Is this worth $54? An opportunity to improve indoor school environments and increase energy efficiency

The context and challenge

I knew before I came to Oak Creek-Franklin that it was one of the minority of school districts in Wisconsin that had been saddled with a low revenue limit from a set of circumstances occurring in 1993 when limits were imposed.  If you walk across the boundary street to either the school district on our west or north you find that “the other side of the street” spends about $2,000 more per student than does Oak Creek; and, their tax mill rates are above the state average of $10.92 while ours is $8.66. This is a fundamental competitive disadvantage for children in the handful of school districts similarly situated across Wisconsin that no state leader has been able or willing to fix over the last two decades.  I knew I was coming to a district that was very “lean” financially but still had a good reputation.  Part of my professional growth was learning how to ‘lead for children’ under tighter fiscal circumstances.

I also knew the community passed a referendum in 2014 to build two new schools to deal with growth.  A supportive community is always attractive to new residents, and businesses (and a superintendent).  I also knew the district had a practice of budgeting $1.2 million per year to address maintenance and capital improvement projects.  Another good sign.

What I did not know for a while was that there was a backlog of maintenance projects for the existing schools estimated around $50 million either past due or coming due over the next few years.  The $1.2 million each year was often used to “plug holes” and “band-aid” problems and/or take care of emergent needs in a reactive, sometimes even "squeaky wheel" manner.  For example, heating and ventilation systems put in schools in the early 60’s were patched and repatched with no solid financial plan to replace and update them until there was a crisis.

Work underway to meet the challenge

Children's learning is our top priority.  Safe, healthy, and quality school facilities rank 3rd in effect on learning behind great teachers and supportive parents.  We needed to take action to address this looming problem.

First, in June 2016 we proposed a statutory tool this school district likely should have established long ago:  a Long-Term Capital Improvement Trust Fund (also known as ‘Fund 46’.  See Wis. Stat. § 120.137).  The Board adopted this Trust Fund with an initial $100,000 budget transfer from the 15-16 budget.  From the 16-17 budget, the Board approved putting $300,000 into this trust fund.  This is a long-term solution to assure this district never again gets so far behind in capital projects.  By statute and design, the trust fund cannot be used for at least 5 years to assure it really is purposed for long-term projects looming ahead in the future.  I pledge to keep recommending funding this out of current revenue.  Not easy given our tight funding, but important so we don’t carry such large deferrals of projects into the future without a plan.

Second, we put in place a high quality  process for reviewing the annual capital improvement projects to assure we were logically addressing the most critical needs with limited amount of dollars that were budgeted.

 

Third, we went through a process to identify a company to assist in the technical development of an up to date, factual and comprehensive long-term facility plan. In June 2017, Nexus Solutions was chosen after a competitive process.  They have been examining our buildings with teams of technical staff as well as talking to our people and holding community listening sessions.  Their goal is to put together a comprehensive plan, including financial analysis, that will set our district on a course to be the best we want to be in terms of facilities for learning.

The opportunity currently under consideration

Fourth, on November 13, Nexus informed the Board of a potential opportunity to resolve about $27 Million of the backlogged maintenance projects...the most critical ones that would result in cost savings from utilities or operations. (One example: replacing the 1968 Air Handler at Carollton will cost about $2.8 Million while saving over $100,000  a year in costs + better indoor air quality).  Utility savings would have to be used to pay off the bonds and reduce the tax levy but after that, it could go back into keeping up with our future maintenance projects.  The full report of that meeting is located here:  Potential for Energy Efficiency Revenue Limit Exemption to Accomplish Certain Capital Improvement Projects

Under Wis Stat.  § 121.91 (4) (o) a school board may adopt a resolution to increase the revenue limit otherwise applicable to a school district under §121.91 (2m) in any school year by an amount spent on a project to implement energy efficiency measures or to purchase energy efficiency products.  This tool had been discussed over the summer and fall, but then the legislature determined to place a one-year moratorium on this statute.  Then with a clever swipe of the veto pen, the moratorium was increased from 1 year to 1,000 years.  This phrase was added to the statute by that veto:

(o) 4. Unless the resolution is adopted before January 1, 2018, subd. 1. applies only to a resolution adopted after December 3018.

To get this process rolling, on November 16, the School Board adopted a preliminary resolution to  Authorize the Borrowing of Not to Exceed $25,000,000; and Providing For the Issuance and Sale of General Obligation Promissory Notes to fund energy efficiency projects. (The School Board determined at this meeting to lower the amount from $27 Million previously discussed to $25 Million).  Here are links to the approved resolution and a copy of the notice being published this week. Doing the entire amount would increase the mill rate by approximately $0.27 next year.  Since the mill rate dropped $0.27 this year, it seemed reasonable to keep the mill rate steady while solving about half of the deferred maintenance problem.  For reference, on a home assessed at $200,000, this would mean $54.

On November 27, at the School Board’s regular committee meeting, they will review the projects on the list and make a final determination on how much, if any, of the backlog they wish to take care of using this statutory funding mechanism.  You will find the notice for that meeting when it is prepared (as you will find them for all School Board meetings) here:   http://www.ocfsd.org/district/board-of-education/agenda-minutes .  Typically Board packets are published the Thursday before a meeting; it will be Wednesday afternoon this week

If on November 27, the School Board determines to proceed with any of the projects, they would take final action at the December 11 and/or 18 regular School Board meeting.

I recommended this course of action, across 4 or 5 public meetings, to the School Board because:

1. We can reduce operating costs through energy efficiency.
2. We can replace critical infrastructure and improve learning environments.
3. We can improve the air quality in our older schools, improving health and safety for the students and staff.
4. Taking care of these projects now means we are avoiding contractor inflationary costs which are running about 5% each year.
5. We can address critical needs before failures and avoid emergency situations that may disrupt schools.
6. Currently available interest rates are historically low.
7. We can minimize the impact on local taxes by using energy savings to reduce the levy.

I understand the point of view that any increase in the mill rate to support public schools can be controversial for some.  I understand that for whatever reasons, this district has never considered using this statutory tool, unlike many other school districts who have used it; it is new to the community.  While it can in no way be called “illegal” I understand the politics of veto-manipulating this tool from a 1 year to a 1,000 year moratorium starting January 1 means some do not trust local School Boards to make such decisions.

The School Board is in an unenviable position to make a hard decision that they believe will be in the ultimate best interest of the schools of our community.  There are valid and civil arguments on both sides (as well as unfortunately some rhetoric and misinformation). Please consider attending the Committee meeting on November 27 to learn more about these projects and then if you wish, share your views.  Please consider passing this letter along, particularly to those who do not have children in our schools.

Thank you for your interest in your public schools.

Tim Culver

Superintendent

Facilities STUDY

Why is the district engaging in a STUDY of facilities?

Save the dates:  November 4, 14, and 16

Oak Creek has a history of proactive planning to meet the facility needs of the community which includes a strong commitment to providing facilities for our children to learn successfully.  After ten years of “PLAN”and two years of “DO” this school district opened Forest Ridge Elementary and the Ninth Grade Center at OCHS!  We know from our commitment to Continuous Improvement that next we must “STUDY” our current facility situation and then “ACT” on what we need to do next to get better.

Why?  Because to achieve our overarching vision of “working together to build successful futures” we must provide clean, orderly, safe, cost-effective, and instructionally supportive school environments contributing to our mission of educating every child, every day to meet the intellectual, physical, and emotional demands of the 21st century.

This study will be a comprehensive analysis taking into consideration enrollments, capacities, the educational framework and vision, as well as finances.  The goals are to:  

1. Assure we have plans in place to address projected growth in the district.
2. Provide schools greater choices in learning opportunities to meet the needs of our students.
3. Modernize schools’ physical environments to bring all schools to equitable standards - with each other, and our key competitors.

In June, the School Board selected Nexus Solutions to help lead this process.  Over the next few months Nexus will be assessing the following areas:

• Educational Adequacy and Equity
• Mechanical / Electrical / Technology / Heating / Cooling Systems
• Deferred Maintenance Needs
• Energy & Water Conservation / Operations Savings Opportunities
• Safety / Security
• Arts and Athletic Facilities including fields and other outdoor spaces

Furthermore, Nexus will:

• Evaluate the existing capital improvement projects lists (planned or deferred maintenance) and provide a prioritized list of project options
• Conduct a thorough energy, operational, and financial analysis of the District.
• Complete a detailed facility audit and prepare cost estimates.

This study must be done with a great deal of input from many stakeholders across the community.  One way we will do this is by holding some initial community-wide listening sessions:

• Saturday, November 4 at 10 a.m. at the District Office, 7630 South 10th Street  
• Tuesday, November 14 at 10 a.m. at the Oak Creek Public Library (Drexel Town Square)
• Thursday, November 16 at 6 p.m. at the Oak Creek High School Cafeteria

Please save these dates, share them with others.  More information will follow.  If you can’t attend one of these sessions, nearer to the dates, we will post a way for you to share your feedback.

Near the end of January 2018, the School Board will make a preliminary review of comprehensive facility needs based on the study.  Then comes another opportunity for community engagement as we make decisions on what actions to take towards a ten year facility master plan.  

In addition to gathering ideas during listening sessions, we want to identify those of you who may wish to volunteer to take a deeper dive into the initial results and help provide further feedback to guide the School Board in making tough decisions about directions for a new Master Facilities Plan.   There will be a ‘Facility Planning Committee’ established that will spend time in January, February, and March in a “deeper dive / prioritization” process.

We also plan to do some additional surveys at that point to gain clarity from the community on what you want for the future of your schools.  The Facility Planning Committee members will include city government officials, parents, business leaders, employees, students, administration and School Board representation. This Committee will recommend the next act and new plan to the Board of Education before the end of this school year.

In many ways, this process is as important as the outcome. The process of formulating a master plan establishes a forum through which interested parties have a chance to voice their opinions about the future of the school district.  This opportunity, and the dialogue (and even debate) that ensues, is an effective way of infusing fresh ideas and new perspectives into the future of our schools and the futures of our students.  We will aim for an atmosphere of respectful decision-making which fosters staff and community support for the decisions being made about the future direction and steps that must be taken to achieve these improvements to our schools.

What do YOU see in our future?  Please join us November 4, 14, or 16 to share your vision and help us create a shared vision guiding your public schools for the next ten years.

Thank you for supporting your public schools!

Tim Culver

Superintendent

New School Year 17-18

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! It is a great pleasure to welcome both our continuing families and those who are new to this amazing school district On September 5.  Almost 7,000 students and near 700 employees will be “working together” to “build successful futures!”  A lot is new this year, here are a few highlights:

• After 5 years of visioning, planning, voting, and finally construction, the 9th Grade Center of Oak Creek High School opens!  This will alleviate the severe overcrowding for our high school learners and, even more importantly, provide an educational program specifically designed to launch learners successfully into their high school careers...and beyond!

• East and West Middle Schools have new principals:  Sue Thompson and Megan Arens, respectively.  These promotions resulted in two openings.  West has a new assistant principal:  Sarah Leatherman.  OCHS has a new associate principal:  Bill Kujawa.  In addition, Ted Gennerman has joined us as Director of Student Services and Annalee Bennin has joined us as Director of Curriculum and Assessment.

• Over the summer, district and school administrators along with our Oak Creek Police partners worked together to develop, implement, monitor and continually improve an action plan for Oak Creek High School that we believe will reduce incidents of fighting and change some of the perceptions that plagued our community last spring. We intend to consequence more severely, as well as more strongly promote positive behaviors and supports so the handful of students creating  problems do not tarnish the image or experience of the thousands of students doing so well. Middle school principals helped develop this and are working on their own plans to meet the needs of their schools.

• This past summer our educators were able to focus on their own learning – something they do not have as much time for during the school year. About 300 teachers and administrators engaged in over 25 different workshops, courses and other sources of professional development. This has enriched their knowledge base and will improve your children's school experience.

• As we enter year two of our Oak Creek-Franklin public schools’  strategic plan, more and more of our teachers are learning how to transform classrooms into learning systems using continuous improvement practices.  This fall, we are launching a personalized learning initiative so we learn even more about how to inspire our learners to run their own learning system 24/7 and are truly life-long learners.

• One of the most important developments I wish to bring to your attention has been the creation of a clear definition of what it means to be “college and career ready” when a learner graduates from Oak Creek High School.  Beyond 23 credits, the other 'credentials' graduates should possess that research has shown to lead to success after high school:

I hope you download a copy from our website and talk about it with your child.  Even if they are in elementary  or middle school, you can begin to draw lines to his or her future by explaining the pathways to the future they are now on and how they are getting ready, right this year.  For example, 90% or better attendance is a research-based “credential” leading to better learning and career outcomes!  We will be developing this model further in the the future:  What “credentials” and habits indicate one is ready for High school?  Middle school? Please stay tuned.

I look forward to working together so we build successful futures for every one of our community's children.  Hope to see you soon,

Tim Culver

Superintendent

To the Oak Creek High School Class of 2017

It is my duty, and a great honor, as superintendent to "accept" the class of 2017 as prepared to graduate.

When you entered school, Facebook was exclusively for use by students and alums at Harvard.  14 years later, those pictures of you visiting your elementary schools that your parents and grandparents have "loved" and shared could reach a network of almost 2 billion people around the world.

Until you were in second or third grade there were no iPhones. Can you imagine that?  Instagram came into being about the time you hit middle school.  The selfies you and your friends take of these graduation celebrations will be just one of the 100 million pictures posted today on Instagram.  Snapchat...well, let's not even go there.  

14 years on, the world is a very different place, and so is the workplace.  Technology changes every job and jobs exist now that we’d never even imagined a decade ago. However, some really important things shouldn’t change...your values, your character, your personal code.  These things are what anchors us in the constantly, rapidly changing times. 

You are Knights and part of the heritage of Knights is a historical word that represents this:  chivalry. Chivalry has a beautiful definition in the Webster's:  The combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, especially courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help others in need.

Knights of the Middle Ages had the most current and important technology of the time...armor and horses.  They had the only education available and the most resources and could use them in nearly any way they liked. The code of chivalry was a set of limitations which the strong placed upon themselves realizing that living a good example is a message far more powerful than written words.

Like those knights in shining armor hundreds of years ago, I wish for you to experience the satisfaction of knowing that you have championed the right causes and embraced the right principles, not because anyone told to do so, but simply because you have chosen to follow the path of courage...honor...courtesy...justice ...helping others.

Congratulations on your achievement my Oak Creek Knights.  Welcome to the next adventure of your journey in life.

Tim Culver

Superintendent

About the High School / About Social Media

This community has an awesome high school filled with many gifted, dedicated teachers and coaches and over-filled with about 2,100 teenagers doing many amazing things.  The class of 2017 earned over $1.5 million in scholarships, not counting those whose athletic achievements earned them full or partial rides.  The performing arts excel -  from the 3 time champion Marching Knights to wonderful plays and musicals to incredible vocal programs (sadly I missed the Acapella concert last Monday due to a Board meeting, which I heard was breath-taking, but there’s still time to catch the spring concert on June 1).  Our high school has sent co- and extra-curricular teams across the country competing in their areas of excellence from robotics to business to dance, and more.  Last Thursday evening I met with student leaders of Round Table Robotics (freshly back from their international competition in St. Louis).  A 9th and 11th grade student presented to me their plans, ideas, and questions about how to expand STEM in our district.  They have a short term problem of too many applicants for the First Robotics Team next year, but a long-term vision of how to expand this program vertically (connecting to the lower grades) and horizontally (where can a ‘farmbot’ be sited at OCHS?).  A 9th grader and an 11th grader pitching a strategic vision on how to impact our school and district.  Amazing!

These and many other experiences are what I know of Oak Creek High School Knights.  It is why my heart has ached these past few weeks as the public narrative has tilted negative.  This cropped up a few weeks ago, spawned on Facebook by one or two bad actors, likely upset because they had been disciplined for their behavior, and trying to glorify it.  Their story alarmed some parents, particularly those without students at the high school (at least based on who contacted me most) who began sharing the bad actors’ story further on their social media.  This, of course, reached the mainstream media who further fanned the flames of the “ain’t it awful” narrative.  During this time I posted two public responses. If you did not read them before, I hope you will now.

I am not so naive as to say there are no challenges in managing a school of 2,100 teenagers in this day and age. I know there will be conflict between teens from time to time that escalates unfortunately to visibly verbal or even physical fights. I know children bring whatever is in the community into the schools.  For the most part, this is respect, politeness, and focus on cooperation.  But conflict, racist attitudes, and drugs exist in every community. This has been true since I was a principal in Marysville, Washington, then superintendent in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin and here in Oak Creek.  Every attitude and habit children learn from their families, they bring in their hearts and minds to school, again mostly positive, but from time to time conflicting with peers or a school's efforts to create common standards of conduct. I think the High School administration strives hard to fight back against the anti-social influences that disturb us all.  Students who fight are arrested and suspended and depending on the seriousness, or if there is a  repeated problem, they will be brought up for consideration of expulsion.  And as you read in my previous report to you, we are looking at what more or better we can do to eliminate such conduct, because if learners do not feel safe they will not learn and achieve as well as they might.

However, it breaks my heart when all the good things happening and amazing accomplishments of 99% of our students get overshadowed.  We must not let the most challenging aspects of our job working with all young people let us lose sight of the amazing parts.

A similar cycle of negativity occurred again last week (5/22/17).  There was a fight on Monday during 9th grade lunch.  Three students were arrested and suspended; two additional students were suspended for related misconduct.  They and/or perhaps some of their ‘friends’ were unhappy and took to social media. They planned to take up the conflict after school, off school grounds.  This came to the attention of the administration and Principal Read who, to his credit, went off school grounds to seek to prevent further conflict.  Our close partners, the police, were also contacted.  Further violence was avoided, but several ignorant harassing comments were allegedly made during this parking lot hubbub. The police ended up citing several teens for disorderly conduct.  This is indeed an awful thing which had to be dealt with.

The teenagers, not being done with this, took to social media again.  Using SnapChat for the most part, all sorts of things may (or may not) have been said or not said.  SnapChat allows messages and images to be seen for just an instant unless a screenshot is made.  This makes it challenging for school officials and police to track down facts without the screenshot.  “I remember seeing...” and “I heard... say he saw…”; and “ ...told me” were the presenting issues. In spite of this challenge, the High School administration spent most of Tuesday-  day and evening, Wednesday-  day and evening, and Thursday-  day and evening, trying to figure out who might have been saying what.  They talked to many students and parents, and many student devices were confiscated and searched (which is allowed by our district policy on student use of electronic devices… a whole other issue we have to deal with in this evolving age).  In the very few cases where evidence versus rumors could be substantiated, disciplinary action was taken.  Overall, ignorant and sadly on occasion racial-based and ethnic-based harassing statements were being reported; not always proven.   This appears to have been general hate speech, reflecting the ignorance of the social media posters.  In analyzing this with police, none of the comments reported were credible in terms of threats to the safety of persons or the school.  This is indeed an awful thing which had to be dealt with.

In the interest of creating a heightened sense of security, at our request, the police added a second School Resource Officer on site Thursday and Friday and will continue to do so if we request.  They also agreed to have their street patrols increase circuits of the site to keep an eye on surrounding properties.  While there was no credible threat, we felt this was prudent given the rising crescendo of rumors.  As you know, I visit a different school for a day each week.  May 25 happened to be the day I was scheduled to be at OCHS all day.  The day started and ended with a staff meeting where the High School administration attempted to bring staff on board with the rumor situation and alert them to be extra watchful and immediately report anything out of the ordinary.  They sent a message home to parents the evening of the 25th letting them know it was a “peaceful and productive day” and there were no credible safety risks.  I visited many classes and two lunches and did not sense anything other than peace and productivity.  However, the SnapChats flashed by a few bad actors were being talked about and, just like in the ‘telephone game’, the messages were ‘morphing’ more and more wildly.  A parent called to say her student had texted her that a firearm had been confiscated during 2nd period.  Totally untrue; but it became part of the ‘ain't it awful’ narrative.  Another parent called and said she was told the National Guard had been mobilized to support the school.  Totally untrue; but it became part of the ‘ain't it awful’  narrative.  Another parent called (us and the OCPD) to ask why the FBI had been called in to investigate.  Well, there was an FBI agent at school on Friday as a guest speaker in a social studies class, scheduled long ago; so a half truth I suppose; but it became part of the ‘ain't it awful’ narrative. Then a rumor began that this was all a senior (or freshman in some versions) hoax to see if they could shut down school on Friday; we have no evidence this is true.  The belief was that the message to parents on Thursday would assist them in assisting their students to understand there were no credible threats in this rumor-filled situation.  This seemed to work partially, but not fully; I know there were some parents who permitted their child to stay home because of all the rumors (it's a bit complicated to figure this out with clarity as it was the day before a 3 day weekend).  However, an opportunity for improvement I observed is that we should have used advisory or some other method on Thursday to directly communicate with students, not just their parents.  We also need to more systematically engage our student leaders in the rapidly evolving strategy sessions as we are able; they would likely use their social media in support of what is true.  We need to communicate with all stakeholders more nimbly.  We will add these to our toolkit the next time a bad actor tries to use social media to disrupt school, to be used as appropriate given the circumstances.

Even while we learn the short term lessons of this social media crescendo that caused a great deal of stress and glorified a few students who made bad choices, I want you to know we will be convening a longer term action planning team this summer to see how else we can improve our disciplinary system and perhaps most importantly our communication systems and procedures at OCHS (and all schools for that matter).  We must find better processes to ensure all stakeholders are fully on board as rapidly possible so social media does not get the upper hand. This is doubly important as we open the 9th Grade Center at OCHS - the added space will bring much relief, but we have to ensure best practice in communication.  If you have ideas or suggestions for opportunities of improvement based on your experience, please email them to the Principal at m.read@ocfsd.org  and the Assistant Superintendent at d.unertl@ocfsd.org so we can collect them for consideration and review.

A lot of faculty, staff, and administrators have been working really hard to maintain the sense of goodness and achievement that is Oak Creek High School.  I believe everything possible has been done to keep students and staff physically safe.  I am angry and saddened we temporarily lost control of the narrative, initially to some bad actors, then to the rumor fields. My mantra is that we must strive to get better at getting better. There are some awful things we have to deal with and we can get better at that.  Please know that the facts are that the vast majority of our students are doing amazing things, and we must not let the shadow of the challenges tarnish in any way our pride in all these great young people.

Thank you for reading this long message.  Now, I have three things to ask of you;

1. If something is wrong (or right for that matter) please tell us right away. We have procedures for assuring that every concern & suggestion is addressed (visit the Contact Us page of our website).
2. The best experience of all is to call the High School and make an appointment and walk the halls for an hour or for lunch, or a half day or a day.  You will be amazed given that there are 2,100 teenagers, in a space way too small, how polite and well behaved the public spaces are.
3. Last but not least, a little summer homework:  Please consider reading two or more of the links provided below so you can help/support/control your teen’s use of social media.  It will make his or her life better (though perhaps they might not initially think so), your life better, and the lives of all his or her classmates better.  I recommend reading the last article first to understand why this assignment is so important.

• A How-To Guide for Monitoring Social Media & Smartphones

• Everything a Parent Needs to Know About SnapChat

• Parenting Guide to Tech Safety

• 10 Apps for Parents to Monitor Kids' Mobile Use

• Best Parental-Control Apps 2017

• Texting Acronyms Every Parent Should Know

• Children and Smartphones: What’s the Right Age?

• Four of the five most popular forms of social media harm young people’s mental health (May 19, 2017 news about a study that should concern us)

Thank you for all you do to support your student and our community's schools.

Tim Culver

Teens share the positive and negative impacts SnapChat has on their health and wellbeing in this study.