Parent
Teacher Student Association/ Council Meeting November
16, l999
Washington
School.
Present:
Jill Giddings, Mike O’ Maera, Barb Reusch, Colette Sweich, Carol
Weston, Bill Hetler, Wendy Berg, Megan Sniegowski, Judy Pflugradt, Will
Stites, Sally Overholt, Alice Nulsen, Shirley Winters, Ray Cal, Rosan Zahn,
Ed Morganrath,
Renae Sheibley,
Michele Bjella, Sue Volland, Julie Steffy, Kathy Hoffman, Susan
Zach, Pete Werner, Paul Mertz and Dave Lockett.
The
meeting commenced at 7:05 p.m.
·
PTSA reports: Santha Bickford from Jackson and Sue hall from
Bannach will receive
outstanding teacher of the year nominations.
·
PTSA treasurer’s report was approved, with a balance of
$3,l03.23.
·
September PTSA minutes were unanimously approved.
·
Council
minutes were
unanimously approved.
·
Council treasurer’s report was approved, with a balance of
$360.20
President
Carol Weston
encouraged those interested to consider attending the following
upcoming conferences:
(some stipend money is available from
PTSA)
Institute for Wisconsin’s Future Summit on spending Caps (Dec 4,
10 –12
a.m. -)
Wisconsin PTA Legislative Conference 2000 (Jan. 27, 2000- 8-4:00)
–
Madison
Bully Prevention program, Dec. 10, 12 – 2:00 p.m.- Madison –
Wisconsin’s Children’s council)
Committee
Reports and Business
·
PTSA membership – please renew your yearly membership to PTA
·
Reflections Program applications for PTA’s cultural arts program
have been distributed – please call Michele at 345-9779 if you wish
registration materials.
·
Call for PTSA Officers for 2000-2001: Weston completes her term as
of 2000.
Nomination for new offices for the 2000-2002 board
will take place at the February 2000 meeting.
·
The next quarterly meeting of the PTSA / Council
is set for
Monday,
February
21, at 7 p.m. – Jefferson Elementary hosting
Stevens
Point School District Budget Cuts
Carol
presented a 2000-2001 Budget Adjustment proposal received from Stevens
Point Public Schools. Possibilities of how this proposal or others would
look were discussed at length. Board members in attendance attempted to
clarify specific items within the proposed cuts. These included:
-
the possibility of purchase of a “movable boiler system “ for
Emerson School, if there was an effort to save the infrastructure
-
The possibility that students from the Alternative high school
program might be housed at SPASH
from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.
-
The floor buckling at P.J. Jacobs was discussed and M. O’Maera
mentioned it is not an imminent threat to safety, but will need
replacement.
The
deficit amount currently being looked at was estimated at $787,000
according to the proposal being sent to the B.O.E.
In order to meet that, the proposal calls for:
·
Reduction of high school graduation requirements from 23.5 to the
state requirement of 22.5, by eliminating one Social studies course.
(savings not stated).
·
Change the structure of the 9 –12th grade day – keep
the eighth period structure but ninth graders would loose one class and
take a study hall in its place. 9 –12th grades would take no
more then 7 classes per semester.
·
Reduce some elementary staff by 4
positions – natural attrition ($160, 000) (comment that even with
the SAGE grant class size is just being held down)
·
Reduce E.S.L. by 1.4 positions ($65,000)
·
Reduction in administrative position (a change from the earlier
proposal to $50,000)
·
Reduce Appendix B
-
drop 8th grade basketball, drop 8th gr. Football,
drop 8th gr. Soccer
-drop 8th gr. Volleyball, drop eighth gr. track
Discussion
of the cutting of Appendix B
(Student Council, debate, Drama clubs and Athletics) with a $1.3
million dollar budget occurred. It could involve Marching band, Pep band,
7th gr. Basketball, volleybalfootball and eighth gr. soccer and
dropping the asst.
Athletic director’s position.
Carol
asked for feedback on the above. Specific ideas and/or recommendations
from the group were:
-
Hetler called for a budget information meeting to lay out specific
expenditures,
in relation to custodial work, for example. Per Board members that
budget has been
subjected to repeated review.
-Look
at transportation cuts
-Look
at custodial schedule
Strategic
Plans:
Dave
Lockett suggested we move forward with plans for the upcoming referenda.
After discussion, the following were proposed:
·
Obtaining demographics information to help the committee
look at the Voters Distribution, beginning with a sample of 500, followed
by a phone campaign, given a possible Jan. referenda.
(District can hire to get informational work done involved in the
demographics )
·
Paul Mertz and others provided many tactical suggestions, to help
maximize our efforts, including finding out the majority of “Yes”
voters. Others wished to know more about the ‘no’ vote viewpoint.
·
Consider personal contacts – coffee cloches and an organized
neighborhood canvas with an accompanying simple informational pamphlet.
·
The hiring of a knowledgeable P.R. person who can advocate.
·
Political and Business leaders speaking out in support of the
needs.
·
Getting Student Council’s (SPASH) help in the effort.
Discussion
followed on why the referenda of Nov. failed. Carol Weston urged
individuals to telephone Board of Ed. Members regarding the cut and M.
O’Maera encouraged people to personally speak to the members as voter
constituents.
Carol
will send phone #s to all those on the listserve.
Scott
Schultz: 341-3318
Mary
Thurmaier: 341-1387
Kate
Wichman: 345-o681
Deb
Wilz: 341-4173
Ray
Haas: 342-2216
Diana
McGinney: 342-94210
Leroy
Heiser: 342-6269
Plans
were made for a few members of the group to address the next B.O.E.
meeting on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.
A
follow-up meeting of PTSA/Council for the Referenda is scheduled for:
Nov. 23, 7 p.m. – at Washington School
Meeting
adjourned at 9:40 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Michele
Bjella, Secretary
11/22/99
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