Who will fill two vacant seats on the New Glarus School Board - and another when current president Chris Bowie departs in April - is of vital, long-term interest to students, parents and "just" taxpayers in the district. Four people are seeking the two seats in the April 7 general election: incumbent Martin Anderson says he wants another three-year term and local residents Paul Heberer, Nathan Johnson and Larry Stuessy want to join the seven-member panel. Veteran member Janet Sherven declined to seek reelection.
Enormous challenges face the new board, not the least of which is finances. Will Gov. Jim Doyle put additional pressures on the local property tax this fall by removing QEO - qualified economic offer - controls? How will the state and national economies affect the ability of citizens to pay their property taxes? Is the permanent $500,000 override of state cost controls - which squeaked through on a 11-vote margin in October 2007 after being defeated earlier in the year - being managed effectively? Do expenditures approved by the board during the school year align with the district's annual budget? In short, is the question asked of each spending request: "Did we budget for this?"
Second, the new board will have the responsibility of ensuring thorough, unbiased and forward-looking participation in the state-funded consolidation feasibility study with Belleville and Monticello. This is particularly important because administrators and at least two incumbent school board members seem to be advocating a fall referendum for new middle-school construction.
Third, there is likelihood the new board may find itself hiring a new district administrator. It is common knowledge that Barbara Thompson is, in her words, "seeking another level of challenge" in a larger urban district. Faced with the fall 2007 referendum, she withdrew from a superintendent search in Beloit. Applying through the educational executive search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, she has since submitted applications in Madison well as Athens, Ga., and East Baton Rouge, La. In those materials she lists as one of her five professional accomplishments in which she takes "the greatest satisfaction" the referendum passage but makes no mention of the first, failed attempt of two questions.
Fourth, to what degree will the new board encourage greater parental input regarding curriculum? The New Glarus district emphasis on direct instruction techniques and in the recent embrace of "FastForWord" intervention reading curriculum reflects Thompson's extensive experience with at-risk and special education students. Are all students properly challenged in learning? Why are some parents considering other learning environments for their children?
A fifth challenge is for the board to empower itself. Will the board closely examine its outdated policy book so board committees have clearly understood responsibilities to the full board and the citizenry? For example, will the Board's Curriculum Committee gain its appropriate responsibility in reviewing curriculum recommendations appropriately made to it by staff and administrators? Or will staff make commitments and inform the board later?
Finally, will each new board member insist on complete adherence to Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law to include full notice of all school board committees and full board activities, as well as providing informative detail in upcoming agendas?
Perhaps the bottom line in this election is, "Are you satisfied with the performance of the school board up to this point?" If you are, then likely you'll support the status quo. If not, now is the time for change. Either way, voters owe it to themselves and their families to check out the candidates. I'm looking forward to news coverage of this important election - and perhaps even some public forums in the community leading up to April 7.
- Peter Fox is a resident of New Glarus and is executive
director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
Enormous challenges face the new board, not the least of which is finances. Will Gov. Jim Doyle put additional pressures on the local property tax this fall by removing QEO - qualified economic offer - controls? How will the state and national economies affect the ability of citizens to pay their property taxes? Is the permanent $500,000 override of state cost controls - which squeaked through on a 11-vote margin in October 2007 after being defeated earlier in the year - being managed effectively? Do expenditures approved by the board during the school year align with the district's annual budget? In short, is the question asked of each spending request: "Did we budget for this?"
Second, the new board will have the responsibility of ensuring thorough, unbiased and forward-looking participation in the state-funded consolidation feasibility study with Belleville and Monticello. This is particularly important because administrators and at least two incumbent school board members seem to be advocating a fall referendum for new middle-school construction.
Third, there is likelihood the new board may find itself hiring a new district administrator. It is common knowledge that Barbara Thompson is, in her words, "seeking another level of challenge" in a larger urban district. Faced with the fall 2007 referendum, she withdrew from a superintendent search in Beloit. Applying through the educational executive search firm of Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, she has since submitted applications in Madison well as Athens, Ga., and East Baton Rouge, La. In those materials she lists as one of her five professional accomplishments in which she takes "the greatest satisfaction" the referendum passage but makes no mention of the first, failed attempt of two questions.
Fourth, to what degree will the new board encourage greater parental input regarding curriculum? The New Glarus district emphasis on direct instruction techniques and in the recent embrace of "FastForWord" intervention reading curriculum reflects Thompson's extensive experience with at-risk and special education students. Are all students properly challenged in learning? Why are some parents considering other learning environments for their children?
A fifth challenge is for the board to empower itself. Will the board closely examine its outdated policy book so board committees have clearly understood responsibilities to the full board and the citizenry? For example, will the Board's Curriculum Committee gain its appropriate responsibility in reviewing curriculum recommendations appropriately made to it by staff and administrators? Or will staff make commitments and inform the board later?
Finally, will each new board member insist on complete adherence to Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law to include full notice of all school board committees and full board activities, as well as providing informative detail in upcoming agendas?
Perhaps the bottom line in this election is, "Are you satisfied with the performance of the school board up to this point?" If you are, then likely you'll support the status quo. If not, now is the time for change. Either way, voters owe it to themselves and their families to check out the candidates. I'm looking forward to news coverage of this important election - and perhaps even some public forums in the community leading up to April 7.
- Peter Fox is a resident of New Glarus and is executive
director of the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
