Tuesday, November 16, 2010

District Advisory Committee Meeting 12/6

The District is planning a “District Advisory Committee” meeting on December 6th at 7:30pm in the high school library. ANY district resident is invited to attend (students, parents, community members, staff, administration and board). The bulk of this meeting will be devoted to developing a vision and direction for the district in years to come. In short, we would like to solicit student, parent, staff, board, and community involvement in developing a vision for our district as we move forward. Below is a preliminary agenda for the meeting:
SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PRAIRIE FARM
District Advisory Committee Meeting
Monday, December 6th, 2010
7:30 PM HS/MS IMC

Committee Members: Any District member interested


I Discussion of current district activities


II Discussion of our vision for the future:
a) What do we want our schools to look like 5-10 years from now?
b) What are we currently doing that we should do more of?
c) What should we do as a district to ensure that we will remain a school of choice in the area and potentially increase our ability to draw students and families in?
d) What are the roles of all of the stake-holders in this process?
(Students, Parents/ Community Members, Staff, Administration, Board)

III Other


IV Adjournment



The School District of Prairie Farm in partnership with family and community provides educational experiences which foster academic excellence, life-long learning, and citizenship.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Referendum Update 10/15

Districts across the State have received their certification of aid from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). With these numbers now known, districts have a much easier time predicting the potential effects of a new referendum. Based on the amount of State aid, the District's equalized property values, and the number of students in the building, we have determined that the mill rate for this school year (effective November 1st) is 13.7 (this is up from the predicted 12.4-12.8 because of the sharp drop in equalized property values and the loss of some State aid).
This increase in mill rate is due to a couple of factors. First, the District's equalized property value fell sharply by approximately $2 million (this figure was provided to Districts during the first week of October); this in conjunction with a decrease of $100,000.00 in State aid and higher building bond payments than in previous years, caused the overall increase in the levy and corresponding mill rate.

What effect does this have on the proposed referendum?
First of all, the levy predictions have changed from what was previously given. In the first year of the new referendum (2011-2012) the predicted mill rate is: 15.0 (the previous prediction was 14.0-14.5). The predicted mill rate for for the second (2012-13) and third (2013-14) year of the proposed referendum are: 13.4 and 13.8 respectively.
It is important to emphasize that the largest increase in property taxes for school purposes will be from last year to this year. This would have happened REGARDLESS of plans to go to voters with a new referendum. Please keep in mind that the new referendum will not take effect until next school year (2011-2012)and that the relative cost to taxpayers if the new referendum passes is going to be roughly the same as was originally predicted.

PLEASE ATTEND THE INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON OCTOBER 26TH.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Referendum Information

The District is holding 2 informational meetings regarding the planned referendum on Monday, October 11th and Tuesday, October 26th at 7:30pm in the high school library. Please feel free to attend either session.
I have also included some specifics regarding the planned use of the referendum dollars, as well as some projections regarding the levy and corresponding mill rate. Some of the information presented here can require explanation. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Craig Broeren
715-455-1683 ext. 119
broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

What is the plan for 2011-2012 and beyond?
· The strategic planning committee conducted a meeting on Monday, August 30th and outlined the following (The full Board of Education unanimously approved the resolution to go to referendum at the September 20th regular board meeting):
1. The new referendum should run for three (3) years
2. The amount in 11-12 should be $200,000.00
3. The amount in 12-13 and 13-14 should be $250,000.00

· What will comprise the $200,000.00 in 11-12?
1. Reinstatement of full-time PreK-12 Principal - $17,000.00- 39,000.00 (Health Insurance)
2. Continue Bus Purchase Rotation- $30,000.00- $60,000.00
3. Maintenance Projects
a. Replace water heater*- $25,000.00- $30,000.00
b. New gym bleacher update- $10,000.00- $24,000.00
c. Replace “Old Gym” Floor*- $90,000.00- $100,000.00
4. General Operations



· What will comprise the $250,000.00 in 12-13 and 13-14?
1. Reinstatement of full-time PreK-12 Principal - $17,000.00- 39,000.00 (Health Insurance)
2. Continue Bus Purchase Rotation- $30,000.00- $60,000.00
3. Maintenance Projects
a. Repair parking lots- $15,000.00- $30,000.00
b. Replace Sweeper- $9,000.00- $12,000.00
c. Update Lockers MS and HS $30,000.00- $35,000.00
d. Replace classroom carpets MS and HS- $25,000.00- $30,000.00 ($2500.00/ room)
e. Replace “Old Gym” Floor*- $90,000.00- $100,000.00
f. Replace Phone/ Bell Systems $25,000.00- $30,000.00
4. General Operations

Bolded items will take place over all 3 years of the referendum; Italic items are maintenance items that have a high enough cost that we will distribute payments over 2 or 3 years or more (MS/HS lockers could be done in 2 years and “old gym” floor may take 3 or more).

*-The District will make informed decisions regarding which maintenance projects to pursue at particular times. It is evident that the “old gym” floor is likely high on the list followed by the replacement of the water heater. The old gym floor replacement will likely have to be financed and paid over three to five years.

What will happen to the mill rate over time?
· Basically, we will experience a relatively high mill rate for the first year of the new referendum; this is due to the fact that we will still be paying on 2 building bonds. The PREDICTED mill rate is around 14.0.
· In the second year of the referendum, even though we will levy for $50,000.00 more, the mill rate will drop. The predicted mill rate is around 12.5.
· In the third year of the referendum, the mill rate is predicted to rise slightly to around 12.9.

All of these numbers are base on predictions. In calculating the levy, I have assumed:
- a $200.00 per student increase in State aid each year
- no change in property value
- slightly decreasing enrollment
If any of the factors above change positively or negatively, there will be a change in the levy and corresponding mill rate. I do know that the first year of the new referendum will likely carry the highest mill rate of the 3 years unless there are some drastic swings in student numbers and/ or changes in State funding.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Referendum Update

Greetings PF Blog followers!

It has been awhile since the last post. I wanted to take some time to update readers on the disposition of the upcoming referendum; many of you already know that the current $150,000.00 referendum will expire at the end of this school year and as a result, the District must ask voters to approve a new referendum. The strategic planning and finance committee has been in the planning stages during the past few months and plans to formally adopt the resolution to pose the referendum question to voters at the November 2nd election. I will post additional specifics regarding the amount, length, and uses of the referendum after the resolution is approved at the September regular board meeting. We know that there is a definite need for this money and that the plan that is developed will be designed to meet the needs of the District and the expectations of the voters. The District will also conduct community meetings regarding the referendum in October to ensure the public is well aware of the situation. Please monitor this blog, our school district's web site, and the local newspapers for additional information and updates.

Thank you for your support!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Inaugural District Advisory Committee Meeting Planned

In an effort to remain highly connected with the community of Prairie Farm, the District is planning an inaugural “District Advisory Committee” meeting for Tuesday, May 18th in the HS/MS IMC at 6:30pm. This committee will be composed of administration, students, staff, board, and community members who have a vested interest in the success of our District and want a vehicle to provide input and to participate in discussion. The meetings will be governed by a developed and publically posted agenda and ANYONE who has an interest in any or all agenda items is welcome to attend. I am unsure of what future agenda items may be, but for our first meeting I would like to discuss what our District has accomplished in the past and establish a plan for our future. From these discussions and other items that arise on a regular basis during the next school year, future agendas will be created and addressed at future meetings. The meetings will take place quarterly to start, with additional meetings added when and if needed. The agenda will always be posted in the newspaper and/or on our District web site prior to any meeting occurring. A goal of the District is to have open lines of communication to any of our residents.

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PRAIRIE FARM
District Advisory Committee Meeting
Tuesday, May 18th, 2010
6:30 PM HS/MS IMC

Committee Members: Any District member interested


I) Where has the District been and what have we accomplished?


II) District focus for next year and beyond
a) Goals
b) Advisory committee
c) Staff development

III) Other


IV) Adjournment



The School District of Prairie Farm in partnership with family and community provides educational experiences which foster academic excellence, life-long learning, and citizenship.

Monday, February 22, 2010

District Advisory Committee??

In an effort to involve all District stakeholders (students, parents, staff, school board, and community members) I am tossing around the idea of developing a "District Advisory Committee" whose purpose would be to discuss any and all issues relevant to our schools. We would likely meet on a quarterly basis with an agenda that limited our discussion to a few selected topics. Any member of the District would be able to suggest items for the agenda and the agenda would be posted one week prior to the scheduled meeting time. I want to make an effort to involve as many individuals in our school as possible and to provide an avenue where questions can be asked, answered, and discussed in a meaningful manner. What is the point to the blog post? Well, let me know what you think... Would we get enough involvement? Would it be worth it?

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Big Question

Alright, so the blog has been quiet lately while I have been contemplating the context of my next post. I have decided to ask for some reaction and/or reflection to some "academic surveys" I had our Middle and High School students complete. As you may or may not know, we have been looking into the apparent fact that our student body seems to be composed of students doing very well and students doing poorly; in short, little or no "middle ground" students in the mix. In order to solve this issue and to hopefully begin to understand a student's perspective on why simply turning work in complete seems to be such a challenge for some. I can say with complete certainty, that students not turning work in was something I constantly strived to "fix" in my own classroom. With that being said, I also know that this situation is NOT unique to Prairie Farm Schools. Below, you will find the survey and the results for Middle and High School; the student's answers appear below each question and the number in parenthesis reflects the number of students that answered similarly and the answers in italics are responses that 5 or more students listed as an answer. Please look over the results and feel free to provide any input you feel relevant. I will be discussing the results with our students this week on Thursday and Friday during Panther Time and hope to have some student involvement in formulating some approaches to help us figure this thing out. An item that I noted is that our students, for the most part, certainly see their ownership of this situation.
(Please excuse the formatting; I took the time to make it readable only to see that after I hit "publish" it came out like this...)

MS Academic Performance Self-Evaluation
Please answer the following questions as clearly as possible; we hope to use this information to enhance the opportunities for all students.

Have you ever failed a class or been failing at any point during a quarter? YES NO
If you answered “yes” can you explain why?
Frequent absences (1) Too difficult (2)
Didn’t turn work in (12) Not paying attention (1)
Late work (1) Failed big project (1)
Lack of effort (2)
Poor test grades (4)


List and explain anything that you feel would help you raise your grade(s). (You can explain things that would be helpful both before you were failing and after; if you have NEVER failed or been failing a class, please still take the time to answer this question.)
More work time (14) Correct mistakes (2)
Better/ clearer instruction (7) Try harder (11)
Complete work at home (8)
Extra credit (2)
Panther time in morning (1) Less homework (2)
More help (6)


What areas of school are most important to you? Are there any ways we can enhance or improve these areas?
Sports (7) Art (3)
Phy Ed (18) FCE (2)
Math (18) Band/ Choir (5)
Lunch (10) Language arts/ reading (5)
Science (11)
Business (1)
Academics in general (4) Study hall (1)
Social Studies (5)


Answers to 2nd part (ways to improve areas):
Better equipment (2)
More time to ask questions

Are there any things that you would like to see incorporated into our school? Are there things that we currently do, but you would like to see more of? (In academics, athletics, co-curriculars, etc.)
Computer classes (1) Group work (1)
Dances (2) Field trips (3)
Open gym (2) Foreign languages (3)
Outdoor activities (1) Powder puff FB (2)
Activity days (2) Track facility (2)
Longer study hall (1) Golf team (1)
Dress up days (1) Hands on activities (1)
Intramurals (3) Tutors (1)
Art club (1) Laptops (1)
Soccer (4)
More help (2)


HS Academic Performance Self-Evaluation
Please answer the following questions as clearly as possible; we hope to use this information to enhance the opportunities for all students.

Have you ever failed a class or been failing at any point during a quarter? YES NO
If you answered “yes” can you explain why?
Not understanding (8) Not explained well (5)
Too much homework (3) Distracted (2)
Low test scores (7) Frequent absences (5)
Didn’t try/ turn things in (17) Too much weight on single item (2)
Lost paper/ teacher didn’t grade (3)

List and explain anything that you feel would help you raise your grade(s)?
(You can explain things that would be helpful both before you were failing and after; if you have NEVER failed or been failing a class, please still take the time to answer this question.)
Less homework (15) Study groups (2)
Better explanation/ clearer assign. (14) No tests (1)
More help (4) More extra credit (16)
More time in class to do work (15) Computers (2)
Turn in all work/ on time (6) Less worksheets (1)
Talk with teachers (4) Panther time (1)
Coordinate test dates (1) More effort (3)
Fair grading practices (4) Engaging classes (5)
Tutors (1) Retake tests (5)


What areas of school are most important to you? Are there any ways we can enhance or improve these areas?
Sports (9) Art (2) Tech ed (5)
Phy Ed (11)
Ag (2) Graduating (2)
Math (20) Band/ Choir (2) Preparing for future (4)
Lunch (1) English (7) Panther time (1)
Science (15) Theater (1) Foreign languages (1)
Academics in general (8) Psychology (1)
History (5) Computers (3)


Answers to 2nd part (ways to improve areas):
Improved teaching methods Hands on activities (2)
Valuable feedback Computers
Book clubs Field trips
More poetry Guest speakers
Creative outlets Flexible scheduling
Intramurals Tutors
More ITV/ on-line opportunities Extra help
Group work Less homework

Are there any things that you would like to see incorporated into our school? Are there things that we currently do, but you would like to see more of? (In academics, athletics, co-curriculars, etc.)
Better Technology/ computer classes (14) Foreign languages (5)
Intramurals (4) On-line/ ITV classes (2)
Improved athletic equipment/ facilities (11) Open campus at lunch (6)
More school spirit (1) More class choices (5)
Softball (3) Flexible schedule (2)
Hockey (3) Support for co-currilculars (1)
Soccer (2)
Drama club (1)