The Elmbrook School District faces a projected $15.64 million budget shortfall by the 2014-15 school year, unless spending can be cut or revenues raised by an average of $3.22 million each year.
In response, the School Board is studying a host of potential budget cuts, including closing an elementary school, increasing class sizes and eliminating extracurriculars, as well as ideas for increasing income, such as increasing user fees, adding 4-year-old kindergarten or opening a charter school.
The winning candidates in the April 6 School Board election will play a direct role in making those decisions, and all have differing views on how the district can best handle the financial crunch.
Incumbent Glen Allgaier is vying with Ilse Frayer for a full term in the Area II seat. Beth Horneffer, Sandra Schultz, Kathryn Wilson and incumbent Bob Ziegler are competing for two at-large seats.
Q: What three cuts should the district avoid?
Allgaier: We cannot compromise programs that are fundamental and basic to the learning process: reading, writing and mathematics. We cannot lose our current edge in science and technology. Cuts to administration are an easy target, but this is where leadership occurs. Elmbrook already is substantially below other districts in this area.
Frayer: Elmbrook's quality is largely thanks to the breadth of high-quality curricular and extracurricular options. Cutting any of this programming would adversely affect the overall quality of education. Selecting specific programs to cut would be difficult. We should specifically avoid cutting from the fine arts, foreign languages and libraries.
Horneffer: I hope to protect student learning and the competitiveness of our district. Of the items under consideration, I am most opposed to significant class size increases and cuts in fine arts and foreign languages.
Schultz: There should be no cuts that impact student learning - no cuts to core curriculum. Co-curriculars, like art and athletics, should not be an area of major cutting, as statistics tell us they enhance education. Cuts in staff positions should not result in class size increases.
Wilson: We cannot continue eliminating staff and programs to pay more for compensation than our revenue limits can support. We must work with employees to establish new delivery models that yield excellent results for students and new benefits models that provide security for employee families at a price everyone can accept.
Ziegler: We should not touch core academic instruction, including classroom teachers and support staff in core areas. I hesitate to reduce principals and assistant principals, unless the ratio of students to principals falls significantly below current levels. I would hesitate to close schools because of their tremendous importance to our neighborhoods.
Q: Should the district further increase its user fees?
Allgaier: I am uncomfortable charging fees for required classroom items. Public education is intended to give equal educational opportunity to all, regardless of personal circumstances. Conversely, fees may be appropriate for optional activities. I would favor a cap on such fees for students with multiple activities or families with multiple students.
Frayer: User fees already are high, and I would be loath to raise them more, especially in this economy. However, if it were a choice between higher user fees or no club or activity, then, as a parent, I would rather see the fee raised than that club or activity canceled.
Horneffer: Elmbrook's user fees are high in comparison to other districts. While these fees need to be continuously re-evaluated, I do not support significant increases at this time.
Schultz: I am not opposed to increasing fees at the rate of inflation, but neither property owners nor school families should bear the brunt of the burden. If everyone gives a little, we all win: students receive superior education, teachers maintain jobs and lower class sizes, and property values increase.
Wilson: Currently, no one knows what all of our fees are, or who collects them. Fee structures need to be purposeful, so families know what they are buying and how it benefits their student. Until we achieve that level of clarity, we need to be very cautious about any increase.
Ziegler: Yes. I suggest that we have as many different areas contribute to cost reductions or revenue increases as possible. The greater the number of different areas that contribute, the less any one area will likely be affected.
Q: What cuts or revenues should be considered?
Allgaier: A consumer-driven health care plan for all employees would achieve major savings. Spending on buildings and grounds is above the state average, and should be reduced. We should suspend the annual $500,000 contribution to our reserves, which now appear adequate to cover unanticipated capital expenditures over the next five years.
Frayer: Elmbrook should sell its central offices and move administrators to another building. Profits would pay down unfunded liabilities and support current programs. District-funded cell phones, used by some administrators and custodians, should be eliminated. Adding more Open Enrollment students and restarting K4 would generate more revenue.
Horneffer: I would like to see teachers and administrators work together to develop a more cost-effective health care plan that reduces costs without sacrificing benefit quality. I support reinstituting K4 to generate additional revenue while helping the district remain competitive. I also support reconfiguring middle school electives.
Schultz: First, we should eliminate waste and inefficiencies, like moving the central offices to a more cost-effective location. Second, we can continue negotiations to find better balance between expenditures and revenue. Third, we can build enrollment and revenue by implementing K4, increased marketing, pursuing grants and creating an alumni association.
Wilson: Avoid curriculum packages, like Everyday Math, that are cumbersome, have high recurring costs and yield dubious outcomes. Mandate study of good literature, so students internalize subject knowledge and good writing models. Create partnerships with colleges so high school instructors can offer high-level courses without the added expense of university credits.
Ziegler: We likely will need to generate savings in multiple areas. Specific ideas include elementary multiage classrooms, middle and high school schedule changes, increasing resident and nonresident enrollment, opening a charter school, moving the central offices to a more cost-efficient building and stop adding $500,000 a year to the fund balance.
NEXT STEP
WHAT: Elmbrook School Board candidate forum
WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday
WHERE: 13780 Hope St., Brookfield
ONLINE: Visit BrookfieldNOW.com and ElmGroveNOW.com for more School Board election coverage.
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