Thursday, November 18, 2010

Mayor Kahl Offers MG a Plan

November 17, 2010


Mr. Craig Gerlach

Superintendant

Monona Grove School District

5301 Monona Drive

Monona, WI 53716

Mrs. Susan Fox

President

Monona Grove School Board

5301 Monona Drive

Monona, WI 53716

Dear Craig and Susan,

As the Monona Grove School District is reviewing its facility needs for next year and beyond, I would like to offer a concept I feel could provide a balanced solution that can benefit both the District and the City of Monona.

The City’s current Senior Center is located in the lower level of the Community Center. Due to the annual increases in the number of individuals utilizing this facility, we have a significant need for more space. Frankly, this has been a need brewing for a few years now, and we need to make some decisions. As such, I ask you to consider a joint facilities plan that would involve relocation of the Senior Center into the Maywood School building. Specifically, I propose the following:

NICHOLS:

It is my understanding that the Nichols complex is currently about half-occupied with uses including the District offices and the Monona Grove Liberal Arts Charter School for the 21st Century (MG21). I also understand the District has discussed the long-range possibility of moving one or more of these uses to Maywood. I would propose that the movement of District offices to Maywood take place now. As you know, the City has been approached with multiple potential development concepts for the Nichols site and I am confident that any of these potential uses would garner the district income substantially in excess of the recent appraised value of this property. As you also know, nothing can happen to further discussions of these and other unknown potential development options until the District indicates it is ready to seriously consider the possibility of redevelopment of this property. Vacating Nichols would send such an indication that the District is at least willing to open the doors to a discussion on this facility’s future while not obligating the

District to make any final determinations regarding sale or redevelopment. Additionally, I understand that keeping the offices at Nichols would require the District to make improvements to the facility, involving capital costs. It therefore may make better sense to instead put that money into moving the District offices to Maywood now versus spending some money for remodeling at Nichols when the future use of that facility is in question.

MAYWOOD:

Even with a move of the District offices to Maywood, there would still be more than enough space for the Monona Senior Center to also be located within Maywood. Additionally, I would ask you to consider allowing early childhood and 4K students to continue attending Maywood. I make this latter request because this combination would present unique intergenerational learning opportunities for our seniors and very young students, afford the District a great volunteer base of seniors ready and willing to contribute their talents to meet the needs of our very young students, and leave room at Winnequah to meet the anticipated space needs of the charter middle school. I also understand that retaining 4k and early childhood at Maywood would still achieve staff savings related to IMC, food services and administration that are motivating the District’s contemplated facility changes. In such a scenario, I would propose that the City make a financial contribution toward some of the District’s general capital improvement costs at Maywood (e.g. central air conditioning), as some of these would also be necessary for our Senior Center and yet present the City with a cost savings when compared to the investment a newly constructed Senior Center facility would require. In addition, I presume the costs specifically related to redevelopment of the Senior Center space would be borne by the City and trust that the kitchen and cafeteria/gym space would be available for use by the Senior Center.

COMMUNITY CENTER:

With the Senior Center at Maywood, MG21 could be moved to the lower level of the Community Center which currently houses the Senior Center. This location has multiple spaces including a kitchen, computer lab, offices, restrooms and dividable meeting rooms. It is my understanding that the District would not need these spaces during the summer months when our pool is in operation and we would therefore seek to utilize at least part of that space for pool-related rental parties if determined by the City that such a use would be viable.

WINNEQUAH:

To make room for the new uses at Maywood discussed above, I am assuming that kindergarten, first and second grades would be moved to Winnequah. This K-5 grade configuration would hopefully achieve the staff cost savings you need and also leave room for the charter middle school currently under development to be located in the lower level of Winnequah. The charter middle school is progressing on a track that would have the first group of sixth graders attending in the fall of 2012, and locating that school at Winnequah would utilize the recently remodeled science labs, occupy other remaining available space in that facility and provide access to other natural science learning environments given its proximity to Lake Monona, Winnequah Park and the Aldo Leopold Nature Center.

I want to reiterate that this conceptual partnership is one that is subject to approval by the city council and other city boards, and we therefore have a few steps to take in the coming weeks to effectuate these changes if this is a discussion the District is interested in pursuing. I hope you concur that this plan provides the

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benefit of meeting our collective space needs in a cost-effective manner. I trust you will also find that implementation of this plan affords you the opportunity for an open discussion on the future of Nichols School now versus in staggered, drawn-out phases of decision-making that lacks the finality on this topic that residents of Monona and Cottage Grove desire.

Respectfully,

Robb B. Kahl

Mayor

City of Monona

cc: Monona Grove School Board

Monona City Council

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30 comments:

  1. I wasn't aware the school board has approved a charter middle school. In a time of budget cuts, how did the school board justify the ongoing expense of operating two separate middle schools?

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  2. Wow! That was surprising for a few reasons.
    I think it's good that the Mayor is making an effort to find a way to help the Senior Center and the School District. I hadn't thought of this combination, and the plan makes many good points.
    I don't know that moving MG21 to the Community Center is a good idea. I could see it being a stigma against the building and the Park and Rec department. Maybe that space could be the coed dorms for the Fire Department interns, or maybe Parks and Rec could move downstairs, and the upstairs gets remodeled into a single large hall.
    Maybe MG21 could use one of the buildings near the High School that Monona is trying to sell. It would still be on Monona Drive so the kids could get lunch, and close to the High School for sports or computer and science labs.

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  3. The man is really out of order. Yet, I will roll with it. What happens when we have to reopen Maywood. We sell Nicholas and change Maywood???

    The mayor papered the town last year. Why the sudden change of heart. What is really going on is my question?

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  4. "I wasn't aware the school board has approved a charter middle school."

    They haven't; it's still in the talking stages.

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  5. "I don't know that moving MG21 to the Community Center is a good idea. I could see it being a stigma against the building and the Park and Rec department."

    Really?? The alt school (MG21) would stigmatize the building? It seems to me the only stigmatizing going on here is by *you* of the Alt School.

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  6. "Umm, why is he out of order?"

    Does his title say President of the School Board OR Mayor??
    He swings back and forth worse than teething 4 y/o/

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  7. "It seems to me the only stigmatizing going on here is by *you* of the Alt School."

    Guilty as charged, and I've known some good kids who go to the alt school. Because I've know these kids, I'm often one who defends it. I can tell you from experience, that many people are critical of the program, and suspect they would continue to do so at the Community Center.

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  8. I actually really like the plan.

    I was under the impression that Winnequah when/if it is combined would be at least 100 students under capacity. The odds of it "filling up" any time soon is slim to none. The growth within Monona schools has been relatively flat. Minus the "blip" of last years kindergarten class-- that was a large portion of open enrollment students, I don't see any huge gains happening soon.

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  9. I think that this sounds like a good compromise. There are a lot of details to be worked out, but I like the creative thinking. Nice job mayor.

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  10. Since when we talk about school issues here? We all got kicked out a few years back and sent to Peter's blog.

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  11. Maywood is an excellent choice for the Senior Center.

    The Alt School is best kept close to Monona Dr. I think the students prefer that.

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  12. It really bugs me that MG21 is seen as this entity we can just move around to whatever space nobody else wants. It's nearly as offensive as asserting there is a stigma with those kids.

    As for the comment about the mayor being out of order, that was not me. But it might be nice if he would discuss some of this over a cup of coffee with the superintendent and school board president before plastering it all over the news. The thing is, this sort of thing seems so simple, so elegant and people look at it and say "Gee, why not? That seems like a great idea!" But the devil is always in the details. What the mayor has done seems to be a little bit of grand standing.

    For the person who will inevitably say what I suggest amounts to a backroom deal, that's not at all what I am saying. What I suggest is that a mayor should not blindside the superintendent or school board with such a proposal in a very public way. Informal conversation is a good thing in these matters.

    Let's hope it didn't go down the way it appears and this letter is a result of people actually talking to one another.

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  13. "Does his title say President of the School Board OR Mayor?"

    His proposal touches on city issues too.

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  14. "As for the comment about the mayor being out of order, that was not me. But it might be nice if he would discuss some of this over a cup of coffee with the superintendent and school board president before plastering it all over the news."

    He did. My impression is that he talks to them fairly often. He told me he talked to both Susan Fox and Supt Gerlach about his ideas and that he was going to send the letter.

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  15. "many people are critical of the [alt school] program, and suspect they would continue to do so at the Community Center."

    So?

    I have not heard the criticism. I would guess it comes from ignorance of the program. My two middle girls graduated from the alt school. Key word there is graduated. (My youngest and oldest graduated from the 'big school'.)

    People may *assume* the kids don't have to work, but that's only because they haven't met McD and Fox-Blair, the two teaching mainstays of the program. The students work or out they go.

    The students run the gamut, just like other kids, but for one reason or another they struggle in the 'big school'. The alt school offers a lifesaver, but the students have to grab it.

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  16. "Since when we talk about school issues here? We all got kicked out a few years back and sent to Peter's blog."

    That's right, so what are you doing here? Can I see some ID, buddy?

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  17. So this is a letter dated Nov. 17 from the mayor to the superintendent and school board president on an issue that is a huge hot potato in this community. On Nov. 19 a member of the school board says on his blog that he doesn't know about it. Wow. That's some really fabulous communication going on. Not. I hope Mr. Sobol missed it in his school board email. If not, this shows how dysfunctional this school board is. Doug, you say the Supt. Gerlach and Ms. Fox talk quite often. Too bad Supt. Gerlach and Ms. Fox don't talk to their school board members. It is ridiculous Mr. Sobol would find out about this on your blog.

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  18. When a proposal discusses changing the use ot a city property to school uses, it is by all means appropriate for Doug's comments, even though he's not the "school issues" guy. Chill.

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  19. "So this is a letter dated Nov. 17 from the mayor to the superintendent and school board president...On Nov. 19 a member of the school board says on his blog that he doesn't know about it....Doug, you say the Supt. Gerlach and Ms. Fox talk quite often....It is ridiculous Mr. Sobol would find out about this on your blog."

    Arghh. Address the merits if you want to, but good lord, the letter was dated Wednesday and you think it is 'ridiculous' that Peter didn't know about it on Friday?

    I think you have a misconception about the roles of administration on the one hand and a citizen governing board. If I got bent out of shape every time the city admin/mayor talked about ideas before letting the council know about it I would be a pretzel.

    And Peter has now posted his thoughts over on his blog. Thoughts about the *merits* of it.

    But thanks for reminding me why I should always hesitate before posting anything related to schools around here. Too many people want to see hidden agendas instead of discussing the merits.

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  20. Yes, I do think it's not good the school board members are not kept in the loop on a letter from the mayor of Monona on a the most controversial issue they are facing. Peter indicates on his blog this letter has still not been sent to the school board members. Doug, if you want to believe the school board is a functional unit where there is mutual respect and good communication, I hope the weather is nice in your world. This is not about high school-esque drama. It is about seven people who were elected by the citizens who do not get along, who do not respect each other and the result is decisions being made by a subset of the people we elected. The lack of sharing such an important letter within a day or two of receipt is indicative of a much larger problem. It's not a hidden agenda. It is actually quite transparent.

    Thoughts about merits? Ok. It sounds like it might be a good plan. I hope it will be evaluated on the educational merits and not on the politics of keeping little children in Maywood. I also hope the alt school doesn't get treated like a the poor step-child. It is probably one of the most functional programs in our district and it deserves its rightful place in consideration. I hope that people will not have a knee jerk reaction about this one way or the other. There are a lot of moving parts to this plan, a lot of details to consider.

    I would think by now you'd know that posting anythign about the schools will result in cranky comments that elict cranky responses from yourself. You travel in known territory.

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  21. As you note, Doug, the letter is dated Nov. 17 and addressed to the District Office. Today is Nov. 20, and I assume a hard copy awaits me there; I am reading it for the first time on your blog. That said, an earlier version, including leaving kindergarten at Maywood, had been emailed to Superintendent Gerlach and myself a while ago, and the Mayor had suggested the alternative of just EC and 4K later. The Board discussed this plan briefly at our November 9 meeting, as noted in the coverage by the Herald-Independent. I believe Peter meant to say that he had not seen this plan in writing, not that he had not heard about it, because he was present at that meeting. He was correct in that statement, because again, I had not seen this letter either. It will appear in writing, in our Board packets, at our next Board meeting, on Dec. 8, and we will discuss it in more depth. I believe that the MG21 teachers need to visit the Community Center to see whether the space is adequate, and I would like input from other staff members about the location of EC and 4K. As I've noted before, suspicion and hostility abound in the anonymous blogisphere. It would indeed be refreshing to be able to discuss all ideas on their merits.

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  22. "Yes, I do think it's not good the school board members are not kept in the loop on a letter from the mayor of Monona on a the most controversial issue they are facing."

    There may be internal problems on the school board. You think the non-instantaneous distribution of this letter proves it, but it doesn't.

    Why should posting anything about schools elicit 'cranky' responses?

    (Actually, cranky isn't the right word. I'd say 'uninformed' or 'inaccurate' would be closer to the mark. Cranky is, however, a pretty good description of my response to uninformed, inaccurate comments.)

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  23. Some clarification is in order it appears. I started discussions with Sue and Craig on this topic on October 14th. Over the last month I have consulted with appropriate city staff (City Administrator, Senior Center Director and Park & Recreation Director to be specific) to gain input and insight. Before sending the final letter to Sue and Craig, I sought input from the Chairmen of the Community Development Authority, Senior Commission, Park & Recreation Committee and Plan Commission. Over the past month, after gathering the input of these individuals, my joint facilities plan has been modified somewhat into its current form as noted by Sue. The entire school board and city council were copied on this letter and it appears the council was copied by e-mail while the school board members and Craig received their letters via regular mail (I am only guessing this as I asked staff to get this out to these individuals and did not direct by what means it would be delivered). There you have it – the history to date. Now how about we discuss the merits of the proposal?

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  24. Inaccurate. Cranky. Uninformed. Everything else that has been posted on here that might be construed as an adjective.......... SILLY. How can you have lived in Monona for the last five years, maybe more, and not have known we'd be having this conversation today?? OH MY GOD. Seriously, give me a large break. They petitioned to buy the land. They petitioned to build the school. It's built. The busses are running. Here we are. DEAL. All we have left now is to contemplate our future as a community. Think hard. Think long. This is your last chance, for the short term. Where do you want your kids to go to school? Speak now, or forever hold your peace. That is the reality that I am living with right now. Do you want this to be you? I don't think so. It's far from perfect.

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  25. "Now how about we discuss the merits of the proposal?

    "

    I don't think the whole town knows about it. I suggest city staff hand out copies to the whole town.

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  26. If uninformed anonymous comments are a problem then stop allowing them. You enable something to happen and then complain when it happens.

    How can anyone make an "informed" comment about this? This is about money, right? That's what caused the need to close Maywood. We wouldn't be here otherwise, right? The mayors letter has no dollar amounts. Until the public sees the cost savings of these alternatives how can we comment?

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  27. Doug,

    How is it possible to offer an informed opinion on this proposal? We don't know the budget numbers and we have not heard from the educators.

    As for your frustration with people assuming conspiracy and hidden agendas, it has always been this way and always will be. It won't change.

    That's why process matters. It is everything. A really great idea or plan can be dead from the beginning because of poor execution. Maywood is a highly political topic. How and by whom an idea about Maywood is brought forward is just as important as the idea itself. You don't gotta like this reality, but so it is.

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  28. Cool! This plan stops Maywood from being wasted space in the "city center," and opens Nichols up for sale/redevelopment/whatever. Sure seems to make a lot more sense to me to keep the middle rocking and make cuts on the more marketable exterior of our city.

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  29. I believe this discussion has officially moved to The Rag and Peter Sobol's Blog. Thanks for getting the ball rolling Doug.

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