Dr. Suzanne Zentner will leave the Whitewater Unified School District to take an educational position in Arizona: It is with mixed emotions that I have decided to leave my position here, as I feel we have just begun in many ways. So many of you have made such deep impressions on me, warmly welcoming me…
School District
Economy, Government Spending, Liberty, School District
Extended Contracts for the Whitewater School District
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over a month ago, I wrote a first take on the politics of cuts to state shared revenue. See, Cuts to State Shared Revenue: Whitewater’s Politics of It All (First Take). Much has happened since then. Of the school district, I noted previously that There are so many better and higher tasks than labor disputes,…
City, Education, Government Spending, Politics, School District
State Aid to Cites, Schools Sure to Dry Up
by JOHN ADAMS •
Walker did offer a fuller rationale for his insistence on stripping public employees of their collective bargaining rights. “You’re going to see major cuts in local government,” he said of his upcoming budget, now set to be unveiled March 1. He argued that the only way he can ensure these cuts do not lead to…
School District
Two Hundred Thirty-Two
by JOHN ADAMS •
Education, School District
Charter Schools Naturally Depend on Sound Charters
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve been asked about a charter school for my small town. Whitewater, Wisconsin may have a public charter school next year. The Whitewater Unified School District received a grant for planning, and may receive additional funding for a school. See, Whitewater charter school on track for 2011. Charter schools typically have support across politics, and…
Laws/Regulations, School District
Wisconsin’s Law on ‘Raced-Based’ School Mascots
by JOHN ADAMS •
Several public schools in Wisconsin have mascots named after Indian tribes, or famous tribal leaders. I’m am neither a supporter nor an opponent of those mascots’ nicknames. Communities in Wisconsin should be free to decide for themselves what they’d like to call their teams. They may choose wisely, they may chose foolishly, but it should…
Government Spending, School District, Taxes/Taxation
An Exercise in Allocating Responsibility
by JOHN ADAMS •
A woodworker builds and sells birdhouses. He gathers materials, maintains a shop, and makes a few at a time for display and sale. To advertise his trade, he puts a sign in the window of the workshop: REASONABLY-PRICED BIRDHOUSES FROM A LOCALLY-OWNED AND OPERATED WORKSHOP ONLY $29.95 EACH A customer visits the shop, takes a…
Government Spending, School District, Taxes/Taxation
An Exercise in Moderation
by JOHN ADAMS •
A man walks into a restaurant, and orders seven cheeseburgers for dinner. Still hungry an hour later, he orders eight more. After just another hour, he looks into his wallet, and sees that he has enough money to order yet nine more. He motions to the waiter, and prepares to order nine burgers. Just as…
School District
About that Public Hearing… (Part 2)
by JOHN ADAMS •
I posted on Wednesday about a public hearing on the proposed Whitewater Unified School District budget. See, About that Public Hearing…. In that post, I offered a few suggestions for next year. (Hold the hearing at a convenient time outside of ordinary working hours, “Announce the hearing prominently on the main page of the district’s…
School District
About that Public Hearing…
by JOHN ADAMS •
School District
Lewis Black on the Education Crisis in America
by JOHN ADAMS •
From The Daily Show, here’s a clip of Lewis Black remarking on the education crisis in America. It’s all very bristly, of course, but that’s the style of Black’s sharp humor. For it all, the brief scenes that Black includes about students’ desperation to attend a charter school (from the film Waiting for Superman) are…
Government Spending, School District, Taxes/Taxation
A Referendum for Whitewater’s Schools (Part 3)
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a story today about the removal from the ballot of one of two referendum questions concerning our public school district. (The story rightly describes this as a ‘pause.’) See, Whitewater referendum ‘paused’. I’ve written about a referendum approved in August for Whitewater’s public schools. The first question of two authorized for the November ballot…
School District
A Referendum for Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Schools (Part 2)
by JOHN ADAMS •
It does no good, in strength of argument, to repeat the same errors again, in the hope they’ll be more convincing the second time. From the August 24th edition of the Daily Union, Whitewater school board advances two referendums: If the new referendum is approved, the taxpayers will not see an increase in what they…
City, Government Spending, School District, Taxes/Taxation, University
Calls for Public Spending in a Small Town
by JOHN ADAMS •
There are, I think, two principal ways that a government spending proposal in a small town succeeds. (There are more than two ways, but here I’m simply considering principal ways.) The first way is how all spending proposals should be considered — on the merits. Is it necessary to tax for a public purpose, and…