The Gazette already includes a spell checker. Misspelled words in the comment box have a squiggly red line below them that disappears when the comment is posted. Poor grammar and misspelled words are a sign of laziness. If you don't want to be criticized for not using proper English, then take the time to learn proper English.

Maybe the Gazette should insert a spell checker that way all you anti-Walker posters could spend some time actually posting something of value instead of all the pathetic bully attacks for miss spelled words. I bet you each have a sign in your basement office that reads "Bully a Walker supporter - it;s the UNION WAY."

Gee kaysbrew, I'm just tying to "emenate" you. But thanks for the grammar lesson.

Not all teachers that made concessions around this state are doing well; maybe their communities are better, but it was at the expense of teachers and city workers (except for the police and firefighters, of course). As mentioned in a different discussion, I know many teachers whose takehome pay went down from 5-8 grand a year-if there are two teachers in a family, you could be looking at losing 15 grand a year for more work; were given ridiculous hours for teachers (6:15 am to 5:00 pm); women ordered to wear skirts below the knee; removal of coffee pots from staff lounges...it is very shortsighted to say that every district that gave in is doing well. Even the Monona Grove superintendent said that with the concessions, they will still be short money in the upcoming years...so either cut more money from the teachers or raise taxes. The whole situation needs an overhaul; this "new" way of education in the WI will lead, down the road, to the state being less able to attract top quality teachers, which in turn, will gradually reduce the quality of education. But back to the point on financial concessions, that contract was settled before Walker was elected and it was done in good faith...I am horrified by the number of people expressing glee that when the contract expires you can further punish teachers through ridiculous, unchecked workplace rules and, make no mistake about it, this Janesville School Board will take much more than is necessary from their salaries, and probably more than most surrounding communities. They don't want the teachers to see that handbook because they know there will be a huge exodus of good, younger and mid-career teachers in the next year and a half. Anyone who can get out at 30 years will be gone in 2013.

The union makes a "red herring" offer. Would we expect anything else with the current leadership?

That my friends is an elitist liberal in all their glory!

PanamaRed
You don't got?

or

You don't have?

grammar!

Panama Red - I didn't see any teacher bashing, just union bashing.
We are all suffering in this age of Obama.
Teachers around Wisconsin making concessions are doing well and the districts are thriving right now and taxes have gone down in those cities.

The school board had hoped the unions would agree to economic concessions to help balance its budget.

GREED GREED GREED

I don't got a perfect answer for u kaysbrew or TCB. All I'm sayin is that if your gonna beet up teachers for wanting to urn a living wage the very least u could do is spell correctly and use proper grammar.

Fear, a "great majority" of the fund balance did not come from teachers. At $25million to have even a simple majority it would be $12.5 million and that is not where it came from. I agree that some years after all medical claims were paid there was a surplus, but also some years after all medical claims were paid there was a deficit and the surplus and deficit move through the fund 10 balance. Expenses are paid weekly but revenue timing doesn't match expense timing and the Fund 10 balance is used to even out that timing issue. The board certainly can decide to use some or all of the Fund 10 balance to balance future budgets but that decision will come with another set of consequences. I don't believe it is a shell game but understand your frustration with the current state of affairs with deficits looming again next year.

Publicsector - This is all the public unions fault?? You trying to tell me that those that risk their lives (in various ways) on a daily basis are not worth your tax money? Let me guess, you are one of those people that moan and groan about your taxes until your road doesn't get plowed in time, or you need police/fire/ambulance for an emergency. I know, i know, you are now going to tell me that public employees don't need unions. Well, if they did not belong to the union, there is no doubt the municipalities would under pay them and take benefits away even though they have earned them due to their dedication, continuous training and education. I think it is a pretty cheap "insuracne policy" to have when/if i ever need them.

westorbust - yes and we all know just how well off (NOT) all the european countries are doing. Socialism doen't work.

Hillman- While I appreciate your contention of my "blanket statement" about the fund balance, which in reality it was, EVEN you admitted that the fund was if not completely , LARGELY created by over expenditures on health insurance savings from the JEA and their SELF FUNDED health care.
WHile I understand your want to have that money there to "pay the bills" while waiting for state FUNDING that IS coming because that is how our schools are paid for is through tax dollars, so lets not call it aid. The money is coming , what you suggest is that we have this fund sitting there to pay expenditures while waiting for state funding, I suggest the district figure out a way to "pay the bills" on time with the funding that comes from the state, not this continuous shell game. I also lothe the district for this constant budget defecit talk, projected this and that, which seems to be off every single year by MILLIONS OF dollars!! So whomever the district is using to calculate these numbers needs to be replaced.
While waiting for the fallacy that is act 10 to take effect after next school year we should fix this hole with FUND 10. Whether you believe my claim to be only partially true or not, the fact of the matter is that the great majority of this fund has been created by savings made from the teachers, and the hole should be plugged with fund 10 for the last year of the contract, period.

Why do educators need to be ruled by unions? Those few that spoke out on Walker commercials are now being harrassed and victimized.

You must be so proud westorbust

The to scoring students in Europe all have one thing in common. They come from public schools with unionized teachers.

panamared,

How much should the per child cost be? If $10000 per year per child is not enough (and this assumes a -600 decrease)---how much is enough to educate a child in the JSD?

I guess you prefer the status quo-correct No changes needed?

PanamaRed
So you think that the unions are the only reason we have a poor to fair public school system. Without unions, maybe we could have a great public school system.
What a shame you have a less opinion of educators then your union string pullers.

Yes kaysbrew, its rather obvious you don't believe education is important. It's also apparent you don't have much use for a dictionary and/or a thesaurus either. You do know what that squiggly red line...oh never mind.

This is why my tax bill went up while most of the rest of the state was enjoying a decrease.

You are welcome Unions. Your greed has been exposed. Your demise is emenate.

SAVE RICH PEOPLE -RETAIN WALKER!

Well if successful we will be looking at more bankrupcies and bailouts coming.
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As [active] union membership at The Big 2.8 continues to dwindle, (75% in the last 3 decades) the UAW is making a full-court press on the transplants. They've already launched an attack on Toyota and now they're targeting Honda, according to The Birmingham News. After an unsuccessful attempt (NOTE: UNSUCCESSFUL) to organize Honda's Marysville, Ohio plant, the UAW's now focusing on the Lincoln, Alabama facility. Union representatives have been meeting with small groups of employees at the plant, which turns out 300k Odyssey minivans, Honda Pilot sport utility vehicles and V-6 engines annually. They've warned workers they can expect the company "to step up a campaign of 'fear and intimidation' against pro-union workers." UAW organizer Frank White told employees, "The company will try to divide you by gender and along racial lines. They will try to divide you on shifts, saying day shift didn't reach quota so you'll have to work harder tonight." Sounds like the union knows a few "fear and intimidation" tactics of their own.
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Bad bad writer - we all know the unions don't BULLY.

Caddyshack, yes for one incident but not for the whole pool of insured.

Hillman: I believe the JSD has "stop-gap" insurance to cover claims in excess of $1 Million.

Thanks, Hillman.

The contract talks between the JSD and the JEA lasted roughly 18 months. Two of the Board's sticking points were insisting on a pay freeze and a 4 year contract so that the JSD and School Board would be able to develop a long term fiscal plan. (The JEA agreed to both items.) So, even ultra-conservatives like Mr. Sodemann and Mr. D. Severson never imagined the school-funding crisis that would soon be unleashed by Gov. Walker.

Poobah, not sure there is a legal requirement, but there a practical requirement. In the annual audit the auditers will issue a note on the adequacies of the reserve compared to the overall budget. There are districts all over the state who have used their reserves to an extent that they need to borrow to pay expenses(called TAN, Tax Anticipated Note) while awaiting revenue from the the State, medicare reimbursements, etc. then the note is paid back, with interest of course.

How many people will lose their jobs?

SarahB - u silly gurl - your post just proved my point.
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RETAIN WALKER - SAVE WISCONSIN.

Hillman, is there a legal requirement to maintain a certain level for the Fund 10 balance? If not, is there a GAAP covering the balance? Thanks in advance.

Everybody has managed again to blame everybody else and as usual nothing was solved.

Badgerlvr has the focus we need. All our energies must pour into recalling Gov. Walker followed by years of reconstruction work.
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School funding, working relationships, bipartisanship, labor protections, pride in public service, and the folksy feel of Wisconsin have all been decimated by Walker and his initiatives.
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Recall efforts continue at the UAW hall nearly everyday through Jan. 10th. Stand with those who stand for a better Wisconsin. Let the healing begin this New Year.

Ronald Reagan back from the dead to support Feduptaxpayers?

fearandrhetoric4dummies,
* Here is the situation I am referring too. And this sure is rushing thru to get ahead of Walker. And the date of the article was Feb. 22, making the meeting very close to that. And while it does not specifically mention Walker in the article, it sure makes is plain what they are talking about.
http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-ne...
* I have not and do not blame teachers for anything. And education is one of the most important responsibilities we have to give our children. I have continually criticized the school board for reacting with a knee jerk reaction to many things, and continue to believe that.

I'm with ya Feduptaxpayer!!!!!!!

RETAIN WALKER - RECALL THE UNIONS.

RECALL WALKER!

Fear, I have been reading your comments for quite awhile and finally need to react to your claim about the Fund 10. There are hundreds of accounts within the JSD budget. When costs exceed the budgeted amounts the dollars come from the fund balance, when costs are less than the budgeted amounts the excess goes to the fund balance. This happens in every category of the budget not just the health insurance category. Now having said that the health insurance category represents the second largest operating expenditure the district has, second to salaries. Now compound that with it is a self-insured plan(no premiums paid to an insurer like WPS, Humana or the like) the variability of excess claims, or claims under the budget compounds. Yes it is true that there have been years that the fund balance has had contributions from the health bugets, there has been years that the fund had to feed excess claims, some over $1,000,000. Additionally the fund balance is used for the ebb and flow of income and expenses and the district needs it to pay its bills while sometimes waiting for State aid, tax payments, medicaid remimbursements, etc. If the fund balance is lowered too much then the district would need to do short term borrrowing to pay its expenses. You state the balance is $25 million and some days it very well may be, but some days it is considerably less as operating expenses dictate. I applaud your zeal in the comments about collective bargaining, and Act 10 but finally am compelled to respond to your blanket claim that the Fund 10 balance exists largely because of "savings in the teachers self-funded insurance". That insurance plan has also taken away from the fund as well and your claim is only partially true.

Funny thing here - You all blame Walker - well how about the school boards and municipalities that used the tools. They were not forced to do this! They did it because the people of Wisconsin (except for those of you on the receiving end) are tired of over spending. And for those of you who keep trashing the Koch brothers and other businesses in WI and this country - I say get off your dead keasters and take a risk - start your own business. I read all the posts about dumb drop out Walker - it appears that he is much smarter than all you whiners. I would post your sign here, but you already know what that is.

The school board was stupid for passing that last contract-really they should all have lost their position for this. That being said the teachers and all the union supporters must see the reality sooner or later that the way things used to work are gone........

Is it possible that all sides in this dispute are being ridiculous?

Thank you to all of the teachers and other groups that put together an awesome holiday food drive for the needy. You guys are first class and should not open or discuss your current contract. Scott Walker and his removing of over 800 million dollars from education is the problem that HE has created for communities all over Wisconsin.

That's OK - we can wait 'till July 2013 to straighten this problem out - no big hurry.

Maybe it would benefit you all to read the agreement:
http://gazettextra.com/news/2010/sep/11/...
Why is it that you only talk about teachers getting raises? Do you hate them??;
http://gazettextra.com/weblogs/latest-ne...

""Board members Lori Stottler and Kevin Murray, who sat on the negotiating committee, said the contract had not been rushed through in order to protect employees from the potential effects of the budget-repair bill being debated in Madison. The two sides reached a tentative agreement Jan. 25. ""

If you didn't have such a ridiculous screen name maybe we could have a reasonable discussion here.
That being said, The teachers contract was settled yes with increases for the final 2 years of the deal, a 1.5% raise for this year, and a 2% for next year! Lower than the rate of inflation!! Are you really going to begrudge the teachers that have gotten test scores UP in Janesville a measley 1.5 - 2% raise? Especially when you fail to recognize that they worked almost 2 YEARS with no contract and got nothing for 2 out of the 4 years!
And just so we are clear I am talking about the TEACHERS contract here being settled WELL before the Walker regime decided to slash public education to make an attempt to balance the budget on the backs of teachers!! All while handing out HUGE raises to his own political appointees!! Do you have the same outrage over the EXTREMELY large raises handed out there some in the neighborhood of 67%!!!! Hows about hiring the son of a large donor for an 81,000 position for which he wasn't even qualified? A kid with 2 OWIs on his record??? And all you can do is talk about unions and THEIR unethical behavior? CMON you cannot be serious!!

Again, NONE of you have addressed the FUND 10 balance that is like a dark cloud (27 million dollar one) hanging out there , that has been built on the backs of the teachers!! Talk about unethical, my GOD!! 3 times the current projected defecit!!

I say stick to your guns also teachers. I see walker is now trying to buy votes by putting some programs back in place that he had cancelled.

fear - you've got to be kidding!

JEA contract was signed in September of 2010 (with a pay increase!)

Custodial worker contract was ratified 2-22-2011

Secretarial worker contract 3-8-2011

When were the Walker reforms voted into law?

Why couldn't the board wait until the law was finalized?

I agree - don't blame the teachers - blame the school board and the public sector unions.

Both are guilty of unethical conduct.

In all fairness here, this is NOT just a republican problem, it is a partisan one. BOTH parties have sold out to corporate interests. It is a sad day in America, because the problem isn't thr rich and wealthy doing so well, it's the fact that they have largely done it at the expense of others and have sold out the middle class to 3rd world nations, all so they can have MORE.
I do not believe that raising taxes on the wealthy will solve anything, I do believe that a widened tax base where more people making better wages would eliminate defecits and debts all-together. Unfortunately America is a slave to Oligarchy and we are left to believe that it is a partisan debate, when it is a matter of POWER and WHO controls the power structure, LARGE pieces of both political ideologies have sold us out and we are left to fight over scraps and point fingers at one another.

In all fairness here, this is NOT just a republican problem, it is a partisan one. BOTH parties have sold out to corporate interests. It is a sad day in America, because the problem isn't thr rich and wealthy doing so well, it's the fact that they have largely done it at the expense of others and have sold out the middle class to 3rd world nations, all so they can have MORE.
I do not believe that raising taxes on the wealthy will solve anything, I do believe that a widened tax base where more people making better wages would eliminate defecits and debts all-together. Unfortunately America is a slave to Oligarchy and we are left to believe that it is a partisan debate, when it is a matter of POWER and WHO controls the power structure, LARGE pieces of both political ideologies have sold us out and we are left to fight over scraps and point fingers at one another.

Stick to your guns Teachers, The Unions and Teachers did not cause this problem. The Right Wing Republicans with their unjust wars and tax breaks to the 1 % er's and a 75 % responsibility of the National Debt are the root of our country's problems. Shame on the School Boards for blaming teachers and workers, They are nothing more than lackey's for the rich and powerful. If you cave in it will contribute to the downward spiral that the right wing so aptly wants you to fall into. More now and even more later, all that you can give up for them to buy more gated community properties and yachts for themselves. No Health care for you but the best for them. Just like the Limbo song, HOW LOW CAN YOU GO

Bob- The contracts were not rushed through, that is ireffutable fact! Scott Walker never ran on his assault on public education and public unions, or he would never have been elected, EVER!!
JEA contracts were SIGNED in September, Walker was 3 months away from the election. The contracts were signed after over a year of hard negotiations. So they were in NO WAY RUSHED!! Look back at the Gazette articles, there is NO mention of Walker or any potential for changes to collective bargaining , or contracts. So you may percieve it however you choose, its your right, but the facts just dont bear it out.
Bob- I would ask you and others who would continue to blame teachers for the problems here to ask the board why it is they are sitting on a 25+ million dollar fund 10 balance , largely built on a decade of savings the district has enjoyed from the SELF FUNDED health care of the teachers!! That is almost 3 times the projected defecit!! That money should be used to plug these holes or be given back to the teachers in exchange for them opening the contract. That was money negotiated as a part of the teachers compensation, and has never been returned to them or hardly mentioned by anyone over the last 3 years of bantering over the budget, and the last year of negative PR led by Sodeman to try to get them to re-open a NEGOTIATED contract!!
If we are going to make assumptions and ask questions here, with all due respect, lets ask all the right questions and demand the most accurate answers , free of personal political agendas from those that sit on the school board. To be honest I am sick of people that sit on the board that have little or no interest in forwarding education for the next generation of Janesville's youth. I feel quite sorry for the teachers and the kids that will suffer because of this. We are sure to lose many more excellent teachers when more pink slips are handede out and then those teachers are called back and decline. It happened last year and is certain to happen again.SAd times, very sad indeed.

fearandrhetoric4dummies
It sure looked to me (as well as many others) like the school board rushed into signing the union contract before Walker was elected.....which is what I was talking about . I fully realize that they had been negotiating for a long time before signing.
I thought it was a mistake then, and still do.
I often disagree in principle with folks, but never with personality...and thanks for being respectful with your reply...it is refreshing to see here.

This is like a playground shoving match. Someone call the responsible adults to break it up, would you?

Not good enough huh bill? Not enough concessions? Well guess you get nothing then. Go ahead and threaten more layoffs and such but you have your mini mind made up. Get a life and get off the school board. You have no interest in the education of janesville youth and only care about your taxes. Not the correct reason to be on the school board. The perfect campaign slogan to get elected in this town but that doesn't make it right. time to move on like your buddy duwayne.

And you call yourself Bellagio bound and live in southern Wisconsin. Have you ever been to Las Vegas? Doubt it! I guess we are even, tourist. Keep dreaming. You will never live here, high roller! But as someone who lived in Janesville for forty years, I hope that the Janesville teachers stick by their guns.

Rushing into what Bob? There goes the rhetoric again that these contracts were "RUSHED, through" the FACTS are tha they were negotiated for over a year and settled in SEPTEMBER,months before this knucklehead was elected. Getting sick of the parroted rhetoric. You are better than that Bob.

Urban gets it. The board will get its savings when the contract is done and the handbook gets imposed. Until then, the school board and the state can play by the contract.

This whole meeting was a "Dead on Arrival" deal as far as I am concerned, but I give the union credit for even talking to the board.
Maybe the board will think twice about rushing into something again before all the facts are known.

As far as I can interpret, the school board did not want the teachers to have any input into the new, district mandated employee handbook that will go into place in Juy 2013. Is it me or does this sound a little like last February when unions picketed the Capitol? A little give on the non-monetary side of a contract is what the teachers want, but, like Walker, the board isn't budging. My guess is the new handbook is going to rake the teachers over the coals in a year and a half and force many veteran teachers to retire or go elsewhere. The board will have its savings then, but I'm guessing the morale is going to be lower than ever at that point. It doesn't take a genius to read between the lines on this one.

Let me get this right.... The Unions offered a change that MIGHT save money. The Board decided that it wasn't good enough, so they allowed talks to break down? Give me a break. The Unions have no obligation to give ANY concessions; therefore, ANY concessions offered should be more than considered!

I question why they would bring up a discussion about an employee handbook to be used when their contract runs out in 2013. That is not why they came to the table. Flexing muscles comes to mind. This group of school board members is pathetic.

NV

Who is "something"? No one is asking that teachers work for nothing. Its good to see that you dont exaggerate.

The facts are that the board will be required to balance its budget. More people will be fired-since 81% of the budget is spent on salaries and benefits-but you already know this. Services will be cut, fees raised, taxes increased, and more people will lose their jobs.

I'm surprise we are allowed to comment on anything anymore.

Something tells me the Board would only be happy if the teachers agreed to re-open the contract and work for nothing.

Does this surprise anyone???