Ax falls on schools in Edgerton
Podcast Episode
Kyle Geissler talks with Janesville Gazette reporter Stacy Vogel about teaching cuts in the Edgerton School District.
EDGERTON — Everyone knew the cuts were coming, but now they're official.
The Edgerton School Board approved staff cuts Monday for the 2009-10 school year in a response to dropping state revenue and declining enrollment.
The approved cuts came from each level:
-- Three teachers and two support staff from the elementary schools.
-- Two teachers and one support staff from the middle school.
-- Two teachers and two support staff from the high school.
-- One floating special education teacher.
Superintendent Norm Fjelstad first alerted the district to the potential cuts in December, a few weeks after the state passed a two-year budget with a new method for school funding.
Edgerton received about $188,000 less in 2007-08 in the new funding formula than it expected.
Meanwhile, Edgerton enrollment is dropping from a peak of 1,949 students last year to a predicted 1,707 in 2011-12. Fewer students means less state aid.
The biggest enrollment drop is expected at the high school, which could lose more than 100 students by 2011-12. Fjelstad has said the high school might have to cut a total of 12 teachers in the next three years.
To compensate, the school will eliminate its four-period block schedule in favor of a traditional eight-period day in 2010-11. The traditional schedule will introduce study halls to the class mix and offer shorter teacher prep periods, requiring fewer teachers.
Edgerton Middle School also will adjust its curriculum to handle the changes. The school plans to eliminate reading as a curriculum area and incorporate reading instruction into other subject areas, especially language arts, Principal Jerry Roth said.
The move will allow the school to eliminate two of its three reading teacher positions. It will keep one reading teacher to handle the school's remedial reading program.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction requires middle schools to provide reading instruction, but it does not require schools to teach reading as a separate class. The school will train all core teachers on incorporating reading strategies into their classes over the next three years, Roth said.
No one is happy about losing reading class, but staff is adjusting, Roth said.
"The staff is starting to realize this is our new paradigm," he said. "There's a real positive attitude in the building."
Perhaps the most difficult adjustment will come at the elementary schools, simply because it's hard to know how many classes the school will need.
The district is expecting elementary enrollment to drop from 940 last year to about 816 in 2011-12. But predicting elementary enrollment is difficult because it's impossible to know how many kindergarteners will sign up each year, Fjelstad said.
For example, the district expected 123 5-year-olds to sign up this year and got 158.
On the other hand, only 88 4-year-olds signed up this year, and the district only knows of 14 4-year-olds who were not signed up.
Sep 9, 2008 at 11:12 p.m.
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I lived in North Iowa for 13 years, starting in early 1981. (I moved to Mason City, IA, after graduating from UW-Madison.) While there, I witnessed the closing of numerous small school districts. It led to the near-death of many of those tiny towns. Very, very sad. I hope Edgerton doesn't face that in its future; it's home to some of the nicest people this side of the Mississippi River.
Sep 9, 2008 at 6:56 p.m.
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Blaming the administration isn't exactly accurate. While it is true that they could have probably done some things to ease this, the hard fact is that their hands are tied by the state-imposed revenue caps. For the past 12 years the district has been sharply limited in how much revenue they could raise without first passing a referendum. At first, this was probably a good thing as much "fat" was trimmed. But as time went on and the district became lean, the revenue caps insisted on continued cuts. Now the district is forced to cut to the bone.
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To see the end-result of this process, look north to Montello. They are voting today to decide whether or not to close the district. Edgerton is probably about 3-8 years from that point unless something changes. Are residents in E-town ready to send their kids to Milton, Janesville, Evansville, Stoughton and other places? Time to put up or shut up in Edgerton.
Sep 9, 2008 at 6:18 p.m.
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I didn't notice any cuts in school administration! hmmmmmmmmm......
Sep 9, 2008 at 3:55 p.m.
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Etown - I drove thru during the holiday weekend. That new building downtown should provide something new in town that has hardly changed since the early 1980s.
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Also, I see now where the new hospital is being built. That too should attract new residents.
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Sad to see the Dana Plant still mothballed. My uncle once worked there, commuted from Janesville, my ole hometown. Too bad the city can't get some state grants to bulldoze that eyesore. No industry needs a building that large anymore, so finding new tenants will be almost impossible.
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The problem with Edgerton has never been the school district, it has been the poltical leadership, or lack thereof, for....ever.
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I Googled the new young mayor there..that too has to be a breath of fresh air for a town that once thought of economic developement as adding a new liquor license.
Sep 9, 2008 at 1:43 p.m.
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long_time , have you been to edgerton in the last couple of years, there is growth all around this town,most of the houses arent selling, they are priced to high, look at houses in janesville and then drive to edgerton, and you will see what i mean, the high price of water and then you add the sewer which is 2 1/2 times what your water is , most from madison stoughton that move here , dont stay long , once you add in the price of gas to commute,
Sep 9, 2008 at 1:21 p.m.
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Edgerton could use some of their water/utility money instead of cutting the teachers... Their sewer/water rates are terrible and where does the money go? A POOL was built that was far above the cities need and the streets are not to much to write about. Education is important as are the teachers way to edgerton school board.... SAD
Sep 9, 2008 at 12:05 p.m.
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Time to bring some developement to Edgerton and the surrounding 2 towns of Fulton and Albion. With the interstate right there, Lake Koshkonong and home values reaching unaffordable levels in Madison, Stoughton and Oregon, coupled with GM leaving Janesville, Edgerton, Fulton and Albion are poised to recruit new families - if only their zoning would be less restrictive.
Sep 9, 2008 at 11:01 a.m.
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Wow! That really is a huge deal! I graduated from a school district with an entire 2,000 students in the entire school district, 105 on graduation night. Even cutting one educator position is very noticeable! Then to have lots and lots of money lost? Wow, I sure hope the district can be creative in continuing to provide for the students.
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