Bernie Shares His Thoughts
West Bend School Board incumbent Lynn Corazzi and I interpret Tuesday’s election results differently. Mr. Corazzi stated, “The vote shows there are more people in the pro-education camp.” His camp includes fellow incumbent Kathy Van Eerden. This implies remaining candidates must be anti-education. They should be insulted. Who would run for School Board not wanting the best education for each student? Corazzi’s statement is absurd.
Primary results show incumbents receiving 43.5 percent of the total vote. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement for his “pro-education camp.” Most votes came from district employees, their families or those with vested interest in leaving things as they are. Of the remaining 56.5 percent of votes, most see a board that needs change.
Recently we have seen a number of incidents that raise concern. With constant talk of overcrowding, we are building a new Badger Middle School for $27 million that provides no increase in student capacity. There is little transparency to the board, and less after President Joe Carlson’s beat down of member Tim Stepanski.
Talk of referendums and levy increases at a time when the public can least afford them is alarming. Contrary to their public statement, the teachers union is going to arbitration and surely getting a raise, while many city union workers took a voluntary wage freeze. Now the district is rewriting policies that strip the elected board of some of its power and gives it to administration.
It’s been a challenging few years for the board and I’m not satisfied with their performance. On April 6 I will vote for Randy Marquardt and Dave Weigand. They bring common sense, transparency and respect for the taxpayer that’s been in short supply, without losing sight of an obligation to provide quality education.
Bernie Newman West Bend
Who would run for School Board not wanting the best education for each student?
I know this was intended to be a rhetorical question, but we have experience in this country with who would do that. After Brown v. Board of Education there were a huge number of private schools set up by middle-class racists who didn’t want their kids to go to public schools with black kids. They starved the public schools to keep their taxes down so they could spend the money on their racist academies.
There are still people who are opposed to offering good public schooling, either because of their political dogma e.g. libertarians or because they think that it is a waste of their money to have good public schools when they home-school or send their kids to religious or other private schools and don’t care what happens to public schools.
Most votes came from district employees, their families or those with vested interest in leaving things as they are.
Does Bernie have exit polling data that I’m not aware of?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 0901 hrs
Atta Boy Bernie, well said, will be voting the same way myself.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 0914 hrs
Does Bernie have exit polling data that I’m not aware of?
Are you serious? That is a funny statement.
Fact of the matter is that the incumbents are in trouble. The teachers were organized and motivated and could not even collect a majority for their lackeys. There are only so many of these teachers’ union/establishment votes available in the district. My prediction: lackeys lose decisively.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 0920 hrs
Free Lunch, time and time again studies have shown that the public sector is by far more lucritive to work in than the private. Sure white racists may have done that(I don’t know, and am unwilling to research) but you can’t say that St. John’s Catholic or St. John’s Lutheran was formed by racists trying to not have to go to schools with colored folk. Now compare the average salary at St. Johns to the average salary of Che Guevara high and you will find that the kids at St. John are better educated, better behaved, and more likely to not be in jail. All that for a lower price tag. Now in your defence, the teachers at the St. John’s schools are actually there for the children and not for the retirement at 57, full health care, 4 month breaks a year, and complete and total job security for life.
Before you pull the private schools don’t take the troubled and disabled, I will stop you. My high school does take troubled and disabled. It is a catholic high school. The population of disabled kids is equal to the population at the public school on the south side and greater than the high school on the north side of town. As far as troubled kids…the issue is easy really. When I was growing up we had a school where they went. In fact, my best friend got kicked out of every school in the city. He started at the catholic and moved to both public. Got kicked out of all of them. He is now a wildly successful individual but the point is that public schools can and do remove these kids from their rolls just like the rest.
Bottom line is that too much money is spent on a product that sucks so bad that it is pulling MN and IL closer to us. We do need new blood in the school system because the incumbant is what got us here. One of the guys from the office is starting a movement where good or bad, right or wrong, he is pushing to vote the incumbant out. I do not agree with that but that is an ever increasing sentiment.
Posted by fishaddict on February 25, 2010 at 1044 hrs
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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 1545 hrs
ABC123, read and become informed.
www.wbsbinfo.blogspot.com:
WEIGAND: In my opinion, a greater concern is the decline of student test scores, particularly in the middle and high school.Posted by GAMazy on February 25, 2010 at 1630 hrs
$130,000 total compensation for a high school chemistry teacher does not equal ‘best education’...
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 1631 hrs
ABC is just another anonmyous greedy teacher…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 1637 hrs
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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 1655 hrs
ABC/Cherry, from the B&S Terms of Service:
“Utilizing multiple usernames to comment is considered sockpuppetry, and is grounds for banning.”
Knock it off.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 1705 hrs
With constant talk of overcrowding, we are building a new Badger Middle School for $27 million that provides no increase in student capacity.
That’s true and if Bernie had listened during the run up to the referendum he would have heard the board say that many times. The addition to Silverbrook was going to handle the increased student population. Had we added room for another 300 or more students to Badger we would have a middle school with room for 1200 and Silverbrook with room for a max of about 650. The inequities in programming would have been unbelievable.
West Bend School Board incumbent Lynn Corazzi and I interpret Tuesday’s election results differently.
No matter how you interpret the results there is a clear set of two groups. When I canvassed the vote it was very obvious. I will disagree that this is about teachers being organized. the results were consistent across the district.
There is little transparency to the board, and less after President Joe Carlson’s beat down of member Tim Stepanski.
This statement is a steaming load. The transparency of this board is remarkable and one of the leaders of that is one of the big critics of the board a year ago. That is Tim Stepanski. Tim is on the Stakeholders Communication Committee and has pushed for more openness. He makes his decisions in a very thoughtful manner. He is a man of great integrity and honesty. We disagree often, but I have great respect for Tim. No one gives Tim a beatdown. It is clear that Bernie has no idea what he is talking about.
Now the district is rewriting policies that strip the elected board of some of its power and gives it to administration.
This statement is utterly false.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 25, 2010 at 2102 hrs
They bring common sense
Whose definition of common sense are we using?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 0831 hrs
Unfortunately the citizens of West Bend have had to play a larger role with regard to the School Board. Years and years without a plan followed by a slimy spring tax referendum followed by tax to the max. It is clear the incumbents are more interested in protecting fat administration and fat WEAC. It is also clear the current West Bend School Board is not looking out for the interests of the taxpayers, and ultimately the students.
Again, it is understood that the lack of planning of previous school boards is one root cause of current issues. How does current school board achieve support? Eliminating 25% of administration, freeze benefits (at the least), and implement 15% wage cut. Not one student’s education would be affected by these moves…
Unfortunately, our school board does not have the leadership to make these kind of necessary cuts. They have traded their pair of coconuts for a pair of kneepads.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 0958 hrs
Wouldn’t a wage cut have to be negotiated? What administration would youcut? I read in thepaper that 26 Teachers will be cut this year. doesn’t that do what you want?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 1100 hrs
West Bend is paying a roughly $1,500,000 in total compensation for ten administrators… let’s start there…
Superintendent
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction
Assistant Superintendent of Technology and Operations
Administrator of Finance and Support Services
Administrator of Pupil Services
Administrator of Assessment and Alternative Programs
Administrator of Human Resources
Director of Food & Nutrition
Director of Facilities
Director of Virtual ProgramsAnd if the teachers want to cannibalize themselves by taking raises while laying off, so be it. This is a great example of how teachers don’t really care about students, and ultimately don’t care about their fellow union members…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 1326 hrs
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Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 1358 hrs
Then how do you explain or speculate the view of the teacher’s union with regard to raises, increases in benefits, and layoffs?
$130,000 Total Compensation for a high school chemistry teacher = I beg to differ with regard to profession/pay…
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 1403 hrs
What are yuo really objecting to? The fact that they have worked within the system and been paid at a level that was negotiated or the fact that you didn’t have the fore thought to do the same?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 1537 hrs
I object to the lack of free market with regard to WEAC.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 1634 hrs
Anon. I object to having to pay $130,000 for a position that I could advertise and fill with equally qualified people for 1/3 of that. Much like I object to paying $150,000 for a city bus driver in Madison. If a teacher thinks with their skill set they can make $130,000 for part time work in this economy, they are crazy.
The unions have bought Madison. Binding arbitration is a nightmare. I love the Rhode Island school, that simply fired every teacher and administrator. Once wages get out of control to the level they are, that really is the only answer. For West Bend, they should simply turn the entire school district over to the local Catholic School system. The kids will get as good an education for 1/2 the cost.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 26, 2010 at 2027 hrs
I reiterate ... the same teachers asking for 13% over three years in the middle of a miserable recession are the same ones that will be crying about class sizes after these layoffs. I don’t see concern for children in this. I don’t see concern for their fellow union members in this. I see selfishness. I see the teachers priortizing their raises and health care over kids and their fellow (fired) union members.
13% equates to roughly one in seven. The 26 pink slips… well, do the math.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 27, 2010 at 0927 hrs
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