Jay, who has lived in the Waukesha area for nearly 20 years, is an active volunteer who serves on numerous local boards and committees. He’s married to Colleen with three kids having gone through the Waukesha schools. He is the VP of a local distribution company and currently serves on several area Boards.
(Bloggers note; Sorry for the length…)–
First: This is not promoting a school referendum!
The Waukesha School District is faced with challenges many Districts either are, or will be coming to grips with: Relatively flat enrollments, increased wage and benefit costs, increased basic costs of operation and maintenance, and revenue streams (State aid, fees, and property taxes) which don’t keep pace with the preceding. Discounting critics who come armed with the age-old arguments starting with “Teachers make too much” or “Teachers don’t pay enough for benefits” or “Property taxes are already too high” or a myriad of other “Don’t bother me with reality – School funding isn’t my problem”, it’s time to challenge ourselves to plan for education right here in Waukesha for the upcoming years.
Do you know our School Board members? I do, and whether I personally agree with each of them on politics, religion, or taxes, my first-hand experience is they are truly committed, well-qualified, and make educated decisions balancing a responsible tax rate with the specific needs of our Waukesha District. Critics hide behind the above arguments, stir emotional outcries, and they seem to avoid constructive, eyes-open discussions with acceptance of the real facts. Watch our Board closely – They represent an excellent cross-section of Waukesha; they really are good people; and they need your input and support moving forward.
How well do you know the District Administration? Starting with the Superintendent, David Schmidt and his staff, I challenge anyone to find a more qualified, more highly-principled, and more professional group. Ask your local Community and Business leaders, and their answers invariably are “We’re fortunate to have the leadership of Dave Schmidt here in Waukesha”. Ask the Waukesha United Way Leadership and Board who demonstrated their confidence in naming Dave Schmidt Chairperson of this year’s campaign. And ask people such as myself who consider themselves fortunate to have worked constructively with David on Boards and Committees relating to the ever-changing challenges of Public Education.
Do you understand what’s different about the Waukesha School District? All too often, a simplistic comparison between school districts will focus on ACT scores for college, curriculums, and “per pupil funding” from the State. Open your eyes and acknowledge the economic, social, and ethnic differences separating Waukesha from Elmbrook, Kettle Moraine, Arrowhead, and most other oft-compared, adjacent Districts. Comparing educational programs and budgets between communities doesn’t neatly work into a “One size fits all” compartment. Cultural, economic, and social diversity in the Waukesha District creates pupil needs far beyond our near-neighbors, and there are, like it or not, costs connected with this diversity. Maintaining quality educational opportunities for the entire cross-section of Waukesha in this era has thus far been nothing short of miraculous.
Is maintaining the current education program important to you? If you take the stance “someone else will take care of it”, or “my kids are out of the house” or any of the original generalities listed earlier, stop reading now. The Board and District Administration leadership have worked tirelessly for the past several years to minimize the impact of today’s funding formula for education. Paradoxically, their great work is their own worst enemy. By minimizing and spreading out the current impact, there have been no outcries of what is, and will be happening in the immediate future. And the Board and Administration have again demonstrated professionalism with their restraint and decency in accepting their responsibilities to make it all work without public whining.
Will you now be taken “by surprise” when next year’s School District budget increases class sizes (again); when the existing teaching staff is reduced (again); when “at-risk” programs are “at-risk” (again); extracurriculars are either “gutted” and/or too expensive for all students (ongoing); and when deferred basic building maintenance needs are classified lower the educational needs (again)? And do you understand there are no quick, no-cost solutions?
Again, this should not even be considered as laying the groundwork for another school referendum in Waukesha. The raw emotions exposed during previous referendums has distracted from the real questions looming large in Waukesha’s future. The issues facing our School District and Community can only be addressed if all vested parties accept and understand the challenges in the context of the current funding realities. Education is neither a commodity nor a business in the traditional sense, so don’t categorize it as such.
More then anything else, educational opportunities impact our local economy, property values, and most important, they affect our Waukesha C
