• Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer
Monday, January 30, 2023
Wisconsin Digital News
  • Home
  • US
  • Business
  • Covid 19
  • Milwaukee
  • Madison
  • Green Bay
  • Kenosha
  • Racine
  • Appleton
  • Press Releases
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • US
  • Business
  • Covid 19
  • Milwaukee
  • Madison
  • Green Bay
  • Kenosha
  • Racine
  • Appleton
  • Press Releases
  • Videos
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Green Bay

Community Members Upset With Budget Deficit; Rally In Support Of Teachers In Shawano

by NewsReporter
April 3, 2022
in Green Bay
Reading Time: 4 mins read
community-members-upset-with-budget-deficit;-rally-in-support-of-teachers-in-shawano
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SHAWANO, Wis. (WFRV)-Some parents, teachers and students are upset with how Shawano School District has approached resolving a $2 million budget deficit. 

To have their voices heard, a group of about fifty people marched about a mile through downtown Shawano waving signs and chanting in support of the district’s teachers and staff.

“The goal was to send out a positive message of support and love to our teachers and staff,” said Sheila Aumann who is a parent in the district who said she was upset by how the district is choosing to resolve its budget deficit.

Last month, the school district gave nine staff members preliminary non-renewal notices and chose to not replace 11 other staff members who will be retiring. This amounts to about $1.5 million in savings.

District Finance Director Josh Swanson said the district had to make the decision because of declining enrollment.

“It wasn’t fun and it wasn’t easy but we needed to take a look at our staffing and right sizing the district,” said Swanson.

Swanson noted that declining enrollment is something that school districts across the state are dealing with.

According to a document obtained by Local Five News, Shawano expects to have about 35 less students next school year compared to this one. They said they will cut ten classes to compensate and the average class size district wide will go up by about two students.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, public school enrollment statewide declined by half a percent between 2020 and 2021. Between 2019 and 2020 enrollment declined by three percent.

Census data indicates that Shawano’s population has decreased by about 60 people between 2010 and 2020.

Swanson said the district didn’t want to make cuts during the worst days of the pandemic so that’s why they waited until this school year.

A Shawano School Board member told Local Five News that over 20 teachers in the district have retired or resigned this school year. Shawano School District students at the march on Saturday said losing all these teachers to budget cuts and not knowing which one of their teachers may be next has been tough on them.

“I don’t believe that I could have made it nearly as far if I didn’t have the support of all of my teachers,” said senior Ashlee Raddant.

“We’ve been left in the dark for so many things,” said junior Grace Stuewer. “And now it feels like we have a little bit of power and control.”

District Finance Director Josh Swanson said that the district is looking at three additional methods to erase the budget deficit. The first is cutting additional staff, the second is cutting programming, and the third is closing one of their schools.

Swanson said the district has tabled the idea of closing a school after hearing feedback from a Shawano community that largely opposed the move.

“I don’t understand why the first thing on the chopping block is closing a school, cutting programs, or cutting teachers when you can see the spending at central office,” said Aumann.

A record request of school district spending revealed the total salary paid to those in the central office is 35 percent higher now than it was four years ago before the current superintendent, Randi Anderson, came to the district.

The district also created two new positions in the central office.

The district put the original document together based on a freedom of information request from a former district employee requesting the information.

Local Five News showed these numbers to Swanson who acknowledged that central office staff as a whole is getting paid more than four years ago, but said the increase is more like 18 percent than 35 percent. It isn’t clear if Swanson helped to put together the original numbers that were provided in the document.

He said the fringe benefits numbers provided assumed that the person holding the position received the same amount as their predecessor which isn’t always the case. He also noted that contractor expenses listed in the original document were inaccurate.

The former employee who filed the records request said fringe benefit numbers were asked for but not provided by the district.

Local Five News asked Swanson why the district was cutting teachers while those in the central office had seen salary raises.

“We looked at everything  and all cuts are not final so we are still looking at all things across the board not just administration but also staff,” said Swanson.

The Shawano School District has experienced turnover since superintendent Randi Anderson took over three years ago.

In that time, they’ve gone through three different business managers, direction of instructions (position title has changed) and human resource managers. Some of this turnover was due to resignation.

Parents at the march through downtown Shawano said they wish the school board and district administration were more receptive to community input.

“I can speak on the parent’s side I haven’t felt heard,” said Aumann.

“Give us your voice and opinions and every idea, we know that budget cuts are not popular they aren’t fun nobody enjoys this time,” said Swanson.

Local Five News reached out to superintendent Randi Anderson via phone call and email. She deferred our questions to Swanson who was able to answer most of our questions.

We also asked the district for information on how many people in the central office have resigned in the last three years and didn’t hear back.

Read More Here

Related Posts

sports-in-brief:-white-sox-ace-lynn-feeling-good-after-knee-surgery

Sports In Brief: White Sox Ace Lynn Feeling Good After Knee Surgery

by NewsReporter
April 14, 2022
0

CHICAGO — Chicago White Sox right-hander Lance Lynn thinks he is ahead of schedule in his recovery from right knee surgery.Lynn was pulled from his final start of spring training with right knee discomfort — one of a series of injuries for the reigning AL Central champions already this season.Third...

meet-johnny-&-jordan-davis-presented-by-mountain-dew!-|-apr-23rd,-2022-|-hy-vee-west

Meet Johnny & Jordan Davis Presented By Mountain Dew! | Apr 23rd, 2022 | Hy-Vee West

by NewsReporter
April 13, 2022
0

Meet Badgers Basketball Players Johnny and Jordan Davis! Mountain Dew is a proud partner of Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Basketball stars Johnny and Jordan Davis. You can meet the National Player of the Year candidate, Johnny Davis, and Jordan Davis Saturday, April 23. From 2:00pm to 3:00pm, Johnny and Jordan Davis...

voters-with-disabilities-face-new-ballot-restrictions-ahead-of-midterms

Voters With Disabilities Face New Ballot Restrictions Ahead Of Midterms

by NewsReporter
April 12, 2022
0

As voters went to the polls last month in the Texas primary, the voting rights hotline lit up at the nonprofit advocacy agency Disability Rights Texas. Molly Broadway, the group’s training and technical support specialist, heard from some frustrated voters with disabilities who had not received their mail-in ballots on...

the-weirdest-job-in-new-jersey-is-one-of-the-strangest-in-america

The Weirdest Job In New Jersey Is One Of The Strangest In America

by NewsReporter
April 11, 2022
0

Well, I must admit whenever I see the adjectives "weird" or "strange" I automatically feel the need to know more lol what is so weird? what is so strange? Sometimes I find it intriguing and sometimes I wish I didn't know lolThis article is all about the "strangest jobs in...

Wisconsin Digital News

© 2021 Wisconsin Digital News

Navigate Site

  • Disclosure
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
  • CCPA
  • Medical Disclaimer

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • DMCA Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • CCPA
  • Terms of Use

© 2021 Wisconsin Digital News

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT