>> 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 BOILER, 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 TAXPAYERS 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.