Thank you!

After Tuesday, I am again humbled by the support I received and grateful for the trust placed in me by the voters. I take it very seriously and will continue to do my best and try to make our School District a shining example for others: Striving for excellence, while respecting the taxpayers through responsible spending, and, continuing to promote innovations that prepare our children for the future - in ways, and for careers, that are best suited to each of them.  As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns. Thank you all so much!
Randy Marquardt

My Main Issues

When I first ran for election three years ago, my interest was mainly in facilities – that is my professional background, and that was what got me involved in the District issues.  But during my time on the Board, I have learned to apply that passion and disciplined approach to problem-solving in all areas of education.  I believe I have become a well-rounded leader, focused on achieving consistency, community support and the continual improvement of our District.  I am very proud of, and use as my benchmark of success, the reports that show our high “educational productivity” – the return on our taxpayer’s investment – as demonstrated by student achievement relative to dollars expended.

From the facilities perspective, I think it is safe to say that we have come a long way!  In 2009, when I was a member of the citizen’s advisory committee, the Badger referendum passed – I supported that question, and considered it to be the first step of a long-term plan. Then, as a member of the Board, we continued assembling data and eventually adopted the 25-year facilities plan, which completed mapping out the steps needed to properly manage our facilities. The plan included restructuring grade levels and closing Barton, so implementation required passing a referendum to allow those big pieces to move forward. The approach taken was a conscious attempt to keep information fact-based, avoid the “it’s for the kids” hype, and place an emphasis on the logic of the plan and the efficiencies created.  Now that it passed, we can move forward on to other important issues.

With fiscal issues, we are in a better situation than we were three years ago.  Much of that is due to Act 10 and the latitude that it provided in regard to negotiations and benefit restructuring.  However, here in West Bend, since we had previously been forced to be efficient and frugal, some of the very large “savings” highlighted in other districts were not available.  We already had a self-insured health plan, but now were able to move to a consumer-driven model that has proven to be popular. We are now innovating further with on-site clinic that will benefit all our stakeholders.  A zero-based budgeting concept was finally implemented – allowing all spending items to be examined in a different light.  Low cost-financing secured for the facilities projects undertaken will reduce the burden on taxpayers by millions of dollars.  Finally, we have prudently addressed long-term budget liabilities, have lowered fees and are working to improve our overall employee compensation structures.

“Innovation” has become the overarching mission of the current Board – with 7,000 students, it is common sense that not every one can or will learn in the same way.  To give our kids the best opportunities possible, we have created several new options, and will continue to explore multiple pathways, for students to move through our system.  It was especially moving to hear from a father who, after “yelling at his son for years”, saw him reconnect in a different learning environment, and “learn life lessons” he feared he never would.  The new charter school provides a unique model that will provide insight that can be applied throughout the system.  My desire is that we also find ways to help students better understand their own aptitudes, interests and skills – helping them explore compatible career paths and better focusing their individual learning plan both in our system and higher education.  It is regrettable to see someone flounder aimlessly, racking up student-loan debt, only because we implied that was the only path to success – exposure to alternatives, without judgment, is a long-needed shift and can be a positive for everyone involved.  Most importantly, we need to create life-long learners.

Re-election campaign brochure

Blog re-start

As you may have noticed, after being elected to the School Board in 2010, I have stayed away from this blog.  I did not feel it an appropriate forum for an elected official - if I had something to say, I simply did it publicly.

I will be making a few new posts and using this site as the web presence in my re-election campaign this Spring.  Check back for my statements and viewpoints on various issues.


Sincerely
Randy Marquardt

ps: You may also note that a few of my "fans" used this venue to react to certain decisions that were less than popular in some circles - I decided to simply leave them visible to show the down side of public service.

Results are in!

Well, it's finally over! The taxpayers got their say and here are the final numbers:

I have to applaud my opponents for a hard-fought campaign. We certainly gave the voters a clear choice of two philosophies for the board. and we all worked hard to get our ideas heard.  I also want to thank the two incumbents for their service on the current board - I'm sure that I'll appreciate their hard work even more in the years ahead!

Basically, the election results mean that 57% of voters chose the conservative vision - to operate the school system within the limits of our means. It was good to see our community return to its roots. We should proudly continue our tradition of fiscal responsibility while still demanding quality.

Finally, I simply want to say that I am humbled to have received the support of so many...and I pledge to do my best in serving our community.

Randy

Tough road ahead...

Some thoughts on the proposed 2010-11 budget cuts following Monday's school board meetings...

1)  The subject that everyone was afraid to address is out-of-control employee costs.

As is evident all over the country, and further emphasized by the economic downturn, the unionization of public employees has created an unsustainable condition for all local governments. Over the last few decades, the collectively-bargained salaries and benefit packages, not to mention growing numbers of employees, have simply out-paced the public's ability to pay. Then, to make matters worse, dollars initially generated from taxes are funneled through union dues to campaign accounts of politicians who are willing to fill the public trough even more.

In Wisconsin last year, WEAC (the teacher's union), spent $1.5 million lobbying our state politicians. That was more than double any other special interest group!  Who benefits from this?  Not our kids...only the teachers, of course!  Then, when they retire in their mid-50's, the union counsels them to move out of state because (not surprisingly) the taxes rates here are much higher than elsewhere in the country.

It's time for taxpayers, and their advocates in government, to take back control.  What was once considered "public service" has become an ever-growing drain on society.  At this point, the only tool available is cutting positions and privatizing services wherever possible.  It would be great to someday see a repeal of the laws that allowed the formation of public-sector unions, so that the general public could once again receive government service at a reasonable price.

2) Here in West Bend, we are facing the fallout of numerous bad decisions originating at the state level:  The original funding formula, which punished low-spending districts like ours; the current Democrat legislature and governor, who cut dollars from school funding knowing that local boards would take the brunt of the public anger, having to make deep cuts or pass large tax increases; and the union-backed binding arbitration laws which essentially guarantee that the teachers will get whatever they request in contract "negotiations".

3) When the teacher's union gets its way, as it most likely will, the board will again face the tough task of balancing the books...and I for one, will not let the blame be misplaced.  Program cuts will be a direct result of union greed. While we all negotiate for our maximum compensation, being able to leverage a captive employer, and use kids as emotional props, is simply unfair. As cuts are made, many of our brightest and most energetic young teachers will likely be the first to go because union seniority rules will take precedence over any subjective judgement of merit.

I believe the current proposed list of reductions for 2010-11 is pretty straightforward.  Some things probably could have gone in years prior, like social workers and certain paid aide positions.  However, the more difficult decisions are just on the horizon - many of the big-ticket savings will be quite controversial with the community.  Others will undoubtedly again become focus points merely to generate backlash.  It will require a strong, conservative board to face these challenges and the fallout that is sure to follow...but, we must all realize that the age of uncontrollable taxing-and-spending is necessarily over.

ps:  Apparently the current board has also gotten the message. See here. Would they be talking this tough if Dave and I were not in the race? Based on last year, doubtful...

Another take on the latest waste of money...

Background from the Daily News story:
“Challenge Day” at West Bend High Schools will not be taking place... But because a nonrefundable deposit of $12,800 was been invested in the program...The district is obligated to reimburse the grant. “We are working with attorneys determining how to recapture our funds,” Neitzke said. “They are reviewing the contracts to see what our fiscal obligation is. Our goal is to limit the cost to taxpayers.”  The experience has resulted in changes to internal protocol, Neitzke said.


OK, so the first obvious fact is that the taxpayers have been exposed to a liability for which we received nothing in return. This occurred because administrators assumed since it wasn't local tax money (it was the magic "grant" form of tax money), they didn't need to run it by the Board, even as a courtesy.  At least this incident has reportedly prompted changes in the protocols that led us to this point.  But then again, it could be that the administration didn't bother because they knew it would have been approved on a 7-0 vote anyway!

The bigger question I have is, "Who thought this was a good idea in the first place?"  Who researched this Challenge Day outfit, read about their program and said, "We need to apply for a grant to run this at our high school!"  Is our community so devoid of psychologists and counselors that our school administrators felt they needed to find a way to provide these services themselves?  Or, is it a case of certain people with their own agendas trying to use the schools to change what they see as improper social views and norms? It was stated here that a former district administrator was involved...yet the Board was not. Does that raise any questions in terms of who is in charge?

This is why David Weigand and I believe we need a change on the Board and need to restore the proper "separation of powers" at the top.  This is also why we are advocating a focus on our basic mission of education - something this program had nothing to do with.  As a school district, we had no good reason to: 1) consider hosting a program like this, 2) waste administator's time and effort applying for a grant, or 3) involve former employees in current school business.  Everyone wants to look at grant money as "free", but there are always strings attached.  If our administrators have too much time on their hands, maybe we could just eliminate a position and skip the grant processing - rather than searching for more revenue, we could lower spending (and even reduce legacy costs!).