Wednesday, March 28, 2012

The Walker Budget Is Already Working! Part XCV

Remember how those political operatives political activists bullies crybabies people at MacIver Institute and Americans for Prosperity, both subsidiaries of the Koch Brothers Enterprises, told us that Scott Walker's budget left schools the same or even better?
I know this might come as a surprise to the gentle reader, but they lied:

More than 50 teachers within the Menomonee Falls School District will receive a preliminary layoff notification in the first part of April.

The Menomonee Falls School Board voted unanimously Monday night to send out 52 layoff notifications to staff. The board originally anticipated sending between 60 to 70 notices. A preliminary notification does not mean an employee will be laid off.

As middle school and high school students begin to select their classes and enrollment numbers become more exact, the number of layoff notifications was lowered and set at 52
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And in Shorewood, things aren't any better:
Shorewood administrators presented recommendations on the district's 2012-13 budget at a School Board meeting Tuesday. The proposed budget of more than $22,000 calls for a number of reductions and additions that add up to a surplus of $167,416 that could be designated into the fund balance for future years.

Without touching the budget, district officials project a deficit of $429,947 - a figure reflecting a combination of factors, including increasing enrollment and declining income from the state.

Administrators have proposed a series of reductions and efficiencies totaling $933,735 that offset the deficit. The list includes savings incurred from health and dental insurance through a competitive bidding process and a few staffing reductions, some enrollment driven.
The only people that could say that Walker's plan is working are the people that want to push the privatization of and profiteering from our educational system. People like Scott Jensen, not that he necessarily has anything to do with either of those propagandist groups.

Just sayin'.

19 comments:

  1. Walker blames Obamacare for his job destruction:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/27/scott-walker-health-care-reform-wisconsin-obamacare_n_1383109.html

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    1. Yeah, and that's why the rest of the country is improving while we stay stagnant. Walker is such a buffoon.

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  2. Indeed, thus the walker "Founder's" BULL SH*T Tweet on Tuesday, the truth comes out. Typical walker lame attempt at a preemptive strike... Thanks Cog!

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  3. Now this is an excellent article Cap. It compares a district bound by contract to a district that has the tools of act 10. Menomonee Falls will layoff maybe dozens of employees (Walkers fault) and Shorewood will simply change health care providers and save all the teachers jobs, as well as serve "the children" better.
    Keep up the good work Capper.

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    1. I don't know what's in your coffee this morning, but the reports tell of two school districts, both with Walker's "tools" laying off more people. And no where does it say this is a good thing.

      Continue to live in your imaginary world if you must, but don't expect the rest of us to join you.

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    2. your writing states that "a few staffing reductions" for Shorewood and even says they could be due to lower enrollment. this suggests 99% stay employed there.

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    3. Racist, pleeeeeease learn to read before commenting and wasting bandwidth and our time. The story clearly states that Shorewood enrollment is INCREASING.

      And Shorewood is such a small district, only one mile square and with only four schools for kindergarten through high school, that "a few" staffers can be a percentage with considerable impact.

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    4. I quote directly " The list includes savings incurred from health and dental insurance through a competitive bidding process and a few staffing reductions, some enrollment driven." Staffing reductions...enrollment driven suggests the cuts were made to reflect enrollment.
      I know you arent denying that they wouldnt have to make more layoffs if they were not able to change insurance providers?

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    5. They could have increased enrollment at one level or another and decreased enrollment at another level. Also, there could be a subject that doesn't have high enough enrollment at all levels, like German or AP Calculus and they would have to cut it out or put a lot of extra kids into Spanish or beginning Math to level things off.

      They have less money, they have to make cuts.

      But, when you think about it, since bartenders in the state may not have been able to take AP Calculus, why should anyone have that luxury?

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  4. I tried to find a list of school districts this morning that have signed a contract prior to act 10 but failed to do so with my time constraints. The fact that menomonee falls had to send out layoff notifications tells me that they did sign one. That is a contract obligation to give notice prior to laying people off. And the fact that Shorewood is able to shop around for health insurance tells me they didnt sign one. So, districts with a contract do not have act 10 tools to work with. Am I wrong?

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    1. sickofracist'ssnivelanddrivelMarch 28, 2012 at 11:54 AM

      "Time constraints." Another lame excuse for the lack of support for the substanceless opinions and regurgitated talking points offered ad nauseam by a certain poster. There is a new technological advance called a hypertext link.

      "Am I wrong?" Always.

      Don't mistake this response as an indication that I bother to read most of what the commenter posts. I don't.

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    2. OK sicko... use those skills of yours and tell me, Menomonee falls signed a contract prior to act 10? How about shorewood? Its almost as if the media doesnt want to report the way some districts have put themselves in their own predictament.

      Your reading I know, let go of the hate, open up your mind.

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    3. The word "tools" to describe cuts in benefits is misleading. The teachers get worse benefits now, and pay more for them. It is not the fault of teachers that health insurance costs have risen. But anyhow, those "tools" do not fix anything. They are cheap, dollar store tools and they aren't going to do the job.

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  5. Menominee Falls refused to apply Act 10 provisions and they refused to follow the pro-Act 10 advice of their constituents after a citizen meeting.

    What did you expect?

    Nice try spinning this as somehow Walker's fault. That's called lying through your teeth amongst adults.

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    1. Walker's cuts to education were too big and too drastic. Saying that the employees sacrifices covered everything was always false. So, it is his fault as well as the fault of every GOP senator and representative who voted for that ridiculous bill.

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  6. Jefferson is another mess, where they're looking at over $1.3 million in cutbacks.

    And the Senator representing Jefferson? Scott Fitzgerald. I think Lori Compas just got a few more votes. And these are hardly the only districts having problems, even post-"tools".

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  7. One option that they are going to use that is going to hit working parents hard is going to be that fees for everything go up. This has already happened in fact. Now we are paying for track, for books, etc., etc. No savings for us homeowners who actually pay the taxes for the schools, just more fees. I sure am glad I am paying more in school fees so that people in a couple of counties, I guess it is Racine and Milwuakee County, can get vouchers.

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  8. Look at the data in the maps from DPI. 70 million in cuts one year 90 million the next. Do you expect public education to be the same?
    http://dpi.wi.gov/pb/11-13_budget.html

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  9. Yes, Jefferson is trying to solve the problem by eliminating FACE classes at the middle school, dropping down to one library media specialist for the entire district, and one 60% guidance counselor for all three elementary schools, in a district that's about fifteen miles wide and five miles high.

    Sports. They never cut sports, do they?

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