Germantown School District less than honest with taxpayers

The Germantown School District recently sent a survey out to residents to presumably assist them in planning for the future.  At the beginning of the survey they indicate that in the past two years the district has reduced the budget by more than $2.2 million and eliminated 13 staff position which equated to 8 FTE.  For next year the district is forecasting a budget shortfall of $2.3 million.  They then go on to tell us, in this impartial survey, that:

·        Fringe benefits are some of the very lowest in our region, 42 of 45 area districts

·        Starting salary ranks 37 of 45 area districts

·        Average salary ranks 37 of 45 area districts

·        Administrative cost per student is the bottom 8% of all school districts in Wisconsin, ranking 396 of 431 districts.

All numbers reflect 2010-11 data as this year’s information is not yet available.

We are then asked to respond to a number of leading questions that I am sure they will try to use to show taxpayers support more spending.

While those statements, from the survey, sound impressive, it is tough to evaluate without some context.  So, being the inquisitive type, I went to the Germantown School District web site and the Department of Public Instruction to uncover some facts.  Here are some of my findings:

Budget reduced by $2.2 million over past two years

While a budget is nice and important for managing expenses, I find it most helpful to see what they actually spent.  And no, surprise expenses in the year ended 2010 were 4.0% higher than 2009 and expenses in the year ended 2011 were up another 3.4% over 2010.  So, instead of the more than $2.2 million they claimed to have reduced from the budget, in the last two years, they actually spent $3.5 million more!!  How’s that for truth in advertising.

Starting Salary ranks 37 of 45 area districts.

Notice they didn’t say salary, they said starting salary.  So they bring in new teachers at rates significantly lower than other districts, ranking them 266 out of 424, with a low salary of $31,913, but you have to also consider that they also get avg. fringe benefits of $15,505.  What the district failed to point out is that they have one of the highest top salaries in the state.  Germantown ranks 44 out of 424, with a high salary of $78,104.  This is significantly above the median high salary of $62,740.

Average Salary ranks 37 of 25 area districts

While this may be true, what they fail to tell you is that the average salary is $56,017, significantly above the average for the state which is $50,627 and well above the per capita income of $34,698 earned by residents in Germantown according to the 2010 census.

Administrative cost per student is the bottom 8% of all school districts in Wisconsin

While admirable, let’s look at the facts, not the hype.  According to the Administrative salary report from the Department of Public Instruction, the total salary and benefits for the 15 administrators in Germantown totaled $1.6 million   This is an average of over $106,000 in salary and benefits for this group.

 

The one thing I have learned in my 52 years is numbers don’t lie, but liars use numbers.  There is any number of ways to use the same information to try to make your point.  I just wish these governmental entities would respect the intelligence of the electorate and be more straight forward and honest in their disclosures to taxpayers.

I want to make it clear that I am not anti-teacher.  I am frustrated that the teacher’s union does not recognize that most taxpayers have suffered the past few years and most of us have less income than we did 3 years ago, many more of us are out of work, our retirement nest egg is significantly smaller than it was three years ago and our home is now worth less than it was three years ago.

It is now time for the school districts to examine the cost of education and to find creative and innovative ways to deliver a better product.  Buying overpriced insurance from a union owned company can not be tolerated.  The school districts owe it to the taxpayers to find ways to cut costs.  There are ways to reduce expenses and not impact the quality of education.  If any school district doesn’t think they can find any cost savings, I would be happy to sit with them and go through their books to find opportunities for them.