THE OSHKOSH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT INVITES COMMUNITY INPUT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2010‐2011 BUDGET

For more information contact:

Dr. Bette Lang
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Oshkosh Area School District
(920) 424‐0160

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE OSHKOSH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT INVITES COMMUNITY INPUT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 2010‐2011 BUDGET.

The Oshkosh Area School District is beginning to develop the 2010‐2011 budget, and again the district is in a similar position as last year in regards to a large budget deficit. Last year the budget was reduced by over $5 million due to changes brought forth in school funding by the State biannual budget. In the second year of the biennium it is anticipated that the same or a slightly larger deficit will exist. The deficit is addressed by reducing expenditures, raising revenues or a combination of both.

Understanding that change is inevitable, the district must be prepared to continue to change how it operates. In order to develop a list of over five million dollars in expenditure reductions, input from the community and staff is crucial.

Two open meetings, for all citizens and staff, will be held for the purpose of reviewing the options listed below and adding other options to the list.

The meetings are scheduled for 6:30 pm:

􀂾 December 9, 2009 at West High School – Alberta Kimball Auditorium, 375 N. Eagle Street ‐ 54902

􀂾 January 6, 2010 at North High School – Theater, 110 W. Smith Ave, ‐ 54901

Over 80% of the district budget is used for salary and benefits. Therefore, some reductions must come from efficiencies such as consolidating buildings and reducing personnel. The Board of Education has asked for a list of options to consider as they address the 2010‐2011 deficit. Some of the options will come from the Public Management Partners and Bray Reports on facilities.

2010‐2011 options include:

􀂾 downsizing from five middle schools to three or four middle schools

􀂾 repurposing a middle school into a larger elementary school

􀂾 closing or repurposing smaller elementary schools

􀂾 transferring students, and making boundary adjustments based on closing or repurposing schools

􀂾 moving students who reside in leased space into district buildings

􀂾 raising class sizes

􀂾 downsizing the number of staff in the district

The board of education will begin deliberations on the 2010‐2011 budget at the January 13, 2010 meeting and continue until the goal is met.

THE OSHKOSH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY OF OSHKOSH HEALTH SERVICES DIVISION WILL BEGIN SCHOOL BASED H1N1 VACCINATION CLINICS

For more information contact:

Dr. Bette Lang
Interim Superintendent of Schools
Oshkosh Area School District
(920) 424‐0160

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE OSHKOSH AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CITY OF OSHKOSH HEALTH SERVICES DIVISION WILL BEGIN SCHOOL BASED H1N1 VACCINATION CLINICS

The City of Oshkosh Health Services Division has informed the Oshkosh Area School District that school based H1N1 vaccination clinics may now be scheduled. The Health Services Division will be working with each school to schedule clinic dates. Once dates have been arranged every Oshkosh Area School District school will mail a letter through the US Postal Service to EVERY student announcing the date of that school’s clinic. The mailing will include: the vaccination consent form that must be returned to allow student’s to be vaccinated, information about the clinics, and information about the vaccinations. Parents are asked to carefully and completely read over all of the information contained in the H1N1 vaccination mailing. Clinics are likely to begin the first week of December and will continue through January. Parents are asked to contact the City of Oshkosh Health Services Division if they have questions about the vaccinations.

Dogs in parks - referendum possibly coming this spring

According to today's Oshkosh Northwestern, Deputy Mayor Tony Palmeri plans to bring an advisory referendum question to the Common Council at its meeting this Tuesday night which, if approved, would give voters a chance to say whether they’d like to see dogs allowed in city parks or not.

One school of thought out there asks why bring something like this to the people when we’re not asked how we feel about spending millions of dollars on certain projects and the like. I see where those folks are coming from. But I also question another aspect of this, and it has to do with advisory referendums, in and of themselves.

I applaud Mr. Palmeri for bringing this forward and if the Common Council approves this referendum question to go on the ballot, it suggests to me they are concerned about what the people think. But, if they’re truly concerned about what the people think and want, why bother with an advisory referendum? Put their money where their mouths are, so to speak, and do the bold thing, the right thing: Make the referendum binding and be done with it. Otherwise they are wasting people’s time at the polls and taxpayer money to put the question on the ballot because they can still do the exact opposite of what the majority of voters want (and likely would). In which case, wasn’t it all an exercise in futility? Or they could do an even bolder thing: Look at how dogs in parks are working out already in the parks and trails in our area where they are allowed. Talk to other communities who’ve allowed dogs in parks for years and see how they’re making it work for ALL citizens. Then make the decision at the council level to stop living in the dark ages and drag Oshkosh into the 21st century and allow dogs in parks like they are in so many other communities, not to mention state parks, national forests and beaches across the United States. It’s an idea whose time has not only come; it’s long overdue.

P.S. Since there is such passion about animals, maybe we should put a second referendum on the ballot having to do with whether the people in Oshkosh support future deer cullings or not. Of course, I doubt the council would listen to that opinion either.

More fire truck "madness" created by Esslinger and the Oshkosh Common Council

Some of you have wondered about the wording of the resolution the Oshkosh Common Council approved on Nov. 10 to accept a fire truck from Mayor Paul Esslinger. I have gotten a copy of that resolution and am posting it here, in its entirety, as part of this blog posting. After reading the resolution, I am even more disgusted and dismayed with our councilors for their hasty, irresponsible decision.

As I’ve discussed in earlier posts about this subject on this site, the decision to vote on this only a day after it was placed on the council agenda was just plain wrong. You can refer to the previous postings for some of my reasons why ( Post #1 can be found here and Post #2 can be found here ), but in a nutshell, some of these councilors have raised holy hell in the past when things have been rushed through – and those councilors include the mayor and his foot soldier, Deputy Mayor Tony Palmeri. Some of these same councilors have also spoken out when they didn’t think the public had ample time to speak on an issue – again, Esslinger and Palmeri being two of the biggest complainers about this issue. In this case, the public really had little to no time to speak about the issue because it wasn’t part of the agenda that was put together on Friday and subsequently distributed.

Indeed, few people knew about this resolution before the meeting and, ironically enough, many people still don’t know about the fast footwork this council displayed because the mainstream media has not done an actual news story on it – only two editorials in the Oshkosh Northwestern have appeared. Editorials are hardly the same as a news story per se.

But I’m irritated and disappointed in the council even more now having seen the actual resolution. Palmeri said at the Nov. 10 meeting he wanted to be sure no public dollars were being spent on this. Well, he is either slipping and didn’t catch the public monies that will be spent; he chose to look the other way; or he just doesn’t think the monies attached to this are that big a deal.

First, it was stated at the meeting that when the truck gets turned over to the city it would be responsible for insuring it. There is one taxpayer expense. The city is also, according to the resolution below, responsible for setting up a fund from which Esslinger will eventually be reimbursed his costs for this truck and its transportation back to Oshkosh. Therein lies another expense. After all, it takes some staffer time to set up such an account, handle the accounting of funds going into it, etc. And if the truck, for some reason never does get turned over to the city, a staffer will have to spend time returning whatever money was earmarked and collected specifically for the truck.

I also wonder if the recent maintenance issues the truck has been sidelined with will be included in what Esslinger gets reimbursed. Technically speaking, I don’t believe those repair costs should be reimbursed, nor should the cost of his insurance for the truck. He’s the owner at present time and he should be solely responsible for the costs.

The other expense that must have slipped past some of the eagle eyes on the council (or perhaps they just didn’t care to question or make issue of it) is the “be it further resolved” portion of this resolution: That being that once the truck is turned over to us, the city is then responsible for the maintenance and storage of it. Seems to me there will be an expense there. I realize the resolution says any donations left over after Esslinger gets reimbursed can be maintained in the fund for future expenses, including maintenance, but I can’t imagine there being enough donations that such a thing will be possible.

At any rate, Esslinger said at the meeting he’d arranged for storage, etc. of the vehicle and I think most people assumed this was going to be a long-term arrangement. It sure doesn’t sound it based on the wording of this resolution. So, instead of patting Esslinger on the back for preserving this fire engine for us, he should maybe be slapped on the hand for jumping into something without getting things properly squared away at City Hall and before getting the city attorney wrapped up in his personal business and rapid purchase. Worse yet, every remaining councilor should be chastised as well. They got sucked into Esslinger’s excitement, voted to approve this and failed to look at, or at least adequately discuss, the bigger picture.

Will we see any councilor have the backbone to step up to the plate and do the right thing by asking the council to reconsider this? Doubtful, and even if we did, it’s even more doubtful there would be three other votes to approve the reconsideration. And even at that, this ridiculous purchase still might pass, yet again, on reconsideration.

It’s just another reason people don’t like government and politicians, not to mention one more decision these councilors have made that voters will have to consider when deciding whether to re-elect these folks should they run for office again. It’s not even the fact that this was a relatively small vote or expense in the grand scheme of things. For me, it’s the hypocrisy of some and what this hastily-taken vote and the council’s lack of questions says about their overall attitude toward the public they were elected to represent and the dollars we each work so hard to earn. Their rush to vote and disregard for the public in this matter is shameful. Or, instead of using the word “shame,” perhaps a better word to describe it is what the Oshkosh Northwestern used in one of its editorials: Sham.

THE RESOLUTION:

NOVEMBER 10, 2009 09- RESOLUTION


(CARRIED________LOST________LAID OVER________WITHDRAWN________)


PURPOSE: ACCEPT GIFT OF 1915 OSHKOSH FIRE ENGINE

INITIATED BY: MAYOR ESSLINGER

WHEREAS, a 1915 Fire Engine formerly used by the Oshkosh Fire Department has become available for purchase; and

WHEREAS, time was of the essence in the purchase from the private party who formerly owned the vehicle and the Mayor has stepped forward and purchased the Fire Engine to preserve it for the City of Oshkosh; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor would like to initiate a fundraising effort for the City to recover his costs of up to $11,000 that he paid the previous owner for the Fire Engine and the costs association with relocation of the Engine to the City of Oshkosh; and

WHEREAS, it is anticipated that all costs will be raised through private donations and that no tax dollars would be used to reimburse the costs for purchase or relocation of the Engine; and

WHEREAS, the Mayor would like to turn over the Fire Engine to the City of Oshkosh and be reimbursed for his costs to ensure its preservation for future generations; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary for a fund to be established so that tax deductible donations may be received for the purpose of reimbursing the costs for purchase and for establishment of a maintenance fund for the continued preservation of the 1915 Engine.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Common Council of the City of Oshkosh that the City of Oshkosh hereby agrees to accept the 1915 Fire Engine with the condition that a fund be established to accept donations for the purchase and maintenance of the Fire Engine and that the City shall pay to the Mayor no more than $11,000 to reimburse the Mayor for his costs for purchase and delivery of the vehicle. Any amount donated in excess of $11,000 shall be kept in the fund established for the maintenance and care of the vehicle.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that once the vehicle is turned over to the City of Oshkosh that the Oshkosh Fire Department shall be responsible for the storage and maintenance of the vehicle.

Citizen Action Applauds Advancement of Health Care in the U.S. Senate

For Immediate Release: November 21, 2009, 7:15 PM 
Contact: Robert Kraig, (414) 322-5324


Milwaukee: Saturday night the U.S. Senate voted 60-39 to proceed with the debate on health care reform. The vote clears the way for a historic debate on meaningful health care reform to begin after the Thanksgiving Recess.

“There was an all-out effort to end the health care reform debate in the Senate before it even got started,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “The successful vote Saturday night keeps the historic movement for meaningful health care reform on track for the passage of a bill in December or January.”

Time for final 2009 Friends of Oshkosh Public Library Used Book Sale

[We have received the following press release from the Oshkosh Public Library and are pleased to publish it on their behalf.]

Nov. 17, 2009 – Readers have one more reason to be thankful when the Friends of Oshkosh Public Library hold a used book sale on Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the lower level of the Oshkosh Public Library. Don’t miss this opportunity to stock your bookshelves, stuff your stockings and start preparing for the holiday season during the final sale of 2009.

The Friends have craft books and cookbooks to help plan holiday festivities. Peruse the large selection of biographies to find the story of that public figure you’ve always admired. Browse through the ever-changing selection of fiction, mysteries and paperbacks for a good winter read. Bargain hunters will want to check out the 25 cent comics (still in their packages) and the end-of-season Bargain Book Bags.

A special collection, donated recently by a local horse enthusiast, features books about raising, riding and showing horses. And readers interested in the classics will find some new additions to the sale as well.

Sales for 2010 are scheduled on Jan. 26, March 30, May 25, July 27, Sept. 28 and Nov. 30.

The Friends Store, located on first floor near the checkout desk, will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the day of the sale. Members of the Friends also will be in the library lobby selling OCM Cards from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with proceeds used to support Oshkosh Public Library programs and activities.

Proceeds from the Friends book sales are used to support programs and initiatives of the Oshkosh Public Library throughout the year. During the past year, the Friends:

 Purchased bookstore-style shelving to display the new books, movies and music on the library’s first floor

 Purchased prizes distributed through the summer reading program

 Sponsored programs and a special performance at the Leach Amphitheater for children who participate in the summer reading program

 Funded Baby Book Bags, which are distributed to all babies born in Oshkosh

 Purchased books for Oshkosh schools participating in the library’s Book Fest program

 Provided refreshments for special library programs

For additional information about the book sale or to join the Friends of the Library, contact Dana Stolley, Coordinator of Volunteers, at 236-5206.

Fire truck update: Broken down in Sawdust City, and some answers to questions

After posting my recent entry about the fire truck purchased by Mayor Paul Esslinger, some of you contacted me with additional comments / questions. I’ve also been asked to post whatever answers I get to the various questions. In addition, some new information has come to light, so I wanted to provide you with an update.

First, I have learned from the folks at City Hall that Chief Franz used a vacation day to make the Illinois road trip with Esslinger and that, as of today, there was nothing turned in for reimbursement of meals or mileage, nor was there any anticipation there would be. Good to know.

Next, some folks mentioned to me that besides the cost of insuring the truck once Esslinger actually turns it over to the city, there is the cost of gas and oil to operate it. After all, they said, he’s not going to push it down the street. True enough. Then there’s the cost of city staff having to spend time doing the accounting for this special project of Esslinger’s. I don’t care if it takes 10 minutes a week or 10 hours a week, it is time spent by city staff on something that he – and our common council – should not have saddled them, or us, with. If he wanted to raise funds to recoup his costs, he should have done it in a completely different manner, not encumber the city with this kind of ridiculousness - especially when the city has so many more pressing matters to attend to. I understand his discomfort with not wanting to accept money directly from taxpayers, but I'll bet there would have been a way he could do it and avoid ethics issues, an appearance of impropriety, and the like. He also could have approached the Community Foundation instead of the city, as suggested by Jess King; why didn't he? Does he have some personal beef with them? Would the Foundation have charged a fee of some kind to administer this? Was it "easier" or more expeditious for Esslinger to have the city handle it? Again, more questions than answers, it seems.

It should also be pointed out that if Esslinger does not raise enough funds to recover his financial outlay and, therefore, doesn’t turn the fire truck over to the city, the city will be legally obligated to return the funds that have been donated specifically for the truck. That is more time spent by city staff on this so-called “gift.” (Anyone besides me recall how Mr. Esslinger felt about some past “gifts” the city has received, especially when there would be some funds spent by the city as the result of accepting said gift?)

Incidentally, I’m not exactly sure who first called this truck a gift, but I'm thinking we should stop calling it that. After all, a gift is something you give unconditionally - with no strings attached; not something you give and then expect repayment for in return. Nor is it something you promise to give if or when the recipient pays you what you've paid for it.

Besides the insurance, gas and oil, there will also be ongoing maintenance costs associated with this fire truck. As it is, the truck apparently has already had its first mechanical or maintenance issues. It’s my understanding from one city staffer who is close to this issue that the truck “broke down” and, for one reason or another, was pulled from last week’s Holiday Parade – Esslinger’s first big “fundraising” event. This person didn't know if the truck broke down before it got to Oshkosh or after it arrived, but clearly, the very reason Esslinger said he needed this “gift” resolution rushed through the council, didn’t happen after all. Since he still owns the truck I wonder if he’ll now want to recover the cost of repairs, whatever they may be, as part of the overall approximately $11,000 he expects to get back.

With even more questions and ownership / operating-related costs for the city coming to light, it bothers me even more that our council (a) allowed it to be rushed through as it was; (b) didn’t ask enough or the appropriate questions; and (3) felt it necessary to apologize for the few questions that were raised. I believe the proper thing to do at this point is to bring this item back for reconsideration, give the public ample time to talk about it and let Esslinger set this up the way it should have been done in the first place – without any more city staff time being wasted on it. Bob Poeschl would certainly be able to do that now, even though he wasn’t last week. But whether it’s Poeschl or another councilor, someone from this body should be responsible and accountable enough to do so, instead of worrying about looking our mayoral “gift” horse in the mouth.

(Be sure to vote in our electronic poll about this issue on the right side of the page)