And the district’s argument in favor of what seems like madness? Enrollments may turn around some day. But that’s unlikely for two reasons.
The first is that fertility rates are down and enrollment declines are an issue for districts all over the country. In addition, the COVID pandemic resulted in an increase in homeschooling, a switch to schools outside of public school systems, and a mysterious disappearance of some part of the school age population.
The second reason that enrollments are not likely to turn around has to do with the policies of this district. District officials point to Dane County’s rapid growth projections, but the county has been growing at a steady pace for decades and yet MMSD has been losing students for over a decade. The numbers did stabilize this year, but they did not go up and it’s foolish to base hundreds of millions of dollars of long-term investments on a single year’s data.
This raises a broader question and points to the reason that I’ll be voting against both this and the $100 million operating referendum, which will also be on the ballot. The district is losing market share because it is badly managed. Test scores are some of the worst in the state, absenteeism remains high, and the racial achievement gap hasn’t improved.
Parents are voting with their kids and taking them out of the district. And it’s not because the buildings aren’t nice enough. It’s because this school board obsesses over solving all of society’s problems rather than focusing on teaching kids how to read, write, do math, and behave in a way that respects their teachers and peers. If you want to do something to solve stubborn problems of racism in our society the best way to do that is with high-achieving Black students
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Madison’s well funded k-12 system and city government are seeking substantial 607M+ tax and spending increases via referendum this fall.
Madison taxpayers of long supported far above average K – 12 spending.
The data clearly indicate that being able to read is not a requirement for graduation at (Madison) East, especially if you are black or Hispanic”
My Question to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Teacher Mulligans and our Disastrous Reading Results
2017: West High Reading Interventionist Teacher’s Remarks to the School Board on Madison’s Disastrous Reading Results
Madison’s taxpayer supported K-12 school district, despite spending far more than most, has long tolerated disastrous reading results.
“An emphasis on adult employment”
Wisconsin Public Policy Forum Madison School District Report[PDF]
WEAC: $1.57 million for Four Wisconsin Senators
Friday Afternoon Veto: Governor Evers Rejects AB446/SB454; an effort to address our long term, disastrous reading results
Booked, but can’t read (Madison): functional literacy, National citizenship and the new face of Dred Scott in the age of mass incarceration.
When A Stands for Average: Students at the UW-Madison School of Education Receive Sky-High Grades. How Smart is That?