Janesville School District ponders budget options
IF YOU GO
The Janesville School Board’s regular meeting will take place at 7 tonight at the Educational Service Center, 527 S. Franklin St.
Among other things, the board will talk about referendum spending for upgrades to Craig and Parker high schools. The board also will take its first look at the district’s staffing plan for the 2010-11 school year.
Photo 
Karen Schulte
JANESVILLE — They called it “quick and dirty math.”
Still, Janesville School Board members were pleased with the type of information they got and asked for little to add to the pile.
The board Monday night met in special session as the district tries a new approach to budgeting for the 2010-11 school year.
“What we’re asking is ‘How much revenue is available to us before we decide our budgets?’” District Administrator Karen Schulte said at the start of the meeting.
Although the budget is far from set, the board did give the OK for teachers and building secretaries to spend up to $4.2 million on school supplies for next year.
District CFO Keith Pennington presented several pages of examples and “guidelines” to the board. Despite the generality of the numbers, several board members said it was the most and best information they’d ever gotten in the budgeting process.
Pennington’s presentation included three combinations of salary and tax levy increases and decreases. He hopes the board will narrow its choices down to 10 or 15 such scenarios in coming months.
Board members Monday night asked to see two more scenarios at future study sessions including what it would look like if no one in the district got a raise.
“I think we’re in a day and age when one of the scenarios should include a freeze, freeze, freeze,” board member Bill Sodemann said.
For context, Pennington’s three scenarios included:
-- A 2.52 percent total package increase for union employees, pay freezes for administration and no increase to the tax levy. Result—a $3.54 million shortfall.
-- A 2.53 percent total package increase for all employees and a 2 percent tax levy increase. Result—a $4.06 million shortfall.
-- A 3.8 percent total package increase for all employees and the maximum allowable tax levy increase—12 percent. Result—a $1.84 million shortfall.
Board members will get a look at a big piece of that puzzle tonight when district officials present a staffing plan to calculate student/teacher ratios for the 2010-11 school year.
Classroom supplies
After some debate, the board voted 7-2 to allow teachers, secretaries and janitors to place orders for supplies for next year and maintenance work for this summer.
The board set a spending limit of $4.2 million. That was a change from administration’s suggestion that the board approve up to 4 percent of next year’s budget.
Board members Kevin Murray and Tim Cullen voted against the plan. Murray said he wanted to see what the district would buy before he approved the spending.
Cullen, on the other hand, said Schulte and staff members understand the financial challenges facing the district and should be trusted to make purchases appropriately.
Mar 11, 2010 at 11:29 a.m.
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Well i'll just say that the Janesville School District and the School Board is filled with idiotic people who have no idea how to spend the money they come up with at all. Just Saying. I'm sure that many of the teachers and parents agree.
Mar 10, 2010 at 6:09 p.m.
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Hizzoner, I read the article and clearly see exactly what happened. 7-2 vote in favor of allowing the staff to spend money on supplies. Did you notice that Murray and Cullen voted against it. Actions speak louder than words or his quote for the paper. If he trust the teachers and staff, then why did Cullen vote against the spending my these people? Doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps he realizes his vote against didn't look good, so he covered it up with a quote to smooth it over. Poor politics once again.
Mar 10, 2010 at 10:10 a.m.
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Thanks School Board for reducing the Tax Levy, now look at the situation we're in!
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/aug...
Mar 10, 2010 at 9:39 a.m.
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Really Bill? My (Janesville) taxes went up $2.06 for the year! Please stop whining about trying to stop putting the "hurt" on the taxpayers. Part of your job as a school board member is to show some concern over the students in the district. You are on the board for the taxpayers ONLY and you have made that really clear!
Mar 10, 2010 at 7:30 a.m.
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So they're going to underlevy and cut again. Fools. Don't come crying to the taxpayers next year when your tax gap has increased even further and you realize you overcut already.
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I wonder if the board even realizes that by underlevying this current budget year that they walked away from $694,685.00? That was the declining enrollment exemption given to Janesville by the state that is now permanently eliminated from the district revenue base. There is a big difference between a budget gap (inability to raise sufficient funds to cover projected expenditures under the revenue limit) and a tax gap (unwilliness to use existing revenue authority to support current programming). UNDERLEVYING HAS CONSEQUENCES.
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The state has failed us for financial backing of our school system in Wisconsin. If local communities don't step up and utilize their revenue authority, the entire institution will decay. Enough of these short-term solutions!
Mar 9, 2010 at 9:50 p.m.
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Actually badger4life...if you would carefully read the article, you might see that Cullen, by his vote and comment was being supportive...
Read s l o w l y ..."Cullen, on the other hand, said Schulte and staff members understand the financial challenges facing the district and should be trusted to make purchases appropriately."
Mar 9, 2010 at 9:45 p.m.
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"Well this school board has forced another great person to leave/retire from this mess of a district."
Really huntfish1? How so?
Sounds like you might be a disgruntled teacher looking for an excuse to snipe.
Mar 9, 2010 at 8:34 p.m.
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Hey Murray and Cullen, I heard the teachers wanted to buy pencils, paper, pens, chalk, and erasers. Oh, and I think they are buying them from some supply company in Arizona that is only charging them %50 over cost.
Maybe we could get all purchase orders to be approved by the board before teachers can be trusted to buy supplies. This board sounds more and more supportive all the time! What a joke!
Mar 9, 2010 at 8:27 p.m.
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"I don't want to say I told you so," but the teachers are getting screwed again. They got short changed all these years when the QEO was around and now the one time that it would help them get their 3.8% it is gone. This time around they could of at least used the QEO to give them some leverage. Now they have no chance of getting this board to listen to their non-money/contract issues. Beloit teachers took a furlough so that they could save money for the district, but do the teachers realize that even though they are not getting paid for those 3 or 4 work days, they still have to do all the same work on their own time!
Good luck to Dr. Kuehne (another key administrator jumping of the Titanic)
Mar 9, 2010 at 8:16 p.m.
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I think we’re in a day and age when one of the scenarios should include a copy of the budget, budget, budget on the website.
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See Karen Schulte's link on the District's webpage "Janesville School District Budget Information click here (coming soon)."
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Really Karen, next year maybe??
Mar 9, 2010 at 7:51 p.m.
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Well this school board has forced another great person to leave/retire from this mess of a district. Congrats to Dr. Kuehne on his retirement. He will be sorely missed but he is smart to get out now.
Mar 9, 2010 at 7:09 p.m.
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Making a point, point, point in an antagonizing way, way, way isn't respectful, caring, cooperative, or responsible. I suppose it is honest though.
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