This Just In ...

Franklin, I hate to say I told you so, but...

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Nov. 1, 2011

I told you so.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

“With enrollment mounting and old buildings wearing out, the Franklin Public Schools have begun the process of planning a physical expansion.

Steve Patz, superintendent of the 4,300-student district, said the district is relying on a community survey conducted a year ago to start coming up with a facilities plan.”

Here are some excerpts from some of my previous blogs related to this very subject.

January 11, 2010

Does the school district think we are really this stupid, that we can’t see through this entire charade? (The answer is yes, they do).

They’re trying to come across looking as though they really care about what you have to say and about communications between taxpayers and the district. If they really cared about what you felt, they would have had the guts to set up a table in City Hall at tax time and meet face to face with the people they screwed.

Fill out a survey, or three, or 300 and tell these deaf mutes you hate what they did to you and their merry tax and spending ways. Do you really, really, really think they are going to listen?

It’s insulting. It's an absolute joke.

My advice? Deposit this garbage where it belongs, in the trash, because that’s what it is. Phone and/or send these board members correspondences that you’re unhappy with their fiscal irresponsibility and if they don’t stop, you’ll vote for someone else.

Surveys? Polls? Gimme a break! They’re meaningless.

These stick up artists will rob you blind every chance they get no matter what you say on any non-binding questionnaire.

Don’t waste your time on this government waste. Toss the survey in the trash. Instead, give the School Board members a good, well-reasoned, thought out piece of your mind.

And then watch, and pay close attention to what these highway robbers do, and make them shake and shiver come election time.


June 9, 2010

I believe Franklin has a fine school district.

My issues are Franklin has a fiscally irresponsible, fumbling, bumbling, totally inept school board, and generally speaking, management of the district is mediocre.

School board members and district administrators in Franklin get away with their major shortcomings because Franklin is predominantly politically apathetic.

I received the latest Franklin newsletter this week, complete with Franklin School District's (cue Barney) everything is rosy and hunky-dory insert.

Now, I like and respect Franklin Superintendent Steve Patz. You have to love a guy whose IQ is 800 times greater than the people he works for, namely the Franklin School Board. However, his message in the city newsletter makes a guy like me who can smell doublespeak a million miles away nervous.

Congratulations, Dr. Patz. I’ve never seen in all my life such an extensive use of glittering generalities. If anyone can tell me what Patz really and specifically means in his “message,” I am all ears.

My guess is the plan is to bombard residents with a survey asking what they want, and then taking those answers and then using them politically to submit huge budget (i.e. property tax) increases to build and build and build, even though most realize nice, shiny new facilities don’t translate into increased GPAs or state football titles.

Dr. Patz and Franklin residents, please carefully review the results of the recent Franklin newsletter. Patz opens with the typical birds singing, angels playing harps, all is well initial paragraph. Then comes the hammer disguised as a feather.

Our Super says the school district (the good guys that they are) want to hear from you and you and you and you about (cue the doublespeak) “the physical status of our district facilities.”

Those administrators that run our schools all year round then clean our fiscal clocks every December are going to send out a survey in September. Wow. They really care about us and our opinion, right?

Yes, but not for the right reasons.

Patz argues that unlike most school districts around Wisconsin, Franklin has seen a small increase in enrollment. Patz theorizes that enrollment could grow even more (God, I’d love to take his crystal ball to Vegas). Patz then writes, “Should that (enrollment) number increase at a more  dramatic rate than anticipated (he provides absolutely no evidence to suggest that will, indeed, occur) the planning efforts that we undertake now will be more responsible and efficient."

Remember the results of the school referenda. Not even close. Blowout. Mandate. We are taxed enough. Forget any call for new Taj Mahal facilities, no matter what your survey says come September.

Careful, taxpayers, careful answering those survey questions.


October 13, 2010

The Franklin School District intelligentsia get the public all lathered up by painting the picture of crumbling structures and kids that will be forced to sit in trailers (yeh, right) and sports teams that that will be worse than the Bad News bears unless you, yes you, struggling taxpayer, open up your wallet for the millionth time and fork it over.

They think they’ve got your number. They will send out sob story of a survey, one after another, begging for just the right answers, and when you politely, innocently tell them, you bet, we’d love to see an improved this and a new that……..BAM!  They’re introducing proposals to raise taxes by a bundle to build and/or improve all these facilities THAT YOU THE PUBLIC DEMANDED!

Don’t you see, Joe/Josie Taxpayer? They’re hoping you fall for this junk.

Simple solutions.

1) Toss the survey in the trash where it belongs.

2) Call school board members and tell them to support a zero percent property levy tax increase. Prepare for laughter and scorn on the other end of the line and a lecture telling you foolish mortal that it can’t be done, that schools will tumble to the ground and children will die.

Now apparently some have already filled out their surveys and diligently turned them in. OK. You didn’t have the chance to read this wisdom-filled blog before you did, so you’re forgiven.

As old eagle eye, ace FranklinNOW reporter Mark Schaaf notes, “Many have complained about the state of Franklin's athletic facilities.”

Yeh, I know. That’s a heartbreaker.  Major frustration.

Being the sports-minded fellow I am, I was just commenting to my wife, Jennifer what a crummy season the high school baseball team had. My old buddy, Jim Hughes, poor guy. Can’t win a game to save his life.

The football team? Struggling. Just struggling. Year after year.

I think the boy’s soccer team played last night in a playoff game. Yes, yes, I think I’m right. Did you know they only managed three goals....... against an MPS team? Now, you build two more soccer fields and we won’t be embarrassed like that ever again!

And the high school basketball teams, boy’s and girl’s…….it’s no wonder they haven’t been to state for a few years. It’s you cheapskate taxpayers. All your fault.

Throwing money at education and building Taj Mahal facilities does not equal greater student achievement or more trophies for the case. I’m gratified that Mark Schaaf found that some people ….GET IT:

“Others have opposed any property tax levy increase, saying residents can't afford it due to the economy.

‘You are running a business with our dollars, and we are concerned about how you are spending them,’ resident Donald Reed told the School Board during the district's annual meeting in August.”

Give that man a gold star.


October 21, 2010

High SchoolI wrote the following about the Franklin’s Facilities Planning Survey:

"Toss the survey in the trash where it belongs."

A few days later, lo and behold, there it was in my mailbox.

What the hell, I thought. I paid for it. Might as well open it up and take a look.

And I have decided I was wrong to suggest throwing it in the garbage. Instead, I now highly recommend you read it and fill it out, especially if you’re like me, one of the many, many, many mad as hell, we’ve had it up to here with all the high taxing and spending in this town Franklin residents.

The survey is stunning in its lack of transparency, written and presented with an all too obvious woe is us, we must tax to the max mentality.

We learn that a study was conducted this past summer of the conditions and use of our school facilities, and whad’ya know??? OF COURSE our facilities are going to hell in a hand basket. Those poor, poor, children. Whatcha gonna do about it, Franklin taxpayers? Let us give you some idea$.

We’ve got all kind$ of option$ about the middle $chool, the high $chool, a $wimming pool, performing art$, indoor and outdoor phy$ical education and athletic $pace, and a community center. My oh my, we sure need a lot.

I took out my trusty calculator, and let’s suppose a resident decides to support every one of the spending options, including the most expensive choices. That translates into spending an incredible:


$235.4 million


Clearly, the people running our school district have lost their minds.

So please, if you haven’t done so yet, do yourself and your wallet a huge favor. Fill out your survey by checking all of the NO or NONE OF THE ABOVE choices.

Because, I wasn't all that wrong. The Franklin.....it is setting a big, fat trap for you taxpayers.


November 1, 2011: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“With enrollment mounting and old buildings wearing out, the Franklin Public Schools have begun the process of planning a physical expansion.

Steve Patz, superintendent of the 4,300-student district, said the district is relying on a community survey conducted a year ago to start coming up with a facilities plan.”

I told you so.