We are writing to ask that your coverage and endorsements of the spring, 2006 Madison School Board races include consideration of these issues:

• a) Does the Madison School District (Board and Administration) always place our (25,000) children's interests first when making (or avoiding) decisions?
  
  
• b) Does the Madison School District provide our children with a world class curriculum, meaning the tools and rigor necessary to succeed in the 21st century? Does the Board exercise oversight of the Administration's curriculum decisions? We believe, as a teacher friend said, in "standards, not sympathy".
  
  
• c) We believe that the District must provide a fully transparent budget process to local taxpayers. This means that sources and uses (historic and current) of funds should be published in an easy to understand manner and that the district, when considering financial changes in it's $320M+ budget review all expenditures, not just a few, particularly in light of their effectiveness. In addition, we believe that the district must start publishing long term budget plans.

A number of background links on these topics are available here:

Thank you.

Shari Entenmann	sgalitzer at tds.net
Barb Schrank	Schrank4 at charter.net
Mike Rosing	eresrch at eskimo.com
Patti Knoche	kpknoche at sbcglobal.net
Kevin Knoche	kpknoche at sbcglobal.net
Katherine Rosing	k at studioKSR.com
Ed Blume	edblume at mailbag.com
Laurie Frost	lauriefrost at ameritech.net
Lawrence J. Winkler	winkllj at acm.org
Judy Underwood	jmunde at charter.net
Joan Knoebel	jmknoebel at tds.net
Mariel Wozniak	mwozniak at ticon.net
Mariel included these words: The current budget should at least contain the detailed summary for each department account that MMSD budgets previously contained before this administraton made changes.  No less should be presented to the public and to the board of education in the budget than Chris Hanson, the former Comptroller, presented before he retired.   Roger Price, who was hired after Chris Hanson, is now the Assistant Superintendent in charge of the budget.  During the superintendency of Mr. Rainwater with Mr. Price heading the business services (the accounting department etc.) the form of the budget became cryptic.  What was transparent for decades before was lumped together and made previous analysis far more difficult if not impossible to anyone outside of MMSD's inner circle of decision makers.
Jeff Henriques	jbhstats at yahoo.com
Jim Zellmer	zellmer at mailbag.com
Last Updated 2.14.2006