A great video presentation on the school building binge epidemic in Wisconsin.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Public School Ego Trip - Part Two
This is part two of two. A great video presentation on the school building binge epidemic in Wisconsin.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Growth Committee Update
Susan Skalla attended the September 17, 2008 Waterford Graded School District Growth Committee Meeting.
Here is her report....
The meeting was facilitated by Chris, a school employee, and attended by citizens, teachers and principals. The purpose of the meeting was to get input of issues from the members, prioritize the issues and submit them to the School Board. Mr. Moyer and others expressed their concerns relative to the lack of identifying a mission statement and directives from the Board.. Chris, the facilitator, acknowledged the concerns and proceeded with the format of obtaining member input. Mr. Moyer eventually left the meeting expressing his concern of being uprepared for this meeting and that it was the same being unprepared for the community meeting last summer.
Example of issues to be presented to the School Board in early October include:
Are we using facilities to full capacity?
Could we have K-8 in each elementary school?
What are current and projected enrollment numbers?
What has changed since the last meeting?
Why is there a Growth Committee?
What will a student learn with 35 square feet that they can’t learn with 30 square feet?
Would the School Board consider implementing a committee to verify data received from administration before taking action on a proposal?
Evaluating elementary boundaries, as Trailside as excess space? (This was asked by a school principal)
Before the summer community meeting, the Growth Committee had a moving plan that was shut down, why?
The Growth Committee should be an independent entity and not tainted by board members and school staff.
After a discussion of the meeting format and the facilitator’s effort to take a vote on whether the group would vote to prioritize the issues that night or schedule a meeting next week to take the vote. The response from several people was for Chris to go back to the School Board and request they give the group directives so we may form as a true committee. As others and myself expressed, the meeting was a community input meeting and did not have any elements of a committee meeting.
Chris agreed to request the Board to address the following:
What is the Growth Committee?
What is the purpose of the Growth Committee?
Confirm if the members should be independent of any school employees and board members?
Susan Skalla
Here is her report....
The meeting was facilitated by Chris, a school employee, and attended by citizens, teachers and principals. The purpose of the meeting was to get input of issues from the members, prioritize the issues and submit them to the School Board. Mr. Moyer and others expressed their concerns relative to the lack of identifying a mission statement and directives from the Board.. Chris, the facilitator, acknowledged the concerns and proceeded with the format of obtaining member input. Mr. Moyer eventually left the meeting expressing his concern of being uprepared for this meeting and that it was the same being unprepared for the community meeting last summer.
Example of issues to be presented to the School Board in early October include:
Are we using facilities to full capacity?
Could we have K-8 in each elementary school?
What are current and projected enrollment numbers?
What has changed since the last meeting?
Why is there a Growth Committee?
What will a student learn with 35 square feet that they can’t learn with 30 square feet?
Would the School Board consider implementing a committee to verify data received from administration before taking action on a proposal?
Evaluating elementary boundaries, as Trailside as excess space? (This was asked by a school principal)
Before the summer community meeting, the Growth Committee had a moving plan that was shut down, why?
The Growth Committee should be an independent entity and not tainted by board members and school staff.
After a discussion of the meeting format and the facilitator’s effort to take a vote on whether the group would vote to prioritize the issues that night or schedule a meeting next week to take the vote. The response from several people was for Chris to go back to the School Board and request they give the group directives so we may form as a true committee. As others and myself expressed, the meeting was a community input meeting and did not have any elements of a committee meeting.
Chris agreed to request the Board to address the following:
What is the Growth Committee?
What is the purpose of the Growth Committee?
Confirm if the members should be independent of any school employees and board members?
Susan Skalla
Friday, September 19, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
WGSD Growth Committee Meeting
WGSD will have a Growth Committee meeting on Wednesday, September 17'th at 05:30 PM in the district office. Blaine Nicholls will chair the meeting. The first meeting will be general in nature to set goals for future meetings.
If you are interested in attending, please email Mr. Nicholls or Dr. Nelson so they can plan for the number of people attending. Email addresses can be found on the school website:
http://www.waterford.k12.wi.us/
Enrollment numbers as of 9/8/08 were 1614. There were 1624 children at end of last year. Kindergarten enrollment was 157 compared to 188 last year.
Submitted by Chuck Poole
If you are interested in attending, please email Mr. Nicholls or Dr. Nelson so they can plan for the number of people attending. Email addresses can be found on the school website:
http://www.waterford.k12.wi.us/
Enrollment numbers as of 9/8/08 were 1614. There were 1624 children at end of last year. Kindergarten enrollment was 157 compared to 188 last year.
Submitted by Chuck Poole
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wisconsin Taxes Remain Some Of The Highest
By Mary Lazich
Friday, Aug 15 2008, 09:18 AM
Here is Exhibit A why Wisconsin is a tax hell and why I consistently vote against state budget and budget repair bills that increase taxes and spending.
The non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) reports, "Net property taxes in Wisconsin rose 5.7 percent in 2008, the largest increase since 2005, the year before the recent levy limits on municipalities and counties were imposed. The new study notes that 2006 property taxes here were ninth highest nationally and higher than those in all surrounding states."
School levies increased the most, at 7.4 percent. County and municipal levy increases were limited to the greater of 3.86% or the increase in property values due to new construction. Due to the slowing real estate market, new construction growth around the state was only 2.5 percent. Even so, municipal property taxes increased by 5.0 percent, and county levies were up 4.5 percent.
Using the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, WISTAX found that Wisconsin property taxes, at 4.4 percent of personal income, were ninth highest in the nation.
Here is Exhibit B. The Tax Foundation in Washington D.C. has completed its annual report estimating the combined state-local tax burden of residents in all 50 states. It concluded that state-local tax burdens have declined due to income growth surpassing tax growth.
That is not the case, however, in Wisconsin. Every year, the Tax Foundation determines the percentage of income residents in each state pay in state and local taxes. Wisconsin ranks number 9 in the country for state and local tax burdens. Wisconsin's rank was number 10 in 2007.
According to the Tax Foundation, Wisconsinites pay 10.2 percent of their income in state and local taxes. Wisconsin's burden isn't far from New Jersey that ranks number 1 with a state-local tax burden of 11.8 percent.
Surrounding states have lower state-local tax burdens than Wisconsin:
Minnesota: 10.2 percent (#12)
Michigan: 9.4 percent (#27)
Illinois: 9.3 percent (#30)
Iowa: 9.3 percent (#31)
One of the interesting parts of the report is a segment on states where the tax burden rankings have dropped the most:
"From 1977 to the present, South Dakota's tax burden ranking has dropped 25 places from 20th highest to 45th, primarily by maintaining a zero rate on individual and corporate income. The tax burden ranking in Arizona has dropped 24 places from 17th highest to 41st, and the residents there now pay the tenth lowest tax burden. Most of the change came in the wake of a property tax limitation in 1980, and their ranking has changed little since.
Montana has dropped 22 places, primarily by maintaining a zero rate on general sales.
Colorado has dropped 19 places in the ranking over the last 30 years. It levies every major tax, but the rate on each is among the lowest in the country. Spending discipline in the form of a so-called TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) has helped the state keep tax rates low.
Two politically liberal states have dropped sharply: Oregon and Massachusetts. Oregon has done so by never enacting a sales tax, dropping 16 ranks from 10th highest to 26th. Massachusetts has dropped 17 places by imposing a property tax limitation and keeping a lid on its personal income tax rate, living down its 'Taxachusetts' nickname."
While other states have found the right formulas, Wisconsin continues down the disastrous path of excessive taxing and spending.
Two months ago, I was skeptical of a Wisconsin State Journal article with a bold headline that proclaimed, "Wisconsin falls from ranks of top 10 highest-taxed states for first time since 1980." Researchers at WISTAX and the University of Wisconsin said this would be only the second time since 1969 Wisconsin has not been in the top ten in taxes nationwide.
How did this happen? As the newspaper reported, "Wisconsin's taxes actually rose slightly in the fiscal year ended in June 2006 but those of other states rose more quickly." Translation: You're still paying high taxes, Wisconsin, and they're not going down.
Judging from the latest reports on our tax climate, it is time to put the corks back in the champagne.
Friday, Aug 15 2008, 09:18 AM
Here is Exhibit A why Wisconsin is a tax hell and why I consistently vote against state budget and budget repair bills that increase taxes and spending.
The non-partisan Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) reports, "Net property taxes in Wisconsin rose 5.7 percent in 2008, the largest increase since 2005, the year before the recent levy limits on municipalities and counties were imposed. The new study notes that 2006 property taxes here were ninth highest nationally and higher than those in all surrounding states."
School levies increased the most, at 7.4 percent. County and municipal levy increases were limited to the greater of 3.86% or the increase in property values due to new construction. Due to the slowing real estate market, new construction growth around the state was only 2.5 percent. Even so, municipal property taxes increased by 5.0 percent, and county levies were up 4.5 percent.
Using the most recent figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, WISTAX found that Wisconsin property taxes, at 4.4 percent of personal income, were ninth highest in the nation.
Here is Exhibit B. The Tax Foundation in Washington D.C. has completed its annual report estimating the combined state-local tax burden of residents in all 50 states. It concluded that state-local tax burdens have declined due to income growth surpassing tax growth.
That is not the case, however, in Wisconsin. Every year, the Tax Foundation determines the percentage of income residents in each state pay in state and local taxes. Wisconsin ranks number 9 in the country for state and local tax burdens. Wisconsin's rank was number 10 in 2007.
According to the Tax Foundation, Wisconsinites pay 10.2 percent of their income in state and local taxes. Wisconsin's burden isn't far from New Jersey that ranks number 1 with a state-local tax burden of 11.8 percent.
Surrounding states have lower state-local tax burdens than Wisconsin:
Minnesota: 10.2 percent (#12)
Michigan: 9.4 percent (#27)
Illinois: 9.3 percent (#30)
Iowa: 9.3 percent (#31)
One of the interesting parts of the report is a segment on states where the tax burden rankings have dropped the most:
"From 1977 to the present, South Dakota's tax burden ranking has dropped 25 places from 20th highest to 45th, primarily by maintaining a zero rate on individual and corporate income. The tax burden ranking in Arizona has dropped 24 places from 17th highest to 41st, and the residents there now pay the tenth lowest tax burden. Most of the change came in the wake of a property tax limitation in 1980, and their ranking has changed little since.
Montana has dropped 22 places, primarily by maintaining a zero rate on general sales.
Colorado has dropped 19 places in the ranking over the last 30 years. It levies every major tax, but the rate on each is among the lowest in the country. Spending discipline in the form of a so-called TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) has helped the state keep tax rates low.
Two politically liberal states have dropped sharply: Oregon and Massachusetts. Oregon has done so by never enacting a sales tax, dropping 16 ranks from 10th highest to 26th. Massachusetts has dropped 17 places by imposing a property tax limitation and keeping a lid on its personal income tax rate, living down its 'Taxachusetts' nickname."
While other states have found the right formulas, Wisconsin continues down the disastrous path of excessive taxing and spending.
Two months ago, I was skeptical of a Wisconsin State Journal article with a bold headline that proclaimed, "Wisconsin falls from ranks of top 10 highest-taxed states for first time since 1980." Researchers at WISTAX and the University of Wisconsin said this would be only the second time since 1969 Wisconsin has not been in the top ten in taxes nationwide.
How did this happen? As the newspaper reported, "Wisconsin's taxes actually rose slightly in the fiscal year ended in June 2006 but those of other states rose more quickly." Translation: You're still paying high taxes, Wisconsin, and they're not going down.
Judging from the latest reports on our tax climate, it is time to put the corks back in the champagne.
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