Did you attend Elmbrook's Annual meeting?

Last night was the Elmbrook School District's Annual Meeting. I was unable to attend.

I contacted someone who did go and they reported that attendance was light, maybe 40 or so in the audience, with some stragglers as the evening progressed.

Paraphrasing the attendee's take on the evening...

• The meeting proceeded along Agenda lines without a hitch.
• Based on questions asked, the crowd seemed equally divided between "pro-program supporters and fiscal conservatives".
• Treasurer Glen Allgaier did "a masterful job of presenting the budget and answering questions".
  
• Most questions were "soft" but some "really went after the Board and Administration" on "total compensation of faculty members".
• Some attendees agreed we need to control spending, yet advocated "non-core pet programs", didn't want to see class sizes increase, etc.

When all was said and done, the motion to approve the total tax levy of $78,535,670 dollars was passed nearly unanimously. Yes, even in this economy with state and federal budget deficits looming, virtually no one said Nay to just over $78.5 MILLION DOLLARS for 6165 students. The new tax levy is up $889,965 from last year's figure.

In other years, we might just sigh and think oh, it's just Elmbrook business as usual. But considering we are heading into the November elections, I would have hoped residents might make the connection that smaller, more limited government isn't just for the Federal and State level, but that our School District needs to rethink the folly of building their empire at taxpayer expense too.

No one likes to contemplate closing a school or schools, but how can Elmbrook justify EXPANDING programs and non-resident student enrollment just to keep feeding the dragon that is an over-built school district?


Contact the board.

Links: Practically Speaking, Betterbrookfield, RandyMelchert, Jay Weber, Vicki McKenna, The Right View Wisconsin, CNS News, Mark Levin, Breitbart BigGovernment, The Heritage Foundation