Milton School Board OKs $1.1 million in budget cuts
MILTON — The Milton School Board unanimously approved a wave of budget cuts Monday that district officials say will help span most of a possible $1.3 million budget gap.
The bulk of the cuts, which total about $1.1 million, came via staff cuts through both attrition and the layoff of four K-6 teachers.
The teachers cut represent about $260,000 in savings. That total is based on an average dollar value of $65,000 per position, according to district estimates.
In all, staff reductions account for about $650,000 of the cuts, according to district records.
The district already had sent out preliminary pink slips to the four teachers, who were chosen from a pool of nine first-year teachers with identical seniority and professional qualifications.
The teachers last month competed to retain their positions through job-style interviews in front of a panel of district administrators.
Garrow said the district still could fill two of the laid-off positions if there is additional staff attrition.
The staffing cuts mean the district would see small increases in class size of "less than one student" in first- and second-grade classes and increases of one or two students in fourth- and fifth-grade classes, Garrow said.
Michael Dorn, president of the Milton Education Association, told the board Monday that Department of Public Instruction data shows the Milton district has the lowest per-pupil cost of any K-12 district in the state. He also noted it is among the schools with the highest ratios statewide for students per classroom teacher.
"I want us to remember that parents look at school districts as we compete in the open market for students," Dorn said. "One of the things they (parents) are going to look at is student-teacher ratio."
Dorn suggested that even if staff cuts mean just a few more students in classes, that alone could put the district at a disadvantage.
"Two more students in a sixth grade classroom is quite a bit," Dorn said.
He said the district needs to look at ways to stop increasing class sizes, even if it means increased costs.
School board members Jon Cruzan and Tom Westrick said the specter of class size increases worried them. Cruzan suggested the district might have to be more creative in years to come to forestall such increases.
"That (class sizes) can well be a rallying point to draw people into this district," Cruzan said.
Meanwhile, Mercy and Dean, the district's insurance carriers, have announced that cost increases in employee health insurance will be at least $325,000 less than earlier district projections, Garrow said. The district has listed the projected savings in district documents as a "reduction" in spending.
Monday's cuts don't paint the whole budget picture. The district still faces a lingering gap of $200,000.
Board and district administrators have discussed using the fund balance, the district's cash reserves, to bridge the gap. However, it would need a plan to apply the money to a one-time expense to avoid a hit to the district's bond rating, said Mary Ellen Van Valin, the district's business services director.
District officials could submit a tentative budget in June or July, and the board will decide on the final budget in the fall.
Apr 15, 2012 at 11:37 p.m.
Suggest removal
By the way Stubby, Tony Evers has proven time and again that DPI is by no means neutral.
Apr 15, 2012 at 11:36 p.m.
Suggest removal
So you dodge the question Mr Lewis. WEAC's own data say you are wrong. What facts do you have to say "Wisconsin kids suffer?" You and I can go back and forth about different districts that have cut and some have hired. But you have no data to substantiate this "suffering" you hold up. Maybe its not about facts to you? Maybe you believe like the rest of the union folks? If you say it enough people will just believe it? I think Wisconsin is waking up to people like you and they have decided your time has passed.
Apr 12, 2012 at 2:51 p.m.
Suggest removal
The vast majority of Wisconsin kids suffer from attending school districts that have endured cuts--this is a fact. The Maciver institute and other propaganda outlets may allege otherwise, but political spin cannot hide reality. Just in recent days, Rhinelander, Manitowoc, Burlington,Kenosha, Oconto Falls (as well as Rock County schools) announced additional cuts for next year. I am concerned for the future of education not only as an educators' union representative, but also as the parent of two kids about to enter the public school system. Our education system is the foundation of their, and our state's future. It saddens me to see that foundation undermined.
Apr 12, 2012 at 11:07 a.m.
Suggest removal
JVL93 - you are confusing WEAC with DPI. The source being quoted by Mr. Dorn and Mr. Lewis are from the state DPI (Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)- not in any way associated with WEAC or the union. The numbers are the "official" numbers as submitted in required reports to the state by school districts. Therefore, the numbers from DPI can be viewed as neutral and accurate. I would agree that numbers directly from WEAC (or Maciver for that matter) should be considered biased.
Apr 11, 2012 at 10:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
Hyperbole
Apr 11, 2012 at 9:18 p.m.
Suggest removal
""if you truly love teaching you will do your job."" and you should just take constant cuts driven solely by ideology? I wonder how many of you who have a profession that you love would react the same way?
This is a move to de value teachers and push education towards privatization. Privatizing education will leave large groups of kids in the dust based on family income. How can anyone justify more money to vouchers and record cuts to public ed? huh?
I love how if you love your job you should just do it no matter how much they keep , cut, cut, cutting. Eventually teaching will be a volunteer position and if you truly love it you will do it for free!!!
Apr 11, 2012 at 7:53 p.m.
Suggest removal
Someone please tell me how any business, school district, municipality deals with a budget shortfall? Where were all you pro-union people when GM left Rock County when under the watch of Gov. Doyle? How many jobs got lost during this event? How has that impacted the economy in Janesville/Beloit? Did you storm the capitol to protest that Gov. Doyle should be doing more to protect the GM worker and all the periphial business that were in Rock County because of GM? Did the Teachers or State Government people protest or threaten the leaders of GM for thier business decision to leave the State?
Apr 11, 2012 at 5:04 p.m.
Suggest removal
Well consider that Kenosha hurried up and inked a nice union lead agreement before act 10 took effect, yes I do derive a certain bit of satisfaction from the fact that the union is now reaping what they sew. In response to your reference to MacIver being a bad source. They do not present original data, WEAC does. If you disagree with MacIver's conclusions I get that but you can't ignore the source of the data (WEAC). And after all...the data do speak for themselves.
Apr 11, 2012 at 4:54 p.m.
Suggest removal
I also believe that people like Wislady , jv93 and others are excstatic about stories about Kenosha cutting 250 teachers. Those are the kinds of things that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
All those poor families in Kenosha have been ruined by AFDC anyways and all of the entiitlements, like public education. Thanks to the current lynch mob of republicants in this state public ed will be destroyed, much to their delight.
Apr 11, 2012 at 4:52 p.m.
Suggest removal
""Michael Dorn, president of the Milton Education Association, told the board Monday that Department of Public Instruction data shows the Milton district has the lowest per-pupil cost of any K-12 district in the state. He also noted it is among the schools with the highest ratios statewide for students per classroom teacher.""
And of course they took all of the concessions of act 10 and we are still laying off teachers? How are the reforms working in Milton? They are not!!
here is another thing that all of you staunch advocates for tax dollars continue to fail on. How is it a district can bank upwards of a million dollars in its reserves, and claim a budget shortfall of a million dollars? Something isnt right here. Explainations? Remember 1+1=2, right?
Apr 11, 2012 at 4:48 p.m.
Suggest removal
Hey Vato ever think that he's not parked on the website waiting to respond? I am sure if he sees these responses he will most certainly respond.
BTW I would appreciate it if we could stop using Maciver as a legitimate news outlet. You conservatives bang on others foor using liberal sources, and then ue Maciver? Please.
Mr Lewis uses the dpi.gov website vs MAciver? Ummmmm ya, not a hard choice to decide credibility on this one.
Apr 11, 2012 at 4:37 p.m.
Suggest removal
Democrats conveniently forget that Doyle cut school funding also, but he was able to "save" teacher jobs when he got stimulus money.
About 1 in 10 public school teachers in Wisconsin would have been laid off without federal stimulus funds.
"Near the end of the 2009-’10 school year, the state reported 9,922 jobs were being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (commonly known as the stimulus package).
Doyle acknowledges that those numbers include support staff and others -- not strictly teachers. His policy director, Christopher Patton, says it’s reasonable to conclude that ratio for teachers in the group of jobs saved is the same as that for all employees.
But there is no way to know for sure -- the feds didn’t require that level of detail from school districts.
There’s another hitch: The biggest chunk by far of the education funding in the stimulus was sent to local districts in two different school years -- 2008-’09 and 2009-’10, according to the state Department of Public Instruction and various local school officials. That dough came in two uneven chunks a year apart, and totaled a whopping $717 million.
"Thus, some was spent to preserve jobs in the first year and some in the second year. Some districts applied it to teachers salaries, some put it toward other workers -- including bus drivers at Milwaukee Public Schools in 2009-’10.
Some of the money didn’t go to salaries at all. It went to pay the bill"
http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/stat...
Apr 11, 2012 at 4:18 p.m.
Suggest removal
WEAC's own data says your wrong Mr Lewis. Care to comment?
Apr 11, 2012 at 4:15 p.m.
Suggest removal
Well Mr. Lewis, perhaps you can explain this. Seeing as how you are a union leader and all. Maybe you have some inside scoop?
http://maciverinstitute.com/2012/04/hidd...
Apr 11, 2012 at 10:57 a.m.
Suggest removal
Sadly, Milton, Janesville and other Rock County schools are not alone in education cuts. In the current school year the vast majority of Wisconsin students attend districts that reduced staff, and the bulk of those schools will make further cuts next year.(see http://dpi.wi.gov/eis/pdf/dpinr2011_127.... ) The Governor's education budget is "working," only if one believes that increased class sizes, reduced program offerings and other reductions in education quality are appropriate.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.