Endorsement

I have met a great deal of people from all over our community and the surrounding area. One such person has asked that I post her letter to the ONW here in the event the ONW is unable to print all letters by election day.


In the fall of 2006 I completed my classes at UWO with a class in public budgeting and finance. During the semester many of us became familiar with each other’s background, philosophy, and beliefs regarding public service. A young woman in our class was impressive. She was well read in financial theory and strategy. She was honest and objective in researching differing opinions to identify their genuine merit. She demonstrated courage by asking even the unpopular questions and challenging the status quo. Given these observations, it is clear that Michelle Monte would bring energy, honesty, independence, and courage to any task she chooses to pursue. She is currently seeking a seat on the Oshkosh School Board and with her children being students she brings a wide variety of keen insights into the current and future needs of the school system. On April 3d you can vote for Michelle Monte and add a significant member to the Oshkosh School Board. I hope you will consider her, given her clear abilities and commitment to the best practices and standards for children.

Thank you for your consideration,

Jane Van De Hey

Thank you, Jane.

Almost the Home Stretch

Well, we have a little over a week until E-Day. I am still busy answering several online forums, updating emails, attending various community meetings and committee meetings, and putting out signs and door hangers. There still is so much to do and so little time. There is one forum left on Monday hosted by Progress Oshkosh. A previous post has the details. I hope to see many in attendance as this forum allows the candidates to rebut answers to questions.

Oshkosh will be going through many changes in the upcoming months and years and we need to be cautious not to fall into the same old patterns by repeating the same old behaviors. Caution does not mean forcing progress to a screeching halt. Caution means being aware of what the community can bear in both changes and dollars. We have an entire year between the vote on the current scenario and the referendum. We need to make sure we are fully aware of community questions and concerns and address them. That may not mean a change in the scenario, but it should certainly mean more details to ensure the benefits promised are delivered and the expenses are mitigated as much as possible.

As far as community feedback, I am concerned about BOE members who go on the radio and blame the public for not not understanding scenario 7 or not knowing what is going on. Making a blanket statement that it is sad people don't take an interest in our schools is irresponsible and ignorant. It is easy for a BOE member to say that one only has to go to the OASD website or read the paper to see what is happening when you are surrounded by school information, data, and resources. When someone is focused on everyday life and does not have access to all of the information out there, it is the district's duty to the community to do more to reach as many people as possible. I ask, How does someone know to look for information if they do not know the information is out there? Communication is a two-way street. One cannot ask the question if they do not know there is a question to ask. A community member cannot ask for details about a scenario if they have not heard that there is one or that it has changed from the one presented in January. Support does not come from taking people and information for granted.

Feel free to contact me if you have any suggestions, questions, or concerns. Anyone who is still interested in helping out with signs, door hangers, buttons, car window signs, or donations can call me at 233-9878 or email me at monte07@new.rr.com. I'd be happy to drop off anything you need.

I would like to thank everyone who has supported me to this point and all the wonderful people who have done a lot of calling, walking, and talking on my behalf. I know we can bring our community together to create a better future for our district.

Thank you again.
Michelle Monte

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." - Benjamin Franklin

"Status quo, you know, that is Latin for 'the mess we're in.'"
- Ronald Reagan

Upcoming Candidate Forums

Though the League of Women Voters forums are done, there are still opportunities to meet and see the candidates. On Tuesday, March 20, there is a student led forum at Oshkosh North High School. This forum is organized by Oshkosh North and West assisted by Webster Stanley students. This an opportunity for students to ask questions of the people who will be making decisions that affect them and their education. These are some of the hardest questions candidates for school board face. The forum will be aired on OCAT as well. The forum is from 6:00 to 8pm in the Jesse Hooper Auditorium of Oshkosh North.

There is a candidate forum hosted by Progress Oshkosh Monday, March 26. It will be held at UWO in the theater on the third floor of Reeve Union at 6pm for city candidates and 7:15 for school board candidates. There is a chance for talking with candidates after the Q&A.

Join us for information or just to show your support for a candidate or our district.

Upcoming Scenario Meetings

I received an email this afternoon regarding upcoming meetings related to scenario 7. I agreed to post because I believe community feedback is essential to this process.

Detailed below is a list of upcoming meetings regarding the proposed reorganization of the Oshkosh Area School District. Scenario 7 will be presented to the School board on Wednesday, March 14th. The proposed scenario includes organizing the elementary schools into K-3 classes, middle schools into 4-8 classes, and potentially choosing 150 Oakwood area students over time to attend Oshkosh North.

Note: Scenario 7 has not yet been presented or discussed with the school board. Discussion regarding this scenario will be on Wednesday, March 14th.

Please note the following meetings:
MONDAY, MARCH 12TH @ 4:30-6:00 pm, Community Response Team (CRT) at the Central Office Building.
Purpose: This committee meets regularly to review proposals from the OASD administration.
Note that community members not part of the group do not get to speak unless invited to by the moderator. This would be a good opportunity to hear the explanations of the plan.

TUESDAY, MARCH 13TH @ 6:30 pm. Oakwood Community Discussion regarding Scenario 7 in Oakwood Cafeteria. Purpose: To organize the thoughts and opinions of the Oakwood families regarding scenario 7 prior to the school board meeting.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14TH @ 7:00 pm. Oshkosh School Board meeting in Alberta Kimball Auditorium. Purpose: To review and discuss scenario 7.

Stefanie Gabriel
stefanie.gabriel@communityfirstcu.org
920-830-7235

League of Women Voters

Last night was the League of Women Voters Forum. I thank them for the opportunity to be a part of the process they hold so dear.

I hope that you were able to see it on cable or listen on the radio. For those who missed it, here are the prepared questions and my answers. I will be reviewing my recording of the forum and will add the other Q&A later in the week. [Due to an accusation that I made a "nasty" comment about Karen Bowen, I went back and watched the recording of the forum and added in the missing portion of my concluding statements. When I typed this, I had only that which I had written out for last night. The statement is a fact. If one is to be an elected representative and claims to work for the
community, one should be proud of their votes even if the it does not match the majority of the voters.]

Question 1: Tell us about your qualifications, why you are seeking election to the Oshkosh Area School Board and what you believe to be the two or three most important issues in this campaign.

I am married with four children in grades K, 2, 5, 6, including a special needs child in the Autism program. I have a BA in English with a minor in Secondary Education. I am a Graduate student at UWO, working towards a Master's in English.

I have been very active in the district for several years to include being a member of the CRT, Traeger Elementary Site Council and PSC. I am also a volunteer junior bowling coach and an Elizabeth Minister and catechism teacher at St. Raphael Church. I am also an Army Veteran and member of the American Legion post 325. I have attended school board meetings and began posting my notes on a web log for the last two years to promote communication within the district.

My primary goals are QUALITY, EFFICIENCY, COMMUNICATION, and COMMUNITY. I believe these are cornerstones of a strong school district. To contribute to my goals, I continuously research and have ideas and suggestions to bring to the table. I may not have past Board experience, but I am ready to hit the road running. I have been and am visiting schools to see the teachers, staff, and students in action and not when the halls are empty and echo. I have been and continue to be in constant contact with community members to include our elders, working class and businesses, students, and families.

Today we are faced with many challenges. Our greatest are the long-range facilities plan, our budget, and our handling of contracts from bids for repairs and services to health care. I can do 100% of the job, giving 200% of my effort to represent the Oshkosh Area School District and our greater community and helping to reach our goals now and on into the future. Thank you.

Question 2: The long range school facilities plan is being debated by the School Board and the community. What other less visible issues of critical importance to the education of our students should voters know about?

There is a tremendous gap in communication between the county, city, and school district. Each operates as if they are the only entity going to the taxpayers for money every year. Next year, the school district is going to be asking the community for $45.6 million. Hopefully that accounts for increased costs of construction and building materials as construction is over the course of several years. In the next five years, the city will be going to the taxpayers for $58 million in capital improvements. Add in the two budgets and that is upwards of $1 BILLION not including what the county may throw at us. How much can taxpayers, particularly those of low incomes or on fixed incomes take?

Another issue is the way we budget for our district. For all practical purposes, we use a line item budget in a district that is goals and performance focused. I don't believe we even know where all of our money is going. We need to do a zero-based budget for two to three years to set a base line of what we need and spend. Then we need to use a combined performance and goals based budget to make sure our tax dollars are put towards our priority, our children, first.

In addition, you have heard and probably will hear repeatedly how we are one of the lowest spending districts in the state according to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. According to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, in their most recent completed survey, we are in the top 10% in salaries and benefits combined. I don't believe there will be a mass exodus of teachers who are looking for more money if we don't have it. However, I do believe our teachers who have not seen their paychecks change in years despite raises and due to increased health insurance costs, deserve better and that will come from bidding out things like insurance.

Concluding comments:

I was watching a DVD the other day and the main character made a joke that politicians were like dirty diapers; both are full of the same thing and both need to be changed frequently. If you think a person [that gets] elected to the School Board doesn't need to have a sense of humor, try restructuring our entire school district with no money.

Ultimately the final decision rests with you. Do you want a representative that consistently votes to outsource union jobs with no discussion of the safety of staff and students? Do you want a candidate that is asking for $45 million from you in a referendum [but crossed her name off the garbage fee referendum] and voted in favor of fees while 80% of the voters voted against it? Do you want a candidate that may have a lot of knowledge and experience but cannot vote on contracts and budgets and has stated repeatedly that we need to tax to the maximum legal limit?

Or do you want candidates that have common sense and make decisions for today, tomorrow, and the future? Do you want a candidate with fresh ideas and perspectives that is close to the community and welcomes input, questions, concerns, and the occasional petition? I have the drive, knowledge, and perseverance to be your representative. The statusquo has got to go. Vote Monte April 3. Thank you.

Long-Range Concerns

Last night I attended a gathering of parents and community members. We spent several hours discussing Scenario 7. More than twenty people were in attendance from at least seven different schools. Also in attendance were Superintendent Heilmann; BOE members Karen Bowen, Amy Weinsheim, and Ben Schneider; BOE candidates Dan Becker, myself, and Teresa Thiel; and CRT member Kevin Jahnke.

The purpose of the meeting was to gather input and questions and bring them back to the CRT and ASC.

During the discussion, I took note of questions and concerns. Below is the list. Questions/Concerns are in no particular order.

Re 150 students from West to North: Who, from where, how will be transported, will siblings be split during this process
Which middle schools will feed into which HS
Will closing open enrollment between HS help with population disparity
Why is there open enrollment into West if it is overcrowded
Were the children considered in this plan? Psychologically
How much of this plan is socioeconomic
When will we get answers
How will anything be communicated? ONW unreliable/inaccurate, not everyone gets cable, newspaper, Internet
Website is unfriendly, cannot find information
Be open, honest, and to the point. Leave lengthy speeches and excuses at home.
Why aren't we maintaining buildings so we don't have this situation
Concerned about the safety of children walking 1-2 miles
What happens if achievement drops? How will we measure? How will we monitor? How can we go back if this fails?
4th and 5th on buses with 6-8th?
What happens to building programs like anti-bullying, mentoring that not all buildings are doing?
Bus times?
How will South Park separate kids?
Comparables?
Research?
How can we justify this expense if the savings will not even pay the interest on the loans?
How can we solve anything without changing the way we spend money?


I welcome additional questions and concerns. Feel free to post here or email me at monte07@new.rr.com.

See you at the League of Women Voters Forum.
Michelle

Two New Links: North Star and West Index

This week I received an email that let me know that the Oshkosh North student newspaper, The North Star, was up and running. I heard a rumor that they were going techno and waited, sort of, patiently for The North Star to get online. I have had the pleasure of working with one of the student reporters on the CRT committee and got to see one copy of "her baby" that she was carrying with her.

I have had the opportunity to read the Oshkosh West student paper, The West Index, online for the last couple of years. They have done a great job of writing and keeping their web site up to date and very interesting.

I am posting the links at the end of this post and in my list of links on the left side of my home page for everyone to peruse and enjoy. Our students have much to be proud of and I am sure Mrs. Falk and Mr. Trent are beaming at the birth of each new issue.

Bravo, Student Journalists!

http://www.the-index.org/index.shtml
http://www.oshkosh.k12.wi.us/aboutus/northstar.cfm

Board Retreat To Sell Plan

Last night I got this as part of an email to the CRT, ASC, and BOE updates. It was part of the ASC agenda. I had already heard about it through the grapevine, but could not believe the BOE would hold a retreat with the express purpose of strategizing how to sell the public on something they may not believe in.

Here is the agenda.

NOTICE OF SPECIAL BOARD MEETING & AGENDA

Oshkosh Area School District
Board of Education
Retreat/Workshop
Thursday, March 1, 2007
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Oshkosh Area Foundation Board Room
Second Floor
404 N. Main Street, Oshkosh

Facilitated By Dale Feinauer feinauer@uwosh.edu

9:00 – 9:05 Overview of Agenda, Ground Rules, and the Day

9:05 – 10:30 Superintendent Evaluation Process

*Review of Performance Evaluation Processes – Dale Feinauer
*Review of Current OASD Superintendent Evaluation Parameters
*Discussion of Possible Revision to the OASD Process

10:30 – 11:30 OASD Long-Range Facilities Planning Process, Part I

*How can the Board best manage community reaction?

11:30 – 12:15 Lunch

12:15 – 2:15 OASD Long-Range Facilities Planning Process, Part II

*How can the Board balance advocating what is best for students versus what is perceived as best for their constituents when the two expectations do not match?
*Board strategy as the facilities process moves forward

2:15 – 2:30 Wrap-Up

2:30 Adjourn