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Wisconsin Conservatives
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How the Republicans won the battle of Madison.
by Stephen F. Hayes and John McCormack

REPRINTED from the March 21, 2011 issue

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Contact: Senator Glenn Grothman 1-800-662-1227 - Capitol

For Immediate Release December 29, 2010

This issue still needs our attention! Green Bay Tea Party 2011

Contact: Senator Glenn Grothman Capitol 1-800-662-1227 -
Cell - 1-262-689-8421

Time to Stop the Expansion of Four-year-old Kindergarten

Grothman Calls on Governor-elect to Immediately Announce State Suspension of Support for 4K Programs

Madison: Today State Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) called on Governor-elect Scott Walker to immediately announce he will stop the state policy of encouraging four-year-old kindergarten in the new budget. The Madison School District has already announced its intention to add four-year-old kindergarten next year. If Walker does not act, the new Madison program, when fully phased in, will add a devastating $10 million a year bill for state or local taxpayers. As other districts around the state make the same decision, the bill will go still higher.

Recent studies have confirmed that any academic benefits of government funded preschool disappear by the fourth grade. Reports in 2008 indicated that at that time Wisconsin was already seventh in the nation in percent of four-year-olds in kindergarten. Studies in Oklahoma, the state which has the model four-year-old program, show a decline in their fourth grade reading scores over the past eleven years, after benefits of their 4K programs should have been realized.

For the past 15 years, Wisconsin has encouraged adopting four-year-old kindergarten by allowing school districts as much revenue authority for a four-year-old as they have for their more costly to educate high school students. Last year four-year-old kindergarten programs cost this state $140 million in state tax collections and cost local property taxpayers another $82 million.

It is important for Governor Walker to make it clear that the days of encouraging four-year-old kindergarten are at an end so local districts can plan accordingly.

ADDENDUMS

Dear Senator Grothman

As a member of the Brown County Taxpayers Association, and during these past 4 years ,as chairman of the Education Subcommittee for our group, I have become quite familiar with school funding and issues pertinent to their operation.

I have been in the forefront, here in Green Bay, in addressing the mis-use of Taxpayer funds and State Budgets by our school districts.

I applaud your letter to Scott Walker and I do hope he takes your request seriously.

I would like to point out some facts pertaining to 4K that may assist your efforts to remove this gross mis-carriage of funding.

First, the Federal Government funds a program for youngsters that need help.

It is called Headstart.

The cry for help for such an age group should be addressed by this program, however the schools have found a cash cow in Wisconsin’s 4 K Budget and can make extra funds this way.

Second, rather than looking to Arkansas, (or Georgia, who admit that the 4K program is a failure), we can look right here in Wisconsin.

Three years ago I challenged Dan Nerad , the Superintendent at that time, with this fact when he initiated 4 K in Green Bay when he said, “early education promotes advancement of learning “.

To which I said , “ We do not need to look at studies from other communities, when we have the information right here in Green Bay !. 8 years ago, we went from ½ day kindergarten to full day, and yet subsequent grade test scores failed to reflect the additional education time..in fact, scores are decreasing which is proof that extending hours does nothing” The charge went unanswered.

Third, I have to say that you left a very large arrow out of your quiver to Scott Walker. Your financial equation is not correct for 4 K. While I feel that $9,900 is closer, let’s use your $9,000 number, it is fine for expressing costs.

To get funding for a student, he is counted as one FTE ( full time education) to get the 9K.

4K students however get a kicker. For 13 ¼ hours per week they are counted as .6 FTE ( .5 if less than 13 ¼)

So 4 year olds are given a morning class, followed in the PM with another 4 year old.

Those two half day students count as (2 x.6) 1.2 FTE or in cash terms, they bring in $10,800 to the district.

But wait, it gets better……they only need to be in school for 4 days (!)

So you have a 20 % bonus in funds, followed by a 20 % reduction in class room utilization and teacher time .sweet deal !

Never forget, that unlike upper grades, there is no homework and tests to score during free time

The schools will say that they use the teachers to communicate with parents on the fifth day.

We have no proof this occurs, and let me remind you that school districts like Green Bay have a very large number of case workers and social workers for such activities.

What I find incredible is that Tony Evers, the WDPI Superintendent, in his recent “budget recommendations” wanted to increase the use of extra credit like this in the FTE category for other students. This weighting is nothing more than a cash give-away in a system already weakened by cash drain.

Lastly, for lots of information on 4 K studies, this think tank is a great resource.

The Reason Foundation

http://reason.org/news/show/assessing-proposals-for-presch

Thank you for listening and I do hope , for the benefit of Wisconsin, that the sham of 4 K is disposed of.

The least that should happen, is that the taxpayers of the school district, be allowed to vote on whether they wish to have such a program, and that it be funded 100 % by Local taxes. Only then would the purveyors of 4K be held accountable for results, which I doubt even exist

Rich Carlstedt 920-499-4899 grnbaystmr@gbonline.com

I would like to add a post note if you would, that is not in the original letter since your readers may not have access to it.

1. Green Bay 4 th grade reading scores have dropped steadily from 81 % to the 72 % during the past 10 years. ( full day K works, Right?)

2. So what does the State want to do(?), they want to change the testing methods ( WKCE)

3. Green Bay per Student cost is $ 11,800 approximately when you include Local and Federal revenue.

4. Local Taxpayers have no voice in the decision to employ 4K. It is the School Board who decides

5. These same school boards complain of a lack of adequate classrooms being available. (causing Referendums ?)

I believe seeing the above allows the reader to have a better understanding of part of the whole picture.

My Best Rich

This is NOT going Away !

Please attend YOUR local School Board Meetings !

Dear Senator Grothman

............. I would like to make some additional comments for your knowledge.

The URL below, and the data is from the information sheet that the Green Bay School District provided to the Enrollment Management Task Force.

I was a member of that group.. I will review a portion of that report that dealt with 4 K funding. This is a school district provided sheet.

Some of us reviewed the sheets, with the financial manager of the school district as we were greatly concerned about the costs and the results of such a program. My research , as covered somewhat in an earlier letter to you showed that increasing early study does not yield improvement in scores.

if we are to believe the WKCE results. Other factors may influence the downward trend, but when you consider the added hours, SAGE with twice the number of teachers, and paid meals at the same time, a logical person must question the influence and results of all these programs which are supposed to better student performance. Surely it has not worked in Green Bay

My Point here:

What is important is the level of revenue the 4 K program affords the district is far more than actual costs !
( incentives for misuse ?)

Please note, schools get money from only two sources for 4 K, which is either State or Local financing. Period.

( The Federal Program Headstart is not involved in these numbers as I understand).

What revenue is not given by one requires the other to supplement the 4 year schedule displayed here

State Funds are in red.

Local Funds in green

Profit is Bold

State Grant - Start Up Costs 700,000 348,000 0 0

Additional Equalized Aid 0 4,300,000 4,686,000 5,087,440

Additional Local Levy 1,152,895 (500,291) 2,011,232 2,211,540

Total Revenue 1,852,895 4,147,709 6,697,232 7,298,980

Expenditures 3,100,000 3,455,000 4,100,000 4,505,000

Net Gain (Loss) (1,247,105) 692,709 2,597,232 2,793,980

As you can see in the above, the concept of 4 K is a profit because it allows districts to access more revenue than true cost of operation.

The first year is shown as a loss, yet we know, here in Green Bay, that the District added 3 million dollars in each of the past two years to the local levy, in spite of the fact that they also added 10 million dollars last year to the Fund balance (reserve). ( Surpluses gained through increased taxation)

Local Taxpayers paid the money for this, as the school districts do not operate at a loss (!) ( ergo , the 3.1 and 3.4 M in Green)

So the state funds $ 15,2 M for 4 years and the Local Taxpayer pays 1/3 of that, plus the first years TOTAL costs

Expenditures = 15.155 M Dollars ( cost of running 4 K)

Revenue= 15.121 M +7.32M=22.5 M Dollars (Conservatively )

Net Gain= 7 Million Dollars

http://www.greenbay.k12.wi.us/01/info/enrollment/closing_appendices/Appendix%20O%20-%202%20%20(27-D).pdf

The Reason Foundation has a very recent (2010) report by Lisa Snell on California 4 K and incorporates much of the Landmark study they did in 2006.

The 2010 Study

http://reason.org/files/51a71853c549b1f6ba0bc6f6f39ac5bb.pdf

The 2006 Study

http://reason.org/files/b7abd1fc30bdf33cd824db3b102c4db0.pdf

it may pay to contact Lisa Snell directly at lisa.snell@reason.org

The “Results “ of various studies that show 4 K children doing well is fraught with inconsistencies and false assumptions. We have all been told that 4 K produces better grades, yet the fact remains that these improvements ( if real) disappear by the end of 1 st grade and the verified results of increased aggressiveness in these children is ignored by Educational experts . (Yet schools are concerned about “bullying” ?)

Thank You for allowing me to contribute to the pool.

Regards

Rich Carlstedt

Green Bay

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Subject: Congress corrects the President

UncleSam

All,

This is worth 3 minutes of reading.

We certainly live in exciting times….thank GOD we all are living at this time. ~ Matt Giese ~ Contributor

This is an actual letter sponsored by Michelle Bachmann and others in Congress.

Since the contents of the letter and what it represents are not getting any national media coverage, it's good to know that the letter is now and forever part of the public record for future generations to read.

LINK TO LETTER

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