A plan for the future:

A comprehensive plan for preserving the fiscal condition while improving outcomes of the Monona Grove School District:

1) Complete a strategic plan for the district: A strategic plan with well designed goals, reached through a process of significant district and community input, would provide a framework for all budgetary decisions on an ongoing basis. By measuring all budgetary decisions against a plan we will avoid expenditures not focused on the core mission, and have guidance for any future cuts that might be made.

2) Administrative Re-organization: The district has a talented and skilled team of highly trained educational leaders, however much of their time is spent on organizational duties that are essential, but peripheral, to the core mission of the district. A thorough review of responsibilities will reveal ways to improve both efficiency and effectiveness of our administrative teams.

3) Share Resources: Explore the possibility of consolidated support operations with neighboring school districts. Most school districts in the area are in similar straights and facing growing structural deficits, and yet all have similar needs in such areas as transportation, food service and IT. I believe that there are opportunities for significant savings if the district was to form cooperative ventures to supply support services with nearby districts. By taking advantage of increased purchasing power, reduced duplication of services and the ability to specialize in larger organizations it may be possible to improve services while reducing costs.

4) Draw on the expertise of the citizens of the district. There is no shortage of experienced professionals willing to help the district in its time of need. By focusing a board, administrative and community committee on a review of district operations and finance it may be possible to find new and creative modes of operation that will save significant money.

5) Continue and Expand Energy saving efforts. Efforts introduced over the last year successfully lowered district energy consumption at a rate that will save the district over $120,000 per year, but energy costs are still one of the largest non-educational expenditures. We need to continue and expand these efforts to improve the bottom line.

6) Referenda: Once the district has demonstrated a commitment to efficient and quality operation and has established specific well supported goals, it may be appropriate to ask district residents to help through an operating referendum that would be used to preserve and protect the features of the district we value most: small class sizes, exceptional arts programming, leadership in assessments and strong academics.