
presentation and be required to return 2 weeks later to make a comment
is NOT REASONABLE and continues the sad history of exclusion that has
been a salient feature of the leadership of the ECASD BOE.
Commissioner Cummins has brought up during 4 meetings the Board Docs
technology that is used by many public entities to make information
widely available to citizens . I have attached a link that will show
you how this could be used by the ECASD to expand citizen
participation and information. I am asking that this be a discussion
item on a future Agenda for the BOE as well.
Website: http://www.boarddocs.com/
Also, I am attaching a link to a website that contains a list of
information that should be routinely available to citizens on the
School District website. (http://www.illinoisloop.org/candor.html)
Needless to say, the ECASD website is missing many of these items.
Thank you for your attention to this issue. I hope that I hear from
you in response to my questions.
Sincerely,
Maria Henly
and an e-mail from Laura Jensen regarding the same concerns about Pres. O'Brien's new Public Comment Policy:
Greetings to Dr Leary and to the Eau Claire Board of
Education:
First of all, I want to whole-heartedly welcome Dr
Leary to the Eau Claire school district. After only
one meeting, I can tell that he has the skills, tools,
and experience to begin a process that has been sadly
lacking in this school district for many years. I
wish him all the luck in the world.
I did not get up to speak at your meeting on Monday
because I had already said my bit at a previous
meeting. The *content* of Monday's meeting made me
realize, yet again, how utterly ridiculous your
so-called "citizen input" model for board meetings
really is.
This model appears to be designed not to actually
allow the public to provide meaningful input to the
board, but to minimize the time that the board spends
at meetings, while appearing to be accepting public
input. To allow the public a few minutes (fifteen,
thirty) of time at the beginning of meetings to
respond to a list of three-to-seven-word agenda items
*before* the board discusses them is beyond
ridiculous. How can we respond to a discussion that
hasn't even happened yet? The problem is independent
from the availability of good agendas and supporting
documentation. Even with the best agenda in the
world, the public would not be able to effectively
predict the course the board's discussion would take.
At the meeting on Monday, I counted *ten* different
time when I could have added to the discussion, either
as a parent of children in the school district, or as
an educator with two years of experience using
Infinite Campus (one of your SIS candidates), or as a
former computer programmer with experience in phasing
complex projects. I was prevented from commenting on
these topics - none of which was listed in detail in
an agenda item.
I am afraid that you, as a board, do not realize that
as elected public officials in the state of Wisconsin,
you have signed up for long public meetings. When you
were running for office, you may have been assured by
previous office-holders that the meetings could be
kept short by such artificial means as your citizen
input policy, but I believe that those assurances were
misguided. As I said to you in June, you have a very
serious problem with the public trust, and you need to
be making yourselves *more* available in a *more
meaningful* way to the public, not less.
I respectfully request that you reconsider the policy
on citizen input at your meetings, to allow citizens
to respond to each agenda item as it is discussed, to
allow an unlimited number of citizens to speak. The
chair of the meeting may need to exercise his or her
people skills in gently limiting the time of
particularly verbose public members, and of keeping
them to the topic at hand. I believe, though, that
you will find that the flow of ideas between the board
and the public will increase the public trust, and
will be a worthwhile investment of your time. I
encourage you to refer to the meetings of the Eau
Claire City Council and the Plan Commission for ideas
about how to conduct these meetings.
Sincerely,
- Laura E. Jensen
Sadly, the silly Public Comment policy requiring the public to comment before the information is presented continued. A community member who came to offer comments and was unaware of the policy change really struggled with the demand that she make her comments without any information. I can't believe that BOE members watching and listening to her felt comfortable or satisfied with the resulting discomfort and unhappiness that this created. Pres. O'Brien told her that she could come back in 2 weeks to comment on the presentation of information that occurred later in the Agenda.
Well, what is one more voter who is concerned enough to attend a meeting and rewarded with the cold shoulder of the new policy. At least she is in a really big club!
Dear BOE members and Dr. Leary,
I am writing to ask you to respond to what I believe is a completely
reasonable request that I have made numerous times. That is, that
community members be given IN ADVANCE as much information as is
available to BOE members about the topics on the Regular Meeting
Agenda. At the very least, would it be possible for paper copies of
the material being presented at the meeting to be available to
citizens in attendance? To attempt to follow overhead projections
that tend to be out of focus and moving is, again, not reasonable.
If you honestly believe the statement that is printed on the back of
the Agenda "Your presence here is always welcome. We hope that your
visit will prove to be enjoyable and enlightening." then you will make
your citizen guests feel included and part of the process rather than
only spectators.
With the recent change in policy in the timing of Public Comment to be
at the beginning of every meeting rather than during the normal
discussion time when the information has been presented, it makes
community member attendance and participation at the meetings
meaningless. To expect community members to attend a meeting based on
2 or 3 words on the Agenda and then to wait and listen to a
presentation and be required to return 2 weeks later to make a comment
is NOT REASONABLE and continues the sad history of exclusion that has
been a salient feature of the leadership of the ECASD BOE.
Commissioner Cummins has brought up during 4 meetings the Board Docs
technology that is used by many public entities to make information
widely available to citizens . I have attached a link that will show
you how this could be used by the ECASD to expand citizen
participation and information. I am asking that this be a discussion
item on a future Agenda for the BOE as well.
Website: http://www.boarddocs.com/
Also, I am attaching a link to a website that contains a list of
information that should be routinely available to citizens on the
School District website. (http://www.illinoisloop.org/candor.html)
Needless to say, the ECASD website is missing many of these items.
Thank you for your attention to this issue. I hope that I hear from
you in response to my questions.
Sincerely,
Maria Henly
and an e-mail from Laura Jensen regarding the same concerns about Pres. O'Brien's new Public Comment Policy:
Greetings to Dr Leary and to the Eau Claire Board of
Education:
First of all, I want to whole-heartedly welcome Dr
Leary to the Eau Claire school district. After only
one meeting, I can tell that he has the skills, tools,
and experience to begin a process that has been sadly
lacking in this school district for many years. I
wish him all the luck in the world.
I did not get up to speak at your meeting on Monday
because I had already said my bit at a previous
meeting. The *content* of Monday's meeting made me
realize, yet again, how utterly ridiculous your
so-called "citizen input" model for board meetings
really is.
This model appears to be designed not to actually
allow the public to provide meaningful input to the
board, but to minimize the time that the board spends
at meetings, while appearing to be accepting public
input. To allow the public a few minutes (fifteen,
thirty) of time at the beginning of meetings to
respond to a list of three-to-seven-word agenda items
*before* the board discusses them is beyond
ridiculous. How can we respond to a discussion that
hasn't even happened yet? The problem is independent
from the availability of good agendas and supporting
documentation. Even with the best agenda in the
world, the public would not be able to effectively
predict the course the board's discussion would take.
At the meeting on Monday, I counted *ten* different
time when I could have added to the discussion, either
as a parent of children in the school district, or as
an educator with two years of experience using
Infinite Campus (one of your SIS candidates), or as a
former computer programmer with experience in phasing
complex projects. I was prevented from commenting on
these topics - none of which was listed in detail in
an agenda item.
I am afraid that you, as a board, do not realize that
as elected public officials in the state of Wisconsin,
you have signed up for long public meetings. When you
were running for office, you may have been assured by
previous office-holders that the meetings could be
kept short by such artificial means as your citizen
input policy, but I believe that those assurances were
misguided. As I said to you in June, you have a very
serious problem with the public trust, and you need to
be making yourselves *more* available in a *more
meaningful* way to the public, not less.
I respectfully request that you reconsider the policy
on citizen input at your meetings, to allow citizens
to respond to each agenda item as it is discussed, to
allow an unlimited number of citizens to speak. The
chair of the meeting may need to exercise his or her
people skills in gently limiting the time of
particularly verbose public members, and of keeping
them to the topic at hand. I believe, though, that
you will find that the flow of ideas between the board
and the public will increase the public trust, and
will be a worthwhile investment of your time. I
encourage you to refer to the meetings of the Eau
Claire City Council and the Plan Commission for ideas
about how to conduct these meetings.
Sincerely,
- Laura E. Jensen
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