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CALL TO ACTION!

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty!

CALL TO ACTION!

NOW is the time when WE THE PEOPLE must demonstrate our “ETERNAL VIGILANCE” by participating in the BUDGET HEARING or ANNUAL MEETING of our local school districts!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's Gazette has the article, Edgerton looks at 20 percent levy increase

ALERT: TOMORROW NIGHT (Monday, August 10) the Budget Hearing has been posted for 8 pm FOLLOWING the 7 pm school board meeting, in the Board Conference room in the Edgerton High School building. Someone needs to ask the Edgerton Board why the Hearing is NOT before the Board meeting. Is this to avoid participation by WE THE PEOPLE? Sorry, but I am cynical!

What did the EDGERTON BOARD with its administration do to manage the COSTS of the 2009-2011 teacher contract? Read the informative article by Stacy Vogle, “Edgerton teachers, board reach contract,” Janesville Gazette, May 12, 2009. I would like to KNOW how the Edgerton Board explains that they agreed to a settlement at 4.2% increase in May 2009. Remember: QEO, which was then in force, was 3.8%. So this settlement is, apparently actually 0.4% above QEO in EACH of the two (2) years! And this happened even when the Governor had already proposed in his budget a 2-year freeze for ALL WI State Employees. The original action of the Assembly was to delay repeal of QEO for 1 year, but then the Senate made it IMMEDIATE.

NOW, there is NO QEO which provides local school boards with the opportunity and, I believe, RESPONSIBILITY to FREEZE K-12 public educator compensation! Let’s hear the FREEZE word at the budget hearings and annual meetings of local school districts. It will be hear ONLY if WE THE PEOPLE – taxpayers and voters – speak it! School Board members and administrators are NOT reflective of WE THE PEOPLE, in my opinion.

And then there is the Parkview School District which has a settlement pending. That settlement is 3.9% each year. That’s ONLY 0.1% above QEO, BUT WHY NOT A FREEZE?! The Parkview Board needs to back-off the agreement and sent it back to the negotiating table. That vote, according to the Janesville Gazette, is coming at the Board meeting on Wednesday, August 26. The teachers will vote on the contract earlier that day.

As you know, IF you have been reading the comments on WE THE PEOPLE blog, the Janesville Board and JEA are in the negotiating process. There is plenty of discussion about a FREEZE in the comments of FREEZE I and II.

And then, Milton school district board has approved a proposed budget with a 10% property tax levy increase! The ANNUAL MEETING of the School District of Milton is on Monday, August 17. It is important that WE THE PEOPLE – taxpayers and voters – be present and speak up. UNLESS new information is forthcoming between now and then, I shall articulate my concerns that the Board is NOT negotiating a FREEZE on compensation. And, I shall vote “NO!” on the recommended budget. DO NOT BE FOOLED! The vote means NOTHING! I am still puzzled as to WHY the meeting is held and a vote taken. The REALITY is that under WI State Law, the BOARD will have the FINAL VOTE in October to set the property tax levy. Their vote is totally separate from any vote of WE THE PEOPLE at the Annual Meeting. So much for democracy! IF, however, enough voters & taxpayers were to express their opinions and vote “NO!” on the proposed budget, the BOARD might be MORE hesitant to approve the MAXIMUM tax levy without negotiating a compensation FREEZE. I am especially concerned that there has been NO official word that a FREEZE has been put on the negotiating table for Milton School District with MEA. WHY NOT?

BOTTOM-LINE,

WE THE PEOPLE must be present to participate/testify. At an annual meeting, WE THE PEOPLE get to VOTE too! “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty!”

Here we go...

Mr. E.

John Eyster lives in the Edgerton area. He is an adjunct professor of political science at UW-Waukesha and an advocate for democracy/civics education in Wisconsin high schools. John is a community blogger and is not a part of The Gazette staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of the The Gazette staff or management.