This blog represents my opinions and my opinions alone, and certainly doesn't represent the collective thoughts of any of the Boards or organizations that I serve on. Unfortunately I make all sorts of miistakes, I'm a picky eater, I can't sing and I just recently found out I have been spelling certain words in my vocabulary wrong my entire life. That being said, I still continue to muddle ever onward. Welcome.





Thursday, February 10, 2011

Governor Walker To Propose Axing Almost All Collective Bargaining Rights

From http://www.channel3000.com/:

Gov. Scott Walker said in an exclusive interview that he will propose removing nearly all public employee collective bargaining rights to help plug a $3.6 billion budget hole.
Walker told The Associated Press on Thursday that no one should be surprised by the move that he is asking the Republican-controlled Legislature to approve next week given that he'd talked about doing it for two months.

He said the cuts are necessary to avoid up to 6,000 state employee layoffs.
Walker will propose changing state law to remove the ability for public employees to negotiate on any issue except salary.
Read the rest here.

Proposed 2011-12 Budget Reductions

2011-12 Proposed Reductions

BOARD APPROVED BUDGET REDUCTION
Consolidation of Maywood and Winnequah Schools
 SUBTOTAL $243,531

PROPOSED BUDGET REDUCTIONS
Snow Removal Schedule $25,000
Eliminate Asst. Principal at Cottage Grove School .2 FTE $21,000
Diversity Coordinator Position by .5 FTE $23,000
Special Education Teacher - Winnequah 1.0 FTE $60,000
Early Childhood Teacher - .6 FTE $45,000
Early Childhood Educational Assistant - Maywood - .5 FTE $10,000
Early Childhood Educational Assistant $5,000
Technology Educational Assistant - Glacial Drumlin .4 FTE $15,000
Route Coordinator/Assistant Transportation Position $25,000
Building Checks (Sundays Only) $11,000
School-to-Work Coordinator $60,000
High School Writing Lab Educational Assistant $35,000
District Human Resources Position $20,000
High School Copy Position $11,000
Increase Walk Zone $50,000
Building and Department Budgets $100,000
SUBTOTAL - NEW REDUCTIONS $516,000

TOTAL PROPOSED BUDGET REDUCTIONS $759,531

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Monona Grove Board Of Education Meeting This Wednesday, February 9th

The Board of Education will meet tomorrow evening, February 9th, in the District Office at 7pm. The full agenda can be found here.
Some highlights of tomorrow's meeting:
 Nancy Gagnon and Stephanie Ramer will present the Board with the details of the proposed charter School of Health and Environmental Sciences. This project-based learning charter school aims to serve students in grades 6 through 8.

There will also be discussion of the location of second grade students at Cottage Grove Elementary School for the coming school year.
The district's budget reduction process and proposals will also be discussed at length.

Also, many thanks for all of these generous donations!

 Donation from Diane Loui to Cottage Grove School to purchase a document camera
 Donation of $2,000.00 from Walmart to Maywood & Winnequah Schools.
 $1,525.00 from the Cottage Grove PTO to purchase SMARTBoards at Taylor Prairie School.
 Three winter jackets, 2 pairs of snow pants, 10 winter hats and 10 pairs of knit gloves for students from Joann Kerr to the Cottage Grove School
 $359.33 From the Monona Elementary PTO for the Winnequah School for 5th grade art
 $565.30 from the Cottage Grove Book Fair (Cottage Grove PTO) to Taylor Prairie School

Unfortunately, I will not be attending our meeting as my family is on vacation on the Gulf Coast, where the state of public education is truly dire, where school reserve accounts are running dry and 60 of 131 Alabama school districts have less than one month of operating expenses in their accounts. Read more here.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011

Poet Ken Nesbitt Will Be Visiting Maywood And Winnequah Schools February 10.

The Monona Elementary PTO has graciously arranged for superstar kid's poet Ken Nesbitt to visit both Monona elementary schools Thursday, February 10th. Ken is the poetic genius behind such books as More Bears!The Tighty Whitey Spider, The Aliens Have Landed at Our School, and my personal favorite, Revenge of the Lunch Ladies. (and no, that doesn't have anything to do with Chartwells food service) Elementary school librarian Stacey Pipson sent home a flyer last week for children to order books for Ken to autograph. Thanks Monona PTO!!


Gabby's Baby Beagle
Gabby bought a baby beagle

at the beagle baby store.
Gabby gave her beagle kibble,
but he begged for bagels more.

Gabby loved her baby beagle;
gladly Gabby gave him one,
but her beagle grabbed the bag and
gulped them down till there were none.

So she took her baby beagle
to the bagel baker's store,
where the beagle gobbled bagels,
bags of bagels by the score.

Gabby's beagle gorged on bagels,
bigger bagels than before,
till he'd gobbled every bagel
in the baker's bagel store.

Gulping bagels bulges baby
beagles' bellies really big.
Say goodbye to baby beagle;
Gabby's beagle's now a pig.

--Kenn Nesbitt

Check out Ken Nesbitt's website http://www.poetry4kids.com/