In one corner, the MPS School Board. Weighing in at . . . well, bloated. Let's just leave it at that. In the other corner, Mayor Barrett. Weighing in at . . . tall. Very tall.
I'm on the fence about the Mayor taking over the school board. On the one hand, you have the board president putting forth all sorts of initiatives to help the district save money and make the schools competitive . . . and the board votes them down.
On the other hand . . . well, that's the problem. I don't know what's in the other hand. The big issue for me is other than all the caterwauling the Mayor, and the Governor (now suddenly you're concerned about Milwaukee?) have been doing about MPS, lately, there's no mention of a plan. Not specifically, anyway.
As I have a daughter in MPS, I have a vested interest in this. I can't say as I give a rat's tail who runs the district, as long as quality education is provided in a stimulating and safe environment. It's appalling to me that the board would spend time and resources on initiatives for dental hygiene, yet allow quality teachers to be eliminated from school positions. That's screwy.
Having said that, however, the issue of accountability is important. Would a mayor be more accountable than a school board? What about accessibility? Is the mayor too busy with his/her many responsibilities to address concerns when called upon? These are just a few of the questions that need to be answered.
Lastly, MPS has some good schools. I think the bad schools tend to get much of the attention and drag down the entire system. But, let's be honest. MPS cannot provide quality education when it's forced to relieve teachers largely due to inappropriate spending and over sight by the board. I don't want this to become a "punishment" issue. But, the board seems unwilling to take even the simplest of measures to improve. Maybe it is time for change.
Showing posts with label MPS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MPS. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Milwaukee German Immersion School and MPS
My daughter brought home a newsletter from MGIS PTA today. It reminded us that the fight for the school budget isn't over. For those with kids who attend MGIS, you'll remember we almost lost our PE and music teachers. Many concerned parents banded together to fight this, including myself, went before the board and got our teachers back.
I knew this was a temporary situation, though. While there were things . . . monies . . . that could be had for this year, it didn't guarantee being a permanent solution. Hence, the newsletter.
While my daughter attends MGIS, this affects everyone. Kids or not, as the school budget affects our taxes. The front of the PTA newsletter essentially announced the news of the budget and gave us information as to upcoming board meetings that we should attend . . . again. That's fine.
On the reverse side of the newsletter, however, was a breakdown of budget options with each showing the ramifications of cost to taxpayers and monies to schools. This is where it gets a bit infuriating for me. Heres how the newsletter broke it down:
Option 1
• Adopt the budget as is. No increases in spending or taxes (on school portion only)
• State Aid lost: 7.5 million
• Cuts to MPS: 14.5 million
• Cost to taxpayer: 9% increase or $121 a year.
Option 2
• Adopt an amended budget
• State aid lost: 1.9 million
• MPS cuts: 0
• Cost to taxpayers: 14.9% increase or $199 a year
Option 3
• Adopt maximum levy budget
• State aid lost: 0
• Cuts to MPS: 0
• Cost to taxpayers: 17.5% increase or $228 a year
Then:
Don't get me wrong. I love MGIS. Anyone with children there or who works there likely knows this. I spend a lot of time this past spring fighting to keep Herr Arndt and Herr Warren. But, MPS cannot continue to reach in to our pockets to fix every problem. It's a reckless trend that has to stop.
First off, we have a State funding formula problem. How MPS gets the money and how it's distributed is greatly flawed. That alone is enough to put the brakes on any tax increase. Fix that problem! Yes, it's at the State level which means contacting Sullivan and Cullen and getting them to push for the changes needed. But, it's also about not letting this school board think that every answer lies in our pockets. The trend needs to stop. Every increase that's approved will never be enough. If we hold the line at 9%, I guarantee it will be another 9% next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. If we allow a 17% increase, it will be 17% next year. And the year after that. And so on.
It's never enough. Unless we say it's enough.
Second. In light of all the improprieties of school board spending, you've got to be kidding me. At what point is the board held responsible for OUR money? We pay them. Yet, they act as though they can do what they want with OUR money. Spend millions on consultants, have vacant schools, bus routes that make no sense, travel (Hardin, anyone?), programs that don't work . . . the list goes on and on. This board has made bad decisions after bad decisions. I'm sorry. This is like bailing out the theif who just robbed your house. I can't do it.
Third. Uh, economy anyone? Doyle just announced that the State budget might be 3 billion in the hole. That's a bunch of bull, mind you, but it sets up the excuse for raising taxes to cover the hole he created. So tack on a whole lot more to that $228 number. It's never about decreasing spending. It's always about increasing taxes. Did anyone read the article from the NY consulting firm concerning MPS benefits? Read it here. Now, tell me again, we should give them more money?
Throwing more money at a system with a broken funding formula is incredibly misguided. Regardless of the ramifications. I don't want to lose any teachers. But, continuing to throw money at a flawed system insures it won't get fixed. We need to concentrate our efforts at the State level. Contact Sullivan and Cullen. Fix the funding formula. Say no to higher taxes.
Representative Cullen: rep.cullen@legis.wisconsin.gov
Senator Sullivan: sen.sullivan@legis.wisconsin.gov
We fought once to keep our teachers without increasing the budget, we can do it again.
I knew this was a temporary situation, though. While there were things . . . monies . . . that could be had for this year, it didn't guarantee being a permanent solution. Hence, the newsletter.
While my daughter attends MGIS, this affects everyone. Kids or not, as the school budget affects our taxes. The front of the PTA newsletter essentially announced the news of the budget and gave us information as to upcoming board meetings that we should attend . . . again. That's fine.
On the reverse side of the newsletter, however, was a breakdown of budget options with each showing the ramifications of cost to taxpayers and monies to schools. This is where it gets a bit infuriating for me. Heres how the newsletter broke it down:
Option 1
• Adopt the budget as is. No increases in spending or taxes (on school portion only)
• State Aid lost: 7.5 million
• Cuts to MPS: 14.5 million
• Cost to taxpayer: 9% increase or $121 a year.
Option 2
• Adopt an amended budget
• State aid lost: 1.9 million
• MPS cuts: 0
• Cost to taxpayers: 14.9% increase or $199 a year
Option 3
• Adopt maximum levy budget
• State aid lost: 0
• Cuts to MPS: 0
• Cost to taxpayers: 17.5% increase or $228 a year
Then:
If we don't increase the school portion, as amended in June 2008, MPS will lose money, this year, and we will lose teachers, this year.
Don't get me wrong. I love MGIS. Anyone with children there or who works there likely knows this. I spend a lot of time this past spring fighting to keep Herr Arndt and Herr Warren. But, MPS cannot continue to reach in to our pockets to fix every problem. It's a reckless trend that has to stop.
First off, we have a State funding formula problem. How MPS gets the money and how it's distributed is greatly flawed. That alone is enough to put the brakes on any tax increase. Fix that problem! Yes, it's at the State level which means contacting Sullivan and Cullen and getting them to push for the changes needed. But, it's also about not letting this school board think that every answer lies in our pockets. The trend needs to stop. Every increase that's approved will never be enough. If we hold the line at 9%, I guarantee it will be another 9% next year. And the year after that. And the year after that. If we allow a 17% increase, it will be 17% next year. And the year after that. And so on.
It's never enough. Unless we say it's enough.
Second. In light of all the improprieties of school board spending, you've got to be kidding me. At what point is the board held responsible for OUR money? We pay them. Yet, they act as though they can do what they want with OUR money. Spend millions on consultants, have vacant schools, bus routes that make no sense, travel (Hardin, anyone?), programs that don't work . . . the list goes on and on. This board has made bad decisions after bad decisions. I'm sorry. This is like bailing out the theif who just robbed your house. I can't do it.
Third. Uh, economy anyone? Doyle just announced that the State budget might be 3 billion in the hole. That's a bunch of bull, mind you, but it sets up the excuse for raising taxes to cover the hole he created. So tack on a whole lot more to that $228 number. It's never about decreasing spending. It's always about increasing taxes. Did anyone read the article from the NY consulting firm concerning MPS benefits? Read it here. Now, tell me again, we should give them more money?
Throwing more money at a system with a broken funding formula is incredibly misguided. Regardless of the ramifications. I don't want to lose any teachers. But, continuing to throw money at a flawed system insures it won't get fixed. We need to concentrate our efforts at the State level. Contact Sullivan and Cullen. Fix the funding formula. Say no to higher taxes.
Representative Cullen: rep.cullen@legis.wisconsin.gov
Senator Sullivan: sen.sullivan@legis.wisconsin.gov
We fought once to keep our teachers without increasing the budget, we can do it again.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Hanging Hardin
Bob Donovan issued a media advisory asking the DA to probe Hardin's vacati . . . uh, conference.
Not exactly going unnoticed, Charlene.
Not exactly going unnoticed, Charlene.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Hardly Hangin' Hardin
Every now and then, the JournalSentinel gets it right:
Of particular note:
BTW, I don't think using "and" to start that particular sentence was a good idea. It's really a new thought. "additionally" would have been better. I could be wrong, though.
The Milwaukee School Board member should reimburse the school district for the costs of a conference on school safety that she apparently barely attended.
Of particular note:
Unless she can prove otherwise, Hardin should reimburse the district for the cost of the trip. And the School Board should revamp its policy so that board members can't take money from a school without approval of the entire board.
BTW, I don't think using "and" to start that particular sentence was a good idea. It's really a new thought. "additionally" would have been better. I could be wrong, though.
Hardin in it for the swag
A story in the JSonline reports that Milwaukee School Board member, Charlene Hardin, was a no show at a conference held in Philadelphia last month. This comes after the report that millions that have been wasted on the neighborhood initiatives program. What's more, while Hardin apparently had no interest in the conference, she DID have an interest in the swag.
Now, this is one account. I emailed the school board to see if they'd provide a different story. I'll post what I find out. Something tells me I won't be surprised by anything.
The article.
At first, Hardin complained loudly that the staff had run out of conference bags, which contained zoo passes, city information and discounts for various items, Ricci said.
“Then she proceeded to go into the vendors’ area, get some plastic bags from them, help herself to a ton of food and cookies and candy and all that stuff from the snack tray, and proceeded to walk out the door again, making another big stink about the thing, and left,” Ricci said, estimating that the pair were there for all of five minutes.
Now, this is one account. I emailed the school board to see if they'd provide a different story. I'll post what I find out. Something tells me I won't be surprised by anything.
The article.
Monday, August 04, 2008
What about teaching?
Jay Weber had an interesting discussion on his show this morning on the paid sick leave proposal. His point, due to an editorial he read, was that it was not business's fault people have kids and it's not business's responsibility to help take care of those kids. It's a tough issue. I agree for the most part. But, what does one do when their child is sick and needs to be taken care of? I've often said the responsibility of children ultimately falls on none other than the parents. I still do. While I understand some people have put themselves in to a position of needing both parents to work, I don't think that passes the responsibility of your child's care on to someone else. Particularly government mandates.
Anyway, I have this same problem with schools. The schools seem to want to do everything for your child except teach them. Today's paper has a good indication of that.
The first two paragraphs say it all:
Two things. One, this will mean more money. More "experts" to figure this out, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Two, aren't the behavior issues with children, even as they apply to school, the parent's responsibilities? Why does MPS feel as though they must take on parental responsibilities? They want to feed them, psycho-analyze them, provide baby sitting . . . when are parents supposed to act like parents?
Why don't the schools just TEACH?
Personally, I'm sick of parents getting out of their responsibilities thanks to government. It's bad enough we have dysfunctional families, broken families, and abusive families. We need to emphasize more the role of parents in a child's life, not take it away. All of these "well intentioned" program do nothing more than make parents lazy. Rather than making them see how it is they are at fault, it allows them to blame everyone else for their child's behavior. That, and there's an expectation of provision. Be it food, day care, or dealing with behavior problems.
People need to understand that being a parent means you have responsibilities, and that those responsibilities are yours alone. It's not up to someone else to fix them.
Also, the schools need to stop trying to be parents. Just teach.
Anyway, I have this same problem with schools. The schools seem to want to do everything for your child except teach them. Today's paper has a good indication of that.
Suspend fewer, MPS urged
Report rips discipline tactics; change promised
The first two paragraphs say it all:
A team of national experts has urged a major overhaul in the way Milwaukee Public Schools handles behavior issues in schools, saying MPS does not do enough to deal with problems short of suspending students and may have the highest suspension rate of any urban school system in America.
MPS
By The Numbers
26.4%
MPS students suspended at least once, many of them multiple times, during the 2007-'08 school year.
86,675
Total number of suspensions during the same school year, just short of the number of students in the district.
"District staff members need to mobilize to meet this challenge" of dealing with behavior issues in ways that don't involve suspensions but are more effective in improving both a student's behavior and academic work, the team said in a report to MPS officials.
Two things. One, this will mean more money. More "experts" to figure this out, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Two, aren't the behavior issues with children, even as they apply to school, the parent's responsibilities? Why does MPS feel as though they must take on parental responsibilities? They want to feed them, psycho-analyze them, provide baby sitting . . . when are parents supposed to act like parents?
Why don't the schools just TEACH?
Personally, I'm sick of parents getting out of their responsibilities thanks to government. It's bad enough we have dysfunctional families, broken families, and abusive families. We need to emphasize more the role of parents in a child's life, not take it away. All of these "well intentioned" program do nothing more than make parents lazy. Rather than making them see how it is they are at fault, it allows them to blame everyone else for their child's behavior. That, and there's an expectation of provision. Be it food, day care, or dealing with behavior problems.
People need to understand that being a parent means you have responsibilities, and that those responsibilities are yours alone. It's not up to someone else to fix them.
Also, the schools need to stop trying to be parents. Just teach.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
MPS Busing cuts
Busing for MPS students will be cut by more than two thirds for the '09 - '10 school year for a savings of about 20 million dollars. The article is here.
It's easy to have an immediate reaction to this. For many parents, how they get their children to the school they want them to attend is going to be more difficult.
But, there are several other issues with regard to this that make this a good thing. First, there are a few instances where a bus travels over 20 miles with 2 kids aboard. That's ridiculous. A huge waste of money.
Second, Andrekopoulos has been pushing for a return to neighborhood schools. This would help that cause. Granted, it forces the issue, but part of that issue was money savings.
Third, it frees up the money for other things. As I've posted before, MGIS is losing their PhyEd and Music teachers. They've already lost their Art teacher. Granted, part of the problem is money allocation, and not simply amount of money. But saving on busing cost is one way to handle the over all budget problem.
I could mention that this is a "green" initiative. Buses not only pour a lot of emission in to the air, but they do it for greater distances and for longer periods of time. Returning to neighborhood schools would mean less emissions. Add to that the price of gas . . .
But I doubt anyone will bring that up in the discussion.
The other good thing that may come from this . . . local schools will improve. With no choice but to send a child to a nearby school parents will demand that schools improve. Which they should. While I support this measure, I'd hate to see students and their parents feel as though they're losing out because they have to go to a school that they feel isn't as good as where they've been going.
Lastly, MPS needs to make improvements across the board so that all schools are good. Not just a few. Further, while there may still be those parents who want to send their children to a certain school, I don't think it's the responsibility of MPS to act as a charter service for every desire. Understandably, this is a give and take situation.
It's a small start, but it's a start.
It's easy to have an immediate reaction to this. For many parents, how they get their children to the school they want them to attend is going to be more difficult.
But, there are several other issues with regard to this that make this a good thing. First, there are a few instances where a bus travels over 20 miles with 2 kids aboard. That's ridiculous. A huge waste of money.
Second, Andrekopoulos has been pushing for a return to neighborhood schools. This would help that cause. Granted, it forces the issue, but part of that issue was money savings.
Third, it frees up the money for other things. As I've posted before, MGIS is losing their PhyEd and Music teachers. They've already lost their Art teacher. Granted, part of the problem is money allocation, and not simply amount of money. But saving on busing cost is one way to handle the over all budget problem.
I could mention that this is a "green" initiative. Buses not only pour a lot of emission in to the air, but they do it for greater distances and for longer periods of time. Returning to neighborhood schools would mean less emissions. Add to that the price of gas . . .
But I doubt anyone will bring that up in the discussion.
The other good thing that may come from this . . . local schools will improve. With no choice but to send a child to a nearby school parents will demand that schools improve. Which they should. While I support this measure, I'd hate to see students and their parents feel as though they're losing out because they have to go to a school that they feel isn't as good as where they've been going.
Lastly, MPS needs to make improvements across the board so that all schools are good. Not just a few. Further, while there may still be those parents who want to send their children to a certain school, I don't think it's the responsibility of MPS to act as a charter service for every desire. Understandably, this is a give and take situation.
It's a small start, but it's a start.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Milwaukee German Immersion School
My daughter attends this school. It was an easy decision for us. One, we're close, and two, it's a great school. Their academic performance is top notch. At or near the top in every aspect of education. Good teachers, good environment, and good community involvement.
One would think, given that MPS has had and is having lots of problems, that being able to continue the achievement success wouldn't pose as a problem. But it has. MGIS has already lost an art teacher. They've already lost a tech (computer) teacher. They are now poised to lose both their Physical Education teacher and their music teacher for the fall school semester.
Now, I'm no expert on all the funding facts. But I do know this: enrollment is down, and our taxes went up. Of course, libs want to say the budget has been cut when that's far from the truth. The school board wanted a 16% hike in taxes and settled for a 9% hike in taxes. So, they got more money than last year. How is that a cut? Especially in light of fewer students?
What else do we know? Excessive travel. 9 million in consultants. Which is several million over budget. Buses that run long distances with fewer than 5 kids on them. Lunch programs that feed 4 year olds the same amount of food as 10 year olds. Adult rec programs. I won't even get in to benefits and pensions.
How does a school that performs so well lose two essential teachers?
As one might imagine, this came as quite a shock to us parents . . . not to mention the two teachers who are likely to lose their jobs. Which is strange. If you go to the MPS site, there's a huge push for new teachers. Huh?
The PTA held a meeting last night. Jeff Spence and Bruce Thompson both both attended. Now, let me set this up. The PTA is having a meeting. Everyone is invited to attend to voice their concerns. Jeff and Bruce agree to attend. The school is losing two teachers and, well, we're pretty upset about that. So, what's the first thing out of Spence's mouth?
"Well, uh . . . I don't really have anything prepared, uh . . . (looks at Bruce) do you . . . ? uh, I'm not sure . . . "
That's great. That pretty much set the tone for the whole night. Lots of excuses. Lots of mumbo jumbo. Lots of "there's 7 other board members", lots of "we have a whole district to take care of . . . ", and not one . . . NOT ONE offer of a direct solution, by any means, as to how we keep these teachers. I swear, the word "I" didn't exist in his vocabulary. He DID suggest things WE could do.
Excuse me? Aren't you an elected official meant to represent us?!?!?!?!?!?
Sure, I can call Rep. Sullivan, and I have. Shouldn't JEFF SPENCE do that on our behalf?
I came to the conclusion that Jeff Spence is utterly worthless. He will not go to bat for our school. He will not speak passionately about our problem to the other board members. In fact, it's probably not even on his agenda to bring our problem to the board at all. It is, as it turns out, our problem to deal with.
I know one place to start. Get rid of Jeff Spence. I cannot, I will not, support someone with no regard to the concerns of a school about to lose two great teachers which will, in effect, have a counter intuitive effect on the school and destroy what has taken the efforts of those within that school to build. It will become my mission to get him out of office.
I said I'm no expert. But, trust me, this isn't about the amount of school funding. It's about allocation and how they come about allocating monies. One reason MGIS doesn't qualify for some of the same monies that other schools get is because their aren't enough kids in the free lunch program.
You read that right.
Read what I didn't write. The notion of an equal allocation of money per student?
MGIS doesn't have enough kids in the free lunch program therefore we are going to lose two essential teachers.
Makes perfect sense.
So, in the end, and because Jeff Spence is utterly useless, it's up to us. We virtually have to come up with a way to pay these two teachers for this coming fall. Nothing we do to change the larger scope of any of the issues will happen quickly. If we do nothing, they're gone. Period.
My bet is we'll make it happen. No thanks to Jeff Spence. But it will take some real effort. After last night's meeting, there are a bunch of p*ssed off parents. Yet all committed to help MGIS maintain it's status as a great school. We understand that losing these teachers will cause MGIS to be less desirable. When that happens, the school will start to falter and join the ranks of so many others that have failed due to bad policy.
UPDATE:
For those who were not at the meeting and are wondering about the disposition of Herr Arndt and Herr Warren . . . as far as the budget goes, it's done and they're gone. Come this fall they will not be at MGIS. Hence, the worthlessness of Jeff Spence. He talked from time to time about schools "with need". If losing two essential teachers isn't a need then he or the others shouldn't be on the school board. It's beyond moronic. The MGIS budget is $180,000 short. Dr. Brugger had no other choice than to do what's been done and that's let these two fine teachers go. As far as what can be done . . . from a standpoint of the budget or allocation, nothing timely. Any change in the process will take time. We have two options. Go to the State level and beg. Or, raise the money ourselves. There's a manner in which Dr. Brugger can use the money to pay their wages. A few of us talked about this option. Between private donation, business donation and fund raising, maybe it can get done. Maybe. This is a lot of money. We should stay in close communication and develop strategies to get this done. I already have a list of local German influence businesses that we could bring our story to. Another option is the almost as useless JournalSentinel. If the story gets out, who knows?
One last thing. Particularly in light of the fact that he has his children there, I was very disappointed that Mayor Barrett wasn't there. I know he doesn't have direct influence, but his presence as both Mayor and a parent would have been encouraging. Shame on him.
One would think, given that MPS has had and is having lots of problems, that being able to continue the achievement success wouldn't pose as a problem. But it has. MGIS has already lost an art teacher. They've already lost a tech (computer) teacher. They are now poised to lose both their Physical Education teacher and their music teacher for the fall school semester.
Now, I'm no expert on all the funding facts. But I do know this: enrollment is down, and our taxes went up. Of course, libs want to say the budget has been cut when that's far from the truth. The school board wanted a 16% hike in taxes and settled for a 9% hike in taxes. So, they got more money than last year. How is that a cut? Especially in light of fewer students?
What else do we know? Excessive travel. 9 million in consultants. Which is several million over budget. Buses that run long distances with fewer than 5 kids on them. Lunch programs that feed 4 year olds the same amount of food as 10 year olds. Adult rec programs. I won't even get in to benefits and pensions.
How does a school that performs so well lose two essential teachers?
As one might imagine, this came as quite a shock to us parents . . . not to mention the two teachers who are likely to lose their jobs. Which is strange. If you go to the MPS site, there's a huge push for new teachers. Huh?
The PTA held a meeting last night. Jeff Spence and Bruce Thompson both both attended. Now, let me set this up. The PTA is having a meeting. Everyone is invited to attend to voice their concerns. Jeff and Bruce agree to attend. The school is losing two teachers and, well, we're pretty upset about that. So, what's the first thing out of Spence's mouth?
"Well, uh . . . I don't really have anything prepared, uh . . . (looks at Bruce) do you . . . ? uh, I'm not sure . . . "
That's great. That pretty much set the tone for the whole night. Lots of excuses. Lots of mumbo jumbo. Lots of "there's 7 other board members", lots of "we have a whole district to take care of . . . ", and not one . . . NOT ONE offer of a direct solution, by any means, as to how we keep these teachers. I swear, the word "I" didn't exist in his vocabulary. He DID suggest things WE could do.
Excuse me? Aren't you an elected official meant to represent us?!?!?!?!?!?
Sure, I can call Rep. Sullivan, and I have. Shouldn't JEFF SPENCE do that on our behalf?
I came to the conclusion that Jeff Spence is utterly worthless. He will not go to bat for our school. He will not speak passionately about our problem to the other board members. In fact, it's probably not even on his agenda to bring our problem to the board at all. It is, as it turns out, our problem to deal with.
I know one place to start. Get rid of Jeff Spence. I cannot, I will not, support someone with no regard to the concerns of a school about to lose two great teachers which will, in effect, have a counter intuitive effect on the school and destroy what has taken the efforts of those within that school to build. It will become my mission to get him out of office.
I said I'm no expert. But, trust me, this isn't about the amount of school funding. It's about allocation and how they come about allocating monies. One reason MGIS doesn't qualify for some of the same monies that other schools get is because their aren't enough kids in the free lunch program.
You read that right.
Read what I didn't write. The notion of an equal allocation of money per student?
MGIS doesn't have enough kids in the free lunch program therefore we are going to lose two essential teachers.
Makes perfect sense.
So, in the end, and because Jeff Spence is utterly useless, it's up to us. We virtually have to come up with a way to pay these two teachers for this coming fall. Nothing we do to change the larger scope of any of the issues will happen quickly. If we do nothing, they're gone. Period.
My bet is we'll make it happen. No thanks to Jeff Spence. But it will take some real effort. After last night's meeting, there are a bunch of p*ssed off parents. Yet all committed to help MGIS maintain it's status as a great school. We understand that losing these teachers will cause MGIS to be less desirable. When that happens, the school will start to falter and join the ranks of so many others that have failed due to bad policy.
UPDATE:
For those who were not at the meeting and are wondering about the disposition of Herr Arndt and Herr Warren . . . as far as the budget goes, it's done and they're gone. Come this fall they will not be at MGIS. Hence, the worthlessness of Jeff Spence. He talked from time to time about schools "with need". If losing two essential teachers isn't a need then he or the others shouldn't be on the school board. It's beyond moronic. The MGIS budget is $180,000 short. Dr. Brugger had no other choice than to do what's been done and that's let these two fine teachers go. As far as what can be done . . . from a standpoint of the budget or allocation, nothing timely. Any change in the process will take time. We have two options. Go to the State level and beg. Or, raise the money ourselves. There's a manner in which Dr. Brugger can use the money to pay their wages. A few of us talked about this option. Between private donation, business donation and fund raising, maybe it can get done. Maybe. This is a lot of money. We should stay in close communication and develop strategies to get this done. I already have a list of local German influence businesses that we could bring our story to. Another option is the almost as useless JournalSentinel. If the story gets out, who knows?
One last thing. Particularly in light of the fact that he has his children there, I was very disappointed that Mayor Barrett wasn't there. I know he doesn't have direct influence, but his presence as both Mayor and a parent would have been encouraging. Shame on him.
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