Inside New Berlin

My May 19 Inside New Berlin blog about ways to honor and show support for those who serve or have served their country was featured in the May 24 Muskego/New Berlin NOW newspaper (Best of the Blogs, page 16).

In the center of that published article is a picture of a pretty woman with long dark hair---and my name is directly below the picture.
No, I did not have an “extreme makeover”.
The young female pictured is not me. She is Lynn Richter, a blogger for BrookfieldNOW.com.
Given our similar names, it’s easy to understand how the mix-up occurred.

In the blog, I referred to the 27th National Veterans Wheelchair Games Motorcycle Rally, which will be held next Sunday, June 3.
I mentioned that Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will be participating in the Ride.
I’ve recently been informed that Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas will be participating, too. He was in the previous one, as well.(last fall)

Here’s an update on the June 3 Ride Itinerary:
8:30-10 am Check-in at the Regional Office, 5400 W. National Ave. (west of hospital on National Ave)
9:45 am Milwaukee Childrens Choir performance, singing patriotic songs.
A release of doves follows.
10 am Scenic ride to Holy Hill
1 pm Leave Holy Hill
2:30 pm Heaven City for pig roast and music from Rock Solid

The Ride is limited to 200 motorcycles. Pre-registration is highly suggested. Pre-register by contacting Heaven City at (262) 363-5191 (after 2 pm). A signed waiver is required for participation in the Ride.
Cost: $20 per person

Did you know that there are 2 principals working at Ronald Reagan Elementary School?

That’s right. TWO. All of the other NBPS District elementary schools have ONE principal.

Clearly, Reagan Elementary is getting special treatment.
School District Administration concedes that -----
a) When Calhoun and Cleveland Heights Schools merged, the merged school Poplar Creek did not have 2 principals.

b) When the new Elmwood School was built, it did not have 2 principals. (It still doesn’t, although Elmwood and Reagan have similarly large student enrollments)

c) Both Tracie Fehrm and Christine Cody were hired last year.
Ms. Fehrm is the ONLY administrator (principal) at Glen Park Elementary School.

Christine Cody is the principal of Reagan Elementary. But Bob Layman has been working there, too.
Mr. Layman happens to be the former principal of New Berlin Center Elementary School (which has been demolished). District Business Manager Tony Goedheer contends that Bob Layman has been working at Reagan “about 2 days a week” and gets paid a daily wage for those days worked.

According to the New Berlin School District web site, Ms. Cody’s previous experience was as assistant principal at a middle school in Franklin.

The following District answers (dated April 18) to questions I posed in an Open Records Request may also surprise you---

Reagan School principal Christine Cody’s salary-- $88,110
Her combined salary and benefits compensation-- $123,999

Reagan Elementary opened/ students began attending classes on
November 27, 2006
Days Mr. Layman actually worked at Reagan School (as of April 18)--86
Daily wage the District is paying him for his work at Reagan-- $415.50
Amount of financial compensation Mr. Layman has gotten or will get for working at Reagan School (as of April 18)-- $35,733 The district is not providing him with benefits on top of that wage.

On April 19, I submitted a follow-up question and got this District response:
How much was Bob Layman paid for his work at New Berlin Center School for the (same) 2006-07 school year? $49,159.50

New Berlin Public Schools sure pays its administrators well.

$415 a day?!! $35,733 for merely working “about 2 days a week” a few months to help out at the Reagan School?!!! Plus-- a $49,159.50 pay for briefly working as NBC principal in the 2006-07 school year (The school closed in 2006)?!!!!!

So, under our so-called “most conservative school board in the state”, the School District has had TWO very generously paid principals working at Reagan Elementary School during the current 2006-07 school year.

And what’s being proposed now? Cutting some teaching staff, reductions in special ed., increasing athletic fees, etc.--- and we’re hearing political posturing about a tax levy freeze.

Dying in a fire is tragic, whether the person is the spouse of a County Board Supervisor, the mother of a talk-radio host--- or a retired teacher.

Former teacher Marilou Baldwin Shea, 71, perished in a fire May 19.

Today’s Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports that Shea died of soot and smoke inhalation from a fire that destroyed an 8-unit condominium in the 17600 block of W. Lincoln Ave. The fire is under investigation.
Shea reportedly taught for more than 20 years in Milwaukee public and parochial schools, before retiring in 1997. She was the mother of 5 and grandmother of 12.
She also performed as Lulu, the Clown in parades, and at nursing homes, schools, and parties.

Clearly, this remarkable woman touched the lives of many people and will be missed.

Coming up: Armed Forces Day, Veterans Memorial ceremony in New Berlin, Memorial Day, Ride for the Wheelchair Games, The 27th National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

Today, May 19, is Armed Forces Day. Reportedly, the long-awaited Veterans Memorial Statue (at the intersection of National Avenue and Casper Drive) will be unveiled today. The ceremony is at 3 o’clock. Also noteworthy, one of the biggest donations to the Veterans Memorial fund came from students attending Eisenhower ($4,500) and NB West ($1,500). What a remarkable and commendable achievement by our local young people. See Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story.

My father, father-in-law, brother and husband served our country in the Armed Forces. My eldest son is a Captain in the United States Air Force.
My husband recently retired after working over 34 years at Clement Zablocki VA Medical Center (Veterans Hospital). He and I are assisting with the upcoming Ride for the 2007 Wheelchair Games, which supports disabled veterans. We will be in the procession, too--riding our Harley "bike".

The (motorcycle) Ride is set for Sunday, June 3. Check-in is 8:30 -10:00 am at the Regional Office (VA, 5400 W. National Ave). From there, we will be riding to scenic Holy Hill and then it’s on to Heaven City Restaurant (S91 W27850 Hwy ES (National Ave) in Mukwonago for a pig roast and musical entertainment by Rock Solid. The cost is $20 per person.
This is a fun event. Hope you can join us.
I’ve heard that Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker will be participating.

The Ride will be limited to 200 motorcycles. Pre-registration is highly suggested.
To Pre-Register or for more information, call Heaven City at 262 363-5191 (after 2 pm). A signed waiver is required to participate in the Ride. Go to Heaven City web site , click on events, print out the waiver (motorcycle release form) provided and fill it out. Bring it with you to the check-in (rider and passenger must have a signed waiver to participate)

By dining at Texas Roadhouse Restaurant at 15425 W. Rock Ridge Rd., New Berlin on Monday, May 21 between 4-8 pm--- and mentioning you are there to sponsor the Veterans Wheelchair Games, you’ll be helping to raise money for the 27th National Veterans Wheelchair Games. ( Culvers Restaurant, 1641 Miller Parkway, Milwaukee held a similar fund-raiser night in early May for the Games )

My husband is one of the Wheelchair Games volunteers. The Games will be held in the Milwaukee area at various locations June 19-23. Please consider volunteering or attending the Games to cheer on the athletes.

For more information about The Ride and the 27th National Veterans Wheelchair Games see my early March blogs (March 4, 7) Click on these links to recent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel stories about the Games: May 1 news story and May 8 news story

And just a reminder: The Memorial Day observance holiday is Monday, May 28.

Our veterans deserve your support. As you can see, there are lots of opportunities to honor them and show support for those who serve or have served our country.

School district budget proposals and public officials’ actions are significant community issues, so I’ve blogged about them.

The school district budget was presented to the School Board 3 weeks ago at the April 23 Board Meeting. Board meetings regarding the budget were also held on May 7 and 14.

In his Sunday, May 13 blog, School Board Vice-President/blogger Matt Thomas offered a bunch of lame excuses for his blogging deficiencies. He blamed it on “extensive travel” with his family, participation in marathons, and that he “spoke his mind at School Board meetings”. He also stated, “I haven’t blogged about the school district budget yet because I wanted to wait to hear what other board members had to say at last Monday’s meeting.”

Hmmm. That “last” board meeting he was referring to was on May 7.

How fortunate for Thomas, who was declared bankrupt 2 years ago, that he’s got the time, money and desire to travel extensively with his family, and run in marathons.
But unfortunately for Thomas’ blog readers, communicating information about the school district budget/ proposals hasn’t been one of his priorities. He’s found the time, though, to blog on other subjects like birthday greetings, a get well message, me, etc.

Thomas asserted that he spoke his mind at School Board meetings. Oh, so when he’s with his School Board chums at meetings, he voices his opinion about budget items, but not on his blog!!!!
Apparently, Thomas needs the presence of his Board colleagues --sort of like a security blanket-- to speak candidly about the budget proposals.

Thomas’ claim that he hadn’t blogged about the district budget because he wanted to hear what other board members had to say first is such a wimpy excuse.
He wants to consult with the other board members first before speaking about the budget on his blog? Such timidity and dependence.
Is he afraid to show on his blog that other board members disagree with his ideas? Or has he just been unwilling to expose his own stances about the district spending proposals to the scrutiny of the Now blog readers?

And what a stalling ploy!
Don’t be surprised if Thomas’ blog continues to use ruses to dodge discussion of budget issues. Eventually, he may express his budget views on his blog. Hopefully, that will occur BEFORE the School Board votes on budget matters.
But don’t count on it.

Shouldn't student achievement/proficiency be a top priority for the New Berlin School District and School Board?

“Based on preliminary 2006 data our 8th grade students who score as proficient or advanced on the WKCE language arts test have decreased 13% since 2003. Preliminary data indicates that this trend will continue. It is reasonable to expect the percentage of 8th grade students who are proficient or advanced on the WKCE language arts to be less than 75%.”-----quote from the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget (under Impact Statement #10, page 13).

A DECREASE in proficiency? And that trend is expected to continue? That’s disturbing!

Yet, among the reductions (cuts) cited in the 2007-08 Budget proposals are:
Staff Development/Curriculum Development - $46,070
Textbooks- $353,860
The Budget Impact Statement conveys that this reduction eliminates the purchase of instructional materials, which include textbooks, writing, vocabulary, reading materials, etc. that will be used for implementation of (grades) 5-8 language arts curriculum (under development) scheduled to be brought to the School Board for approval in June. That curriculum’s implementation is scheduled for the 2007-08 school year.

Not surprisingly, Administration contends it will be more difficult to address the decline in 8th grade students' language arts performance without materials that support the new curriculum.
So, Administration tags this recommendation on at the end--- “Consider reinstatement of $220,000 to purchase instructional materials for the 5-8 language arts curriculum implementation and $40,000 for elementary math and science materials during the discussions prior to finalizing the 2007-08 budget.”

Ah, balance the budget by making reductions in areas like textbooks--but then ask the School Board to consider reinstating some funds before the Budget is finalized?

Click on this link: District web site for access to the NBPS Budget proposals.

The following information re: WKCE (Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations-Criterion Referenced Test) standardized testing can be found on the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction web site:
Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations - Criterion Referenced Test
At Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10
Beginning in the 2005-06 school year, the federal No Child Left Behind Act requires all states to test all students in reading and mathematics in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school (grade 10 under Wisconsin law s.118.30). These tests are referred to as the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination - Criterion-Referenced Tests (WKCE-CRT) and replace the WKCE reading and mathematics tests beginning in Fall 2005. Student performance on these assessments is reported in proficiency categories and used to determine the adequate yearly progress of students at the school, district and state levels.

Tonight’s (May 7) 7 p.m. School Board meeting agenda says: “BUDGET REVIEW AND DISCUSSION-VOTES MAY BE TAKEN ON BUDGET ITEMS”

Although the Budget was presented to the School Board two weeks ago at the April 23 Board Meeting, Matt Thomas’ blog has been silent about the proposed budget-- not even communicating which budget items he supports. And yet tonight Board members may be casting votes on budget items!!!
Thomas blogs about me, instead. Do you think that’s because Thomas considers me more important than District spending or because he wants to divert your attention?

At over $50 million, the NBPS Budget is higher than the City’s. (The City‘s 2007 Adopted Operating Budget is $31,695,384 & Capital Improvement Budget $4,730,000.) See City’s web site.

School District Business Manager Tony Goedheer actually presented two budget proposals on April 23--- The Superintendent’s recommended budget ($53,467,590) and a zero levy increase alternative ($52,485,360).
Unlike Thomas, I’ve blogged about those District Budget proposals. See my April 26 blog and May blogs.

Cuts in Middle School Sports programs are among the budget items being proposed.
How ironic. The School District chose to spend a boatload of money on FACILITIES--- including building a Field House at New Berlin West; construction of the new Reagan Elementary school, which has a HUGE gymnasium; and on razing New Berlin Center Elementary to build soccer, baseball fields.

The District Budget also states “Student fees as follows: $46 for half-day kindergarten, $91 for full day Kindergarten through Grade 6, Grade 7-8 $95, Grades 9-12 $112, Parking $200...”
Those fees are high!
By comparison, Muskego-Norway School District‘s student fees are as follows: $25 for half-day kindergarten, $45 for full-day/ elementary, $65 for grades 5-8 , $75 for grades 9-12, $15 per Art class (an elective) and Parking is $125.

New Berlin residents who send their kids to New Berlin Public Schools not only get charged higher student fees than do Muskego-Norway students/ their parents--- New Berlin District residents have been paying comparitively higher school taxes (higher tax rates) than Muskego-Norway District residents.

There’s a lot of interesting stuff in the NBPS Budget proposals--such as revenue sources, expenditures, cuts, and impact statements. Click on this link to the District’s web site

Of course, those are things School Board VP Matt Thomas should have been informing you of and discussing in his blog. But he’s been too busy attacking me and trying to distract you, parents and taxpayers.

I seem to be a favorite subject of Thomas’ blogs posted on New Berlin Now.

But have you noticed that Thomas has not blogged about the budget proposals presented by district administration at the April 23 School Board Meeting?
Isn't that an interesting omission by the School Board Vice-President/blogger---a man, who calls himself a “fiscal conservative”?!!!

Where's his focus? During the past 11 days ( April 23 through 9 pm today, May 4) Thomas has posted only 2 blog entries on New Berlin Now: his April 23 rant about me and April 30 Happy Birthday message to his dad

The birthday greeting to his father was quite brief. Thomas has devoted considerably more blog space to ranting about me.

People tell me that Thomas is fixated or obsessed with me-- he blogs about me so much.
Initially, I dismissed the idea, thinking it was mere exaggeration.
But then I checked Thomas’ New Berlin Now blogs.
I discovered that 18 of them refer to me by name. In fact, my name appears in the title of several. Moreover, Thomas’ blogs mention my name over 100 times !!!
That preoccupation seems excessive--particularly since I am not a politician, candidate, government employee/official, pro athlete or entertainment celebrity. My School Board term ended 5 years ago.

It’s evident that Thomas thinks (and blogs) about me a lot anyway. I suppose that’s flattering, but it’s a bit creepy, too.
I suspect his constituents would prefer that he focus on district educational issues and the budget, instead.

The New Berlin School District has revamped its web site. Take a peek at the site’s colorful new look and updated format.

Getting online access to the 2007-08 budget information, which is posted on the site, can be a little tricky. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to open the PDF files.
However, if you don’t already have it, directions for installing Adobe Acrobat Reader are provided on the district web site.

So, check it out. Both the Superintendent’s recommended budget, and the zero levy increase budget option appear on the new District web site.
Note the proposed cuts, expenditures and impact statements of the budgetary proposals.

Start by clicking on the link above or typing in the web address www.nbps.k12.wi.us.
Find the Board of Education listing on the site’s homepage. Then click on budget information (which appears in the box next to it, on the right) or click here

The two budget proposals were presented at the April 23 School Board Meeting. For more information about it, see my previous blog Reagan School/Chess & NBPS Budget

How wonderful to see the community rally last Saturday (April 28) to support the family of New Berlin resident Tracy Sommer, who has cancer.
Kudos to the thoughtful group of Poplar Creek School moms, who took the initiative to organize a benefit to aid Tracy’s family.

The Sommer Family Benefit was a remarkable event full of activities, including a yummy pancake breakfast, silent auction with many items, bake sale, games, entertainment, and martial arts demonstration.

It was heartening that so many caring and generous folks contributed time and/or money to help the Sommer family, and made the benefit such a big success.