FREE WHITEWATER

School District

Whitewater’s Educational Focus

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…

The Better, Reasoned Approach on ACT Scores

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…

Checklist for Evaluating a School Budget Referendum

1.  There’s time to evaluate a proposal.  The November election isn’t far, but it’s not tomorrow, either.  There’s time for a careful assessment.  2.  Numbers, Figures, Results, Metrics.  Information should be presented fairly, and in context.  Old Whitewater has the mental tic of wanting to look good, regardless of whether performance is good.  They’re not…

Whitewater’s ACT Scores and Participation Rates

Last week, I wrote about the lower number of students who were taking the ACT at Whitewater High School.  Although the scores are higher, fewer students are taking the test.  That’s to the credit of students taking the test (and those teaching them), but it’s an unfavorable sign for the district. See, What’s Being Done is…

The Visigoths Who Love Music

It was quite some time ago that the Visigoths sacked Rome, acquiring thereafter (if not before) a bad reputation.  It’s safe to say that whatever challenges Whitewater faces do not involve rampaging hordes seeking to overturn our social order.  We’ve had parents protesting over possible budget cuts, to music or other programs. You’ll see below,…

A Whitewater Schools 2014 Referendum (Quick Politics of It All )

The Whitewater Schools will likely vote to exceed revenue-caps by something over a million dollars a year for four years.  The proposal is in response to projected structural deficits of about a million-and-a-half dollars.  A formal vote is yet ahead, and beyond that there are details and justifications to consider.  It’s reasonable to review all…

The Bigger the Project, the Greater the Need for Substantive Justifications

It seems – to most people, I’d guess – that to say ‘the bigger the project, the greater the need for substantive justifications’ is simply reasonable and practical.  In almost all public efforts, municipalities, school districts, and other public bodies should Lead Substantively, and Support Fiscally.  The best way to win big is usually a…

The Whitewater Schools’ Recent Budget Cuts

I wrote last week about proposed budget cuts in the Whitewater Unified School District.  (See, The Whitewater Schools’ Budget Cuts.) Since that post, the WUSD School Board met Monday, and following that contentious meeting made modifications to proposed cuts on Wednesday afternoon.  (At each stage of this process, proposed cuts have been in the aggregate…

Note on the Whitewater Schools’ Budget Cuts

I’ve received emails asking if I’ll comment on the Monday, April 28th WUSD board meeting, during which dozens of residents spoke in person about proposed budget cuts (among other topics).  I will write about the meeting and cuts, but I’ll wait to see if the district’s board modifies the current proposal.  There’s a lot to…

The Whitewater Schools’ Budget Cuts

Whitewater, and many other public schools, this spring find themselves cutting local budgets, and reducing employment to do so.  Neither state reductions to collective bargaining nor successful local spending referenda in Whitewater and other communities were able to offset the need for subsequent cuts. A few remarks on policy and politics: 1.  The Center Fails…