The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel featured an editorial this morning concerning the possibility that Germantown will pursue the secession effort from the Milwaukee Area Technical College district.  They spoke of 'outreach' by MATC and re-established their position that Germantown should remain in the MATC district.

The 'outreach' they spoke of consisted of the appointment of Victor Rossetti (then Superintendent of Germantown Schools) to a MATC Board vacancy, meetings held with Germantown officials, contribution of laptops to the library and a couple of 'free' programs.

This so-called 'outreach' seemed a lot like a feeble attempt to head off an embarrassing situation.  The addition of Mr. Rossetti did nothing to alter the course of MATC.  It continues to be, in my opinion, an out-of-control institution that answers to no one.  Germantown pays millions annually and we are supposed to take thirty laptops and shut our collective mouth.

The editors finally get to the last paragraph of this piece where they seem to catch a glimmer of a major reason for our angst.  They state, "And our guess is that until MATC does something to reduce its tax levy, not only will Germantown's efforts continue, but other communities may also start seriously considering secession."

The school board is scheduled to discuss this subject tonight.  I hope that it moves with all deliberate speed to push the secession from MATC.

MATC has now ended the suspense.  Whew!  It has officially increased its tax take by the 4.9% that it miraculously managed to get down to from the original 'straw man' of 6.4%.  This codifies the fact that MATC's appetite for tax dollars has risen by some 30% over the past five years.  MATC's leadership, if it can be called that without demeaning the word, just can't seem to understand that, while it is impervious to the wants and needs of the citizenry it serves, it really has permitted its reach to exceed our grasp.

MATC strikes me as an iceberg looking for a ship to sink.  It is floating along with the tip showing while the bulk of the 'bloat' lies just under the waterline, out of sight and, too often, out of mind.  Until it hits the ship of taxpayers yet again.  The taxpayers on this 'ship of fools' have finally come to understand, at least in Germantown, that they would be better-served if they were permitted to disembark from the current ship that continues to be victimized by the MATC iceberg...year after year after year after year!

That disembarkation is, however, contingent on so many disparate factors as to seem nearly unachievable.  First and foremost is that failure to make the petition to the state technical college board seeking a move from MATC to another contiguous tech college district renders all the other points moot.  If that is filed, then we wait and see what the august state tech college board members decide is to be our fate.  The last such application was made in 2004 and was denied.  That doesn't necessarily mean that this petition would suffer the same fate...but it is probably a decent precursor.  The only other successful action of this nature involved Germantown's petition to be moved into the MATC district back in the early 1970s.  (Ironic, isn't it?)

Back to the basics, however.  This rate of increase could've been far better controlled if the governing board for MATC were subject to re-election.  It isn't.  It is subject only to the parochial appointment desires of MATC.  Talk about a great deal, huh?  If I'm going to be governed by someone, I'd love the opportunity to pick the person without any outside interference over things such as how effective they'd be in administering their responsibilities.  If I 'accidentally' picked someone that was in lock-step with my positions and goals, could I possibly be faulted?  Sure, but it would be meaningless because no one could do anything about it except maybe move away to escape.

Maybe more to the point, I could've used the euphemism of a polar ice mass, a glacier, grinding everything in its path into submission.  Pretty soon there'll be nothing left here to tax.  It'll have been destroyed by the taxes rendered.

I guess the good news is that you can't tax the same dollar for more than 100 cents, so there is some ultimate end point.  Yet, there are so many taxes being levied against each of our dollars that we get less and less while everything costs us more and more.

Maybe, IF we pursue the change in tech college districts, and IF the state tech college board approves, we can rid ourselves of MATC President Cole, his board and his kingdom of fire-breathing dragons that burn everything of value they can identify in their domain.

I believe a full scale audit of that institution is called for and I believe one or more of our elected officials at the state level needs to pick up that banner and carry it high for all to see.  This is way past the point of being mere Blog fodder, although it sure has been good for that!

The move toward filing the documents necessary to seek secession from the Milwaukee Area Technical College tax district has begun to draw some debate amongst the politicos in Germantown.

Village President Kempinski has been quoted as being concerned with the seemingly slow movement in this process, and School Board President Erdmann says that we shouldn't worry because it is being taken up in July for ultimate filing in August.

Some have pointed to the earlier appointment of Superintendent Victor Rossetti as the death blow to any secession movement since Germantown is now directly represented on the MATC Board.

Mr. Rossetti will serve his last day as superintendent on June 30th.  What happens then?  Does he have to step down or is he permitted to serve out his term since he is then a 'former' superintendent.  What happens if he moves from the MATC district?  Is he immediately susceptible to removal if he doesn't resign?

Interesting questions all.  I have written earlier of some concern since the MATC discussion had been quiet for a seemingly long period of time.  Then we were advised that we shouldn't worry since the school board would resume its discussion in July. 

We are still a long way from the actual filing of documents and then we must await the decision of the state technical college board that is due within ninety days of the filing.  Then, even if we were to be successful...and that is far from a certainty...the actual secession wouldn't occur until the start of a new fiscal period for technical colleges.

And, of course, while this all plays out, we are being over-taxed and under-served by the money-eating monster that we know as MATC.

What we don't need are any artificial obstacles cropping up along the pathway to change.

MATC students along with all technical college and two-year college students in Wisconsin have a more difficult time gaining their education as the result of lenders leaving this marketplace.

MATC has nearly 5,300 students now at risk due to the fact that several lenders have decided to pull out of this market stating that it is unprofitable.  That supposedly is caused by too little money being borrowed for too short a time.

The total of loans that are affected by these pull-outs is more than $18 million, and involves five lenders for MATC students.

Several thoughts occur:

What other programs are available to these 5,300 students?  Supposedly there are from six to twenty other lenders available to the students if we are to believe the technical college system president, Daniel Clancy.  If that is the case, why would some big names pull out?  Those names included Chase, Citibank and TCF.  If there is money to be made, wouldn't they still want some of it?  Or is this indicative of some other more pervasive problem?

Will they qualify for replacement loans or is that really part of the problem that causes the lenders to want out?  Many of the students relying on these loans are low income people as you would presume could be the case.  It may not be possible for them to apply to other lenders and expect to be granted access to credit.  The federal government passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 and, contrary to what the name might suggest, this limited federal subsidies to those who lend money to students, and more than fifty such lenders left the market.  This suggests that we're talking about marginally-viable loans and that, without government guarantees, there will be fewer dollars available and those will go to better credit risks.

If there is a loss of significant numbers of MATC students, will MATC face up to the need to reduce budget?  There are nearly 5,300 students affected by this situation.  If half of those are unable to obtain different loans, there will likely be a similar number dropping out of MATC.  I don't know what the 'full time equivalent' student number is, but let's assume that these students are half-time.  So we would have a loss of half of the 5,300, or 2,650 and those would equate to 1,325 full time equivalent students.  That is about ten percent of the current total FTE students now attending MATC.  Will we see a ten percent reduction in the MATC budget?

Or, will MATC see this as forcing it to actually increase its tax take in order to offset the loss of student tuition?  Your guess is as good as mine, but I'll be amazed if we see a budget reduction as the result of this situation.  One cannot simply reduce staff because the student load has dropped, can one?  How does one manage to down-size when there are so many fixed costs, so many people relying on MATC for their livelihoods, so much left to do in the building of the empire?

What seems more likely is that this will be dragged out as alternatives are sought, and it will be talked about for awhile until we lose track of the issue.  Maybe state legislators will step up up and recommend new state guarantees.  After all, military veterans are given 100% tuition credits so it is only fair to begin providing everyone with 100% tuition to attend MATC.  It is only fair that MATC have this kind of support since the Milwaukee Public Schools are generating so few qualified graduates any longer.

The last paragraph was intended as 'tongue in cheek' in nature but I fear that it might be closer to reality than not. 

The president of the MATC teachers union, Michael Rosen, says he'll be in contact with Representative Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) to seek her help in assuring that students still have access to federal loans.  The dominoes have begun to fall and they threaten to crush us taxpayers yet again.  Why do they never topple in the other direction?

The third edition will begin with Rep. Wasserman's response since Senator Darling batted lead-off last edition:

Do you support the right of properly-trained and screened citizens to carry a concealed weapon?  If so, why and if not, why not?

Rep. Wasserman: 

The devil is in the details on this one.  Our Constitution protects the right to bear arms.  We also have a State Supreme Court ruling upholding the right to protect ourselves in our homes and our businesses.

Logically there must be some way of transporting guns in between these two places.  I feel very strongly that we could have passed a bill, but the last couple of times we voted on concealed carry, extremists on both sides of the issue refused to compromise.

Sen. Darling:

Yes.  The concealed carry bill debated in the legislature last session would have permitted individuals to carry a concealed weapon only after passing a criminal background check and completing a training and safety course.

One under-appreciated aspect of this debate is the 2003 ruling of the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Hamdan.  In that decision, the court ruled that a business owner had a constitutional right to have a concealed weapon at his business for his protection and defense.

Understanding that there are likely to be additional challenges to the current law banning concealed weapons, the Court asked the legislature "to consider the possibility of a licensing or permit system for persons who have a good reason to carry a concealed weapon."

Without that system, additional court decisions striking down the ban on concealed carry may ironically lead to what opponents of the bill fear most - the ability for anyone to carry a concealed weapon anywhere in Wisconsin, with no limits on eligibility, no requirements for safety or training and no registration.

Still, I would not support this bill if the result would be an increase in public incidents of violence.  Fortunately, we can look to the experiences of 48 other states that already have concealed carry laws (with millions of permit holders over many decades) that have not seen licensees contribute to increased levels of gun violence.  Rather, as a group, permit holders have proven to be remarkably law-abiding.  I find it particularly telling that no state has ever repealed its concealed carry law, which speaks to the fact that the safeguards inherent in these permitting systems work as intended.  I do not expect that Wisconsin permit holders would be any less responsible or trustworthy.

* * * * * * * * * *

A. What would you do to cause technical colleges to be more responsive to the taxpayer?   B. And, do you support Germantown's expected petition to move from the MATC tax district to either the MPTC or WCTC districts?

Rep. Wasserman:

A. I support legislation to make technical college board members elected, not appointed.  Local elected representation is critical.  Any board that gets to levy a tax should be accountable to the taxpayers.

B. I've long been a supporter of local control.  Madison doesn't always know best, and if I wanted to be a local official making local decisions, I would run for local office.  And as with membership of technical college boards, this should be a local decision.

Sen. Darling:

A. I would make technical college board members elected officials.  Unelected technical college boards are one of the last few entities with the authority to tax without any direct accountability to taxpayers.  Members of technical college boards are named through a convoluted appointment process that sets aside seats based on race, gender and employer.  These unelected technical college boards have lately been approving property tax hikes that vastly outpace the tax growth of other local governments who, not coincidentally, are run by elected officials.

That is why I introduced a bipartisan bill that would end the insulating appointment process for technical college board membership and replace it with an election process similar to most other local government positions.  The rationale is simple.  I believe technical college board members would feel more pressure to lower their taxing and spending if they had to answer directly to the voters who foot the bill.

B. Yes.

* * * * * * * * * *

Once again, I want to thank both Rep. Wasserman and Sen. Darling for their participation.  We are looking for other reader questions, so please don't be bashful.

* * * * * * * * * *

One last item for today:  we have received Assembly Candidate Randy Melchert's commitment to participate in a similar 'debate' that may be a bit lopsided unless he has an opponent.  So far, there is no indication of any other activity on either the Republican or Democrat sides of the aisle.  The seat in the 24th District has long been thought to be a solid Republican seat, but one would think this might be the time that gets tested.

Since we don't know how Randy Melchert sees all the issues, it seems appropriate to have  this discussion even if he remains unopposed.

The MATC has developed yet another draft budget after the first such exercise produced the need for a 6.4% property tax increase (see Blog of April 23rd).  At the time of that budget draft, the governor apparently said he would not countenance such an increase.  MATC announced then that it would go back to the old drawing board and see what could be done to get down into the range of 'as little' as a 5.0% to 5.5% property tax increase.

Guess what?  They can now apparently declare victory in this onerous task since the finance committee is only proposing a revised draft budget that would consume another 4.9% increase in property taxes.  The proposed draft will come to a vote by the full board on May 27th.

MATC has developed budgets since 2004 that will have caused property tax increases of more than 30% if this draft is ultimately approved.

Has your personal income increased by 30% in the past four years?  Has your savings account grown by 30% in the past four years?  Has yours become a single income family instead of a dual income family in the past four years?  I doubt it.  But, if so, congratulations!  Even with such an increase, if that has happened for you, I'll wager that you have better places to put your hard-earned money.

The MATC finance committee says it has cut all it could cut from the budget.  Jeannette Bell, committee member and former West Allis mayor, was in favor of not only this 4.9% property tax increase, but also favors reducing the reserve account held by MATC which has been done as part of this draft. 

People costs are budgeted to increase significantly.  Wages and salaries will go up about $1.5 million.  Health care costs will rise by some $2 million.  Other 'fringe' benefits will add another $4.5 million, including  $2 million required to bring the recognition of accrued benefits onto the MATC books like any other 'business' must do today.  That is $2 million of 'funny money'; where else would we find accounting tricks employed if we were to subject this institution to the standards maintained by businesses?

I cannot accept the statement that MATC has cut 'everything possible' and still needs this kind of increase budget over budget.  The paragraph above suggests to me that people costs are way too high, and a very quick way to achieve reductions there is to have fewer people.  Maybe MATC should think about outsourcing certain functions.  Maybe they should think about 'tough love' negotiations with union representatives.  There are or ought to be limits even for tax-funded entities.

Maybe MATC needs to review its class demand and determine the bottom third by attendance and end those classes.  If there is insufficient demand, there is apparently not an identifiable 'significant' need.  MATC cannot be providing services to a market that doesn't exist in sufficient numbers to show demand.  That would free up space for other uses, and it would, or should, enable staff cuts that will reduce costs.

It is impossible to forget, in this debate over MATC, that there is a very real problem with the Milwaukee schools system and we must recognize that some of MATC's costs should rightfully be paid for by the Milwaukee school system since MATC is mopping up after that dismal performance.  Adult high school education classes and GED classes are an example of how the public education structure in Milwaukee fails its students and the residents of the community.  Interestingly enough, this may well be an intended consequence rather than an unintended consequence.  It gets non-Milwaukee taxpayers to pay more of the Milwaukee education costs than is already done through state tax distribution formula.

Finally, I suggest once again that MATC needs to clean up its many acts.  It needs to get out of the failed business incubator function.  It needs to quit building physical monuments to itself and its leaders.  It needs to look at sale and lease-back arrangements.  It needs to reduce staff. 

Frankly, it is becoming more and more apparent that significant leadership changes may be required, as well.  MATC leadership seems to be ignorant of the public's needs.  This is an institution answerable to no one other than the governor through his ability to appoint members to the state technical college board.  The state legislature and the governor must act to bring this renegade system under absolute control.  There must be a change in the manner in which the state board and the district boards are created; voters need to determine who sits on those boards.  The current incestuous approach simply doesn't work...for anyone other than the leaders and those who sit on the rubber stamp boards.

All this brings me to the next obvious question:  Where do we stand in the quest for permission to move to another technical college district?  There seems to have been a long delay in the process; maybe it is justified.  I hope it doesn't mean that the movement has been quietly put to sleep.

"Timing of gift questioned" was the headline of Tom Kertscher's column in the morning Journal Sentinel.  That may well be a classic understatement, although I'm sure Mr. Kertscher needs to remain less 'curmudgeonly' than do I.

This is a blatant attempt to grease the skids for the denial of Germantown's soon-to-be-presented petition to the state technical college board.  MATC has not presented "free" computers to any other community and yet it has done so twice now for Germantown.  This coupled with the recent appointment of Germantown's Superintendent to the MATC board certainly shows that MATC is where we need to be sending our money.  This provides the technical college board a 'hidey-hole' from which they can summarily dismiss our petition.

These so-called "free" computers carry a very heavy price in my opinion.  The property tax increase alone to be collected from Germantown citizens will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Let's say, for argument, that the increase in MATC's property tax collection will be $300,000.  If that were the case, then the "free" computers cost only about $15,000 each.  Too tough on MATC?  Okay.  Let's say they'll gather only $200,000.  Then each "free" computer will have only cost us about $10,000.  If we add the historic annual over-payment extracted from us without a voice, the cost is in the millions of dollars for "free" laptop computers.

Then there is this whole question of accountability.  Actually, there is a question as to UNaccountability.  How in the world is it that this frugally-run institution can come up with this kind of money when we didn't even request their assistance?  How is it that this appropriation didn't even require board approval?  How is it that WCTC actually sells its used computers at the end of their useful lives, let alone not giving "free" computers to communities in its district?

It appears this could well be validation that the inmates run this asylum.

No connection?  Please spare us the obvious truth-stretching.  Why else would we receive this largess at this time without knowing it was coming or even having made a request for such consideration?  Of course there is a connection.  To try to convince us otherwise gives us a very real look into the utter disregard with which us taxpayers of Germantown are held. 

We not only have no voice, we deserve no voice because we don't know enough to come in from the cold!

The CRG study on which these MATC Blogs have been based, drew multiple conclusions:

• MATC has not engaged in improvement processes such as those employed in the private sector.
• MATC has no competitive or adversarial forces that would drive it toward improvement.
• MATC's board has favored special interests and the current tax rates stand in testimony to that.
• IF MATC were to continue on its present path, taxes would double in ten years or less, outstripping the public's ability to pay.

CRG's recommendations were as follow:

Recommendation 1:  Replace the entire MATC Board, possibly with an elected board, but certainly with new constituencies to 'clean house'.

Recommendation 2:  Establish mandated state revenue caps on MATC to force it to work on improvements rather than to simply charge people more for the same product.

Recommendation 3A:  Bring MATC's tuition in line with that in the UW system and eliminate duplicated programs.

Or, Recommendation 3B:  Allow the UW system to take over the operation of MATC programs and facilities.

It seems a simple conclusion, to me, that change is required.  Such change needs be all-encompassing.  We need an elected board as Sen. Alberta Darling has proposed.  We need changes in the hierarchy of leadership.  Mr. Cole has simply not done the job on behalf of either students or taxpayers.  I'm not sure about rewarding the UW system with the right to operate MATC, for that system is rife with the waste of taxpayer dollars, as well.  The UW system is permissive and supportive of the same special interests that dominate MATC.

MATC needs be brought to understand that it will no longer be permitted to operate with impunity, as it has over these many years.  One way to demonstrate that loudly and clearly is for the state technical college board to begin an internal audit of this institution, and to conduct that audit in the full light of day.  We've looked at the results of the well-conducted and well-documented CRG study, but that was done without the full cooperation of the institution being studied.  It would not be unreasonable for the state board to severely reprimand Mr. Cole; or ideally to cause him to desire to resign (since tenure would require an extended investigation in and of itself) even if it meant the payment of additional funds.  An additional hundred thousand dollars or so is 'chump change' compared with the travesty visited on us taxpayers over and over again!  While many will argue that it isn't right to reward someone with this history, it is equally apparent that not to do so would cause the perpetuation of these acts at a significantly higher cost.

The legislature must act quickly, in this term, to alter the entire technical college system.  This may be the only district where such egregious conduct has occurred, or it may not be the only one.  We don't know.  We do now understand, however, that anything is possible in the current environment.  The foxes have long ago taken over the hen house.  That alone should propel the legislature to effect change immediately, and to do so with a 'veto proof' majority on both sides of the aisle since we can expect the governor to veto any such action.  Except for one hold-over appointed member, this board is the governor's creation, after all.

The CRG study published last year raised some additional points that suggest serious issues.

The composition of the board lends itself to decisions that do not reflect the circumstances of the general populace.  Two members are elected officials, three members are in the public sector heavily represented by unions, another is a business manager for a union local, one is a lawyer and and another is a consultant for a firm representing special interests.  The vast majority of the board at that time, seven members, came from the public sector and/or an environment tied to organized labor.  Many have personal wage and benefit packages that are similar to those found at MATC.  Given their perspective, it seems clear why special interests are better represented than is the average taxpayer.

Board member e-mails were obtained through open records requests.  Following are highlights:

In discussing financial decision-making, then board member Dr. William Hughes (Superintendent of the Greendale School District) writes to fellow board member Mark Maierle (Business Manager of Operating Engineers Local 317) on March 30, 2005 at 7:54AM: "In the end, a budget with over 90% perhaps as high as 94% of funds going to payroll, benefits and pensions MATC will need all the revenue it can generate."  Dr. Hughes continued at 9:31AM that morning: "the general public does not pay attention to the goings on at MATC"

The focus is obviously that of generating more revenue, and not that of managing costs.  MATC revenue comes from the taxpayers and the students.  The implication is that taxes and tuitions can be increased since the public pays no attention.

On May 23, 2005 at 10:13AM, board member Lauren Baker (program coordinator with Milwaukee Public Schools) writes to Mark Maierle regarding MATC child care expenditures: "Jeskiewitz (State Representative Sue Jeskiewitz) thought it was OK when we explained that the centers were used as learning labs.  The administration has not pursued that line of reasoning.  Craig P. thought we should charge the child care expense to teaching and learning, thus making the centers run as a learning lab...Remember, Jeskiewitz is a Republican and needs to be vocal on these issues.  I've never felt compelled to set policy based on what Alberta (State Senator Alberta Darling) and Jeskiewitz tell us...We need to have a sophisticated view of the politics in Madison or we will be jerked around"

The apparent philosophy is that lying to politicians is "political sophistication".  The Board promotes funneling "Child Care" into another budget, thus representing it as something other than babysitting at taxpayers' expense.

On March 31, 2005 at 8:45AM, Mark Maierle writes to board member Peter Earle (Lawyer) about a person's observation that Darnell Cole (MATC President) is tight with the union, and the union holds an axe over the Board's head.  "I believe his criticism of Cole came from his perception that Cole was in the union's pocket.  It sounds like the union is again threatening a no-confidence vote.  The Board has had this ax held to our heads long enough." It seems as though the special interests get their way, and the taxpayers get stuck with the bill.

This simply continues the process of establishing that MATC is poorly managed and unlikely to change of its own volition.  Germantown's petitions are not simply driven by taxes.  The state technical college board must come to grips with this rogue operation for which it has responsibility.  We citizens of Germantown cannot possibly be compelled by the state board to continue to support this abomination...unless that board and the Governor who appoints it are to be held equally complicit.

The Metropolitan Milwaukee Sewerage District just reported a small cost overrun "boo boo" in the amount of $14 Million for the flood control project on the Milwaukee County Grounds. 

That caused me to think of the bill that has been introduced by Sen. Alberta Darling that would force all technical college boards to be elected by the taxpayers.

The MMSD board is also "appointed" even though it includes members who have been elected to other positions.  It has the ability to levy significant property taxes.  As a matter of fact, the current proposed capital budget would be financed in part by an $80.4 Million property tax levy to be collected from Milwaukee County property owners (a 3% increase over last year) and $24.18 Million in billings (up 6.8% over last year) from the ten communities outside Milwaukee County that are saddled with membership in this district.  Even though MMSD does not directly set property taxes for Germantown property owners, it does so indirectly through the fees it levies on us.

Is there a better way to do this?  As I recall, we were forced into the district by the Department of Natural Resources many years ago, so I presume any attempt to remove ourselves at this point is unworkable.  We have no facilities for treatment of sewage, having abandoned that many years ago.  It feels as though we're simply along for the ride with no ability to effect any control over the outcome. 

The eleven member board includes Rep. Pedro Colon, Robert Brunner (village president of River Hills), Lyle Balistreri (president of the Milwaukee Buildings and Trades Council, AFL-CIO), Rep. David Cullen, Theresa Estness (mayor of Wauwatosa), Dennis Grzezinski (attorney), Alderman Ashanti Hamilton (Milwaukee), Ronald Howard (president of West Milwaukee), Dale Richards (former mayor of Oak Creek) and Wallace White (principal of W2Excel). 

Not one of these people has any interest in what citizens of Germantown think, and that means we have no voice in the MMSD.  That sounds very much like our experience with MATC until its recent appointment of Superintendent Victor Rossetti from Germantown.

Shouldn't every board in Wisconsin with the ability to influence or set property tax levels be elected by their constituents?  How else can we tell them what we want, think and need and know we can command their attention? 

What do you think?  Make your comments to this Blog by following the directions beneath this posting.