The Referenda

Tuck your pants into your socks, nerds -- We're going into the weeds on public finance, budgeting processes, democratic involvement, and community building!
This is a conversation with CUNY's Celina Su, author of the newly-released Budget Justice: On Building Grassroots Politics and Solidarities, and Seton Hall's Dave Backer, whose As Public As Possible: Radical Finance for America's Public Schools.
There are more ways, it turns out, for us to learn about and participate in our local government's budgeting and auditing processes.

CORRECTION: At one point in this episode, I say that the 2024 operating ref was "2m for curriculum, 8m for teachers, and 54.4m" to cover deficits. 8m for teachers is correct, but it was 4m for curriculum and 52.4m for deficits.
This episode reviews some basic facts about these three important issues and what our conversations around them are like. The major goal is to help community members and school board candidates better articulate their positions. Everyone is for improving district finances, or for academic progress, or for teachers. Do we all mean the same things, though?
LINKS:
Tosa 2075 task force report
Secondary ad-hoc facilities page.
**FINANCES**
Wisconsin DPI all-staff (salary) report portal
Wisconsin DPI comparative cost data
Wisconsin DPI comparative revenue data
WSD's financial transparency site (through ClearGov.com)
WSD's budget and audit information
2024 budget error records, part 1 and part 2
WSD's 2024 Referendum Site (incl survey results)
WSD's 2024 Referendum Progress Reporting
**ACADEMIC PROGRESS**
Tosa's report card page
Statewide ACT/Forward data
**TEACHERS**
Steven Brill's "The Rubber Room" (2009)
Vlad Kogan's No Adult Left Behind (2025)
WPR piece on teachers' health-care costs (2025)
Statewide school funding data (2025)

LINKS to background information for the survey:
1.) The Tosa 2075 Task Force website.
2.) The Tosa 2075 final report.
3.) The district's long-range facilities plan (adopted 2024)
4.) The current ad-hoc facilities committee website, incl minutes and detailed model summaries (at the bottom).
5.) Secondary model summary spreadsheet.
6.) FAQs about the proposed models and processes.
7.) Analysis of learning spaces descriptions

LINKS:
Ad Hoc Committee page (scroll down for current models)
WI State Report Card weighting calculator
Growth Score calculation specs
Target Group Outcomes explanation
Tosa's district- and school-level report cards
Nativity Jesuit Academy's report card

Dr. Amanda Lewis is coming to Wauwatosa to give a talk based on her book, Despite the Best Intentions, whose 2nd edition just came out this year.
EVENT INFO:
Where: Underwood Elementary
When: Monday, October 20th, 6:30 to 8:00.
What: A talk, followed by a Q&A session.
If you'd like to pose a question to Dr. Lewis, send it to me here.