I'm sure you want to be an informed voter when you go to the polls to select the two candidates to fill the open seats on the Board. 

These interviews will help you learn about the views of the candidates. 

You will also get to post questions to the candidates.

Well, let's just say there could have been a cat fight, if it had been taken outside....

And Sue Huhn would have won, even if she had been declawed!

I got home late tonight, so this is going to be short. 

And basically, the meeting was uneventful, except for the two items I am going to tell you about, which are scandalous!  

First, there was a Committee report regarding the meeting I attended on January 9th. 

The Be Heard! report was given. 

Sue Huhn began by speaking about the fact that we need to know where a building would go next time discussion of a new school being built was brought up. 

The District doesn't own any land for a High School or Middle School (only for an elementary school). 

Dr. Patz said we need to start looking 5, 10, 20 years down the road regarding land acquisition.

Continue investigations regarding land even though no referendum is in sight at this time. 

Then, Mary Karolewicz piped up with her usual "We need to continue discussions with the community." 

She talked about reports and forming focus groups. 

Discussing options presented. 

Alert the community that we want input. 

What does the community see as future needs?

The community needs to have a part in it and a say about tax dollars. 

She has talked to several other districts that have had success because they took their ideas to the community.

THIS IS WHEN "IT" HIT THE FAN......

Remember, we have been talking about the Be Heard! Committee Report (again). 
That means we were hearing about community input about what went wrong with the referendum. 

Remember?

This is when Sue Huhn.... Boldly announced "WE DID THAT!":

Let me repeat that....

Mary was going on, and on about how the District needs to get input from the community...

And Sue said:   "WE DID THAT!"

You go girl!

Looks like Sue has been reading my blogs, because she then said "We can't be sweeping this under the carpet anymore."

The Board didn't listen!

As I was sitting there with a huge smile on my face.....

Mary came back (a look of disbelief and contempt on her face) with "You've only presented one story." (and she was upset)

Sue shot back with "Sometimes the community is not going to agree with us.  We need to listen better!"


Well, I have to say, Jim Ward, was Darth Vader....and tonight, Sue Huhn was Wonder Woman!

___________________

On another issue...

It seems those "Goals" that the Board put out there...the ones I blogged about....


Well, they mentioned they expect the Administration to follow "zero-based’ budgeting methods.

Trouble is.... they just announced that's impossible to do!

 That's right!

Seems the Board didn't have a clue as to what zero-based budgeting was when they implemented this goal. 

You can't do this type of budgeting in a school district.  It just won't work..... 

They might have a new plan ironed out by the next Board meeting.

Gee...I wonder how many of the other goals were carefully thought out.

We'll have to keep a close eye on these goals.

I'm going to go read the book Comedy of Errors now.

Goodnight!

I have been very critical in the past of the District's website.  First, back in November when I was in a hurry to find an employees phone number and I was bombarded with dizzying photos, and an unorganized mess on the site.

Next, at the first Be Heard! meeting when I verbally criticized the site to Dr. Steve Patz, while Tanya Ruder, Communications Specialist, was also present.  Since then, the site has improved somewhat.  It is less cluttered and more organized and is being discussed at the Key Communicators Session.

I visited the website today and came across "Franklin Public School Goals." 

I recall coming across this before, I believe in December, but in my haste, breezed through the page and didn't analyze it. Today I took my time.  I am not sure of the date I last saw the page, nor when it was first posted.  Why does something as important as this not have a date that it was created and posted? Board Policies have dates they are adopted.

Below is the first paragraph. 

I encourage you to open the link, read the "Goals," and then continue reading my blog:


The Board of Education for the Franklin Public Schools has established the following goals for the District.  The board recognizes that none of these goals will be completely achieved in the short term, but it intends to hold itself and the District’s administrative team accountable for significant progress in all of these areas. 

_______________________

____________________________

President Dave Szychlinski 414-761-3950
szychlid@franklin.k12.wi.us   Term expires April 2010

Vice President Jim Ward 414-423-6264
wardj@franklin.k12.wi.us   Term expires April 2009

Treasurer   Sue Huhn  414-423-0009
huhns@franklin.k12.wi.us  Term expires April 2008

Clerk  Debbie Larson  414-761-8993
larsond@franklin.k12.wi.us  Term expires April 2010

Mary Karolewicz  414-529-5195 
karolewm@franklin.k12.wi.us  Term expires April 2009

Jeff Traylor  414-761-7092 
traylorj@franklin.k12.wi.us  Term expires April 2010

Dr. Steve Patz, Superintendent

patzs@franklin.k12.wi.us


Links to all Open Records Request Emails and Other Correspondence

Email 1 Open Records Request

Emails 2, 3, 4

Emails 5,6, 7

Emails 8,9,10,11,12,13

Emails 14,15,16,17

Emails 18,19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Emails 24,25, 26, 27,28 ,29

Emails 30, 31, 32 ,33 ,34

Emails 35-39

Emails 40-44

Emails 45-49

Emails 51-52

Emails 50-54

School Board Committee Report Part 2

School Board Community Governmental Relations Report

Emails between Dr.Ward & Janet Evans 12/29/07

Be Heard! #3-Communications Specialist??

Answer...A River In Egypt - Scott Bauer Update

Let the "Source" BE HEARD!      

Updated** Can Our School Board VP Be Trusted?

Music Teacher, Cheryl Miracle, introduced us to six Jazz students, Axel Xiong, Sam Rivedal, Christine Stein, Bianca Kue, Julia Bustle, and Lauren Mather.

Axel manned the program first, and set it up with the piece Evensong (Lehman).  He performed a vocal, with a microphone that was plugged directly into the program, singing as the program showed the notes on the screen.  He was allowed to change the tempo of the song as he went along and did a very nice job.  This was light years away from the days when we stood there with the teacher pounding away on the piano for us as we sang.

Sam, toted his tuba to the front, explaining that he had to sit on a large book because the tuba is so large.  And it was!  He plugged into the program and played Offenbach’s Marines Hymn, flawlessly.  He actually played twice.  The first time he played unaccompanied because the program was being set up.  You could tell his excitement about  this program, because when he was hooked up and playing while being accompanied by music and a beat from the program, his whole demeanor changed and it brought him up a level from good to excellent. 

Next Christine, Bianca, Julia and Lauren played to You’re a Grand Old Flag (Cohan).  Christine plugged in her flute while the other girls played along with their saxophones.  The program shows, while the student is playing, red and green notes so the student can see if they are making mistakes and try to improve.  We were not seeing any red notes on these practiced pieces.

Bianca also played You’re a Grand Old Flag on her Tenor Sax, also with no mistakes and Julia did a performance of Yankee Doodle (Cohan) on the Alto Sax.

Since these practiced performances were done so well, Ms. Miracle wanted to show us what would happen when a student was just learning a piece, so Lauren plugged in and played the Can-Can (Offenbach).  She did have red notes pop up during her performance.  The program will give the student how many notes were incorrect and a percentage rate.

I have to say, music class has come long way with technology, and we were told this isn’t even up-to-date technology.  These students can use this program at home to practice, send information to their teachers, performances can be burned to CD.  Music can be composed and transposed.  You are allowed to see how your single instrument will sound with a backup band.  It’s great!

My youngest child was at FPMS 1994-96 and there was nothing technologically available when he was in band.  While he learned music and appreciation for the art, I think he would have appreciated it so much more with a program like this.  These students are very fortunate to have the SmartMusic program available to them.  I hope they are able to keep updating the programs in the future.

The parents of Axel, Sam, Christine, Bianca, Julia and Lauren should be very proud of the fine job they did performing at the meeting last night.  They are outstanding music students and an asset to Forest Park Middle School and the City of Franklin.    Cheryl Miracle is doing a nice job with the music program and the technology available to her.

I just wanted to drop you a short note as to why I voted "No" on yesterday's referendums.

My partner and I moved to Franklin from New Berlin over two years ago.  We chose Franklin for its affordability, location, an strong school program.

We do not have any children, nor will we ever have any children go through the school district.  Quite honestly, children terrify me.  I do understand though that great school facilities do lead to better education tools, retention of staff, better classroom performance, and ultimately retained and improved property values.  I understand these connections, and appreciate the school district taking a proactive approach to addressing future space concerns.

I have anticipated with the strong growth in Franklin, that we would be at some point, most likely sooner than later, have a request for a new building project.

What concerns me is that as a citizen of the district, first found out about the proposed plan for the first time via a mailing from the district about three weeks ago.  In talking with my neighbors, who do have children in the schools, they stated that they have been receiving a steady stream of information via emails and letters home about the referendum for the last 2-3 months.  I wish that there would have been more effort made to let me know what was going on , and how I could get more information on the process and of the proposed plans from the start.


I am not opposed to spending several million dollars to upgrade and improve our facilities.  But I have reservations about doing so with so little information in such a limited time frame.  Before voting "Yes" to such a request, there are several items that I would like to know more about, such as:

Location:  I need to have a general idea where we are looking to build.  To simply say, we have identified and are in talks with several property owners is not sufficient.

Plans and Drawings:  I do not know how we can put a price tag on a construction project when we have not even seen and conceptual plans and layout, nor even know what facilities will be included.

Wants vs. Needs:  Schools today ask for so much when it comes to facilities.  I do not have a problem with that....you do not know what you can get until you ask!  But with the planned YMCA on the eastern edge of town, and the proposed Fine Arts Center in town, as well as new or soon to be improved performance facilities in Greendale and South Milwaukee, how much duplication of these art and gym facilities will have in such a close area?  What planning or discussion has there been to determine if we will have a need for all this gym and performance space, or will we just be creating glut of donation driven and tax supported facilities?  In what ways can these entities work together to best utilize availability of space an costs for everyone?

Alternatives:  If building new is the best way to go, that is Ok.  But again, I have not hard any reasoning against additions and total remodels to our current facilities, or why these would not be cost effective.  Why not build a new larger middle school for 6-8 , and then add on to, gut and revamp the high school?  What are the alternative plans, and why are they inferior to the proposed plan"

I appreciate that the district is taking a proactive approach to meet the space needs of the district.  I also understand the longer we wait, the more the improvements will cost.  But before I vote  "yes" to $77 million referendum, I will need to see more concrete planning, understand how we come to the cost, know what has been considered, understand why this plan will be the best plan, and finally, have the school district reach out to me as a non-parent resident in order to keep me informed and to get my buy-in from the start.

I appreciate your time, and look forward to the continued success of the Franklin School District.

Sincerely,

[blocked  by district]
Franklin, WI  53132

____________________________________


#51

From:  Sue Huhn
To:  [blocked by district].internet.FPS_DOMAIN
04/07/07 3:27 PM
Subject":  Why I Voted No
CC:  bauers@franklin.k12.wi.us

Thank you for your comments.

I appreciate that you understand the importance of the schools in our community.

I am one of two Board members who opposed the referendum put forth to the public.  My opposition was base don several factors the primary factor being that educational data does not support having one large middle school.  While I know the space needs are great in our district, I could not put aside what I considered a bad educational decision for space.

The other reason I did not support the referendum is because the Board did not follow the data that told us what the community would support.  Both our Citizen's Long Range Planning Committee and the community survey we had conducted by Dr. Peltier of UW-Whitewater said build a second middle school and renovate the existing middle school and high school.  I have learned in all my years on the Board and two failed referenda in the early 90's, that as a Board we should listen to the public, or have really good data to support why we didn't.

I also no longer have children in our schools.  I did raise the concern that not enough information was being sent to the community outside of the schools.  More should have gone out to the community.  I was not involved in the campaign, so I cannot really address that question.  I do know that information was scheduled to go with the city's newsletter, but the city rejected  the piece and that opportunity was missed.

I have a few comments on the issues you discussed below.

Location:  we do not own any land that would be big enough for a new high school.  We did not want to release a list of sites while negotiating with land owners.  If you were a land owner and people thought your site was best, you might want to raise the price.

Plans and drawings:  We had plans done for a previous referendum which failed.  We were called to task for spending the money before the referendum was approved.  We have not had plans or drawings done since that time, but have passed  two referenda.

Wants vs needs:  I don't think we can share facilities for phy ed for fine arts with other entities.  The gym space is for phy ed classes.  Currently we only have one gym as the high school and we have phy ed being taught in hallways and any other available apace we can find.

We need fine arts education space, currently our music and other fine arts programs do not have the appropriate space the need.  These spaces were the number one non-curricular item our community survey indicated people would support.  They came ion high than athletic.  I know there are people trying to build a private fine arts center, but i believe the high school needs to have it's own auditorium that can be used during the day for educational purposes, assemblies, etc.

I believe students need a performance space of their own and our schools are the center of activity for the community.

The Brookfield High Schools have had issues recently with their use of Sharon Lynne Wislon Center.  As the center has become more popular, the high schools have had to move their events based on the center's schedule and the price for them to use the center has gone up significantly.  I don't think it is a good situation and I would not want to repeat it there.  I asked the  Franklin Cultural Arts group years ago if they did a study on whether there wold be enough activities to support an art center beyond what the schools might use, but was told they didn't have funds to do a study.

Alternatives:  If building new is the best way to go, that is Ok.  But again, I have not heard any reasoning against additions and total remodels to our current facilities, or why these would not be cost effective.  Why not build a new larger middle school for 6-8, and then add on to, gut and revamp the high school? 

 Sue Huhn

________________________________________________

#52

From:   [blocked by district]
To:  "Sue Huhn" huhns@franklin.k12.wi.is
Date:  04/09/07
RE:  Why  I voted No

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond.  I know your duties to the board are in addition to everything else you do, so I appreciate you taking the time to acknowledge my email...thank you!

I also appreciate you responses to my questions.  The answers you provided are mostly what I expected to hear, and do for the most part, do make sense.These are the answerers and information I was hoping to hear prior to the vote.

The suggestion that we add to and renovate the existing facilities, and build and additional middle school makes a lot of sense to me, and would be a solution I wold eagerly support.  The high school is somewhat centrally located as it is, and to find that much land in a similarly situated area would not be easy, nor affordable.  Plus, I like the idea of have two "neighborhood" middle schools.  It seems to me that having two middle schools wold help ease the progression for the students move from grad school into the high school experience.  In addition, I assume the land requirements for the middle school are less, hopefully giving eh district a few more and affordable options for location.

Again I appreciate your time and commitment to the school district.  I look froward to the next proposal and hopefully having more information to consider the proposal before the next yes vote.

[blocked by district]

#45

From:  Mary Karolew
To: [blocked by district].internet.FPS_DOMAIN
Date 04/11/07  6:55 PM
Subject:  RE:  FYI - Geothermal story FDL

Stay tuned.  I believe that we will probably choose a new Supt. before we tackle another referendum.  I personally would like to survey the VOTERS who participated in this election.  That is what I was advised to do by a former supt. who helped pass 7 of 9 referendums in his former district, but we'll have to see what Mrs. Huhn and Scott Bauer et al have in mind.  I also think that if we pursue another referendum, we would be wise to do massive number focus groups and discuss multiple topics besides just 6-8 middle school issues, like raising student achievement expectations, how best to approach teaching kids in the 21st Century, do we keep comprehensive education or emphasize college prep, how design of schools affect student achievement, etc...

By the way, I apologize to you and any supporters out there for making a mess of this.  The stories I could tell you if I could...Thanks for putting in time.  I know that you are very busy and do not like to waste your time but hopefully all is not lost.  It will be interesting what the new supt. will bring.

Mary

_________________________________

#46

From:  Sue Huhn
to:  "szakacsb@franklin.k12.wi.us".internet.FPS_DOMAIN
Date:  04/16/07  12:18  PM
Subject:  Re:  FWD:  Note regarding the Yes flyers

Bill,

Do not do anything unless you have spoken to Mark Olsen.   He did not think we needed to do anything at this time.

Sue

_____________________

#47

>>> "Bill Szakacs" szakacsb@@franklin.k12.wi.us 04/16/07  8:51 AM >>>

Hello-

I am forwarding this note from Sue H., to the entire board.  The District will work on this and provide a response to Mr. Landgraf. 

Thank you,  Bill

_____________________________

#48

>>> Jim or Sue Huhn jjh3159@sbcglobal.net  04/11/07  3:00 PM >>>

Mark,

Are you aware of this?  I was afraid something like this would happen.

Sue

----Original Message -----

From:  "Landraf, Bruce"
To:
Sent:  Tuesday, April 10, 2007  4:34  PM
Subject:  Vote  YES Flyers

Each of you has been identified to me as having a child (or perhaps knowing a child) that brought home a Vote YES flyer from the Franklin schools.

Would you kindly take a moment to provide the following information:

1.  Date Flyer came home;
2. Name of Child who brought flyer home;
3. Your relationship to the child that brought the flyer home;
4. The grade of that child;
5. The schools that child attended; and
6. your understanding of how the child obtained the flyer to bring home.

If you would like to add comments, please feel free.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Bruce J. Landgraf
Assistant District Attorney
(414) 278-2178 - Voice
(414) 223-1929 Fax

_______________________________

#49

From:  Mary Karolew
To: [blocked by district].internet.FPS_DOMAIN
Date 04/19/07  4:46PM
Subject:  Referendum Response

Hi, [blocked by district]

I apologize for not having responded to your email the week of April 3rd, but my modem has finally been repaired, and I am now able to respond to you without losing internet connection.

I did read Mrs. Huhn's response to you, and as she is our most senior board member and very knowledgeable, I know that she has given you the appropriate information.  I, too, apologize for any misunderstandings or mishaps that have occurred over the last weeks.  Any questions regarding actions by individuals or groups surrounding the referendum that occurred at a school building should be directed to the principal and the superintendent.  However, this referendum campaign has been a learning experience for all those who have not been through it before, and I believe that we tried, in every way possible, to present factual information to help move this district into the best position to accommodate growth issues and enhance student achievement while being fiscally responsible over the long term.

That being said, I look forward to working with a new superintendent and working toward improving student achievement and preparing our children to meet the expectations of life in the 21st century.  I hope to engage a broad spectrum of our community in the near future to help resolve our growth/facilities needs and to continue to work in developing our partnerships with all citizens, the city and the business community to keep our public education  system strong and viable.  To accomplish this, though, will require that the entire community work with its school board to develop a plan that will ensure success for our students now and in the future.  Franklin cannot live in the past; it must look and move into the future and be willing to invest resources to support, not only academics, but facilities and technologies that continue to change our world.  If we work together, we will make a difference for our kids and our community.

Pleas know, [blocked by district] that what is best for kids is the primary reason as to why I serve on this board.  I dislike the fact that education has been politicized, but it is what it is, and I have tried my best to educate myself on the complexities of public education in order to make the best decisions possible for all students for our community.  Your interest and scrutiny during this process tells me that this district must improve in fulfilling its mission of education all children to their personal level of excellence and communication that at all levels, both inside and outside of our schools.  We must move from "good to great".

Thank you for your participation, and I hope that you will continue sharing your input with us.

Sincerely,

Mary Karolewicz

Ms. Evans,

Additionally, it would have addressed cost savings to the district, both in continued operational costs and construction and land acquisition costs.  With the high school being the largest and most heavily used building in the district, the possibility of building a building that would be environmentally friendly, meeting “green” and LEED standards, while at the same time, providing the perfect setting for a curriculum that addressed the environmental concerns of future generations was of great importance.  Continued growth of Franklin to build out (projected to be around 2040) will influence availability of and costs in acquiring acreage for school facilities.  Making the decision to seek passage of this referendum now made more fiscal sense than spending money differently only to realize later that a different option was not adequate, or worse yet, just adequate. 

“But, we still would be using the current high school building and what about Forest Park?” you ask.  Yes, our current high school building would still be used, but its purpose and programming would be different and less stressful than what currently occurs, yet it provides the same amenities that Forest Park now has.  Renovation of the building would more easily address operational costs of a middle school program than that of a high school.  As to Forest Park, yes, we could close it.  However, we could also utilize it as an elementary school, a center for early childhood education or some other district program, or we could collaborate with the city to offer  additional space for use by community groups, a site for City Public Health services or park services, or a combination of these.  We could lease the building, or parts of it, to a business, a college or university to be used as a satellite sight for their programming, or a church for its use.  We could sell the sight to a church, or college, or to a developer for condos or single family housing.  There are many more possibilities if only there is discussion of such things.

As to the educational advantage, how will the needs of the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders be met?  Our staff at Forest Park encourage all children to work toward high academic achievement.  They help foster stronger relationships and respect of and between student peers, and students and teachers/staff through the STAR program.  They work to differentiate instruction to provide better learning opportunities.  They encourage student involvement in school activities, whether before(like Pop Strings), during (like student government), or after school (like athletics or forensics).  The district provides teachers with support needed in meeting different needs of students through professional development and team planning time, and parents are invited to volunteer and participate in their children’s education and in the school itself.  But not only will you find this at the middle school, it can be found at the high school as well.  These are the types of things that make a school program effective and successful. 

We are fortunate to have dedicated staff and parents who take active roles in the academic success of their children, and while physical size of a facility could be viewed as a deterrent, it can also be viewed as advantageous.  Currently, all our middle school students attend one school, much like the high school students. (At one time, Forest Park housed over 900 students until the 6^th graders were moved back to the elementary schools.)  Maintaining one middle school for 6^th-8^th graders would allow students to develop long term friendships with children from the entire district, not just a portion.  Teachers would also get to know children and their families better and vice versa.  Families would not have to deal with “attendance area” issues like at the elementary level.  Having all students in one facility would provide numbers and staff in one location so that we would not have duplicate or cut services, reducing overall costs.  Plus, the current high school facility is sized more to match the physical size of today’s middle school students versus today’s high school students.  Research shows that physical environment plays a vital role in the overall achievement of students.  If physical size is still an issue, the “schools within a school” concept is utilized in many communities in Wisconsin, like West Bend, Chilton, and elsewhere.  Even a high school facility could be designed to accommodate the feel of smaller schools within one large building like West Bend or Medina High School, Ohio.

It was stated that most people could not envision what the district could be in 20 years, but as a board member, that is what I needed to do.  As a Board Member, looking at the bigger picture, I realized that decisions made today do have a great impact on what takes place tomorrow.  As an environmental advocate yourself, Ms. Evans, you know this.  So while it may appear as though I disregarded surveys or recommendations, I, in fact, did not.  I had to make a hard decision and viewed this as an opportunity that would benefit current and future students, this district and members of this community.  It is the right of community members to disagree with my decisions, but know that my decisions are made based on much research and soul-searching.  If it’s egotistical to envision a thriving educational and recreational program that benefits all members in the future, then I guess I’m guilty. 

My advocacy is and will remain for the educational welfare of all children, present and future, and for the welfare of life-long learners in Franklin. This community continues to grow and must be equipped to provide appropriate facilities to meet the needs of children and community members today and in 2040 and beyond!  Building today with an eye to the future, but at a lower cost, makes better fiscal sense now than to wait until we absolutely have to build. As a taxpayer, I consider the money spent on educational facilities, the services that are provided within them by a dedicated staff of professionals, and the children and community members, present and future, who receive those services as an INVESTMENT, not a liability, to the future of this community! 

My father always advised me that if I was going to spend money, do it right the first time or don’t do it at all.  Quality often costs more, but those costs are far outweighed by the results of a job well done.  As a community of many voices and ideas, we can work together to make a win-win situation for the entire community.  If we are to build anything in this community, let it be a quality project, not one that will “make do”.  As a taxpayer, I expect quality in the services that are provided me as I’m sure you would agree.  As a taxpayer, mother of four, and education and community advocate, I would expect or accept nothing less.

Thank you for offering me this opportunity to share my ideas with you.  Should you or anyone have further concerns, please feel free to contact me. 

Mary Karolewicz

School Board Member

529-5195

By the end of this week, Franklin citizens organizing the RECALL PETITIONS

against Franklin School Board members




Jim Ward

and

Mary Karolewicz

Dear Readers:

On December 29th, I sent Dr. James Ward an email asking for his response to the posting of the Open Records Request emails #30-34.

He did send me a response the same day.

I replied back to him but have not received another response.

Email 1

Emails 2, 3, 4

Emails 5,6, 7

Emails 8,9,10,11,12,13

Emails 14,15,16,17

Emails 18,19, 20, 21, 22, 23

Emails24,25, 26, 27,28 ,29

Emails 30, 31, 32 ,33 ,34

Emails 35, 36, 37 ,38 ,39