Practically Speaking

TWO OF TWO

2 - You say that [When] 'you lose those kids in K4 you lose the revenue that [those students generate].'.

Now there's the heart of the issue! How does the student generate revenue? Does Muffin's hard working mom belly up $7500 when Muffin is enrolled in 4K? I think not. I think the taxpayer gets stuck with the bill and Muffin's hard working mom gets to blow the $7500 on an even bigger SUV.

3 - You say that 'Brookfield parents are paying in tax dollars for a district that they don't use'.

Yep, and so are grand parents, non parents as well as businesses who own property within the district. My wife and I provided parochial school education for our three kids while living in Brookfield and helping to pay for the public schools for thirty years. It was our choice, just as it is the choice of folks who are choosing not to parent, and parents who are choosing not to send their kids to district schools.

The answer has nothing to do with somehow contriving to fill existing class space so that life in the Elmbrook School District can continue on as it always has. It has everything to do with remembering that district taxpayers pay it to teach those students who live within it and chose to attend district run schools as they are.

The Menomonee Falls School District has become quite adept at remembering this, and adjusting schools and classes to remain taxpayer friendly. Kids there may be assigned to attend three or four schools to complete K12. Why can't we be equally nimble?

Just like artificial turf on football fields having defective light poles, anything more is misguided spending at taxpayer expense!

ONE OF TWO

Ms. Kyle, Please forgive the intrusion into your blog, but I felt that the subject herein is too important to be left hanging as the folks from BrookfieldNOW apparently had intended. One of the articles currently posted to the left of your blog under the subsection "From NOW Newspapers" is headlined "Boost class sizes, Open Enrollment, report says".

Currently there are two comments posted. One by me in which I asked:

Will someone please explain to me how adding 4K will save money?

And a second in which 'hardworkingmom' responded.

I then continued the dialog by posting a third comment (several times!) with a point by point analysis of hers which BrookfieldNOW elected not to post. It is the following. Thanks for allowing me to continue this important debate in your blog.

1 - You say that the 'district is losing resident children to private schools and neighboring districts that do offer K-4'.

A novel point of view to say the least. It suggests that parents are expected to support their public schools through adequate reproduction, and every kid within the district is somehow 'expected' to attend district run schools. Where is that written?

Public schools are a business, albeit a tax funded business, which is not exempt from competition. If competition is currently winning the day, why three cheers for them! They simply reduce the tax burden on district residents.

Contrary to the philosophy which under girds your argument, taxpayers do not pay the district to win the competition. They pay it to provide an exemplary education to those students who live within it and chose to attend district run schools.

If indeed the district is losing students, it's time to close classes and schools as needed to eliminate the excess, and send the teachers home, just as any other good business does when demand so dictates.

Excellent coverage Kyle.

On a related note have you observed how our new Kenyan leader is quickly running us down to 'Third World Nation' status? Soon we'll be knocking out little plastic things for the Chinese (now the world's second largest economy) at 30 cents an hour.

Then we'll really be global, huh!