Public Hearing Storm

Okay, I'm trying to be clever, I admit. But when I was at the meeting, I was keeping an eye on the radar, too.


Several times during the evening, President Peter Blewitt read the names and comments of people who are in favor of raising the school board portion of the tax levy to the limit. That is so encouraging. Many interesting points were made during the testimony.

Several people spoke on behalf of finding ways to retain as many educational assistants as possible. Up to 200 (?!?) might be laid off if the budget passes as it is currently written. These people work closely with our students and have a real pulse on the kids. One speaker, Mike Langyel (MTEA vice president) mentioned that when he started student teaching, the educational assistants were the most helpful. I had similar experiences when I started at my first school, come to think of it.

A few educational assistants spoke on behalf of themselves and their colleagues. These are people who love their jobs and work VERY hard, are paid poorly, and yet come to work daily. One speaker was in tears as she gave her testimony to the Board.

We need to remember that the educational assistants are often parents, guardians, and grandparents in Milwaukee Public Schools. They already don't get paid much. We would be shooting ourselves in the foot by cutting jobs--now we have more kids even closer to poverty. It's really basic economics.

Of course, was testimony regarding the need for art and music in schools and for smaller class sizes. I felt good about the conversations we had Thursday night. The outpouring in favor of our students was positive and needed. What will be interesting is how the Board responds.

Director Falk commented that even if they did raise the tax levy, they don't know what they would actually be allowed to collect--there clearly are parts of the tax law that I do not understand. I also don't like the attitude implied: "We don't know what to do..." seems to be what I hear.

I took a longer look at the MPS line item budget, and I don't know what to do, either, but I might have a few questions: Why do some employees get car allowances? Why does the school board need $20,000 for travel (where are they going)? Is it possible that the district could look for ways to save energy (turn off some lights district wide, turn up the air and turn down the heat in Central Services)? What are the "consumables" I see for many of the departments? I'm just asking.

Anyway, I look forward with hope to the decisions that might come from the meeting on Thursday the 19th. Remember, if you have not been to a board meeting, you can still contact your school board member!