Last May, the Madison School Board passed a preliminary 2009-10 budget that maintained programs and services with a modest property tax increase.
The groundwork for our budget was laid last fall when the board pledged our commitment to community partnership, and the community responded by supporting a referendum that allowed us to exceed revenue caps to stabilize funding for our schools.
At the time, we pledged to hold the line on the public school portion of our property taxes. We made good on that promise in our May budget by listening to the community and then identifying targeted savings as well as creative strategies to cut transportation costs significantly and eliminate short-term debt. We balanced our May budget with thoughtful deliberation and public input, all the while looking ahead at the future needs of the community.
Two months later, with programs and staff in place for next year, we find ourselves faced with state funding cuts far exceeding our worst fears.
We are in this position in part because Wisconsin's school funding formulas are so complicated that the Legislature and supporting agencies did not accurately predict the budget's impact on school districts.
State aid to Madison and many other districts was cut by 15 percent. In practical terms, coupled with additional state cuts of $2.8 million, the Madison School District is saddled with state budget reductions of $12 million this year.
This grim situation is a result of a poor economy, outdated information used by the Legislature, and a Department of Public Instruction policy that penalizes the district for receiving one-time income (TIF closing). Federal stimulus funds will, at best, delay cuts for one year. We are left with a gaping budget deficit when many fiscal decisions for the upcoming school year cannot be reversed.
At the end of the day, however, what matters is what we - the Madison School Board - will do in partnership with district administration, parents and taxpayers to rise to the occasion.
The pledge we made to you last fall is now more important than ever as school families and taxpayers face job uncertainty, furloughs, and other economic setbacks. We are returning to the community in the spirit of partnership, to find a combination of cuts and other actions to patch the large gap in our budget attributable to our shrinking state aid. We are working on strategies and options and are looking carefully at the numbers to ensure our solutions do not create new problems.
To repair our budget, we are working with legislators and the DPI to appeal decisions that have placed us in this position. We continue to look for changes in resource management to find additional cost reductions. We are seeking ways to offset the impact of school property tax increases if we need to increase our levy.
At the same time, we pledge that we will not pass the full cost of the cuts along as increased property taxes. We will not resort to massive layoffs of teachers and support staff, the deadline having passed to legally reduce our staff under union contracts.
The decisions ahead are not easy, and we share your frustration at this latest setback for our schools. We believe, however, that with the community's input and support, we will arrive at solutions that continue to balance the need to educate our children with the need to respect the difficult financial times.
Throughout this trying time, one thing remains constant. The school funding system has to change. Join us in holding our legislators to their promise to restructure the way Wisconsin funds its schools. The future of our children and our community depends on a funding system that works.
Silveira is president of the Madison School Board. The entire board signed on in support of this column.
David Brooks, whose New York Times column regularly appears on Tuesdays, will return.