The Arrogance of the Germantown School Board
Mike Nichols takes the Germantown School Board to task.
The Germantown residents elected to the local school board are convinced their neighbors aren’t very smart.
In fact, they think their neighbors, the people who live all around them, are dolts.
This is an indelicate way to put it, I know, but there’s no way around it. The Germantown School Board thinks Germantown voters are idiots.
“Exactly,” said Larry Prodoehl, who is one of those other Germantown School District residents. “That is exactly right.”
Prodoehl, for his part, thinks the board members are “somewhat arrogant,” which I, personally, think is a little inaccurate.
I would leave out the “somewhat.”
The board thinks Germantown needs a new elementary school and, as a result, put a referendum on the April 1 ballot seeking $16.5 million.
[...]
By a margin of 55% to 45%, the residents of Germantown voted no, and probably thought it meant something.
It doesn’t. The school board now says that shouldn’t count.
The board has now directed staff to prepare another, identical referendum and put it on the ballot again this coming November.
I’ve never understood the kind of attitude being displayed by the school board members. The were elected to serve the community in running the school system. They thought they needed a new school. They put the issue to the voters and the voters said “no.” If they are truly there to serve, then why don’t they just say, “OK… we heard you citizens and we won’t build a new school yet”? Do the board members really think that they are so much smarter and wiser than the rest of the electorate?
Yes, they do. And that’s a problem.
I guess by that logic, Mike Nichols would also have to argue that John Gard is arrogant and should take himself off the ballot in November as well. I mean, he lost to Steve Kagen once. Isn’t he disrespecting voters by trying to run again? Voters already decided that they didn’t want him. Maybe he should just say “I heard you citizens (in 2006) and I won’t run again.” Or does John Gard really think he’s “so much smarter and wiser than the rest of the electorate.”
Wait, don’t answer that.
Or, on the other hand, maybe Gard is hoping voters have changed their mind, or that a shift in turnout will help him. There’s probably nothing wrong with that. Nor is there anything wrong with Germantown re-running a referendum in an election when more than a handful of people will show up.
The measure in April lost by about 200 votes among a district population that, by 2000 census figures, contains over 14,000 potential voters. That’s 35% turnout.
What’s the worst that happens? Maybe more voters turn out and it fails. Maybe more voters turn out and it passes. Either way, Germantown will have a verdict rendered by a far greater number of voters, which is likely a more valid representation of the views of voters there than the spring ballot. So why isn’t it a good thing that Germantown runs the referendum on a ballot when there will be markedly higher turnout?
Posted by Recess Supervisor on May 18, 2008 at 1047 hrs
This sort of thing is done by school boards because it works. If not the second time, then the third or fourth try. Long enough for the media to successfully employ the ‘emperor’s new clothes’ argument that liberals do so often to get their way—that only truly sophisticated people understand how important this or that thing is.
But Recess Supervisor makes a good point too. Sometimes it’s a good thing that people like, oh, Ronald Reagan, don’t give up after the first defeat.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 18, 2008 at 2006 hrs
The problem is that the board is obviously not listening to the public. It is a slap in the face to continually see the same referendum on the ballot.
We had to vote ‘no’ three times on a pool before it suddenly wasn’t a priority anymore. So do I have to vote three times for a school that isn’t needed and will cost a lot more than the school board says it will?
Read the Nichols column about what happened in Hartford. It just angers the voters. Why can’t the board present another solution - there are other solutions (and I’m assuming there is a problem to solve.) A recent check of the Germantown schools on http://schools.publicschoolsreport.com/district/WI/GermantownSchoolDistrict.html showed that no school has a student/teacher ratio over 15.9 This is overcrowding? Please.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 18, 2008 at 2247 hrs
It’s just as likely that it’s a case of the people not listening to the school board they elected.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 0407 hrs
Two things. One if you rely on the link from #3 you will be sorely misinformed. That is a notoriously unreliable place for information on schools. Go to the DPI website and get the most recent info or better yet call the school yourself. It is a public record and will be provided to you. Two, I learned a long time ago that there are always facts that are not generally known to all people. In the case of Germantown schools there undoubtedly facts about which Mike Nichols does not know. That is not a criticism of Nichols, whose columns I generally like, but rather an observation on the way life works in general. Nicholos himself admits to never having been into a Germantown elementary school. He also admits to never actually talking to anyone on the board. It is clear that there are facts not in the record. So, to call them arrogant is in itself arrogant, because it presumes that the person making the accusation is more intelligent or knowledgable than the people actually attending the meetings and gathering all of the facts needed to make the decision. So, Mike I like your column, keep writing, but please get more info before you make accusations.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 0734 hrs
Bill, I’d say vote no one more time, and then if it doesn’t pass, maybe the school board should retool. Generally, I would prefer that schools always wait for November elections to submit referenda to voters, but I know that’s not always practically possible.
I think the message from losing a high-turnout election is far more resounding than the message from losing a low-turnout election.
But to your first point, I would again submit that if you substitute “face” for “referendum,” then guys like Ronald Reagan and Mark Neumann should never have run a second time.
Posted by Recess Supervisor on May 19, 2008 at 0954 hrs
Germantown learned from Menomonee Falls: you just keep having referendum after referendum after referendum after referendum after referendum after referendum until people simply get sick of going to the polls to vote against it. If a protest is mounted, you send crews out to steal all the “vote no” yard signs. In the meantime, you have illegal pro-referendum displays in the public library. Not to mention, buy the superintendent a new car…all at taxpayers expense of course.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 1030 hrs
bajaskier,
Do you have actual proof of the illegal activities or are you just shooting off your mouth?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 1144 hrs
I live in Menomonee Falls. The Menomonee Falls School District had a big pro-referendum display in The Menomonee Falls Public Library. There was no space offered for dissenting opinions.
The Superintendent of Menomonee Falls School District is provided a car at taxpayer’s expense. When, at public forum, I asked how he was expected to budget for the entire school district when, with a salary well into the six figures, he couldn’t manage to budget his own vehicle, he was unable to provide an answer.
Many of the “Vote No” and “Stop the Endless Taxing” signs in our neighborhood were removed. In speaking with others, it was verified that their yard signs were removed as well.
How is that for “shooting off my mouth”?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 1311 hrs
Menomonee Falls School District was also fined for using taxpayer dollars to print as well as mail the pro-referenda propoganda, as well has hold pro-referenda meetings in public facilities. Look it up.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 1319 hrs
Re: 10 - MFSD was subsequently fined.
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=208026&format;=print
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 1324 hrs
bajaskier,
I asked the question because if those things were true then fines and legal actions should have been taken. You have provided proof that it was and should have been.
As for the car. It is common practice to use the car as an incentive to attract candidates in a very limited pool of applicants. The pool for qualified Supt. candidates is limited.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 1516 hrs
Anon:
Thanks for the recognition.
Keith Marty’s qualifications to be anything other than a patsy for WEAC is dubious at best. He remains anti-taxpayer and gets very defensive when queried about eliminating administrative perks in lieu of tax-hiking referendums.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 19, 2008 at 1535 hrs
Recess - the difference between someone running for office two times in a row when they lost and a referendum is that in the office election - I still have a choice of two (or more) options.
On the referendum - I only have one thing. Exactly the point of Mike’s article. If the School Board would get off their lazy butts and find out what the people would support - we wouldn’t have to waste all this time shooting down ill conceived ideas.
But - no just keep feeding the troglodytes the same gruel and tell them they will like it.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on May 21, 2008 at 1433 hrs
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