C'mon now that's almost name calling. I only gave my opinion. Your criticism has so much meaning. It really hurts!

wasp2491
If you are so intellectually superior, why aren't YOU the governor. Your attempt to belittle everyone who has a different point of view than you, is getting tiresome. It appears to be a common tactic by used by anti Walker/anti Romney people.

SocialistPig - I think you are comparing apples and oranges. If we ran our educational system the way a lot of industrialized countries run theirs I think you might be screaming like a pig. They test children into tracks. If you don't fit into the college track you are put in a less demanding track. This is done a couple times during a child's education. If you think your child is going to get a high level science education if they are on the lower tracks you're wrong. Thus less money on education. This constant cutting of education is easy and popular now. We can all be cute and have all the wonderful right wing sayings but this will have price. This is a pay me now or pay me more later situation.

Odd thing is that's not even factually true. The state placed limits on revenue to protect taxpayers from overzealous municipalities and school boards who'd rather increase taxes then be responsible and tell people a simple word...no. What is nice to see is the city council in Janesville having to make real decisions about their wish lists rather than just raising the levy. Refreshing. Local government having to make tough decisions. Let's hope they choose public safety over a set of ice skates.

Why don't more people see that the state is shifting blame to local municipalities by making them tax to the max to get the full amount of state aid. They want the locals to be the bad ones raising tax levels not them.

By the way the guv did not find this. The investigation was set in motion after the state received a letter from HUD on Aug 12, questioning the soundness of two Wi. companies that were GIFTED 1.4 million. This in my opinion, quasi phony agency was set up so the guv could reward his friends with very little over site.

jcommon - No I don't know what it was for and unless you have some sort of hotline to the guv, I don't think you do either. As of 7 hours ago the guv's spokesman said they were contacting 99 businesses to get them on track but not releasing any names. Could it be they still don't know who has the money? So if you know who these businesses are please enlighten us.

What's more disheartening? The fact that he won an election and beat a recall, or the fact that 53% of this state thinks the state is on the right track. I think we are on a path to nowhere. His administration touts all the jobs he's created. Where are they all? I know, blame Obama and his health care law. Yep, that's the problem. Walker is NOT even following the FEDERAL LAW that the Supreme Court upheld, but the Affordable Care Act/Law is the problem. See, righties like to blame others for their problems. Problems they SAID they would solve (creating 250,000 jobs), but they blame the lack of success on a LAW that they are NOT even following!!

Yeah, Walker "found" this mistake, and HE is fixing it. Uh huh. Kind of like he "solved" the budget deficit "crisis" he ginned up to get everyone in a panic. Kind of like he was going to add 250,000 jobs during his first 4-years. So, I am supposed to believe he is taking care of this? Right, and I just won the lottery. The guy is a crook and some of his staffers and former staffers are facing jail time. So, yeah, I guess I should trust Walker. And the BIG, out-of-state union bosses that he "took on" and beat are probably still a problem for him. What about all the out-of-state union supporters that were bussed in to Wisconsin during the protests? I can't believe ANYTHING out of his mouth!! He does NOT know a lie from the truth!!

Do you even know what the 8 million was for? Some of it was for businesses that help schools. The mistake was found by Walker and is now being fixed by Walker.

wlady - We can always count on you and your pals to come up with some meaningless talking points and platitudes when discussing a complicated problem. By the way with you're superior knowledge. Where is the $8 million dollars WEDC money the guv lost track of? That might have helped the schools.

"Billnewbie......Thank you for posting that information. It's exactly information such as that which needs to be highlighted to properly assess and put context to elements in our public school system......."

I agree, 916WI.

In addition, more accountability from parents, teachers and students would be beneficial and it costs NOTHING.

Just a thought....maybe the students themselves have something to do with the need for remedial classes and 5 years to graduate? Maybe the parents are not as motivating and involved as they once were? Maybe society in general thinks more and more that it's OK to sit around and worry about the details some other time. Maybe our definition of "good enough" has deteriorated. If you consider the end product of the system to be "significantly inferior", you have to attribute that to the combination of factors that created it. Dollars per student are only one small piece of the puzzle. Considering all these other factors also explains why we still get stellar students - we still get valedictorians, committed volunteers, outstanding musical performers, athletes, and all around good citizens. Something must be working, for those that want it to.

billnewbie - You are an example of remembering a history that never was. I had three kids that graduated from the UW Madison. It was a rare student indeed, that graduated from there in four years and they took no remedial classes and got good grades.

Yes bill, less than before. The last 5+ years have been one budget cut after another. I'm still waiting for some solid piece of evidence that "the product delivered is significantly inferior to that which our public schools used to produce."

Admit it, you've got nothing.

Working with less and less, Imateacher? According to those to links I posted earlier, we've doubled what we spend, inflation adjusted, over the last 30 years. That's not "less and less", it's more and more. A lot more. And what have we gotten for the money spent? Are our students more prepared for higher education? Alas, it seems that an inordinate amount of incoming freshmen at our colleges and universities need remedial classes to get them up to speed before they can take on collegiate studies. And nowadays, it takes more than 5 years for the average college student to achieve a 4 year degree due to the failings of our public schools.

We doubled what we spend but the product delivered is significantly inferior to that which our public schools used to produce. We have every right to demand better and to refute the false assertion that public schools don't get enough money.

I am just returning from an awesome Orchestra performance at Parker High School so forgive me if your comments about failing schools and terrible teachers fall flat. Working with less and less we are expected to do more and more and I challenge your statement that schools are failing. Everyday I see a majority of students engaged and learning and well on their way to a bright future in some of the finest Universities this Nation has to offer. I find these statements about money being wasted on the youth of this city to be ignorant and insulting. You should come to a concert or a play or a math meet or a forensic tournament or an ACT test sitting or a suicide intervention and tell those kids they aren't worth 18 dollars. We are not in the business of making money. We are creating your future neighbors and citizens. Think before you type.

Billnewbie......Thank you for posting that information. It's exactly information such as that which needs to be highlighted to properly assess and put context to elements in our public school system.......

wasp2491: In regards to the $8 million that is missing, why not hold our governor responsible and have him replace the money out of his own pocket? Bet that money would suprisingly show up.

MissScarlet - Some of what you say is true. But we can't say that spending more money on education is all wasted because that isn't true either. Anytime we say something is all one way or the other we are probably wrong. This is why this no tax increase thing that is going on in the country right now is popular but requires no thought.

bill, what measures are you using to calculate "return on investment"? Something more scientific than standardized test scores please.

Wislady - Pulease Spare Me!! I weary from your silliness. But maybe you can explain where the $8 million went.

wasp - increased spending on education has proven to be a waste of money. The students are scoring worse and worse every year and throwing more money at it only puts more money in the pockets of the (unsuccesful) teachers and their unions.

I will try not to be too critical but using silly literalism does very little to further discussion. Lobsters;is all spending good? How can a serious discussion be had with people that have that kind of thought processes. First of all not all spending is good and not taxing is necessary. But some things if not taken care of will cost us in the end. Education is one of them. As far as spending other peoples money, I own two houses in Janesville and one more in another Wi. city. So I am hardly speaking of spending other peoples money. I have one grandchild in Janesville schools. But we all benefit from education. Now answer me where has the governor lost the $8 million dollars? Can you do it or will it be some one Else's fault?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in a file called Public Education Finances: 2010,( http://www2.census.gov/govs/school/10f33... ) the Janesville school system spent $10,805 per pupil. (Found on page 110 of the file) Of course it's higher in 2012 since government never spends less, though just how much higher hasn't been reported yet. Also, according to the same Census report, the cost of all wages and benefits alone for that year totaled $8,976. Perhaps that's the number that Wasp 2491 found. In any case, the fact is that the cost of education per pupil here in Janesville was almost $11,000 two school years ago. It no doubt exceeds $11,000 by now.

Why_think said "$10k (cost per pupil) isn't neglect but if you consider it is, based on inflation, similar to what was spent per pupil 30 years ago, it may not be enough." According to this file ( http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp... ) released by the National center for Education Statistics, The cost per pupil, in 1980-81 was $2,307, or $5,718 in 2009 dollars (that means adjusted for inflation) for all public education in the country. That means that we spend about twice as much now as 30 years ago in real dollars. I would say that spending double is more than enough, especially when one considers return on investment (Or lack of return as in the case of public education).

The bottom line is that we spend more than plenty on public school education. Giving it even more is to continue to ignore the law of diminishing returns, a law that school districts have ignored for decades.

wasp2491
You can stop the name calling, your comments might be more believable.

Yeah,
Do you know how to cook a lobster? You don't throw it into boiling water, but you slowly raise the temperature of the water until it is boiling. How much has the taxes went up since 2000? Does anyone hear know that answer?

Wow.

All this kvetching over $18.

I imagine if the school portion of taxes were going up by $18, you'd all be screaming bloody murder.

Some people are never happy.

I don't have thoughts about your rant because it is just a lot of hot air to try and legitimize squeezing more money out of the taxpayers by use of hyperbole. Like I said empty of substance but entertaining.

wasp,
Why don't you explain your views? Do you believe that any and all spending is good? It is always easy for you to spend other people's money isn't it? What about the 10 million that Doyle gave to GM? Where are all these tax cuts that you said happened? There is so much waste right now, that the only way to stop it, is to start by cutting spending. You do realize that if you spend more than you bring in, you eventually will go broke. Why don't we cut taxes, then with the taxes that are saved, you can donate all that back to the district if you want.

Funny that my assessment on my home went up $13,000 when there are numerous things that have to be fixed. The value of my home went down and my assessment went up. So I will probably be paying the same amount if not more in property taxes.

jcommon - Tell me why cutting the school budget is good. Any fool can cut a budget. That isn't by itself good. We have obviously have the fool in place in the state capital. Maybe if he found the $8 million WEDC funds that are missing? The money he lent his pals. Maybe then we could put more funding in schools. I don't see any of you right wing fiscal conservatives talking about the money they can't find. Where are all the budget hawks on this. Oh, I know, a Democrat did something worse and it's only $8 million..

wasp,
Name one other year where taxes have been cut.
Frank,
I have heard many school board members also frustrated by the "use it or loose it" mentality. It is really a poor way to determine needs of school districts.

jv93 - I think you must be talking about another district, Janesville $8940, 350th in the state. Did you make a mistake or is it something else. I see by most of your posts you love the fairy tales and don't have many thoughts about my rant. Or the future.

$10k isn't neglect but if you consider it is, based on inflation, similar to what was spent per pupil 30 years ago, it may not be enough.
.
The cost of technology and yes, the fact that teaching is now a, uh oh, Middle-Class profession add increase cost of building up keep, etc...
.
I don't think many people are claiming neglect now. WE are worried about neglect in the future. The celebration of less money going towards education is scary. More scary, the same people freaking out about less money for the military are the ones celebrating less money for education.

$10,000 per student is hardly neglect. Keep ranting though, it is entertaining.

Have we really become so greedy that we will sacrifice our future for this continuing nonsense. We have become so brainwashed that we think we can have all things great and wonderful by cutting taxes. Giving breaks to the job creators and we will we will all be fine. Well folks we have been doing it since it was sold to us by reagon and it hasn't worked it is a fairy tale. I am afraid we have sold our future for a pot of porridge. We are willing to neglect our kids education. Forget poor people, we know they are lazy and they are where they are because of being irresponsible. Old people have trouble because they didn't save enough. Workers want more than they are worth in money and benefits and are lazy. And the right sits back and dreams about a time that never was was. I guess they are as happy in their little world as the rest of us are in our great big one.

I thought this must have been a parody story when I first got into it as lowering taxes is a joke. The way JSD staff are being treated in this community is appalling. The employees are losing benefits, salary, and are being threatened with puritanistic dress codes. Meanwhile the staff are educating students who are often from very at-risk populations. Parker alone has almost 50% of its population designated as low income and Washington Elementary has over 50% poverty (WINSS data from the Dept of public instruction). Working with at-risk students takes extra care, understanding, and resources. These numbers imply that Janesville needs to put more resources into its schools instead of taking them away. When it comes to our kids (and I say our because if you live in Janesville they all are) we must ensure they have the best education available.
Those of you who are saying education hasn't changed in our community are not thinking about this clearly. It is changing dramatically in fact. The policies of the school board, Dr.Ehrhardt, and others are causing the cancerous atmosphere many of you promote in the community through your votes and this blog to spread into the schools. Great teachers are leaving, inept administrators are being promoted, and students are being left by the waside. On second look, all of this over $18 must be a joke right?

jcommon, school board members have expressed the same frustration. --Gazette reporter Frank Schultz

Ice......I really think that the over $10,000 Wisconsin taxpayers spend on every student every year is more than enough to cover things books and teaching.......no? Now go enjoy that beer! I know I will:)

That eighteen bucks sure will come in handy. I guess I'll buy some beer. I'm glad it won't be wasted on stuff like books, students, and teaching. Who wouldn't rather have a beer?

So, janesvillean, you would rather see an increase in taxes? Or you would rather see an increased contribution toward benefits from the JSD employees? If we don't use some of the reserves, those would be the other two alternatives. Which one do you support?

Typical left hate response to a positive story.

This is what bothers me:
"Taxing less than the maximum would cause trouble with balancing the district budget, because the state will give the district an extra $500,350 if the board levies the entire amount."
The district effectively gets penalized for SAVING money. They loose money from the state if they don't tax to the max. Seems backwards too me, they should be praised for it, not penalized.

lovemycountry, it's sort of typical that I would point out facts and you would label this "hate filled" and "venomous". Please don't waste my time with such sophomoric lack of argumentation.

I doubt the quality of education has changed here in Janesville one iota!!! Get over yourselves already.

Congratulations - you saved $18 in taxes - and all it cost was a decent education for the children of Janesville. Hope you can sleep well with that forward-thinking idealism.

This is GOOD news, why the gloom?

Thanks, Walker!

janesvillean - your continual hate filled, venomous comments are giving all progressive liberals a bad name. But you must know that already.

Thanks, Governor Walker, for making us spend down our reserves -- while bragging that you're increasing the state's rainy day fund (accomplished only through borrowing more and banking some of that, which will only cost the voters more in interest -- but of course your supporters haven't noticed, as you're such a brilliant sleight-of-hand artist). All your games roll downhill, don't they?

Thank you governor Walker.