% >> RICH HALVERSON, THANKS VERY
% MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU.
% >> DISTRICTS ACROSS WISCONSIN
% ARE INCREASINGLY RELYING ON
% VOTERS TO APPROVE ADDITIONAL
% FUNDING FOR THEIR SCHOOLS
% BECAUSE OF STRICT REVENUE LIMITS
% AND STAGNANT STATE FUNDING.
% OVER THE LAST THREE ELECTIONS,
% THERE WERE 249 REFERENDUM ON
% LOCAL BALLOTS SEEKING TENS OF
% MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, 179 OF THEM
% PASSED.
% NOW, A NEW LEGISLATIVE BILL
% WOULD PROHIBIT A SCHOOL BOARD
% FROM GOING TO REFERENDUM FOR
% BORROWING OTHER THAN FOR
% MAINTENANCE EXPENSES IF THE
% DISTRICT HAS LOW READING AND
% MATH TEST SCORES.
% FOR LARGER DISTRICTS, THE SCORES
% COULD BE NO LOWER THAN 60 OUT OF
% 100.
% FOR SMALLER DISTRICTS, NO LOWER
% THAN 50.
% THE SMALL DISTRICT OF TRI-COUNTY
% IN PLAINFIELD, WHICH HAS FEWER
% THAN 600 STUDENTS, WENT TO
% REFERENDUM THIS SPRING FOR $1.45
% MILLION.%IT PASSED.
% BUT TRI-COUNTY IS RIGHT ON THE
% CUSP OF THE TEST SCORE CUT-OFF.
% WE CHECK IN WITH ITS
% SUPERINTENDENT ABOUT HIS TAKE ON
% THE PROPOSED BILL AND THE NEEDS
% OF HIS DISTRICT.
% JAMIE DELKOWSKI JOINS US.
% >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.%
>> WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THE
% PROPOSED BILL PROHIBITING
% REFERENDUM AND THEN TYING IT TO
% TEST SCORES?
% >> HONESTLY, FREDERICA, IT'S A
% LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO
% UNDERSTAND.
% IN OUR DISTRICT, A RECENTLY
% DOCUMENT FROM THE LEGISLATIVE
% FISCAL BUREAU SHOWED THAT OUR
% DISTRICT, OUT OF 421 DISTRICTS
% IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, HAS
% ONE OF THE LOWEST REVENUE LIMITS
% PER STUDENT IN THE STATE.
% WE'RE ABOUT TENTH FROM THE
% BOTTOM, WHICH MEANS THAT I GET
% ABOUT $10,149 PER STUDENT, WHERE
% MY NEIGHBOR 20 MILES DOWN THE
% ROAD GETS CLOSER $13,000 PER
% STUDENT.
% WHY IS THAT?
% BECAUSE THEY PATH REFERENDUM.
% THEY'VE GONE TO THEIR TAXPAYER
% AND ASKED FOR THAT SUPPORT.
% IT'S A LITTLE HARD TO UNDERSTAND
% HOW, WHEN WE ARE ASKED TO BUILD
% THE SAME PRODUCT, THE SAME
% SUCCESSFUL STUDENT WITH FAR LESS
% DOLLARS PER STUDENT, WHY THEY
% WOULD WANT TO LIMIT US IN THIS
% WAY.
% IT KIND OF JUST MAKES SENSE TO
% ME, FREDERICA, THAT IF YOU'RE
% LIMITING OUR REVENUES EVEN
% FURTHER, IT'S DIFFICULT TO
% EXPECT A MORE SUCCESSFUL
% PRODUCT, AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
% VERY DETRIMENTAL FOR US.
% >> BECAUSE YOU'RE MOST RECENT
% TEST SCORES SIT AT 50.3 OUT OF
% THAT 100, ACCORDING TO THE
% D.P.I.%DO YOU VIEW THIS KIND
OF TEST
% SCORE CUT-OFF AS MORE OF AN
% INCENTIVE TO BOOST THOSE?
% OR MORE PUNISHMENT?
% >> OH, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
% JUST OFF THE CUFF, IT I.E.D.
% FEELS MORE LIKE A PUNISHMENT TO
% US.%I MEAN, LET'S BE HONEST.
% WE WANT HIGHER TEST SCORES.
% WE WANT OUR STUDENTS TO SUCCEED.
% AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT
% STATE TESTING, IT DOESN'T
% MEASURE THE SUCCESS OF OUR
% DISTRICT IN EVERY WAY.
% WE HAVE ONE OF THE MOST
% SUCCESSFUL DISTRICTS AS FAR AS
% DIVERSITY IS CONCERNED IN THE
% STATE OF WISCONSIN.
% IT IS EXTREMELY RARE TO HAVE A
% DISTRICT WITH 30 TO 35% FIRST
% AND SECOND GENERATION LATINO AND
% HISPANIC IMMIGRANTS THAT ARE
% EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL SOCIALLY.
% SUCCESSFUL ACADEMICALLY.
% I MEAN, OUR GRADUATES ARE GOING
% TO UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO,
% UNIVERSITY OF MADISON.
% WE HAVE OVER HALF A MILLION
% DOLLARS A YEAR IN DONORS WHO
% SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN GOING OFF
% TO FOUR AND TWO-YEAR COLLEGES.
% IT'S AMAZING, BUT IT DOESN'T
% SHOW IN OUR TEST SCORES, AND NOW
% THAT WE'VE PASSED THE
% REFERENDUM, A REFERENDUM THAT
% HAS NEVER PASSED IN OUR DISTRICT
% BEFORE, WE'RE ABLE TO PURCHASE
% THE MORE MODERN CURRICULUMS IN
% MATH AND READING THAT OUR
% DISTRICT NEEDS TO BRING THOSE
% TEST SCORES UP.
% >> I WAS GOING TO ASK, WHY DID
% YOUR DISTRICT GOES TO
% REFERENDUM?%WHY DID YOU NEED
THE $1.45
% MILLION THAT WAS PASSED?
% >> YEAH, AND THE ANSWER IS, TO
% SUPPORT THE GROWTH OF OUR
% STUDENTS AND THE SUCCESS OF OUR
% STUDENTS.%WE HAVE -- MY BOIL
ER, MY HEATING
% SYSTEM IS NEARLY 70 YEARS OLD.
% OUR ROOF THAT IS SUPPOSED TO
% LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS IS IN ITS
% 32nd YEAR.
% WE HAVEN'T BEEN FRIVOLOUS WITH
% OUR TAXPAYER DOLLARS.
% WE'VE BEEN EXTREMELY COGNIZANT
% OF BEING CAREFUL WITH OUR
% COMMUNITY FUNDS, BUT WE'VE ALSO
% HAD TO SAY, LET'S WAIT ON THAT
% LATEST AND GREATEST MATH CRICK,
% LET'S HOLD OFF ON THE NEWEST
% READING CURRICULUM BECAUSE WE
% DIDN'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO DO IT
% THE STATE SET UP A SYSTEM IN THE
% EARLY '90s IN WHICH THEY SAID
% SCOOKS SCHOOL BOARDS CAN NO LONR
% SIMPLY RAISE THE REVENUE LIMIT
% PER STUDENT.
% THEY MADE A FAIR ASSESSMENT.
% YOU CAN DO THAT, BUT YOU NEED TO
% GO TO EVERY TAXPAYER.
% THAT'S CALLED A REFERENDUM.
% THIS DISTRICT DIDN'T DO THAT FOR
% 30 SOME YEARS, BUT WHEN WE DID,
% OUR COMMUNITY SAID "YES," WE
% WANT THAT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND
% WE UNDERSTAND OUR TAXES ARE
% GOING TO GO UP FOR IT.
% I CAN'T THINK OF -- I CAN THINK
% OF SEVERAL WAYS THAT MIGHT BE
% MORE FAIR WHEN ONE DISTRICT GETS
% 20% MORE THAN ANOTHER DISTRICT
% IN THE STATES OF WISCONSIN TO
% BUILD THE SAME PRODUCT, BUT WE
% NEEDED THIS MONEY, WE HAD A
% 950,000-DOLLAR DEFICIT ON A
% 10-MILLION-DOLLAR BUDGET.
% THIS YEAR THAT WE CUT DOWN BY
% INCREASING COLLABORA CLASS SIZET
% REPLACING RETIRING STAFF.
% IF WE HAD NOT PASSED THIS
% REGISTERED SEX OFREGISTEREDCOMMF
% GENERATIONS WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO
% SURVIVE FOR MORE THAN PROBABLY
% ABOUT A YEAR TO TWO YEARS, HAD
% WE NOT HAD THIS OPPORTUNITY.
% >> WITH LESS THAN A MINUTE LEFT,
% ASIDE FROM THE MONEY RAISED FROM
% THE REFERENDUM, HOW OPTIMISTIC
% ARE YOU THAT BUDGET RIDERS WILL
% BOOST K THROUGH 12 FUNDING TO
% HELP GOING FORWARD?
% >> WELL, AFTER THE LAST FEW
% YEARS, MY OPTIMISM IS WANING.
% WE'RE VERY HOPEFUL THAT THE
% BUDGET MODELS IS THAT HELP US
% RECOVER FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS
% OF ZERO DOLLARS PER YEAR IN THE
% LAST BIENNIUM FOR SCHOOLS, WE'RE
% HOPING AND PRAYING THAT THERE
% WILL NOT ONLY BE AN ASSESSMENT
% THAT IS FAIR FOR THIS YEAR BUT
% HELPS US RECOVER FOR THOSE LAST
% TWO YEARS.
% AND LISTEN, FREDERICA.
% WE PATH A REFERENDUM.
% WE'RE A SMALL RURAL AGRICULTURAL
% DISTRICT.%WE WENT TO OUR TAX
PAYERS AND
% HONESTLY TOLD THEM, WE'RE NOT
% GOING FOR A FOOTBALL STADIUM.
% WE ARE LITERALLY MAKING UP A
% LITTLE BIT OF LOSS, BUT WE ARE
% VERY HOPEFUL THAT THE
% LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR
% WILL SEE THE NEEDS OF THE
% SCHOOLS.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE LEAVE IT THERE.