2011-03-10 Lake Geneva News

Lake Geneva avoids teacher, staff layoffs

Concessions lead to necessary budgetary reductions

HOW WALKER'S BUDGET AFFECTS SCHOOLS - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has said his budget and repair bills are an effort to deal with the state's $3.6 billion deficit. He has called the state broke, citing $60 million owed to Minnesota, $200 million to a compensation fund and Medicaid's $153 million deficit. His plan: n Reduces equalization aid by $749.4 million n Reduces school district revenue limits per pupil by 5.5 percent below the amounts from 2010-11. Those revenue limits will be maintained the following school year as well. n Extends deadline to apply under open enrollment program for public schools and virtual charter schools to the end of April. Along with these items in the budget, Walker's proposed repair bill virtually eliminates collective bargaining for most public union employees, including teachers. Walker has said that stipulation allows the local governments and school boards the tools to deal with the reductions in state aids. As of Tuesday, neither Walker's budget or repair bill has been approved. Fourteen state senators, all Democrats, left the state after his budget repair bill proposal and have not returned. The senate needs one of those senators to return to be able to vote on the bills.

March 09, 2011 | 08:48 AM

Leaders in the Lake Geneva Schools have done what many other district officials in Wisconsin dream of being able to do.

Last week, Lake Geneva teachers, support staff and administrators agreed to a two-year wage freeze and to pay more for their pensions and health insurance in exchange for the likelihood that there will be no layoffs or reduction in programming in the 2011-12 school year.

With Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget cuts and repair bill looming, Lake Geneva teachers and staff agreed to reopen their contracts. The negotiations took about two weeks to complete.

"We feel we are in a really good place," Lake Geneva Schools Business Manager Warren Flitcroft said Monday. "We took the approach that we needed to deal with this and get after it."

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Walker's proposed budget lowers the district's revenues by 5.5 percent of what is spent per student. However, Flitcroft said another part of Walker's budget ensures the district will lose only 10 percent of state aid. In recent years, the district has lost higher percentages of those funds, which led to tax increases.

Badger High School's revenue decrease per student is expected to result in a loss of about $900,000, while the Joint 1 Elementary District will lose at least $1.2 million, according to Flitcroft. The districts receive a combined $8 million in state aid.

"We calculated and came up with an amount of dollars we needed to make the numbers work and went forward with that," Flitcroft said. "We talked to the boards and we had timelines. They had a choice, either layoffs or concessions. We gave them their choice. They wanted to open the contracts and renegotiate so there would be no layoffs."

Lake Geneva District Administrator Jim Gottinger said without concessions, he wasn't sure how many teachers and staff would have been laid off. But, it apparently would have been significant.

"That could have had a detrimental affect on educational services at the schools," Gottinger said.

Flitcroft said the changes will affect the bottom line for teachers and staff by about 5- to 8-percent, but it was the best alternative administration could come up with.

"This is going to have an affect on everyone's pocket book," Gottinger said. "But, it is my job to make sure we have the best education and this was the best route to accomplish that."

The teachers, support staff and administrators all are doing the same thing with their benefits and salaries, Flitcroft said.

Gottinger said 7 or 8 percent out of a paycheck is better than no paycheck at all, which appeared to be the opinion of most involved in the negotiations.

Flitcroft said the taxpayers of the districts should be happy next year.

"When the taxpayers get their bill, I think they will have a decent sized reduction," Flitcroft said. "The cut in revenue limits well exceeded the state aid losses."

Gottinger said negotiations with the teachers and staff were "not adversarial" in any way.

"We all wanted to find a solution to this problem," he said.

He said school districts are dealing with the budget crunch and Walker's proposals in different ways, but in general those in education are worried about the long-term effects on the field.

Gottinger said he was pleased an agreement could be reached so quickly.

"A number of people feel the profession is under attack and I don't think that's right," Gottinger said.

He admitted the past few weeks, which included local teachers traveling to Madison after school and during weekends to join the protests at the Capitol, have taken a toll on the schools, teachers and administrators. An effort to reach a local teacher union representative was unsuccessful by press time.

"I hope it's not reflected in the classroom," Gottinger said of the budget situation. "It has been a difficult time."

"I am real pleased with the board and the staff," Flitcroft said. "Everyone came together for the community and the kids."

Feedback

Nice Job
March 09, 2011 | 11:05 AM

Thank you employees. This could have been a reduction in courses offered....Its the high road you are taking here. You have shown that you mean it when you say children first.

BHS Parent
Lake Geneva
March 11, 2011 | 03:33 PM

I would certainly hope that those of us in the community who have been so vocal on the issue these last three weeks take the time to thank some of the same teachers that have been the subject of such abuse in the media. In his effort to sell his side of the issue (successfully, mind you) Governor Walker took considerable time and effort to paint these people as valueless. These hardworking public servants took abuse, stayed in their classrooms, had salary they chose to defer taken from them while the Governor told the rest of us that it was ours to take, and agreed to pay freezes for the next two years. Hmmmm. Maybe our Governor was wrong. Maybe they do live "just like us in the private sector."

Cen-Den. Parent
Re: Cen-Den Parent
March 11, 2011 | 04:34 PM

I am tired of some of the same, false comments being made repeatedly to reinforce one's beliefs. Gov. Walker has repeatedly, day after day, press conference after press conference, on each appearance on tv/radio stated how proud he was and how much it was appreciated that those public workers including teachers were at their jobs each and every day throughout this debate (contrary to the "missing 14"). While other groups and others have made disparaging remarks on both sides of the issue, Gov. Walker has NEVER painted these teachers as "valueless". As for taking money from these hardworking public servants' salaries, let us remember where that money is derived from...the pockets of the taxpayers of Wisconsin. By providing their share of insurance and pension benefits, there is a measurable relief from the amount that the State needs to provide whether directly through salary and pension or indirectly through school district and municipality funding. Furthermore, while i have a great deal of respect for many teachers who work to develop and educate our youth, I also have a lot of respect for those people that choose to drive trucks and buses, choose to work in a warehouse or manufacturing plant, or take the initiative to start-up their own small business. The pedistal that these teachers are put on should be expanded to include anyone that puts in a hard days' work for a fair wage.

Bill
Lake Geneva
March 11, 2011 | 04:59 PM

RE: Bill

I think we are in agreement on the value of the public sector as a whole. Keep in mind that you were reading an article about the teacher's union in Lake Geneva. I chose to stay on subject and in doing so was not intending to reflect poorly on truck drivers, bus drivers, or any of the other one million jobs that were not referenced in the article you chose to comment on. If you feel that the Republican machine with Governor Walker didn't attempt a smeer campaign in an effort to sell their point, then I would hate to be there when you find out about Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. I know, it shocked me too. The Unions made it look like the end of the world, the Republicans made people believe that public sectors steal from taxpayers, and the truth sits somewhere in the middle. Where their income comes from is the real issue. They will always be looked at as making "too much" because its your tax dollars. When their is a $3Billion dollar deficit we make up a third of it from education. Because it was teachers who posed as brokers on Wall St. and caused this. When the economy is booming they don't reap the same rewards because they can't take merit pay from tax dollars like bonusses or increased sales/commissions that the private sector gets. Interesting how the only time public sectors should be treated like the rest of us is when we are all suffering.

Cen. Den. Parent
RE: Cen-Den Parent
March 11, 2011 | 10:33 PM

I am tired of hearing the never ending boo hooing about the teachers and other public sector workers having to pay into their own benefits because their take home pay will be smaller and their families will suffer. I say to them welcome to the real world where there are no free lunches as I have always been told. Maybe now the public sector workers will have more respect for us lowly little private sector people down here who have paid their wages and benefits all the while we are losing our jobs, bemefits, homes, cars, insurance, food, etc.
You made the following comment.
"When the economy is booming they don't reap the same rewards because they can't take merit pay from tax dollars like bonusses or increased sales/commissions that the private sector gets."
That maybe true but under this bill public workers can still negotiate their pay increases. I have worked in the private sector all my life and I can't negotiate pay increases. Plus I have rarely ever gotten a merit raise or Bonus. In fact over the last 20 years count them now 20 years I have only received 3 raises in pay. That comes to 1 every 7 years and for every raise my share of the benefit cost went up more than my raise and if that wasn't enough my taxes went every year to cover those pay increases and benefit increases for the public sector workers who got them thru negotiation. How many raises and increases in benefits have the public sector workers received over that same period of time? I didn't see any public sector workers or unions stepping up and turning down any increase in pay and benefits. While my pay stayed stagnant over this time my taxes kept going up to cover the public sectors pay raises and increased benefits. At the same time I lost my benefits and my job and I am now facing losing my home. Where is the sympathy for me and others like me from the public sector? We get YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO HANDLE MONEY AND YOU SHOULDN'T BUY WHAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD. I never had my money long enough to mishandle it because it was deducted in taxes. So don't hand me this dyer situation for the teachers or public workers. It doesn't hold water.
I applaud the Governor and legislature for what they did because now the cost of paying for the public workers will be reduced and it will loosen the tight grip on hiring. Thus creating jobs for us poor slobs at the bottom. The only reason the Democratic Senators are really pissed off right now is because they were out maneuvered legally. Don't tell me they wouldn't have done the same thing if the shoe was on the other foot. Just look at Obamacare how quickly that had to be passed and was rammed thru congress.

Local Resident Which One?
March 12, 2011 | 07:43 AM

Re: Bill

I'll end my side of this debate with sympathy for your plight. Many of us are in that situation. I am a struggling small business owner myself. However, making everyone else as miserable as you doesn't fix the problem. Raising eachother up would be another option.

If I can stick to just the facts though, what does the fact that you received three raises over the last twenty years tells me that there may be a lack of accountablility on someone's part. The economy was booming for ten of those. That wasn't a public workers fault. You were involved with a poor company or demonstrated habits not worthy of a raise.

I'm done with this discussion. Your miserable about a hard life. For that I'm sorry. When I have a hard time I try to make it better and it very rarely involves kicking a dog or stealing a kids candy. Accountability on all sides of this issue are necessary.

Cen Den Parent (retired from letter writing)
March 12, 2011 | 07:43 AM

Re: Bill

I'll end my side of this debate with sympathy for your plight. Many of us are in that situation. I am a struggling small business owner myself. However, making everyone else as miserable as you doesn't fix the problem. Raising eachother up would be another option.

If I can stick to just the facts though, what does the fact that you received three raises over the last twenty years tells me that there may be a lack of accountablility on someone's part. The economy was booming for ten of those. That wasn't a public workers fault. You were involved with a poor company or demonstrated habits not worthy of a raise.

I'm done with this discussion. Your miserable about a hard life. For that I'm sorry. When I have a hard time I try to make it better and it very rarely involves kicking a dog or stealing a kids candy. Accountability on all sides of this issue are necessary.

Cen Den Parent (retired from letter writing)

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