Mayor, Council Getting Set to Work with BOE on Budget

Madison Mayor Mary-Anna Holden says she anticipates a process where the council works with the Board of Education, instead of dictating to it, on changes in the school budget that was defeated by a 22 vote margin last Tuesday.

She also said she believes there will be a good dialogue between the two groups, unlike how she felt about the last time they had to discuss a similar situation.

"We're not dealing with the same kind of relationship," Holden said. "Back in 2000, it was a much more hostile environment. It was hard to get any budget document from the school board. They were refusing to release anything to the CFO to prepare."

Holden is referring to a budget in which, although its first question passed, a second question that was much more broad in nature than this year's was defeated. The question that year was asking for $1.5 million for, among other things, uninstructional and instructional equipment, athletic fields and infrastructure.

As of this year, state law says when a second question is defeated, there is no way for it to brought back onto the table in any form for review by council. That was not the case in 2000, when Holden felt the second question was an addendum to the budget in a way, with very general wording.

Though she said she can't comment too much on specific line items since she hasn't had the chance to go through this year's school budget, she thinks, "the Board of Education did a really excellent job coming under the cap, even though it was close."

"I think it's a whole different relationship," Holden said of the current Board of Education vs. the one that existed in 2000. "Last year was our first joint meeting. Since then, the finance committee joined in with the shared services committee ... I think we have a better, more congenial working relationship."

Councilman Don Links, who has two school-aged children, said that as a parent he feels there may be some impact on the school district by the defeated budget, but that the high-quality education he believes his children receive will not suffer greatly.

"I think the level of education has always been very high; it's one of the reasons my wife and I chose to come to Madison. Even though our kids weren't born at that time, we knew we wanted to have children. Even with some cuts I believe it will be OK."

Links also said that he could see the pros and cons of the elimination of the Madison Junior School interscholastic sports program, because he grew up with a middle school program but also sees the Madison recreation program as strong and an alternative.

The sports program at the junior school was on a second question that was defeated by a much larger margin than the first budget question. It also contained the position of visual and performing arts supervisor. Links said that is the loss which will have the most impact on students.

"I think that's more import than sports, as a parent," said Links, who has coached his children over the years in the recreation program. "Not everyone is an athlete. Not everyone plays sports. There is a segment of children that would be losing something there. I felt that was a tough thing to make a decision on."

Both Links and Holden feel this will be an opportunity for the council and BOE to discuss more opportunities for shared services.

"I think there are some opportunities, as we've been discussing things in the shared services committee, to push to get them over the top," Holden said.

She said the recreation program seemed like one example of how something established could help lessen the loss, as she cited how many of the people involved in that program donated their time and effort to allow the softball field at the junior school to host games for the first time in over 50 years.

Links said he expects that all members of council will sit down, look at the budget, and do the best it can to help deliver on what the residents are asking for based on the vote.

Holden also said she expects to do that by working with the BOE.

"We're not going to be dictating to them," she said. "We're going to help craft it. We don't want to hurt their program."

A detailed rundown on how the process must proceed after a budget is voted down can be found in the article found by clicking here.