Now that it's a NO vote, will the teachers find some hidden money to save their jobs?

Shame on this administration for trying to blackmail people into a yes vote. Maybe more people should take the opp. for open enrollment.

To janesville teacher.
You obviously misunderstood my post.
Education IS what's important to me. Sports is not.
A good education, and not a letter in a sport, is going to get the kids a better paying job.
Focus on education.
A well rounded student doen't need extracurricular sports. They need skill sets that will provide their future families stability.

I question the way the administration has "brainwashed" the kids by telling them if the vote is no they can kiss good-bye all sports. Shouldn't the concern be more less staff, and classes? There is alot of money raised by sports and extra events. If there was no sports, etc. there would be no extra money. I believe there is alot of waste that goes on (Iknow there is alot of waste), and we need to cut the extras in school. Every room has TV and phones. The administration needs to look elsewhere, and stop adding things that they don't need. It might be $100 here or there but it all adds up.

Here we are just done watching one of the best Super Bowls in history and now ready to watch an international exposition of sports of all kinds with the Olympic games in VanCouver and we are actually considering cutting sports from our children's lives! Right now the district needs funds to support the status quo, if you want to redesign the educational system or how they administrate then ask your legislator to address the problem or run for the school board yourself. Don't pull the rug out from underneath a generation of students just because we are in a slow economic period. How fair is that? Money is not the most important issue here, the children are and they deserve fairness; the same that kids had ten years ago and the same as they should have ten years from now! I trust the people of Brodhead to do the right thing for the students and vote YES.

"How many atheletes even make it to college let alone pro sports. Also many pro atheletes have degrees to allow them to work after their sports careers are over, even if it just as a talking head for ESPN or the NFL network." As a teacher and a coach in the Janesville School District, sports is not just about making it to college or making it to the professional level. It is about raising a well-rounded student.
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Extra-curriculars is only one bullet on the list of cuts (and 'extra=curriculars includes not only sports, but other clubs/organizations that greatly increase the level of education).
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The part that concerns me most is that the list of cuts includes two ENTIRE elective areas and raising class sizes in the elementary grades. I cannot fathom how anybody would vote no for this referendum when it is just the start of the downward spiral. With a no vote, you are basically saying that education is not important to your community and the district should simply teach math and reading with 30+ student in each class (which I hope we call agree would be a bad idea!).
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A YES vote is needed here!

Freebird
You're kind of all over the place - "also we did not include retirement package"?
We? Mouse in your pocket? Voices in your head? Or are we back to "your friends from that area" who keep you so well informed?
All what hate exactly?
Ripping on people? Because I challenged your indisputable facts, or what?
Sounds like your problem is with Deery himself - well, heck everybody in Brodhead should vote "No" then and make the kids in Brodhead suffer the consequences.

What's wrong with focusing on education and not sports?

I agree 100% with tallman. How many atheletes even make it to college let alone pro sports. Also many pro atheletes have degrees to allow them to work after their sports careers are over, even if it just as a talking head for ESPN or the NFL network.
There is way too much emphasis on sports. Why do you think we as americans are falling behind India, China, Japan in engineering degrees, and education level as a whole.
The new level off expertise in America will soon be "you want fries with that?" If it isn't already.
We can still have a jewel in the crown of Brodhead if we focus on education. Period.

A friend of mine informed me that in a eastern state they had 1 school superintendent for 26 school districts!!! Only 1.... Brodhead has 1 for 1.....He said they had no problems as each school had a principal who also taught one class a day, had 1 secretary and that is it!! Lets wake up people and start from the top down!!! If that works we would only need 1 superintendent for all of Green County School districts!!!! Lets start saving money!!!

"I recommend something Amish."

Or from the Quaker Ann fashion line

http://www.quakeranne.com/plainquaker.ht...

70% of the tax dollars going into the school goes to salaries and benefits
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Name a non-production business where this isn't true. Seriously, a business where spending money on supplies, inventory, etc... isn't important and doesn't equal 70% + being spent on salaries.
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I dare you to name one...you can't because they don't exist. the buildings, desks, books, computers and pens aren't going to cost more than the staff...if they did something would be seriously wrong.
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that is the most uneducated argument I have ever read and this isn't even close to the first time someone has attempted to use it.

"The REAL question is "What will the Cheerleader outfits look like????
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I recommend something Amish....."

??? - That doesn't make sense to me... am I missing something here?

If you get a chance to read the article, read the discussion section to see some of the comments.

Not sure if anyone caught the news about the bus driver in Madison making about $159,00 a year due to him/her covering sick days, FMLA, vacation etc...

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/g...

This is the reason folks, that city, state, and federal governments continue to spend over their budgets. Who is running these organizations? This is the stranglehold that many unions such as the Teamsters have on the taxpayers. Its all about the unions and not about the constituents?

abluedevil, you must be an employee of the school district with all that hate and ripping on people who state there opinion, please look at the DPI again and noticed the fringe benefits area and also we did not include retirement package.
YES, A GOOD SECRETARY CAN DO WHAT DEERY DOES OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER.

I WOULD TELL THE BRODHEAD VOTERS TO VOTE NO AND CLEAN UP YOUR STAFF.

Not one mention of cutting retirement health benefits (usually about $100k for 10 years service) or health insurance benefits (20k/yr+) for its employees. Wonder why?

The lack of such a discussion belies WEAC's claims that "it's for the kids." No, it's for your retirement benefits!

Sad but true, all staff at the schools are important. Truth, we are in times where the only workers that have not felt the REAL impact of the recession are government workers. They still got raises in salaries, FREE retireement, Insurance, plus any other benefits. The rest have maybe faced layoffs, cut salaries, benefits and had to make some serious choices on spending or loose their home.

To constantly use the idea that "we must keep up with other salaries or loose staff" is all bull. When does the bar quit being set higher and higher for only those few. We as tax payers allow the bar to continually get set up and up and take it right in the backside. Stand up, 70% of the tax dollars going into the school goes to salaries and benefits. If the district can't afford it then so be it. Start lowering the bar all over. Spend more of the money coming in on the facility, educational equipment and supplies. Sports won't get all of your children a profession and good future as very few make pro sports.

imaxgirl
How many "good executive secretaries" do you know with a working knowledge of assessment methods, curriculum trends, grading practices, revenue limits, school finance, and state standards (to name a few of the obstacles that public school administrators have to deal with)?
You may want to look around our state and see how many districts are hiring interim district administrators because they cannot find qualified people to do these jobs.

Many are already filing their open-enrollment papers instead of waiting for this vote.
Sounds like many feel other cuts should come first and will be voting NO.
If cuts need to happen and extra-curriculars are to be saved, where will the cuts come from... cutting staff and electives... that isn't a good option either.

Freebird- How ignorant can a person be??? These people who are making these huge, out-of-line salaries have at least six years of college or more invested in their career. They are professionals who deserve respect! I have never seen a community that has more pride in their school system and their sports teams than Brodhead, and rightfully so. It's taken a lot of work by the administration and the community to build such a fine academic offering and now, because of money, it's on the chopping block. This is exactly why our political leaders need to separate school funding from property taxes!!!!! Brodhead, there are some things worth paying for and your educational system is a jewel in your crown. Don't deminish the value of your teachers and admininstrators to argue about money. If you want your community to be one of the places businesses are looking to locate then continue to offer a top tier education system. VOTE YES!

Freebird
(with thanks to Don Diego who caught it first)
You clearly stated in your first post that your informed friends told you that "there are 7 people that are paid in excess of 100,000 year plus benifits."
I am sure you understand that the other things you listed in your second post are "benifits" (actually benefits).
You and your informed friends might want to actually investigate your "deep details" a little bit to get more familiar with how school districts really operate - for example, in most districts the administrators have the same insurance coverage as the teachers.
No one is served by misinformation during the referendum process.

It seems, regardless of if you like it or not, if people want to keep this community strong and keep a high level of education going the "yes" vote is the only option.
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Nobody wants to ask a community for additional money during a recession but that or drastic cuts seem to be the only option.
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Cutting staff means cutting electives at all levels and that reduces the quality of education offered..that is likely why some cuts haven't already been made.
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I feel for everyone involved in this community...it appears to be a "no win" situation.

let the parents pay for sports.
I'm voting NO!

"I was told there are 7 people that are paid in excess of 100,000 year plus benifits..." Perhaps you meant to say "with benefits" not "plus benefits". abluedevil correctly pointed out what you wrote was incorrect. It may be a small word but it does change your arguement. There appears to only be 1 administrator getting paid more than $100,000 PLUS benefits.

Don't let them scare you. They will never cut the football team. It is a sports town. They are top heavy in the administration and they have been for many years. A good executive secretary could do a lot of the work that they're paying administrators to do.

ABLUEDEVIL, you are correct on that info but that does not take into consideration the health insurance they have, add that in and also add the little perks that administrators get (cars, gas, conventions,hotels, food, etc). So, my friends are not misinformed and not brain washed by misleading facts evidently you are not aware of the deep details.

Freebird
It doesn't cost anything to go to DPI's website and discover the facts - your friends are misinformed.
"7 people that are paid in excess of 100,000 year"? Actually it is only 1, but don't let facts get in the way of a good argument, right?
See the actual 2008-09 salaries below (all are comparable to other area Districts):
Deery
District Administrator
$117,601.00
Swanson
Business Manager
$74,960.00
Anderson
Director of Special Education
$67,396.00
Lueck
Principal
$93,122.00
Urness
Principal
$89,593.00
Novy
Principal
$83,918.00
Semrow
Director of Instruction
$83,892.00

I was informed by some friends from that area that this is all a joke and that there needs to be cut at the administrative level, I was told there are 7 people that are paid in excess of 100,000 year plus benifits that they know of and maybe more and that Deery threatened the school board in july that they will walk if they did not get there pay raise of 2%. Plus they are already voted a pay raise again, where is the pay freeze!How can any expect to get a raise in this economy especially Brodhead. Brodhead needs to let the super and his staff go and find someone else. They also said that they have two years of funding left before the cuts. This is a tax of $600 a year after the final year of implementation for $100,000 home. THIS IS ABSURD!
I was told that this Deery runs the schoolboard and did not like when the taxpayers where saying no at the meeting and kept interepting until one person put him in his place, I wish I was there to see that. It is sad when the super's think they are in control of our money when they work for the schoolboard, we always need to keep our super here in Janesville in check. The other thing I do not get is that they are losing students and there has been no reduction in his staff. Sounds like he likes to have a easy day while others are doing his work.
I told my friends that the economy cannot be good for Brodhead and they said it is around 50% unemployment with woodbridge closing, reduction at kuhn knight, and stoughton as well as general motors. This is sad!! I say combine classes reduce staff, UWMadison teaches well over 300 kids in one class and they have a very good educational record. Time to do your job Deery and make some cuts or you will be cut. enough said, I am glad I am not gettting that tax hike.

sorry, meant Belleville, not Brodhead. Oops.

not! Just like combining New Glarus, Monticello, and Brodhead - NOT!

Both Brodhead and Parkview have serious financial problems. Parkview's may not be as serious at this very moment, but if their enrollment continues to decline, they will be faced with the same situation. The towns are 7 miles apart-- possibly it's time to merge the districts? And what a great opportunity- could be a financial win/win for both schools ,plus what a great opportunity to replace Parkview's adminstration with Brodhead's!