Jeremiah Johnson Will Oversee District Building & Grounds

As Gary Rosploch retires, the board gives the nod to an 11-year veteran of the district who has been there since age 19.

The first question that came to mind when talking with Jeremiah Johnson, the newly hired supervisor of building and grounds for the Muskego-Norway School District, was how young he was when he started. Johnson explained he had been with the district 11 years upon receiving the job, which has been held by Gary Rosploch, who is stepping down at the end of February after 21 years with the district. However, his youthful appearance prompted the question of how old he was when he began. "I pretty much entered the district shortly after high school at the age of 19, and I was a substitute custodian," Johnson explained. Johnson said he worked up to a full-time position and became a supervisor for Bay Lane and Country Meadows. In the meantime …

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1600penn.ave

4:37 pm on Monday, February 11, 2013

There is a saying in Texas; "All hat and no cattle" could be applied in this situation.   more ›

4K Will Return in 2013-14 School Year

The success of the 4-year-old kindergarten program has drawn praise from many on the school board, as well as approval for a continuation for next year.

Parents of preschool-age children will have the option to enroll their tots for the 2013-14 school year as the Muskego-Norway School Board voted to approve continuing 4-year-old kindergarten (4K) for another year. The program began with the 2010-11 school year and has seen steadily increasing enrollment (208 students are currently enrolled for this year), but will need board approval to continue. Statewide, 88 percent of school districts have 4K programs. The school board met Monday night to cast a final vote on the proposal, after a report from the district posted very positive results. Some of the statistics in that report included: Board member Mike Serdynski cast the only no vote, stating that he feared the costs of the program would …

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Brian Hofmeister

8:55 am on Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Great to hear this!   more ›

Passion for Fashion Among Approved Courses for 2013

Muskego-Norway students will still have options in art education, and new courses will bring back basic technology in a more 'hands on format' to address gap in learning for real-world jobs

World languages, art and technology have all received attention as the Muskego-Norway School District looks forward to the 2013-14 school year. The board approved additions and changes to programs and curriculum Monday night, with only brief discussion on the merits of some of the suggested courses. In particular, 'Passion for Fashion,' and 'Kidz Biz' (a course that examines child care and development), which are electives offered to middle schoolers from 6th to 8th grade in the family and consumer education program, were felt to be marginally relevant courses.  However a motion to remove those courses failed and the initial proposal from the curriculum planning committee passed. Some highlights of the new/modified courses are:

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School Tax Levy Drops for Second Straight Year

This year's $32.7 million tax levy is down 1.17 percent from the previous year, and while the tax rate is up, residents will likely see a lower bill in December.

Homeowners should see a slight drop in their property tax bills as the Muskego-Norway School School Board Monday night approved a $32.7 million levy that's down 1.2 percent from last year. The 2012-13 levy is also 2.4 percent less than two years ago. The recent announcement that state aid to the district would be more than originally budgeted helped the district in keeping costs down and maintaining a strong fund balance. Although the district's property tax rate is expected to rise from $10.74 to $11.01 per $1,000 assessed value, taxes on an average home in Muskego valued at $291,300 are expected to drop by $46 from last year, and about $213 less from the peak in 2004. The levy was approved at the district's annual meeting at Muskego High…

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Rick Petfalski

7:20 pm on Wednesday, October 31, 2012

The tax rate should not have been part of the story because it was mis-stated and will confuse people. Simply stating the school district is taxing less than it did in total last year, so your taxes should go down, unless you did something to increase the value of your property like an addition or re-model. To attempt to answer your question: Equalized Value is closer to fair market value. …   more ›

Teachers Will Finally See Raise for 2011-12 School Year

District will pay $307,121 to cover wage increase, reflecting 1.64 percent increase

The Muskego-Norway School Board approved a 1.64 percent increase for its teachers Monday night for the previous school year, which represents a total increase of $307,121 to their base wages. The increase reflects an earlier agreement between the United Lakewood Educators - Muskego Chapter from August of 2012 and covers staff who worked between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012. The increase equals $969 for full time teachers.

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Residents Will See $0 Increase in School Taxes

School Board approve a zero-dollar increase in the district's property tax levy — primarily because reduction in state aid is not as bad as initially estimated.

Business Director Scot Ecker made it plain in presenting the latest version of the Muskego-Norway School District budget for 2012-13 Monday night. "No one should be paying any more on their tax bill than they did last year," he told the School Board. That's because the board on Monday approved a $33.1 million property tax levy that's the zero-dollar increase from 2011-12. And that levy was 1.2 percent less than the previous year. This marks the first time that district had held or lowered its levy for two consecutive years since 1996 and 1997, Ecker said. The big difference from then and now is that the district saw increases in state aid in the mid-1990s. As recently as July, Ecker was hoping for no more than a 1 percent increase after …

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Denise Konkol

1:49 pm on Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Sitting through these school board meetings, I would say overall these budgets are heavily debated and as a taxpayer, they do seem to scrutinize spending as I would hope they would.   more ›

Muskego-Norway's Conservative Approach Pays Off

Earlier budget projections were more conservative to err on the side of caution, and with lower than expected cuts coming from the state, it appears to have been a smart strategy.

School Board Welcomes New Superintendent, Principals

First board meeting for Dr. Kelly Thompson

It was a night of new beginnings at the Muskego-Norway School Board on Monday as the Board welcomed the new school superintendent and two elementary principals. In unanimous votes, the Board approved the contracts for new Tess Corners Elementary School Principal Kris Kuenstler and Mill Valley Elementary School principal Robin Schrot. Kuenstler and Schrot will both earn $98,211 in the contracts approved for the 2012-13 school year. “I look forward to inspiring the hearts and minds of the staff and students at my school,” Schrot told the Board. “I am excited to be principal and to get started,” Kuenstler said. Both principals said they would be starting Tuesday.  “We are going to hit the ground running," Schrot said. Both said they looked …

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Brian Hofmeister

8:41 am on Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Great to have all of you serving our students!   more ›

The Week Ahead: July 15 -22

Muskego-Norway comes back in session to hire two more principals, public works updates us on road projects and there's a county fair in our future.

City/civic meetings: Monday, July 16 - Tuesday, July 17 - During the week: Janesville Road Construction is likely to see asphalt paving in the first section of the project, so please be aware of potential changing traffic conditions. Other events to take note of: Tuesday, July 17 - Jazz Open Jam at Sauced, 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 18 - Sunday, July 22: Waukesha County Fair Wednesday, July 18 - A Taste of Muskego on the Water, Idle Isle Park, 5:30 p.m. (preregistration required on Muskego Chamber of Commerce website) Saturday, July 21 - Ride for Stacy, Danny Haskell's, 9 a.m. Saturday, July 21 - BC Open, Muskego Moose Lodge, 10 a.m.

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Schools See a Surplus, But When and Where to Spend Remains to be Seen

Departing superintendent recommends that $255,000 overage be used to pay off phone lease early, however some are asking for more caution before money is spent.

Superintendent Dr. Joe Schroeder credited Business Director Scot Ecker and Coordinator of Pupil Services Ted Gennerman for netting the district $90,000 in reimbursements related to special education services the district provides. The savings was added to those from utilities, which came in under budget by about $165,000, realizing a surplus of $255,000. Schroeder said the dollars could be put into the district's fund balance, but instead requested that $140,000 of it pay off their phone lease early. "In doing so, we would be pre-paying off this lease-to-own financial obligation and position the district to realize anticipated interest savings," Schroeder explained in a memo to the board. "More importantly, this would open up approximately…

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