THINGS TO DO IN RIPON...

March 15

Farm Toy & Craft Show

Enjoy huge displays of new and collectible farm toys, farm scenes and an opportunity to purchase gifts & collectibles.9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ripon High School, 850 Tiger Drive, Ripon.

SCHOOL DISTRICT TO HOLD REFEREDUM INFORMATIONAL SESSION

Ripon Area School District officials will be present to answer your questions and provide information:

• Thursday, March 19, at 6:30 p.m. at Ripon High School room 167
• Monday, March 23, at 2:00 p.m. at Ripon Public Library
• Tuesday, March 31, at 6:30 p.m. at Ripon High School room 167
• Thursday, April 2, at 10:00 a.m. at Ripon Public Library

I encourage all of you to attend at least one of the sessions and get the FACTS and ask questions. For more detailed information on the referendum, click on this PDF file.

TAYLOR WURTZ - The Tale of the Tape

Thanks to Jason Mansmith at WRPN-AM for the information, and good luck to the Tiger ladies tonight against Pewaukee. They have certainly made Ripon proud of their girls' basketball program (and do not forget the Ripon College women as well, who play in the NCAA Division Three tournament tonight in Minnesota)
Taylor Wurtz Tail of the Tape Through 03/01/09

Total Games Played: 91
Total Games Started: 91
Overall Record: 78-13
Conference Record: 55-5 (Three Conference Championships Conference)
Player of the Year Three Years
Total Points: 1910 (20.9 PPG Avg)
Total Rebounds: 652 (7.1 RPG Avg)
Total Assists: 354 (3.8 APG Avg)
Total Steals: 357 (3.92 SPG Avg)
Total 3 Pointers: 240 (2.63 PG Avg)
Total FT %: 71%
Points In A Season: 518 & 493 (1st and 2nd Place Record) Currently at 567
Season Assists: 100 (Record) Currently at 74
Season Steals: 107,92,78 (1st 2nd 3rd) Currently at 80
Three Pointers One Game: 8 (RHS Record)
Points In a Game: 47 (RHS Record)

PAUL RYAN : I am liking this guy more and more

This week, the House Committee on the Budget held a hearing at which Peter Orszag, Director of OMB, testified. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin is the ranking Republican on the committee.

RYAN: Thank you, Chairman, and thank you for this hearing. I look forward to having a number of these hearings on this budget. What a week we just had last week. Let's go through it for a second. On Monday, we had the Fiscal Responsibility Summit. On Tuesday, we witnessed a very eloquent, ambitious and even inspiring speech by the president of the United States echoing those themes of fiscal responsibility. Then on Wednesday, Congress passed a bloated $410 billion spending bill with 9,000 earmarks. And on Thursday, we received the mother of all budgets, a truly sweeping transformation of the federal government, the likes of which we have not seen since the New Deal.

Finally, on Saturday, the president threw down the gauntlet. Rather than echoing the theme of changing the tone in Washington or bringing people together to forge a bipartisan compromise, he essentially said, "You're either with me or you're against me." He claimed opponents of this transformative budget are quote, "Tools of special interest and the powerful." This is not changing the tone of Washington or forging a compromise. This is staking out an ideological conquest. It's playing the oldest political trick in the book, which is if someone disagrees with you impugn their motives. Don't debate the facts. Destroy their credibility and win the argument by default.

This power play strikes me as an incredible gamble with the U.S. economy and with those principles that built this country. Now the facts surrounding this budget are disturbing. It proposes to bring the size of our government to its largest level ever since World War II. It doubles the national debt in eight years. During a recession, it seeks to impose a $1.4 trillion tax in our economy on work, on savings, investment, energy, on manufacturing.

Deception at Core of Obama Plans

Charles Krauthammer hits one out of the park:

WASHINGTON -- Forget the pork. Forget the waste. Forget the 8,570 earmarks in a bill supported by a president who poses as the scourge of earmarks. Forget the "$2 trillion dollars in savings" that "we have already identified," $1.6 trillion of which President Obama's budget director later admits is the "savings" of not continuing the surge in Iraq until 2019 -- 11 years after George Bush ended it, and eight years after even Bush would have had us out of Iraq completely.

Forget all of this. This is run-of-the-mill budget trickery. True, Obama's tricks come festooned with strings of zeros tacked onto the end. But that's a matter of scale, not principle.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/03/a_dishonest_gimmicky_budget.html

UNBELIEVABLE

Several weeks ago, I received a nice email from Ripon, California congratulating Ripon, WI for the hard work and volunteer support of the FieldTurf on Ingalls Field. I re-printed the email on this blog. Lo and behold, a letter showed up last week in the Ripon Record railing on the possibility of FieldTurf in Ripon, CA. Imagine my surpise when I saw the signature at the bottom of the letter....

Think twice about turf for Stouffer
I understand Ripon is diligently researching turf benefits before any future installation and that the Ripon Community Athletic Foundation does not intend to spend any educational dollars on artificial turf, or give enjoyable sports precedence over top priority academics.

Because it does its job well and absorbs the torque and tension of hard play, the natural grass can become damaged. Its beauty and durability must be properly maintained with knowledgeable, experienced, and skilled workers who see their task as a labor of love. Artificial grass does not seem to absorb the abuse. Consequently, the athlete’s ankles and/or knees may become victim to significant injury. Doing thorough feasibility studies in favor, and against, both natural grass and artificial turf is imperative.

Silica sand and rubber pellets are hazardous materials, with MSDS sheets documenting potential, health risks. High temperatures can cause artificial surface to heat up way hotter than natural grass, and serious burns and dangerous inhalation can occur. Plastic surfaces hinder bio-degradation of bodily fluids and contaminants. What is the cost of disinfectants, pesticides, and maintenance equipment, excavation, preparation, rubber-pellet “refills” to prevent cushion loss, necessary carpet replacement, disposal of hazardous materials in special waste areas, proper irrigation and drainage, and new protective gear to help deter new type of injuries? It all adds up.

I encourage Ripon to ask all of the right questions of the natural grass experts and the turf experts, alike, before making an expensive investment. While natural grass is not perfect by any means, artificial turf is not a superior, magic carpet, and each community must carefully weigh the lofty risks with the potential for unique rewards, without prejudice or reservation.

Michele Perr

I bet the people in Ripon, CA would love to know she is from Ripon, WISCONSIN.

Ripon College to Host 2009 WICR Convention

MADISON, WI — The Wisconsin Federation of College Republicans announced the location and time of its 2009 convention. On March 27th and 28th College Republicans from across Wisconsin will gather in Ripon, Wisconsin to elect new leadership and set the direction for all Wisconsin College Republicans.

Over 155 years ago Ripon served as the birthplace of the modern Republican Party and we hope, in 2009, it will once again serve as a place of regeneration for the Republican Party, this time for the youth of our state. As State Chairman Sol Grosskopf explains, “The college students of this state should not be ashamed to call themselves Republicans”.

Over the course of the two-day convention, College Republicans will conduct business and meet College Republican leaders from campuses across Wisconsin. College Republicans will elect next years state officers, pass resolutions, and host a dinner banquet. State Vice Chairman, Lucas Fuller added, “College Republicans will be working hard over the next year to lay the groundwork needed to start rebuilding our party in spring elections and during the 2010 midterms.”

I have been invited to speak at this event, and am looking forward to welcoming the delegates to Ripon. The Fond du Lac County and Green Lake County Republican Party organizations will be holding their annual Lincoln Day Dinner in Ripon, as well, on March 15th. For more information, click here.

ANTI-BARBIE???????????????????

Luckily, no one else is co-sponsoring this idiotic legislation:

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Barbie could get an unwelcome present for her 50th birthday: outlawed in West Virginia. A state lawmaker proposed a bill Tuesday to ban sales of the iconic Mattel doll and others like her. The proposal from Democratic Delegate Jeff Eldridge says such toys influence girls to place too much importance on physical beauty, at the expense of their intellectual and emotional development.

I guess IQ is not a requirement to get elected to higher office in West Virginia.

FROM TONIGHT'S PAPER...A TIP OF THE HAT TO...

* Former Mayor Bob Somers, for taking the time to explain his position on the two-versus-four year mayoral term debate. Remember that the Council will hold a listening session on the issue this Tuesday evening (3-10).
* Ripon Superintendent Richard Zimman for presenting the facts in a clear and concise manner. Now, can we move on to other issues in the district.
* Editor Tim Lyke...two good editorials in as many weeks? I may have to start saying nice things about him again. Kidding? I thought his comments on the street vacation of Blossom Street hit most every major point. Remember the Council will hold a public hearing on this issue next Tuesday as well.

Prayer back on Dodge County Board agenda

JUNEAU — The Dodge County Board of Supervisors will be asked to vote on a resolution next month that may allow prayer back in the County Board room. The resolution would allow non-sectarian invocations to be presented at the opening of meetings by clergy representing a variety of faiths. The resolution, crafted by supervisor Eugene Wurtz, was presented to the Executive Committee during a March 2 meeting. Following the requests of a majority of supervisors, Dodge County Board Chairman Russell Kottke said the committee has been looking to update its policy regarding legislative prayer.

Read more here.

GRAB YOUR WALLETS...

Huebsch: $2.2B in new taxes

When we set our family budgets, especially in this economy, we tally our spending from last year and list new expenses anticipated in the next year. If together they total more than our annual income, we start to set priorities and consider what we can do without. We put our mortgage or rent, car payments, groceries, and utility and healthcare bills at the top of list, and then we look for ways to cut back other expenses.

So why is this exercise so foreign to state agency officials, Governor Doyle and the Democrats who control the state legislature? Because they know it’s not their hard earned money and they don't concern themselves with the taxpayers struggling to pay the bills. From their perspective, it’s the state’s money.

The state budget they recently proposed for the next two years is case in point. They calculated spending from last year and anticipated expenses for the next year, just like the rest of us. But then they added the cost of new and expanded pet programs to that total. Since it turned out to cost more than the state is expected to take in as our economy struggles, they raised taxes and fees to fill the hole.

They do this despite a law on books requiring state government to budget more like families. State agencies must submit a base budget review report that explains and defends current spending levels. This allows lawmakers and taxpayers to find out where every dollar goes.

In light of the times, it’s clear we need to go a step further and make use of zero based budgeting – a reform long supported by Wisconsin Republicans. Zero based budgeting requires us to build each agency budget from scratch, instead of just accepting the previous year’s spending as the starting point. Doing so would allow taxpayers to identify programs that are obsolete, eliminate waste and facilitate smarter spending of tax dollars.

Governor Doyle and the Democrats don’t want to make the change though. In complete control of state government for the first time in over twenty-five years, they can’t pass up this opportunity for social engineering and doling out checks for pet projects and to political friends. Not only do they oppose zero based budgeting, they’ve decided to abolish the existing law that requires state government to justify its spending.

Denying Wisconsin taxpayers an explanation about how their money is spent requires a stunning level of arrogance. But that’s only the beginning of how far the governor and legislative Democrats will go to duck taxpayer accountability.

Under current law, the governor must notify lawmakers if spending commitments are outpacing tax collections by one half of a percent or more. Using today’s numbers, this means that a shortfall of about $300 million would require notification and introduction of a bill to take corrective action.

Governor Doyle and the Democrats want a trigger that’s four times higher. That means they’ll keep a budget hole secret until it climbs to more than $1 billion dollars. They are taking a page out of the playbook of national Democrats who believe the bigger the crisis, the better the opportunity to sell tax increases.

As President Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel recently said "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste!"

As the country struggles through a recession, Democrats in Washington, D.C. and in Wisconsin have made tax increases the centerpiece of their economic development agenda. There’s no rhyme or reason to the choices made by Governor Doyle and Wisconsin Democrats; no economic studies documenting how their chosen tax hikes will create jobs or stimulate consumer spending.

The $2.2 billion of new taxes in their proposed state budget are just a means to an end. They assembled their government wish list and then raised taxes until they could pay the bill. And they found taxes that best lent themselves to political spin: taxing the rich, closing loopholes, leveling the playing field, and according to them, "just being fair". Following is a rundown of the taxes.
Hospital Tax: $925 million
75¢ Cigarette Tax Increase: $334 million
Personal Income Tax Increase: $312 million
Corporate Income Tax Changes: $257 million
Establishing Combined Reporting: $215 million
Increasing Capital Gains Taxes: $181 million
Establishing Streamlined Sales Tax: $82 millio

What does all this mean in the real world? It means each of us will send more of our paychecks to Madison if we get sick, buy anything from cigarettes to diapers to bottled tea, download ring tones for our phones or music for our iPods, or shop on-line. It means they believe government should reap the rewards when small business owners sell their companies, rather than the families who spent their lives building them. And it means that they view corporations as a cash cow for government, destroying efforts of businesses to invest in current workers and create new jobs.

I have said a number of times since November that elections have consequences. It’s never been more apparent than now. All of these taxes were proposed, debated and even passed by the Democrat-controlled state Senate in 2007 and 2008, but Assembly Republicans were able to prevent them from becoming law.

The Democrats’ sentiment that more taxes are the answer to all public policy challenges has to change if we are going to turn the economy around and get people back to work. But, it won’t change until Democrats place a higher value on taxpayers than on government programs, and their budget proposal shows that will not happen anytime soon.

Mike Huebsch is a Republican and represents the residents of the 94th Assembly District.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE RC WOMEN'S HOOPS TEAM

Making Ripon proud:

RIPON, Wis. – The Division III women's basketball tournament field of 63 was released Monday morning, with the Red Hawks selected to face the College of St. Benedict in Saint Joseph, Minn. during the opening round at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6. The game will mark Ripon's return to the NCAA Tournament after a four-year hiatus.

RIPON, Wis. – Fresh off their 2009 Midwest Conference Championship, the Ripon women's basketball team was awarded with several All-Conference awards on Tuesday, as released by the MWC office. Headlining the list was Head Coach Julie Johnson, who received the MWC Coach of the Year award for the fourth time in her stellar career. Freshman forward Erin Lind also received recognition, as she was named to the MWC First Team. Sophomore Emily Meyer was named to the MWC Second Team for the second consecutive season.

RIPON, Wis. – Tickets for Ripon’s NCAA women’s basketball tournament game at the College of St. Benedict can now be purchased by contacting the Ripon College athletic department. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Saint Joseph, Minn. with the price of admission set for $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for students, senior citizens and children. Tickets are only available for purchase until Noon on Wednesday, March 4 and may be purchased by calling Linda Jess at (920) 748-8133 or Michael Westemeier at (920) 748-8770.

Is Proposed State Spending for 2009-11 Up 0.7% or 10.7%?

From the Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance's analysis "First Look at Proposed 2009-11 State Budget"

The proposed 2009-11 state budget holds general fund spending increases to under 1% but hikes by 10.7% expenditures from all revenue sources: from $56.7 billion in 2007-09 to $62.7 billion in 2009-11. The budget also seeks to increase state taxes by a total of $2.5 billion over the next three years, most notably on businesses, large and small; hospitals; smokers; investors; and higher-income individuals.

"The danger of paying for permanent state programs with temporary federal aid is," according to WISTAX President Todd A. Berry, "the likelihood of more state budget problems come 2011." State budget documents forecast annual "structural deficits" of about $400 million in the 2012 and 2013 budget years. Wisconsin has had structural deficits in every budget since at least 1997, including a current one-year imbalance of $800 million.

Fuzzy accounting...the new American math.

STATE SHARED REVENUE TO RIPON COULD BE CUT...

On Tuesday, Feb. 17, Gov. Doyle announced his 2009-11 state budget, AB 75, and outlined his plan for dealing with a projected $5.7 billion deficit going into the next biennium. One of the areas he has targeted for a reduction is state-shared revenue. According to the Wisconsin League of Municipalities, the funding for the program has decreased by 5.5 percent, including a $70 million cut in 2004, since 1997.

Governor Doyle is proposing that shared revenue funding be reduced by 1 percent next year. Under the Governor's proposal, each municipality will receive the same amount of shared revenue this year that it received in 2008. In 2010, total funding for the $850 million program will be reduced by $8.5 million. About $1.5 million of the cut applies to counties and $7 million applies to cities, villages and towns.

The reduction is to be apportioned among local governments first on the basis of equalized value. No municipality's payment can be reduced by more than 15% from its 2009 payment. The remainder of the reduction will be accomplished on a per capita basis. The League of Municipalities did a rough estimate and came up with the following numbers:
2009 RIPON - SHARED REVENUE - $1,582,093
2010 RIPON - SHARED REVENUE - $1,575,597
LOSS - $6,496
This means we will either have to raise taxes $6,456 or cut expenses by the same amount to keep the budget balanced in 2010. Of course, the budget still has to go through the Legislature, but I do not anticipate many changes.

OTHER PROPOSAL IN THE BUDGET (Courtesy of the League of Municipalities)
Expenditure Restraint Program: The Governor’s budget makes no changes to the expenditure restraint program. The total funding remains the same as it has been – about $58 million. This program rewards municipalities which keep their spending increases below a certain level. Ripon has qualified for this program each year of my administration.
Levy Limits: The Governor proposes extending levy limits for another two years. Under his proposal, in 2009 and 2010 municipalities would be able to increase their levies by the greater of three percent or the percentage increase in equalized value due to net new construction. The Governor also recommends allowing municipalities to carry forward unused levy capacity.
Transportation Aid: The Governor recommends reducing funding for the general transportation aids program by 1 percent in 2010. The 2009 funding level is untouched by the Governor's proposal. The Governor recommends no increase or reduction for GTA in 2011. The Governor also recommends increasing transit operating aids by 2 percent in calendar year 2010 and 3 percent in calendar year 2011. This could hurt Ripon in the future, as the amount a city receives is based on a rolling average of the past three years' road repair expenditures. We have been increasing the amount we spend, and, therefore, get back from the state under this program.
Regional Transit Authorities: The Governor recommends authorizing the creation of regional transit authorities in Southeastern Wisconsin, Dane County and Fox Valley. Transit authorities have the power to provide transit services to designated geographical regions. To fund the transit systems, the transit authorities may receive state and federal aid, issue bonds, receive fare box revenues and levy up to a 0.5 percent sales tax within the service region. At this point, I don't see any impact on Ripon from this proposal, although I just love to see another non-elected body implementing a tax on us.
Prevailing Wage Law Changes: The Governor recommends lowering the threshold for public works projects subject to the prevailing wage rate to $2,000 and eliminating the current multiplier, which increases the threshold annually. The Governor also recommends expanding projects covered under the state prevailing wage laws to include "private projects that receive public financing." “Public Financing” is broadly defined to include any grant, loan, insurance or guaranty, or any other arrangement by which a local government provides assistance in any of the following forms: funding, a transfer or lease of real of personal property of the municipality for less than fair market value …” The Governor further recommends requiring a contractor, subcontractor or agent performing work on a project that is subject to the prevailing wage law, other than a state highway project, to submit weekly reports to the contracting municipality or agency authorizing the work. This is opposed by Republicans and Democrats, leading me to wonder who the Governor sold out to on this one....
DOR to Charge TIF Districts Annual Fee: The Governor recommends creating an annual maintenance fee of $150 for each active tax incremental district to fund a portion of the department of revenue's administrative activities related to TIF districts. Keep finding those fee increases, Governor.
Tipping Fee Increase: The Governor recommends increasing the recycling tipping fee on solid waste dumped in landfills by $1 per ton to support continued recycling programs and to provide funding for the University of Wisconsin Bioenergy Center. The Governor also recommends increasing the environmental repair tipping fee by $3.40 per ton to ensure continued funding of environmental quality and remediation programs. Funding for the recycling grant program remains at the same level. More fee increases from Governor Jim "I Don't Raise Taxes" Doyle.
Photographic enforcement of Traffic Lights: The Governor recommends authorizing local governments to use traffic control photographic systems for the purpose of detecting traffic signal violations (i.e., running a red light).
Statewide Smoking Ban: The Governor included a ban on smoking in all places of employment statewide, including taverns and restaurants, effective 60 days after the effective date of the state budget. Another one of those POLICY items, like same-sex marriage, that the Governor insists shoving into a budget. You want a statewide smoking ban? Write it up as a separate bill, so it can debated on its own.

What happens next?
Introduction of the governor's budget bill is merely the first step in the state budget writing process. The Legislature will take several months to review the document and propose its own version. The Joint Committee on Finance will begin its work on the budget in late February or early March. The Committee will likely hold at least a few public hearings on the bill. Chances are that the Democratic controlled legislature will not make many changes to the budget recommended by Governor Doyle. The entire process should be done by July 1, and could be completed sooner.

GOOD READ ON MINUTES

If you are interested in the taking and keeping of minutes, and I know this keeps some of you up at night, here is a good read.

OUCH OUCH OUCH

Milwaukee’s Marshall & Ilsley Corp. on Monday reported a revised 2008 fourth quarter loss of $1.9 billion, or $7.25 a share, driven by a non-cash goodwill impairment charge. The bank, Wisconsin’s largest, had initially reported a 2008 fourth quarter net loss of $404 million, or $1.55 a share. The goodwill impairment charge of $1.5 billion, or $5.70 a share, is a non-cash accounting change that the company said will not affect cash flow or liquidity and will have a negligible impact on regulatory capital ratios.

“The goodwill impairment charge was driven by the decline in M&I's stock price and the deteriorating economy,” said Greg Smith, senior vice president and chief financial officer. M&I also reported a revised net loss of $2.1 billion, or $7.92 a share, for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2008. The company initially reported a net loss for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2008, of $568 million, or $2.19 a share.

ROSENDALE DAIRY GETS GO-AHEAD

A pivotal regulatory permit has been approved by the state Department of Natural Resources, paving the way for a major expansion of a dairy farm in Fond du Lac County. The DNR said Monday that it has approved a wastewater discharge permit for Rosendale Dairy that will allow the owners to increase the size of the herd from fewer than 700 cows to 4,000. A second expansion is planned to expand operations to 8,000 cows, which DNR officials said would make Rosendale the largest dairy farm in the state.

Rosendale’s expansion has angered some local residents and officials who are fear that the manure will harm the groundwater. Opponents also raised concerns about the odor and increased traffic congestion from milk and supply trucks and farm machinery moving in and out of the farm. In a statement, Jim Ostrom, one of the farm’s owners, said Rosendale has spent two years working on environmental issues, ranging from air quality to manure management. The entire expansion is expected to cost $70 million. Rosendale said it will spend $32 million annually with local contractors and vendors.

YOU WANT FUZZY MATH? Head to Madison

From the Capital Times:

In introducing his budget last week, Gov. Jim Doyle said he had “identified” $25 million for a state program aimed at ensuring a college education for students who stay straight and study hard. But what the Democratic governor’s budget proposal doesn’t do is either spend that money or set it aside for the Wisconsin Covenant program. Instead, the money in the phantom appropriation for the college guarantee program would be returned, unspent, to the state’s main account at the end of the two-year budget in June 2011.

Why do that?

Doyle budget director Dave Schmiedicke said the line item is intended to serve as a placeholder until the fall of 2011, when the first of thousands of Wisconsin Covenant scholars will be entering college. Over the past two years, 35,000 students in two grades have signed the Covenant, which guarantees a place in a Wisconsin college and adequate financial aid to any eighth-grader who keeps a pledge to do well in school and keep out of trouble. Department of Administration spokeswoman Linda Barth said that the state will start deciding how many students are eligible after they finish filling out their federal student financial aid forms in January 2011.

Budget committee member Rep. Robin Vos, R-Caledonia, wasn’t buying the administration’s earmark explanation. A placeholder of $25 million in the current budget won’t guarantee students get anything in the next one, when the money will actually be needed, he said. “I thought I had seen everything, but this phony Covenant thing is one of the most egregious things I’ve ever heard of,” Vos said.

MY GENERATION'S LEGACY

This looks like me and Emmy and Kylie...all that is missing is the First Lady:

RIPON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT E-NEWSLETTER

School Administrators Suggest Wage Freeze for Themselves
The eight Ripon administrators made a unanimous suggestion to the school board that administrative wages be frozen for the 2009-10 school year. With the District facing the double challenge of budget reductions and the national economic crisis, the administrators suggested that they forego the $22,000 in wage increases that they were eligible for according to state law. The Board typically sets salaries for administrators and support staff in June for the following school year.

School Board Makes $210,000 in Operation Cuts for 2009-10
The Ripon Board of Education approved $210,000 in cuts to the District’s annual operating budget for 2009-10 to close the gap between maintaining the existing level of service and the state-mandated budget restrictions required under the revenue cap law. This elimination of line items from current services in the annual budget is in addition to the $670,000 that was cut in the past two years. The District still needs to find $335,000 to cut from the 2009-10 budget if the April 7 referendum questions do not pass.

Draft Homework Policy Introduced
After 18 months of study, surveying, and analysis, the Board’s Homework Committee introduced a draft for the District’s new Homework Policy & Guidelines at the Board’s February 16 meeting. The Board wants to provide a general framework based on research and best practices to teachers, students, and parents for a clear, consistent, and effective approach to the controversial issue of homework. Action on the proposed policy and guidelines is scheduled for the April 20 meeting.

Recognition for Swift-Acting Staff Member Given by Board
The Ripon Board of Education honored Sue Sorenson at its February 16 meeting for her swift action in helping a student who was choking in the middle school cafeteria at lunch. Ms. Sorenson, an aide at the school, rushed to the scene and took action which dislodged the food that was stuck. Although the student had stopped breathing, Ms. Sorenson’s action allowed him to fully recover. The Board also recognized three high school vocational education teachers—Sue Mokler, Dean Evensen, and Sheri Schmidt—for their coordination of the annual Keeper Store activity that involves elementary and high school students.