On Tuesday, Brodhead school district residents have a serious question to answer. Voters will have to respond "yes" or "no" to allow the district to exceed the state-mandated property tax levy limit by $635,000 in the 2010-11 school year, $810,000 in 2011-12, $855,000 in 2012-13, and $1,285,000 in 2013-14.
We urge voters to choose "yes".
The referendum money would be used to maintain the current curriculum and for roof repairs at the high school.
There is a "but" to accompany our position on this referendum.
We feel the district's administration should make a stronger effort in the future to be more efficient, and possibly take a hard look at its own staff before discussing the elimination of teachers and programs.
Brodhead Superintendent Charles Deery explained at a Jan. 26 informational meeting on the referendum the school board has cut $200,000 from its budget each of the past six years, including teachers and programs, plus a reduction in field trips and delays in purchasing textbooks.
We are encouraged to see efforts to reduce spending, but perhaps more substantive measures could have been taken.
Also, the district must consider an increase in student fees to help offset the cost of running programs or fundraising, in addition to any other efforts, to boost activities for students. The district also needs to discuss a scholarship-type fund to help raise money for students whose parents might not be able to afford the increase in fees for extracurricular programs, such as sports, which the district suggests could be affected if the referendum doesn't pass.
That being said, voters should approve this referendum for two powerful reasons.
First, the future of school funding will only include more referendums because of the state's property tax revenue limit, and the system for distributing state aid which is based on enrollment. In other words, referendums won't go away anytime soon, but residents should hold their elected officials accountable if a referendum is not undertaken wisely and carefully.
The other reason has less to do with numbers and more to do with emotion. In Wisconsin, municipalities are very much identified with their school districts. Monroe is the home of the Cheesmakers, Black Hawk is the home of the Warriors, and Brodhead the Cardinals. In some states with consolidated school districts, Brodhead might be combined with a nearby smaller district to become District 112.
To preserve the Brodhead community's identity, and avoid a measure like consolidation, or losing its sports programs and other valuable extracurricular programs we urge voters to say "yes" to the referendum Tuesday.
We urge voters to choose "yes".
The referendum money would be used to maintain the current curriculum and for roof repairs at the high school.
There is a "but" to accompany our position on this referendum.
We feel the district's administration should make a stronger effort in the future to be more efficient, and possibly take a hard look at its own staff before discussing the elimination of teachers and programs.
Brodhead Superintendent Charles Deery explained at a Jan. 26 informational meeting on the referendum the school board has cut $200,000 from its budget each of the past six years, including teachers and programs, plus a reduction in field trips and delays in purchasing textbooks.
We are encouraged to see efforts to reduce spending, but perhaps more substantive measures could have been taken.
Also, the district must consider an increase in student fees to help offset the cost of running programs or fundraising, in addition to any other efforts, to boost activities for students. The district also needs to discuss a scholarship-type fund to help raise money for students whose parents might not be able to afford the increase in fees for extracurricular programs, such as sports, which the district suggests could be affected if the referendum doesn't pass.
That being said, voters should approve this referendum for two powerful reasons.
First, the future of school funding will only include more referendums because of the state's property tax revenue limit, and the system for distributing state aid which is based on enrollment. In other words, referendums won't go away anytime soon, but residents should hold their elected officials accountable if a referendum is not undertaken wisely and carefully.
The other reason has less to do with numbers and more to do with emotion. In Wisconsin, municipalities are very much identified with their school districts. Monroe is the home of the Cheesmakers, Black Hawk is the home of the Warriors, and Brodhead the Cardinals. In some states with consolidated school districts, Brodhead might be combined with a nearby smaller district to become District 112.
To preserve the Brodhead community's identity, and avoid a measure like consolidation, or losing its sports programs and other valuable extracurricular programs we urge voters to say "yes" to the referendum Tuesday.
