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Janesville School Board OKs stimulus cash

JANESVILLE — The Janesville School Board raised a critical eyebrow at a gift from the federal government Tuesday night.

Ultimately, the board voted 7-0 to accept about $2.4 million in federal stimulus funding, much of which will be used to improve education for students with disabilities.

About $900,000 of that sum could be used to plug holes in the district's budget for the current year or for 2010-11, under the spending plan the board approved.

The administration asked for more time to develop the district's 2009-10 budget before it recommends a level of stimulus funding to shore up the district's bottom line.

Board members have been talking about holding any tax increase to a small percentage because of the difficulties taxpayers are facing this year, so it's possible the stimulus funding will help with tax relief.

The administration will present a 2009-10 budget proposal when the board meets Sept. 8. The proposal will include a recommendation for other uses for the stimulus grant.

Board member Bill Sodemann said he has serious qualms about accepting money from the massive spending plan known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus.

However, it appears that if the district doesn't use the money, some other district will, so Sodemann said he would swallow his objection.

Sodemann did, however, make a motion that all new positions, raises and stipends that the money will pay will come to an end at the end of the two-year spending period. The board agreed, 7-0.

Any continuation of any of the new positions would have to be approved by the school board at that time.

That spending includes previously approved promotions for Barb Hilliker, now director of student services, and Marge Hallenbeck, director of at-risk and multicultural programs. Each received a $24,052 boost along with added responsibilities.

Superintendent Karen Schulte indicated previously that those positions would be recombined under one director of student services two years from now.

Other positions the stimulus money will fund include:

-- Two half-time social workers for the preschool/elementary level, $37,466 each.

-- A coach and supervisor for the Response to Intervention program, which aims to help children improve their performance in time to avoid placing them in special ed, $105,141.

-- An autism consultant, $10,000.

-- A consultant/coach in the area of students with emotional disabilities, $17,500.

-- Co-teaching stipends, which will help special-ed students in "regular" classrooms as a special-ed teacher joins the regular teacher, $91,000.

-- A poverty consultant, $5,000.

Much of the rest of the spending is for upgrading teachers' skills and for supplies and equipment, including 18 electronic whiteboards.

The special-education stimulus funding is an opportunity to increase student achievement, Schulte said. She said state test scores among students with disabilities is a weakness at several schools.

Some board members said they wanted to know more about how all this spending would affect children. Sodemann asked for a report on how the money helped.

Director of Instruction Donna Behn said the federal grant comes with a requirement that the district provide quarterly reports, so the board will be able to see those reports regularly.