June 12th School Board Update - End of School Year

Via a Johnny Winston, Jr. email:

The Madison School Board has been (and will be) very busy. At the June 12th meeting the board voted to go to referendum on November 7th for a new elementary school on the far Westside of Madison, Leopold Addition and refinancing of existing debt. The total amount of the referendum is $23.5 million. If approved, it would represent about a $21 increase in property taxes for the next 20 years on the average $239,449 home.

The June 5th meeting was devoted to discussing the possible referendum items.

On May 31st the board passed the $333 million dollar budget for the 2006-07 school year. Amongst notable budget amendments include: 5th grade strings program two times per week (with a pilot program at one school with students having the choice of either general music or strings), community services funding for Kasjiab House and GSA for Safe Schools, elementary library pages, Connect program and a garbage truck (to end privatization of service).

pcoming Meetings: On June 19th the Board will have a “brainstorming session” to discuss issues and topics for the upcoming school year. This meeting will allow the elected board to develop priorities and a vision for the school district and allow the Administration to address those issues. It will be the goal of the board to work cooperatively, effectively and respectfully. Other general meetings will occur on July 17th and August 14th. Several committees will meet during the summer.

District Notes:
Congratulations to Madison spelling bee champion Isabel Jacobson from O’Keeffe Middle School for her impressing 14th place finish in the national spelling bee.

Lynn Winn and Karen Sieber are the new principals at Falk and Stephens Elementary Schools respectively, and Lisa Black is the new Special Assistant to the Superintendent for Parent and Community Response
A record number of 364 scholarships and awards were given by local organizations to this year’s MMSD graduates total a remarkably high $436,240.

Did You Know?
Since the inception of revenue limits in 1993, the MMSD has cut over $52 million dollars from its budgets.

Lastly, congratulations to all district staff retirees and MMSD graduates! I hope everyone has a wonderful and enjoyable summer. I’ll send periodic updates as meetings occur this summer. Thanks for reading and your support of the MMSD.

Johnny Winston, Jr.
President, Madison School Board
jwinstonjr@madison.k12.wi.us

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Watch school board meetings and other district programs on MMSD Cable Channel 10. It is must see TV!

It's important to note that while revenue limits have been in place since 1993, the MMSD's budget has gone from slightly less than $200M to $333M during that time. Enrollment has been essentially flat, around 24-25,000 students. There's a great deal of budget discussion available here in addition to a summary of district stats over the years here. MMSD statistics page.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 15, 2006 6:14 AM
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