Here is the problem I have...MOC0428 is the husband of a Janesville teacher.After reading how he and his wife feel about the students,parents, union and the administers of this district,how are we as taxpayers suppose to feel sorry for a teacher/spouse that really in my opinion is not happy being a teacher ? There also been others that have not spoke highly of being a teacher in this district for other reasons also.If someone really doesn't like their job and ALL that it entails...would you think they should change their profession ??? I'm sure when these people were in school themselves ,there were students then that they complain now being in THEIR classrooms.No job is without pitfalls and duties that we would prefer not to do or deal with,but that is our choice to do it or change jobs.

Let’s spell this out for the shortsighted.
---
An average Janesville homeowner pays $2000 (high estimate) in direct property tax to the School District of Janesville each year. Let us say the average Janesville Joe & Jane pays this tax over the course of their entire local homeownership (50 years—another high estimate) for a grand total of $100,000. Of course, Janesville Joe & Jane have 2.5 kids who go through the K-12 system. Average the total school taxes (for 50 years) per kid and this equates to about $40,000 per kid. What an unbelievable bargain!
----
The average cost of 4 years of higher education exceeds $40,000. In the School District of Janesville, my kids receive 13 years of education for $40,000! Also, consider that Jane/Joe can spread those educational costs over the course of their homeownership! Not only that…the same $40,000 keeps crime down (and the costs associated with that), enriches the culture (athletics, plays, musicals, art shows, academic offerings) of Janesville, supplies an educated workforce for local businesses, and endows great green spaces and facilities that can be used from time to time.
---
Topping off this incredible deal is the economic reality that these same tax dollars (unlike higher education costs) funnel through Janesville’s businesses countless times (through SDJ employee spending and the dollars spent through local businesses/professionals that support our school system).
----
My taxes to the SDJ are a steal for the K-12 education my kids receive and the myriad fringe benefits. Raise my taxes!
---
Public schools = the soul of our community. Nurture it!

How could the district have a $2.1 million deficit when there is $3 million leftover?
http://www.gazettextra.com/weblogs/lates...

Teacher pay AND deductions..........check out Finland vs. the US.

http://www.worldsalaries.org/teacher.sht...

I have a great solution! Let the big corporations pay for schools and education. Tax payers and teachers all happy!

I_LUV_JVL - I did research your comments about Finland teachers being UNION members and you are CORRECT - over 95% are union members. Yes - you are also correct about the quality of their education system and it is ranked ahead of the U.S. Teachers are highly respected & appreciated in Finland. Education is very important to the success of the student and that is why political authorities / groups see education as THE WAY for the country of Finland to grow thrive, and survive in the world today. The WI ACT scores are very good, but now we are taking away over 800 million dollars from education. It is not the fault of the Supt. or the school board. Blaming them is totally wrong! You need to look at Walker and understand that as a governor he REFUSED to sit down with unions and those in education to work together. Your support of Walker has you supporting the Koch brothers and large corporations. Statistically I have read that Walker has now given 200 million in tax cuts to big corporations and the wealthy. Interesting on how a governor can say we are broke and give so much away. Eliminating or greatly lowering the taxes of large corporations is wrong.

Federal Income Tax
State Income Tax
Social Security Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Sales Tax
Capital Gains Tax
Dividend Tax
Corporate Income Tax
(Are you a shareholder; yes, you are paying it?)
Federal Death Tax
Gas Tax
Cell Phone Tax
Energy Assistance Tax
When these taxes add up to more than 50% of your income, more than 50% of your work day is spent to satisfy your government obligations, how free are you?

kidsfirst........Where are you getting your info? The 2010 ACT stats show Wisconsin ranking 17th--not 2nd or 3rd? I'm sure that this was just an honest mistake on your part. Wisconsin teachers might rank 28th as far as salary is concerned, but that number is meaningless without placing it in the correct context. Considering that average cost of living in Wisconsin is much less than other areas of the country, that "lowly" salary would go twice as far--correct?? Have you looked at housing prices in the east or the west? Just taking 1/2 hour drive down south to the NW suburbs of Illinois would open your eyes........

http://www.act.org/news/data/10/states.h...

Problem: Budget shortfall
Solution: Raise taxes and reduce unsustainable cadillac benefits packages

Everything else on this message board is just noise...

We used to watch Larry, Curly and Moe. Now we have Bill, Lori and DuWayne, what a fiasco watching these stooges in action. Those 3 own the problem and are doing NOTHING but spinning their wheels! Raise my taxes and let's get back to educating our kids. Bill and DuWayne do not make decisions that are good for students. Lori it's pathetic that YOU are putting this on the 3 unions waiting for them to cover mismanagement by you 3 stooges! Murray and Hesselbacher get it!

Or how about this? "Classrooms and schools are collaborative by design. The collaborative pay structure among teachers is a reflection of that spirit. Competitive pay is counterproductive to the mission and culture of schools. The research proves it."

Hmm, we have worked ourselves to a point where our students test right about even with Albania, all due to our superior unionized workforce that purposely pays high performers and low performers the same.

Got it.

"WI ranks 2-3 on ACT scores in the nation and 28th in the nation for teacher compensation."

Quack. That 28th ranking doesn't include benefits and you either knew it and purposely omitted it, or are ignorant. Further, not even half the country takes ACT tests, so your sampling is biased. Third, if you control for race (most Wisconsinites are white and do better on tests than their minority counterparts in the state or out), WI schools are average at best. In fact, if you control for race, Texas does a better job at educating its kids than Wisconsin does. Again, you either knew this and didn't tell anyone, or are ignorant.

"WI has been doing very well in the area of public education when compared to the nation." Yes, but that's due to its demographics (South Dakota and North Dakota do even better with less money), not funding.

"Why would he target schools to decrease funding while simultaneously claiming to want to attract businesses to come to / grow in WI??? who grows the work force? schools."

Hmm, lets reconcile this with reality: Wisconsin has been shedding jobs left and right for a decade while low tax, low regulation states have been adding them. How can that be if Wisconsin has the second or third best education system in the country, and presumably certainly much better than Texas?

Well, of course, it can't. But as usual, you lefties never let reality get in the way.

OK how much is tuition/registration in Janesville schools now?

So,
1.) There is still a budget shortfall this year of 2.1 million after cutting 9 million in spending.
2.) The school board has asked for cuts the last 10 years in a row.
3.) Taxes have gone up every year for the last 10 years.

Something doesn't add up.

The same people are in the same positions and you are expecting different results? Umm ok.

jcommon -- the school board has made demands to cut spending every year for about 10 years or more. They have made the policy decisions to not collect adequate revenue as allowed, but have instead protected (?) -- while expecting more and better results. Very few come into classrooms or visit schools on a regular basis. They are Karen Schulte's boss -- she is the boss of all school employees. . . . the buck stops there.

~~~ as far as blaming Gov. Walker, he cut $800 million in school funding in WI. The state that ranks 2-3 on ACT scores in the nation and 28th in the nation for teacher compensation. WI has been doing very well in the area of public education when compared to the nation. Why would he target schools to decrease funding while simultaneously claiming to want to attract businesses to come to / grow in WI??? who grows the work force? schools.

According to the cannon of Riche95, one sprinkle of merit pay from the capitalist fairy’s "invisible hand" will solve all of society's problems plaguing our schools and transform our teachers into “Supermen.”
----
The history shows merit pay has been tried thousands of times in many school districts for almost a century without any lasting success. Recent attempts have failed miserably.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/18/educat...
---
Classrooms and schools are collaborative by design. The collaborative pay structure among teachers is a reflection of that spirit. Competitive pay is counterproductive to the mission and culture of schools. The research proves it.

jcommon: I blame the school board because it is their fault!! They set policy. They vote. Responsibility falls upon their shoulders. And the president assumes the most responsibility. B. Sodemann and D. Severson, and now Feldt were all elected because they promised to minimize taxes! The JEA has warned them about this for years. Cutting school taxes will only guarantee that state funding decreases. We now reap what they have sown for years.

Why does everyone blame the school board or Governor Walker? Maybe the person balancing the finances for the last 10 years should be blamed. Why doesn't someone blame the person who came up with these cuts? These were the recommended cuts, maybe the person recommending these should be held accountable if they don't work? In the private sector, management has a budget and it is their duty to work within that budget, that is their JOB, to make due with what they have, not beg for more.

The issue of accountability for the dismal budget was skirted by the most vocal commissioners last night. .. . round and round they went on side issues, finally some admitted that they would consider raising taxes. Even though Bill, Lori, & Duane "get it" now, they don't get it; if they did, they would have simply used the tool Walker gave them and levied the taxes. Then next year, they would receive more in school aide and their actions for the 2011-12 budget would lessen the problems of the 2012-13 budget. . . It is not Karen Schulte who put us in this mess --- it is the refusal to value quality education in the community by some commissioners and local citizens. The Board needs to lead the support of our schools, instead of serving the Tea Party agenda. After all, ALEC includes the dismantling of public education as part of their goals. Increase privatization, increase the earnings gap, reduce the standard of living for the majority. . .

Anybody notice the front page article states "On the other hand, the higher the taxes, the more state aid the district gets in the following year." Ding! That is the reason why the district is in financial trouble. This district would have been fine if we had had been collecting more taxes when the city was rolling with GM. We are now suffering from the effects of this school board's short-sighted refusal to tax appropriately. Mr. Sodemann's lack of understanding of the complex school funding formulas has now resulted in grave consequences for the financial health of this school district. It is not the teacher salaries that caused these multimillion dollar deficits.

Cut Athletics - are you kidding me? We have an obesity problem in this country! Bad enough students only have phy-ed one semester a year (required), now cut athletics? Raise tuition or taxes. I've always thought it was strange that I could send my kid to school for under $50 a year. Cut the clerical staff? Who would Karen have to do her dirty work? I think cutting the administrators salaries would be a great benefit. I thought this year's plan was to cut the Athletic Director and that Monte Phillips, VP @ both high schools would also take care of the athletic schedules? Not so at Craig - the AD position is still there.

The story is on the front page of the regular edition of the paper.

Did anyone here go to the meeting last night? Odd that there isn't an updated story yet......

Mrs. Shulte, your tactics are transparent. You knew extracurricular activies would hit a nerve with parents. You are succeeding already. Please have real solutions from the mess you have created. You are deterring anyone new to come to this district and driving out the ones here.

How about cutting some of the excess administrators? Do we need more than one "assistant principal" at each high school? Heard somewhere each has 4 asst principals (and guessing each has their own secretary). Why? We had ONE vice principal at Craig when I was there.

@ Wislady I didn't scroll down far enough! Your statements are contradictory if not just plain silly. You write that Finland has an exemplary education system with excellent teachers when Finland is one of the most highly unionized countries in the World. Then, in another post, you state that 'being unionized has NEVER been proven to improve education.' Yet, Finland is a great example of the benefit of unions in education and, moreover, of how human beings thrive under a socially focused government versus a government controlled by corporations. If you like Finland maybe you are a fellow red which I am thrilled to find amongst all these green and golds. Workers of the world unite! Recall Walker!

@wislady Finland is nearly a socialist country and certainly a welfare state. The state takes care of the entire populace and so everyone can make less without having to worry about being homeless or getting healthcare. Your claims about teachers making less and performing better are very superficial and naive. It's not the teachers there that are better--it is human beings as a whole that function better when they are served by the government instead of being slaves to the government as we are here.

Bravo AthosPorthosAramis. Well said.

Have to laugh,as much as you hate unions, finland is 80% unionized and has nationally subsidized healthcare. This is not the typical teabagger thought process. Just maybe they have figured out that you need strong business people, not lawyers and accountants to run their companies.

Realist: You are absolutely on target! While the board is being "studerized" tonight be sure to go and let Lori, Bill S. and D.Severson know that this is their mark on Janesville. This is a result of mismanagement on their watch. This is ALL their doing because they were the elected board (notice I didn't say leaders)when it all went down! What a legacy they have left! Raise my taxes please, I am a taxpayer and I care about the valuation of my properties! To the 3 unions do not open your contracts, this is not your responsibility! To those of you having contracts with Billy and his business go in and tell him you want to open your signed contract and pay less, I am sure he is willing, what a joke!
They CAN raise taxes or parents can use the link provided by Thinkfuture as our schools continue to regress in programming and services to our students. This is what Lori, Bill S and D.Severson have brought to us! The bottom line is that Realist is correct they do not care about the children of Janesville.

Merit pay and other terms that some like to use, but unfortunately the cost associated with anything remotely resembling that is far beyond the scope of reality. Unfortunately that type of rhetoric makes great anti-union TV commercials, but there is no realistic method of achieving those things. If there are I would love to READ some actual proof. I am guessing that none can be provided.

Rich,
What la-la land are you living on? You mean to tell me that you would be willing to give "good teachers" a raise or bonus? Give me a break. Where is that money going to come from? How would you determine a good teacher? "Taxpayers" aren't willing to pay them what they make now much less more. You understand why there has to be a union in education don't you? Obviously not. Case and point-Bill Sodeman and Duwayne Severson. They could give two ----- about education and only about thier tax dollars. This is what is wrong with the entire system. People making decisions that only care about one thing, and it isn't the education of our youth. And yes times are tough now in Janesville, but what about the last ten years when taxes weren't raised or barely raised at all by the school district. That is why this district is in the position it is now. Thank you Sodeman and Severson. Stop trying to blame this problem on the unions when it is a lack of basic math and fiscal responsiblity for the last ten years that is killing this district. Not the teachers not paying what Walker wants. By the way the insurance plan in Janesville is a cash cow for the district and they are still broke. Not the case in most other districts. Still the teachers fault?

Finland is far ahead of us in the students they turn out. The teachers work hard, are better educated, and make less money than teachers in the States. The teachers represented by the unions in the US are not representative of that, as a general rule.

Does Finland have rubber rooms? I doubt it.

Thank you to all those teachers that were at my daughters' school today working registration for FREE! It is nice that the teachers, along with some parents, volunteer to work registration day. I'm not sure what the district would do, if teachers didn't give up their time and run this day.

Being unionized has NEVER been proven to improve education.

A union mentality like the UAW or WEAC will always result in the bar being lower or average. Merit pay and merit job retention will raise that bar and allow the best to be paid more than the mediocre.

What would it take to attract the top 10% of our college graduates to education? Walker's initiatives--like lesser compensation packages than other professionals of similar education/experience, non-educators making education decisions, hierarchical management structures, and a divisive/combative environment?
----
We will not attract the top 10% of students to teach until we change the negative cultural attitudes about public education. Education is an investment. It requires a long-term, sustained commitment from communities that care.

How much money does the district receive from the state per student? What happens to that funding when people decide to move their kids to schools outside the district or choose to home school their kids. I have to believe that will be some serious lost revenue.

Looks like my kids will be going somewhere else to school. Hell, why don't we just shut down all the schools! At this rate we will have no one left teachers or students. Some of things are going way too far!

What has the Studer Group done for the schools and taxpayers for savings over the years and they are still using them? IMO, nothing, except for taking the much need money that needs to used here. It is time to cut our money losses from this "group" and return the focus on education and saving taxpayer money, the right way.

i_luv_jvl, you say ---- " [wislady] that's true. let's take a look at finland. Their educational system is rated number one in the world. Oh... and they're 100% unionized. :)"

O.K.....

Please take a look at Smithsonian Magazine, Sept 2011 article "A+ for Findland." ---- In Finland, the article writes, ""WHATEVER IT TAKES" IS AN ATTITUDE." it also explains that "...professional [teachers] are selected from the top 10 percent of the nations graduates and earn a required master's degree in education.

Tell me, is this true in Janesville? Is this true in the U.S? Probably NOT the norm...

So, maybe when the U.S. education system reforms itself a "strong union" as in Finland, could be justified.

i_luv_jvl

In case you forgot, we are in the United States.

NoLeftist - 100+ in benefits per teacher, paid out of instructional funds? Are you delusional?

wislady - that's true. let's take a look at finland. Their educational system is rated number one in the world. Oh... and they're 100% unionized. :)

Whew! The $100k+ in health retirement benefits for each teacher, all paid out of instructional funds, made it through yet again, once again proving it's all about the kids.

Rocky

How about thinking outside the box and taking a look at what is happening in the education system elsewhere. Perhaps people will get some new ideas on what works and what does not work.

shouldbeheard - you're mistaken. walker passed a bill that allows districts to raise the tax levy to cover the money he took from communities to give to his rich campaign contributors.

John Doe - I do sympathize with those who cannot truly afford the increase, but my problem is those people who claim they cannot afford $54/year but have cell phone bills that are at least $100/month. Or others who don't have the money for $54/year, but have the money for cigs and liqueur. It's priority and there are some people whose priority is not public education.

Let's maintain the quality education we have in Janesville; please raise my taxes!

Wislday - I"m not sure what the faculty of a Michigan University going on strike has to do with Janesville's budget problem. Universities are very different from public schools. Oh, well, I guess it just another opportunity to bash teachers.

----
Shouldbeherad....Teachers in Wisconsin actually do get Social Security. It is in Illinois that they do not (they also don't pay into the system, while Wisconsin teachers do). Otherwise you've got things straight.

-----

It saddens me every time these debates come up. Clearly we have a Governor and a community who value their own comfort over the education of children in this state and community. I've already moved my children to a school in a community where education is still a priority. And yes, that means being fair to the hard-working teachers who, by the way, have mainly been back to work for over a week now even though their contracts don't require them to work until the 30th. (Some of my teacher friends were back by the 1st of August - more unpaid time for those "greedy" teachers). I don't fault the teachers or the administration in Janesville...but I do fault the community for their lack of support.

Who are we kidding...good teachers have already left. Many have retired early and many more over the next two years.
---
Janesville has had an abnormally high number of employees who refused Janesville's offer to be recalled.
---
Watch what happens over the next two years...
---
Would anyone honestly recommend for a young person to enter education after witnessing Walker's mismanagement?

916wi - you are delusional of course teachers will leave. Teachers need to be treated with respect. Whether you like it or not, a teacher taught Walker how to read. Just because he wasn't smart enough for college, doesn't mean he should trash the whole educational system. Teachers in WI start out at 25,000 a year with usually a educational debt. Why in the world would they want to teach your kids and probably be eligible for welfare? They spent 4 years in college to be told they are worthless. Did you know that teachers do not get social security? Their pensions and their medical benefits is what they were given to love and care for our children. I, for one, would die for my children and their future and I would NEVER bad mouth a teacher who prepares our future - that had my children's future in their hands. Shame on you.

More scare tactics to try and get Janesville teachers to open their contract. Stay strong and don't back down SDJ staff force the board into max taxation.

i_luv_jvl - I agree but the problems is that when walker cut funding he also said that school districts could not raise taxes. I personally feel he has no respect for the educatonal system at all. As a college drop-out, he thinks he can run a state bank rolled. I don't believe he wants anyone on WI to be educated, but an uneducated servant to the corporations he is loyal to.

Arlein, nice post but Walker said school districts can't raise taxes.... He takes from the public schools systems, gives to the private schools, squeezes out the small business with higher taxes and them gives breaks and subsidities to the corporations. Understand, I send my kids to a private school and I do not own a small business - so, unbiasedly I am telling you - this is wrong!!!

Want money? Knock on walmart's door. WI gave them 21.8 million dollars in subsidaries in 2007. They cost the taxpay 3.7 million a year. oh, they are worth 90 billion today (personally, not the business) SICK walmart shoppers make me sick!!!!Fight back, why are we paying for walmart's responsibilities and not helping our kids' education?

SDJ - please raise taxes so that you can stop making these threats on the teachers we love. You're a very cruel group. Weren't last year's antics cruel enough?
How ironic that Studer is speaking tomorrow. The morale and feeling of being valued with the employees in this district is beyond low.
Wislady - Did you hear? When the teachers offered voluntarily contributions in trade for collective bargaining, in order to have the tools to continue fighting for classrooms conducive to learning, the Governor said forget it. You seem to frequently and conveniently forget that.

Remember....it's for the kids!

CMU faculty goes on strike

http://www.freep.com/article/20110821/NE...

arlein....while you are begging for a tax increase...be sure to write a check for all of us who can't afford id it.

916wi -- apparently you don't know that WI ranks 28th in pay for teachers.

~~~
nicksmom & others concerned about savings related to changing from one type of health insurance to another. It is true that WEA Trust providing the same coverage we have here in Janesville would cost the district more than what they currently pay; however, you should be asking why healthcare industry provides services for a variety of charges, based on who is paying. . . We have tried to get WEA Trust here, but they cannot compete with the buying power of the group to which SDJ belongs. MY question -- why can this industry charge different prices according to who pays. . . individual, government (medi-care or medi-caid) ABC insurance, DEF insurance, GHI ins. . . . and so on. HC industry is entirely secure--as Americans, we expect treatment.

~~~~~~Every budget discussion for SDJ in the past decade (or more) has been how can we cut more? This last round of cuts presented prior to the new requests was dangerously close to the bone.

~~~~~~ Walker's budget impacted SDJ more negatively than others because the Board has been spending down the district --- cut, cut, cut -- leads to more cuts. The WI school funding formula is complex and once the downward spiral starts, it is hard to stop.

Thinkfuture.......Because teachers are going to have to pay more towards their retirement and HC premiums you're seriously going to get all dramatic and link that to the erosion of public education in Wisconsin?? Too funny! They still will have a much better benefit package than anyone in the private sector. If you say that that the teachers are going to jump ship and move to different states, you're delusional.....Other states are sure to follow Wisconsin's lead, because they are in a similar(or in many cases a worse)financial situation. Illinois has somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 billion in unfunded pensions liabilities. The states and their taxpayers can no loner afford to support these benefit packages. It's a reality you're going to have to get used to. Walker did the right thing........

@nicksmom and Sarah: What has happened in Kaukauna (and other school districts) is the same as if your employer took $2 million in salary away from you and your co-workers and then immediately claims $2 million in profits.

Let's maintain the high quality of education we have in Janesville; please raise my taxes!

nicksmom shouldn't get too excited about all the short-term, isolated pockets of success with
Walker's initiatives. Efficiency gains don't necessarily equate to quality. Give this scenario time and we will all see the eroding of professional public education in Wisconsin.
---
Also, one needs to consider that some of these benefit concessions could have been agreed to without Walker's stripping of the collective bargaining and the morale of Wisconsin's public educators.
---
Regarding the WEA trust, the monopoly myth and other untruths about its operations are spelled out nicely in this article:
http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/art...

Let's maintain the high quality education in Janesville; please raise my taxes!

Janesville's health insurance is not from WEA trust (as far as I know) anyway so what good would that do

Keep the quality of education high in Janesville. Raise my taxes!

@SarahB1: Here are 2 links - http://www.fox6now.com/news/investigator... http://althouse.blogspot.com/2011/06/und... Kaukauna for example has gone from a $400,000 deficit to a $1.5M surplus under the Walker budget. One of the biggest money savers for school districts is the fact that they no longer have to purchase their health insurance from the WEA Trust which has had a monopoly. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Walker fan by any stretch but I will concede that opening up the health insurance to competition makes complete sense.

Humming "Nearer My God to Thee," but would be so much better if I could play violin...

The death of education in Janesville. That will be the headline in a couple years with these types of cuts. How interesting that the district was able to approve a $77,000 dollar (salary only - probably well over 100k with benefits) contract for a new food service director (which is more than any teacher makes, by the way), but will still cut all these other positions and opportunities for kids.

@timetochange what you are suggesting is not everyone giving a little. It's teachers giving a huge amount 13-16% of their total salary package, then teachers giving again as taxpayers. If you compare total salary packages of public and private sector workers they were already comparable.

On the draconian side, some states, such as South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado, have allowed school districts to adopt a four-day school week to cut costs while saving programs. Officials claim that student academic performance has not been damaged by this change.

Why can't everybody give a little on this - this is a serious potential problem for quality of life in Janesville. It seems obvious that a tax increase is warranted and teachers should start paying closer to what private sector employees pay towards their benefits.

chellendou is right. We need to reduce the administration: Have them double up jobs, etc. In fact, I'm for more cost savings if it can lower the student/teacher ratio and thus improve the education.

After this article, I'm sure art and music teachers will start searching for jobs in other districts. Just like those that left already this past spring. This district still has a bunch of openings and school starts in a few weeks. Why don't people want theses jobs? Maybe Mr. Schoolboard president can explain this since he once said that there are hundreds of applications for each job in this district. Not so anymore, since this board has run people away.

billnewbie: What a pathetic post! Haven't the teacher's given enough already? They've pretty much lost their union, paying into their retirement, lowered their health benefits....and you want them to give more. I'll bet you actually believe the garbage you're spewing. What's next Bill? Should the BOE put pot-bellied stoves in each classroom and have the teachers bring in their own wood? That would certainly save a lot of money for heating. Get real Billy!

A short read and listen regarding extra-curriculars:

http://www.wiaawi.org/?id=521

When I read "volunteers would not be allowed", I know the school board is NOT serious in figuring out a solution.

I support cutting the funding of sports and extra-curriculars--there must be a way for these to be staffed by volunteers. The YMCA uses volunteer coaches, and people can sign liability waivers. Otherwise, these can be funded by parents. The school's agreement with the public is to provide free and public education and not all of these extras. People who can afford to move because of a school district's sports offerings must have the ability to pay to play or the time to volunteer.

Mr. Studor, at your meeting with the board, I hope you address how the board and especially a few of them, have lead this district from good to poor. IMO. And that this board is leading it down and dow further. Since the time that Mr. Studor has been working with our district, this board has not come close to following his principles one bit. Just my opinion.

Ronald: once again Janesville settled their contract before Walker was in office. Quit trying to say things that are not true. Stick to facts!!

I guess the district should not have rushed the contract through. Should have waited for Walkers budget. Districts that waited are running a surplus and adding teachers.

Oh Billnewbie...just because you can type, doesn't mean you have to. I hope your sharp little tongue never starts to slice on you as you let in on so many others.

What a shame that we can't get our unionized teachers to help pay for their first class benefits as they said they were wiling to do. I guess they didn't really mean it. Apparently, they didn't really mean it when they said that the kids come first, too.

Maybe by next year, Governor Walker will have an extended school voucher program available to Janesville's students too. Real school choice would solve a lot of problems as competition for students, real competition, would make the union and the school administration much more reasonable, I suspect.

chellyandlou & freedomfighter608, I am in full agreement. What's this about cutting people who give kids hugs & run interference for principals? They pay people for that? How much? As for sports, seriously, it should be cut. The percentage of the school population that gets to participate as compared to the whole, and the costs involved, do not merit the expense. That money should be used for academics, including art & music. Let sports be privitized. And for those who say everyone will leave the system, that's bunk. There is only a small portion of the entire student body that participates. If that's their priority, let them go.

Make certain to let Lori, Bill S. and D.Severson know that this is their mark on Janesville. This is a result of mismanagement on their watch. Lori S. you smile and chuckle at the WEASEL'S budget speech and come back pretending that you care about kids, how pathetic! This is ALL their doing because they were the elected board (notice I didn't say leaders)when it all went down! What a legacy they have left! Raise my taxes please, I am a taxpayer and I care about the valuation of my properties! To the 3 unions do not open your contracts, this is not your responsibility! To those of you having contracts with Billy and his business go in and tell him you want to open your signed contract and pay less, I am sure he is willing, what a joke!
They CAN raise taxes or parents can use the link provided by Thinkfuture as our schools continue to regress in programming and services to our students. This is what Lori, Bill S and D.Severson have brought to us!

chelleandlou, my wife and I agree with you. Where are the cuts, manpower and salaries for the higher ups? That includes her bonuses that she will automaticly (sp?) get.

I hope the Board realizes that implementing the above mentioned nightmares will produce a mass exodus out of the Janesville School District. Without sports, art, music, and student organizations, we may as well home school our kids.

This is where years of under levying and Walker's initiatives have landed us.
---
I commend Dr. Schulte for laying it out as she did. We are past the meat and now making it into the bone. It is the imploding of public education in Janesville. Thanks to Governor Walker, Rep. Knilans, and some of our selected board members.
---
Plan now for the 2012-2013 school year. All that you need to know about open enrollment can be found here:
http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sms/psctoc.ht...

Um, where are the proposed cuts to the district office personnel? Schulte doesn't appear to be taking a "hit" nor do any of the other "big wigs" in the district office. Lets start with THEM first and work down. What's the status of closing at least 1, if not 2 elementary schools - namely those that cost the most in maintenance, repairs, and energy costs, etc. Stop using paper, utilize electronic equipment and Skyward. Cut sports and lose the revenue from ticket sales and concessions; as well as students as they move out of Janesville School District and/or apply for Open enrollment. Why can't, if they are willing, and if compensation is eliminated; extracurricular advisors and coaches volunteer their time? What is the liability they're already employed by and covered by the district.