Essay: School budget statement

I delivered the following statement to regional news media regarding the adoption of the Eau Claire Area School District 2018-19 Budget. One of the core functions of our legislative body laid out in statute. And one which are names are forever attached with.
First I want to express my appreciation to our staff and our Budget Development Committee for their thoughtful and diligent efforts on this year’s budget. While it is not perfect, this 142.7-million-dollar budget meets the educational needs of our students and it expands opportunities in our district.
“The budget of a school district is one of great importance, and in my view, is the most important budget in one’s community. And that’s not just because our budget is larger than the city, county, university or technical college. That is because, since public schools were first built in our community over 160 years ago, public schools have served as the cornerstone of this region’s very foundation. And as the great equalizer of our community.”
And the job of “great equalizer” has changed immensely since our schools first opened. We are an increasingly diverse school district. We have over 11,300 precious young individuals in our buildings, with a diversity of gifts and backgrounds that make us strong.
They come from all races and religions. Some students are indigenous to this land, while some are spending their first school year on our shores. We serve students of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Some are from well-off families, and others struggle to make ends meet. Some have experienced unspeakable trauma and are incredibly resilient in their daily decision to simply attend school. Some have 504 plans or IEPs. Many speak English as their first language; but others are just learning. Those English Learners and their families speak dozens of different languages. And all our students bring their own unique mix of aspirations and abilities. Our challenge and our constitutional obligation—and one I am proud to say we are meeting—is to serve each and every one of them.
That is the miracle of what we do as public schools. And the miracle of principle, policy and practice that this budget presents. Albeit, an imperfect miracle. Sometimes a messy miracle. But a miracle nonetheless.
While the state and federal governments have abdicated many of their obligations to our public schools, from adequate special education funding to an equitable aid formula, to increased preemption laws and unfunded mandates, I remain incredibly thankfulfor our local community. Who, since 1993, have raised taxes on themselves multiple times to help our school district survive.
I am proud of how transparent our budget and reconciliation process is, as we have worked to democratize the process of preparing and adopting our budget. And increasing opportunities for public discussion and input about issues of school funding and the choices we must make. And ultimately, choices that equip us to best meet the needs of our students and staff.
And as a district, we do that by carefully leveraging every single dollar we receive from the State of Wisconsin, our local community, the federal government, and other sources.
This year, we are absorbing some big funding cuts at the federal level and approaching investments in a goals-focused way, so that we can deliver on the biggest needs and meet the needs of the whole child.
The resulting proposal builds on funding all the existing programs and services that already have our students on the road to success. And it maintains our commitment to long-term debt retirement. It will continue our commitment to closing the persistent performance gaps that separate different student groups nationwide. We have lots more to do. This proposal assures sustainable funding to support student career pathways, and to provide specialty opportunities for both career and college-bound students. It provides for staff professional development that promotes Professional Learning Communities and building cultural competency.
From pre-K and full-day kindergarten, to help for English Learners, and teaching future ready skills, this proposed budget continues to fund the foundations of our success. That’s costly, but we’ve got it covered. Additionally, the budget covers our commitment to continuous improvement and increased support to ensure that our students and staff are in safe and supportive learning environments.
That means we need to invest—to the extent that funding allows—in filling critical needs that better serve our students and community. And it means having the very best teachers, administrators, and other staff committed to our students and our mission.
That’s why this proposed budget continues our commitment that provides for step increases and salary movement for eligible teachers and employees. In incorporates the reclassifications of various positions in the district, impacting 35 employees – all thanks to the diligent efforts of our Human Resources and Payroll department and a process that our board approved two years ago. And it includes funding for our mentorship program and supports efforts like Educators Rising.
These investments can help us to turn promising students into great teachers. And helps us keep those great teachers in our district. And these investments are also helping to cultivate employees in our district that become inspired to propose their own ideas and solutions as change agents. One such example is a North High School teacher, Renee Morehead – who was empowered by our district through these kinds of programs and, starting next semester, will be teaching our brand new course at the high school level – Introduction to Teacher Education. This collaboratively designed course will also be transcripted for college credit.
These are the kinds of investments that will keep us competitive and continue to build a district that is vibrant and innovative. That’s vital as we work to attract and hold on to all the very best people to educate and support our students on their path to success.
All in all, we have not scrimped on meeting the needs of our students. That’s why this budget continues to affirm our district’s commitment to over 115 new and ongoing major initiatives that meet our five major goals.
I hope it’s clear that we built this budget proposal on the essentials needed to continue service to our students, staff, and community. The enhancements I’ve detailed, as well as many others, bring the total for next year’s budget to over 142.7 million dollars.
We heard priorities from School Board members, the community, family surveys, and especially, from the people who do the work within our departments and with the students we serve.
It is important for the public to realize that while a referendum was passed in November 2016, we still remain funded below the state average. And we would be in a much more difficult situation if the referendum had not been passed. This year we had to cope with millions in reductions in specific areas like federal funding and our local tax levy. Our revenue has not increased at a pace to keep up with our mandated costs. Despite all of this, we are adopting a budget that does meet needs moving forward. That is a testament to our efficiency — but also to the need for new resources.
I don’t need to recount the past decades of disinvestment and frankly the toll that it’s taken in districts like ours. As school district leaders, we have faced impossible tradeoffs and questions to answer, like:
-What maintenance do we put off, hoping it holds another year?
-Which programs, courses, or staff do we eliminate or refine to make ends meet?
-How many kids can we place in a classroom before we compromise their ability to learn?
-Which schools do we close?
Today in Wisconsin, when you adjust to inflation we’re spending less on our public schools than we did eight years ago ‑ putting us below the national average, and these choices have consequences.
You know, we serve hundreds of English learners ‑ and that number is growing. They should be a priority. But state aid to help them learn and succeed has been flat for over a decade while obviously costs continue to increase.
We serve students with visible and invisible disabilities in every school in the district. They should be our priority. But the state’s primary special education aid has been frozen for over a decade, and now covers only a quarter of required costs. Local schools are left to somehow figure it out and make up the difference. And all the while, while we receive a reimbursement rate of 26% for such costs, the special needs private school voucher program receives a reimbursement rate of 90%. And in this budget alone, there are increased needs for special education to the tune of a ten percent increase in costs – around 2.3 million dollars. And such investments are simply not an option. It’s the law. That is just one area where our revenue does not keep pace with mandates.
Needs like this have lead us to go into our reserve fund balance for this year’s budget, which will cause us to be left with a fund balance of just over 22.1 million dollars. And while that may seem like a lot of money to the public, the fund balance is not simply liquid assets, and this change will lead us to have a fund balance that is below the recommended range from our auditor. Which is not ideal.
So – we are not where we want, or need, to be.
There is clearly much more we would like to do, and a different place that we would like to be. But ultimately, this budget balances the countless different programs and services that different people want… with the hard reality of what we need to deliver for everyone. And we will deliver.
Moving forward, we will continue to advocate for new opportunities and look at things in a different way. We will continue to refine our system and budgetary practices to identify areas for streamlined services, cost-savings, or government efficiencies.
Once such area is the installation of fiber optic cabling between all of our active sites, an investment in core technological infrastructure that will provide a return on investment within 3 and a half years and will provide great savings and efficiencies for our district.
We will explore and identify opportunities for revenue and third source funding that are innovative and transformative. We will continue to advocate at the state level for increased funding and an equitable system that supports investments in and the empowerment of local school districts.
Because ultimately, we are here to serve our students;
To recruit and retain the very best teachers and staff;
And, most of all to open the door to unlimited opportunities for the future of our children and our community.
I do feel hope tonight and moving forward.
I feel hope that we can be a school district that thrives and not just survives.
I am hopeful because of our leadership on the board and our open minds to new ideas.
I feel hope because of our students and staff. And the ingenuity and imagination that they bring to our district every day. My sincere hope is that we can “tap into” this brain-trust even more.
Working together with all hands on deck, I know that we can continue to expand and grow a sustainable district that provides a world-class education and is a place where knowledge and inspiration meet to create the future. This budget continues that work, and we have much more to embark on.