Today is the first of a series of posts about the upcoming, contested WUSD board elections. Three candidates are running for two seats: Kelly Davis, Dan McCrea, and Jim Stewart. In today’s post, I’ll summarize some of my own views. (I’ve been direct these last several years; it makes sense to state one’s convictions plainly,…
School District
Education, Elections, School District
The Whitewater School Board Candidates
by JOHN ADAMS • • 1 Comment
In a community that sees too few contested races, in a time when educational policy is under debate across Wisconsin, the Whitewater Schools have three candidates contesting two open school board seats. I’ve been following this election (as longtime readers would expect), and I’ll post about all three candidates – Kelly Davis, Dan McCrea, and…
Assault Awareness & Prevention, City, Culture, Education, Elections, Law, Local Government, Politics, School District, University, Waste Digesters
Policy Topics for the Spring
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
In October 2014, I wrote about Four Public Topics for the Fall. They seemed to be the city’s prominent public policy questions, looking ahead from 10.20.14. Those topics were (1) the 2015 City of Whitewater budget, (2) Whitewater Schools referendum, (3) UW-Whitewater’s social relations, and the (4) City of Whitewater’s waste digester proposal. Now, as…
City, Local Government, School District, University
The Power of Evaluating Simply
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
A woman walks into a retailer, to buy a new computer. She’s an architect, and her needs are like any capable member of that uncommon profession. Her computer should be able to manage large files and demanding software, with a few accessories she already has in mind. Those needs are specific to an architect’s work,…
Corporate Welfare, Education, Gov. Walker, Government Spending, Innovation Center/Tech Park, Labor, Liberty, Local Government, School District, University, WEDC, Wisconsin
Education: Substance & Spending
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Following comments to yesterday’s post on proposed cuts to the UW System schools (Caution arrives late, doesn’t recognize its surroundings), here are nine quick comments about education. 1. Act 10 as a budgetary tool. This centrally-planned idea didn’t work. Reductions in public-union bargaining powers in exchange for the ‘tools’ to balance school and other public…
City, Culture, Local Government, New Whitewater, Politics, School District, University
Whitewater’s Near Future Depends on What Year It Is Now
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Local Government, School District
Mediocrity’s Overweening Sense of Entitlement
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Officials, candidates, and political parties are – and should be – free to choose and act accordingly. What they shouldn’t be – and in Whitewater will not be – is free to act merely on their own terms, without question or comment. Want to run for office? Good luck. Want to hold office? Best wishes.…
City, Elections, Politics, School District
Thoughts on the 11.4.14 Election
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Whitewater will not see an election so big as last night’s for another two years’ time. There’s much to consider about the results. A few remarks appear below, along with a table using preliminary, unofficial data from Walworth, Rock, and Jefferson Counties with results for the referendum and gubernatorial questions. COUNTY COMMUNITY REFERENDUM YES REFERENDUM…
Education, New Whitewater, School District
Whitewater Educational Referendum Post 3: An Invitation
by JOHN ADAMS • • 6 Comments
Elections, School District
Whitewater Educational Referendum Post 2: Local Campaign
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
There are a few aspects of the referendum campaign that stand out. Here are five notable characteristics of the local campaign: 1. No organized opposition. There’s no organized opposition to the budget referendum. None at all. There is a district campaign on the referendum’s behalf and a tandem Whitewater YES effort among some residents, but…
Elections, School District
Whitewater Educational Referendum Post 1: Overall Politics
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
This is the first of three posts on the Whitewater Educational Referendum. In this post, I’ll look at the overall political climate for the referendum, one week out from the election. There are three key considerations for the referendum, but only two of them are commonly discussed. 1. The gubernatorial election looks to be close.…
Politics, Poll, School District
The 9.17.14 Marquette Law School Poll (and Our Schools Referendum)
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
Charles Franklin’s latest Marquette Law School Poll is out today, with polling on the governor’s race, attorney general’s race, and on several key political issues. Although the Wisconsin gubernatorial election is a huge topic within the state, there’s not much polling on it beyond the Marquette Poll. The poll has its critics, too. Democrat Ed…
Education, School District
Whitewater’s Educational Focus
by JOHN ADAMS • • Comments
It’s perfectly reasonable to choose from among many diverse occupations. Location makes a difference in these choices: students in desert communities don’t dream of becoming local fishermen. For Whitewater, while there’s sure to be more than one career path, it’s practical and reasonable to contend that a university town should encourage a university education as…
Education, School District
The Better, Reasoned Approach on ACT Scores
by JOHN ADAMS • • 2 Comments
There’s been ongoing discussion about the ACT test results at our high school. Among a smaller percentage of students, those scores are higher over these last two years. That’s good news for those who actually took the test. Results require a context; the fitting context for scores is the participation rate of students taking a…