Some Recent Endorsements
The Journal Sentinel has endorsed Jack Chiovatero for Mayor.
Click here or visit http://www.jsonline.com/ to view the newspaper's editorial endorsement.
More Re: Mayoral Pay
On January 27, Alderman Dave Ament asked the city council to set the mayor’s salary at $83,772. According to NewBerlinNOW, the current salary of $90,634 had been scheduled to increase to $96,706 after April.
A Look At Past NBCRG Endorsements
Under the "conservatives" leadership, New Berlin Public Schools had a drop in student test scores. See my August 25, 2008 blog entry. See my May 10, 2007 blog entry about decline in proficiency. They hired a Superintendent with minimal experience at a very handsome salary. NBPS also has an Assistant Superintendent who gets a generous salary. The District took on mega-millions in debt for extravagant facilities that include a huge new elementary school with expensive wooden ceiling and mosaic floor tile, and NB West renovations that include a humongous auditorium and a field house. NB West's treatment plant is failing and needs to be replaced or hooked up to City sewer. Meanwhile NB Eisenhower needs a lot of expensive repair/renovation. The DNR charged NBPS with violating laws in the construction of the Ronald Reagan School and the contractor paid a fine. A wad of money has been spent on surveillance cameras at the secondary schools. Under the leadership of the so-called fiscal conservatives, a PR consultant was hired and money spent to implement the District's new Expect Excellence slogan.
As for people NBCRG has endorsed---Let's start with the elusive Donna Rathsack. Because Rathsack served on the New Berlin School Board but was rarely attending Board meetings in person, had filed for divorce, her house was for sale, and it was rumored that she was living out of state, I made an Open Records Request of the School Board and District for her address. I received no response from Rathsack or other School Board member. The only response I got came from the District's Human Resource Director, which was "no records exist". Rathsack's many absences got the attention of the press. She later resigned during her Board term.
On the Mend
The main reason I haven’t been blogging very much lately is my leg has been acting up.
Another One Leaving?
Evidently, another administrator at New Berlin Public Schools has resigned.
Thank you Jason Richter
My son Jason is an officer in the United States Air Force.
He and his wife are expecting a baby in August.
An Information Request
I sent NBPS Superintendent Dr. Paul Kreutzer an email last week requesting to inspect:
- Dr. Kreutzer’s original contract with New Berlin Public Schools
- The amended 2007-2009 contract and 2009-2011 contract for Dr. Kreutzer that were approved last month by the New Berlin School Board
- The District’s contract with Blake Peuse, who was hired to be NB West’s new principal
- Retirement agreements approved by the New Berlin School Board for Dave La Borde ( the current principal at West) and West associate principal Robert Krecak
- Records of any bidding process undertaken by NBPS in hiring financial consultant Roger Dickson, who reportedly has no written contract with NBPS and is being paid a $100 per hour rate. (District Business Manager Ross MacPherson resigned from NBPS a few months ago)
- The minutes of the Board Meeting at which the New Berlin School Board approved the hiring of Dickson (if it did)
Busy
I’d like to post blogs on several community or government-related topics, but have lacked time this week.
