The Referenda

Derek Gottlieb
  • 5.0 (15)
  • GOVERNMENT
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

For the second time in six years, an upscale suburban school district in Wisconsin is asking residents for millions of dollars to keep the lights on. This is the story of how we got here, and what we can do about it.

  1. NOV 17

    43. State Report Cards Redux (plus survey updates)

    LINKS: Ad Hoc Committee page (scroll down for current models) WI State Report Card weighting calculator Growth Score calculation specs Target Group Outcomes explanation Tosa's district- and school-level report cards Nativity Jesuit Academy's report card

    34 min

  2. OCT 12

    42. Despite the Best Intentions, with Dr. Amanda Lewis

    Dr. Amanda Lewis is coming to Wauwatosa to give a talk based on her book, Despite the Best Intentions, whose 2nd edition just came out this year. EVENT INFO: Where: Underwood Elementary When: Monday, October 20th, 6:30 to 8:00. What: A talk, followed by a Q&A session. If you'd like to pose a question to Dr. Lewis, send it to me here.

    1h 7m

  3. SEP 27

    41. What Should We Do with Our Secondary Schools? [TOSA]

    The district has drawn up some options, a community committee has been poring over pros and cons for months, and we're going to get a survey to take in late October. So what should we be thinking about? What are our choices? LINKS: 1.) Ad-Hoc Committee page, with a list of proposed models to consider. 2.) In-depth description of each model 3.) What "modernization" means in these models DEPT PRESENTATIONS: 1.) Human Capital exec summary and full presentation 2.) Finance exec summary and full presentation 3.) Facilities exec summary and full presentation 4.) Academic Performance exec sum and full presentation 5.) Pupil & Family Supports exec sum and full presentation

    34 min

  4. SEP 21

    40. Practice Makes Perfect

    LINKS: Onward Tosa piece on our reassessments WSD 2024 referenda tax impact calculator Wauwatosa's post-reassessment 2025 tax estimator WSD Strategic Plan (feat school-engagement indicators) SP podcast interview on board-supt relationships

    52 min

  5. AUG 15

    39. Reviewing the New State Budget with Anne Chapman

    *Corrected an editing mistake in an earlier version* In which I’m joined by Anne Chapman, the leading expert in Wisconsin school finance, the research director of the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials, to talk about the impacts of state budget changes on school funding decisions and community conversations. In this episode, we’ve got: A recap of Wisconsin school finance basics, featuring an extended shandy metaphor A discussion of revenue-limit and state-aid changes A conversation on open-enrollment transfer amounts and declining-enrollment pressures A summary of special-ed and high-cost special ed funding changes. This is a cross-posting of a conversation I featured on the School Perceptions podcast. If you’re a school leader or a district administrator or a board member, that show is aimed at you and you should check it out!

    48 min

  6. JUL 11

    38. Taking Care of (School-Governance) Business [Statewide]

    I originally intended to fit something like this into the previous episode, but it clearly is too big. But here I'm talking about why local control of schools matters for us as citizens, what the state ought to be doing to invest in the cultivation of civic virtue, what districts can be doing to facilitate good conversations about schools, and ultimately, our own obligations as citizens to participate in the good governance of our public schools. LINKS: Wauwatosa's financial transparency page. Zerilli's Democratic Theory of Judgment Scribner's The Fight for Local Control Weinstein's Adam Smith's Pluralism Neem's Democracy's Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America Arendt's The Human Condition Cavell's The Claim of Reason Cavell's Conditions Handsome and Unhandsome

    44 min

  7. JUL 1

    37. The Proposed 2025-2027 Education Budget [Statewide]

    So, I got mad, and I had to use the bleep button a few times. Here, moving backward through time, is media coverage of the budget as it has developed: Today's update. (July 1) JFC's June 13th plan. Budget negotiations reach an impasse (June 4) JFC starts over from scratch (May 9) Evers's budget proposal (Feb 26)

    34 min

  8. JUN 24

    36. The 2030 Task Force Report, w/ Dr. Chris Merker

    Links! First, just put down your name and email here if you're interested in participating in the book group at all. I'll follow up with details. Here are the two books: Manny Teodoro's Profits of Distrust: Citizen-Consumers, Drinking Water, and the Crisis of Confidence in American Government, and Amanda Lewis and John Diamond's Despite the Best Intentions (2nd edition) 2030 Task Force links: 2030 Task Force website Media hub Open Records hub How to get involved Contact/Signup

    1h 9m
See All (44)

Trailer

5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

For the second time in six years, an upscale suburban school district in Wisconsin is asking residents for millions of dollars to keep the lights on. This is the story of how we got here, and what we can do about it.

Information

  • Creator
    Derek Gottlieb
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Derek Gottlieb
  • Show Website
    The Referenda

You Might Also Like