Mon, 28 April 2008 Wisconsin as a state has been somewhat immune to the economic downturn experienced in the rest of the country over the past several years. Dane County in particular has seen growth in certain business sectors and rapid growth in housing upstarts until now. But now the state faces a budget deficit of $650 million. The landscape is looking grim. Let’s not kid ourselves, times have been tough for many. The proverbial financial belt has been tightening. Today, housing starts have dropped, energy and gas prices have increased, and the economy is definitely at a slowdown. Not understanding today’s financial situation in the MMSD, along with the national economic downturn, could prove to be disastrous. This is especially true for an institution that depends on a great amount of planning, support and stability. I see a need to revisit our fiscal forecast and strategy, especially in this year of relative “ease� due to the one time release of TIF money from the city. Next year, we are pretty much guaranteed a $9 budget shortfall if every service stays the same. Part of the proud tradition in Wisconsin governance is local control. And today, school districts practice this age-old tradition with pride. We’ve slid back at times. I would posit that in some ways we are entering a new era, like the transition from “one room school house� to schools preparing students to work in factories. We must balance rising costs and increasing societal demands on the schools with access to new ideas, web-based learning and alternative learning programs. Right or wrong, the city and county depend upon us to do more, but not more of the same. No single action will solve this predicament. Our growing fiscal crisis is compounded by the shift in workforce demand for high tech, bio-medical and “green� industries. At no time in this decade have we experienced this kind of rapid socioeconomic and demographic change in our communities. These factors suggest it is time for change and for greater, focused collaboration. In this budget, under a one-year reprieve from TIF, some things should not be left unsaid. The 2009-10 budget starts off with a $9 million deficit. No longer can we afford our budget to be a year-to-year financial plan. This budget, every budget, is a living document. Though we pass a working budget in May, we should be approaching this as the first step in a five-year plan. We have an obligation to ask where we are going. Our obligations rest with our children and the community. Right or wrong, they demand more, they deserve more. No longer can we be satisfied with how things used to be. Instead, we should be looking for what can be. Stay tuned… Category: MMSD Budget -- posted at: 12:00 PM Comments[0] |
Fri, 25 April 2008 Governance School Board membership entails more than taking the oath of office and attending meetings. One aspect of the office is understanding and participating in effective school governance. On this stormy day in April with my eye on the budget, I was thinking of the 100 inches of snow our community endured and the spring showers that now follow. I find myself daydreaming of exotic locales with somewhat similar conditions. I found such a place situated on Northwest Coast of British Columbia. It is an area known as Prince Rupert or "The City of Rainbows" and it is Canada's wettest city, with an average annual precipitation of approximately, you guessed it - 100 inches. For an image of Prince Rupert, go here. The town of Prince Rupert “began as a dream when founder Charles Melville Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company, saw the island…� Today it serves as a hub for commerce on British Columbia's north coast. Unfortunately for Hays, the “perfect terminus for marine trade, and rail and sea travel� was not realized in his life as he “met an untimely and tragic death aboard the RMS Titanic.� Today the city, situated on traditional Tsimshian territory, remains at the edge of wilderness in Canada. It consists of a somewhat secure, sheltered inner harbor along the famed Inside Passage. It is both a mix of diversity and rich cosmopolitan culture. The Tsimshian people have lived on this remote location for over 10,000 years. School District 52 There is something appealing in the simplicity of a school district of about a dozen schools, situated far away and serving a diverse multi-cultural student population of whom over half are First Nations Ancestry. Interestingly, they go by the name of School District 52. What got me to thinking about School District 52 (besides their 100 inches of precipitation) is their board policy and approach to board governance. Their policy states, “The Board shall govern in a manner characterized by outward vision, diversity in viewpoints, strategic leadership, distinction of Board and staff roles and proactivity.� Talk about knowing your role and having a handle on policy governance! They continue, “Consequently, the Board shall: Focus chiefly on intended long-term impacts on the world outside the organization [results], not on the administrative or programmatic means of attaining those effects. Inspire, direct and control the organization through the careful establishment and systematic monitoring of policies dealing with values and broad perspectives. Communicate with and be accountable to its ownership for accomplishment of its obligations. Involve students, parents, staff and community in monitoring current performance and setting future direction. Enforce upon itself and its members the discipline needed to govern with excellence. Monitor and regularly discuss the Board's own process and performance. Ensure the continuity of its governance capability by training and developing its members. Continuous development will include orientation of new members in the Board's governance process and discussion of process improvement. Be responsible for its performance and development and for identifying the information and resources it needs to formulate and monitor policies.� Inspiring words on a rainy day in April in a city surrounded by reality; Madison, Wisconsin. Category: Board Life -- posted at: 9:00 PM Comments[0] |
Tue, 22 April 2008 Update on Equity Policy The Board of Education has directed the administration to begin drafting a new Policy on Equity (as of 04/21) that will reflect the work of the Equity Task Force and the ongoing equity discussions by the Board. Here is a copy of my memo to other Board members in light of our discussion on equity that some have requested to read. Memo from M.P. Cole 04/21/08 "I have found it helpful to reflect on where the latest equity draft fits into the original intent of the Board from 2006 so that I don’t lose sight of their concerns. The minutes from the Equity Task Force (ETF) meeting for 02/01/06 include the reasoning to convene such a task force. Ms. Carstensen explained that the intent of Board was “to recommend to Legal Counsel the principals to be included in a policy.� [Emphasis added] The Equity Task Force Report reiterated this point in its Final Report: The Task Force was charged with making recommendations for an equity policy including: (1) a definition of equity, (2) a statement of the District's commitment to equity, and (3) guidelines for implementation. While I believe that this latest draft is a solid start and may or may not be helpful as a planning document similar to the Educational Options planning document, I would like to encourage further discussion on the viability of change to Board policy and procedures. In light of the work the Board has done this past year on issues significantly affected by equity issues, I believe a change is what is needed. Second, I would ask to make the intent of our purpose statement stronger to express the urgency of our district mission of educational excellence and equity. As stated in the Wisconsin DPI Characteristics of Successful Schools, Wisconsin Equity Framework (2/22/08), “Educational equity knowledge and practice in public schools have evolved over time and require a comprehensive approach.� It would be of great benefit to our community and to future Boards to express the deliberative nature of our work toward closing the achievement gap and to provide a more coherent strategy, reviewed on a regular basis by the Board. Upon reading most of the documentation given to the board over the past few years regarding Equity, I would point to a document used by the ETF that does an excellent job of articulating a statement of the District’s commitment to equity. You can find this example from the Hopkins School District 270 (MN), Equity Strategy Framework. I would respectfully submit the following changes/additions to make the document clear: Add – Our Equity Mission (see Hopkins example here:) 'As a school district committed to equity and excellence for all learners, we will eliminate racial [socioeconomic] and other demographic differences in achievement, while we improve achievement for all students, by examining individual and organizational beliefs and changing practices to counteract the contemporary and historical impact of racism and discrimination.' Definition – Further clarification is needed for the phrase “allocation of resources.� I am concerned that this phrase is tied to edu-speak such that it may be interpreted as “resource allocations,� “FTEs� or other “wonky� terms used by the administration but not necessarily the meaning the Board is trying to convey to the community. I would think that the phrase “distribution of resources� would be better. We could then later define “resources� as we have done with “Equity� in the document. Furthermore, we might consider creating a process for Board review on how we allocate (ERF, ENI, base, supplemental and other assumptions.) Change – Assumptions, to Core Beliefs that Guide Our Work Change – Goals, to Our Equity Objectives Change – Considerations for Determining Whether Equity Is or Will Be Provided, to Considerations in Addressing Equity Third, the Superintendent’s analysis of Board Policy 9001 and current practice (memo 9/25/06) raises concerns, specifically in the amount of edu-speak and time it would take the general public to understand this policy and the questions left unanswered as to how the Board would oversee such a policy. In fact, the superintendent, notes in his memo analyzing current practice that sections in the Policy 9001 such as Review, Reporting and Application are dated at best: In the Review section, the language is outdated and does not reflect current demographics (total of approximately 40% free/reduced lunch) in the district. This is an area of concern as our discussions have shown that Equity is more than economics. I would suggest we look as a Board, at the Monitoring Equity and Access from the DPI Characteristics of Successful Schools, Wisconsin Equity Framework. In the Reporting section, it should be noted that the Board continues to approve staffing for each school as part of the budget process without a separate discussion or evaluation of each school’s “educational goals and diversity profile.� In the Application and Review section, it was noted by the superintendent that this is the first review of this policy since it was written in 1994. The recent focus to address policy is a step in the right direction. MMSD Equity Policy 9001 Category: Policy -- posted at: 12:00 AM Comments[1] |
