From Scott Anderson
Juda School
As you are aware, the Juda Public Schools canceled school on Thursday due to a meeting held between the school board president, administration and teachers this past Wednesday evening, which resulted in mutual agreement that staff be allowed to attend the rally in the capital. A "sick-out" was not threatened and was not going to happen; our district is committed to educating our students and doing the best we can for them every single day. Had the officials not agreed to the rally attendance, all teachers would have reported to school. All parties involved are very concerned about the proposed budget cuts and felt that this was the best decision for our district.
There really are two issues currently, neither are having to do with pay/insurance/retirement. The first is maintaining local control, allowing discussions to occur - collective bargaining. The basic right to be part of the discussion on upcoming decisions is extremely important. Personally I am happy to be at Juda knowing that we will work at resolving these issues together as a team so we can continue to provide a great educational experience.
The looming cuts in educational spending will make that task nearly impossible; that is the second issue. Wisconsin has always shown a commitment to education. The proposal being discussed as part of the budget solution is contrary to Wisconsin's commitment. All teachers understand that there will be cuts and we will need to do more with less, but cutting educational spending back a decade, to 2002-2003 levels, after schools have already cut hard will result in a diminished education for our students. The global economy is demanding that today's students compete harder than ever before. These cuts in spending will result in our students being less ready for that economy.
Finally, we are committed to education. Anyone who is familiar with Juda School will tell you about our commitment to our students. Thursday's actions were needed to address the above issues. I feel our district handled this extraordinary situation as well as possible.
I do regret any parents that struggled with daycare issues, yet I feel my students were best served by me being in Madison. I really am proud how our district's school board, administration, teachers and staff are working together for solutions.
Juda School
As you are aware, the Juda Public Schools canceled school on Thursday due to a meeting held between the school board president, administration and teachers this past Wednesday evening, which resulted in mutual agreement that staff be allowed to attend the rally in the capital. A "sick-out" was not threatened and was not going to happen; our district is committed to educating our students and doing the best we can for them every single day. Had the officials not agreed to the rally attendance, all teachers would have reported to school. All parties involved are very concerned about the proposed budget cuts and felt that this was the best decision for our district.
There really are two issues currently, neither are having to do with pay/insurance/retirement. The first is maintaining local control, allowing discussions to occur - collective bargaining. The basic right to be part of the discussion on upcoming decisions is extremely important. Personally I am happy to be at Juda knowing that we will work at resolving these issues together as a team so we can continue to provide a great educational experience.
The looming cuts in educational spending will make that task nearly impossible; that is the second issue. Wisconsin has always shown a commitment to education. The proposal being discussed as part of the budget solution is contrary to Wisconsin's commitment. All teachers understand that there will be cuts and we will need to do more with less, but cutting educational spending back a decade, to 2002-2003 levels, after schools have already cut hard will result in a diminished education for our students. The global economy is demanding that today's students compete harder than ever before. These cuts in spending will result in our students being less ready for that economy.
Finally, we are committed to education. Anyone who is familiar with Juda School will tell you about our commitment to our students. Thursday's actions were needed to address the above issues. I feel our district handled this extraordinary situation as well as possible.
I do regret any parents that struggled with daycare issues, yet I feel my students were best served by me being in Madison. I really am proud how our district's school board, administration, teachers and staff are working together for solutions.
