The Tosa Ledger

Volume X – August 13, 2025

 A clear, weekly roundup of actions, alerts, and stories that matter. Forward freely. Act boldly.

LEAD STORY — MADISON ELEMENTARY POST-MEETING REPORT

On August 6, parents packed into Madison Elementary’s parent meeting — a room thick with tension — expecting answers. Instead, they heard district leaders recite policy, sidestep specifics, and shift blame to teachers who’d already left and couldn’t respond.

Independent post-meeting analysis documents:

• Live parent testimony on non-enforcement of rules and worsening school climate.

• Multi-year stability in proficiency before leadership upheaval.

• A concrete accountability plan the district could adopt immediately.

What changed:

• ELA: 53% → 61% Proficient/Advanced (2018–19 to 2023–24).

• Math: Held roughly flat.

• Decline began with 2023–25 leadership/climate shift and mass staff exits.

Parent testimony (selected):

“Bullying not addressed.”
“Concerns over special-needs continuity.”
“Concerns being dismissed.”
“I’ve met several times with the principal… she doesn’t even know my kid’s name.”

Leadership response & Policy 9130 shield: Superintendent Means directed parents to Policy 9130 — the complaint process requiring concerns to be routed through the Superintendent before the Board will engage. Analysis calls this process over substance: testimony is sidelined unless funneled through the office under scrutiny.

The binary framing: Means presented a false choice — either “oppositional language… or rally for the kids.” The report calls this a narrative trap that reframes accountability as anti-student.

Why it matters: As the administration itself said, “So goes Madison, so goes the District.” What’s playing out at Madison is a microcosm of the broader district collapse documented by the 2030 Task Force.

Means said several times “the community is worried about cost” suggesting dollars simply aren’t available to Madison; when one audience member pointed out the nearly 100% increase in the superintendent’s personal budget as a potential funding source, while schools are cut across the board, the room erupted.

FACILITIES & FINANCE WATCH - FAIT ACCOMPLI?

Model A1 — $350.7M Proposal

• Closure of Longfellow & Whitman

• 7–12 configuration at East & West

• East-only pool upgrades

• Framed as “community expectations” path

Cumulative load since 2018:

• 2018: $124.9M capital referendum

• 2024: $124.4M from twin referenda

• 2025: ~$350M proposed secondary facilities

• 2028 forecast: ~$120M+ more in operating referenda

Key issue: Despite hundreds of millions borrowed since 2018, deferred maintenance will return to ~$150M by 2026—nearly unchanged from pre-2018 levels.

The plan openly frames the most fiscally cautious options as “not meeting community desires,” linking cost escalation to sentiment for small neighborhood schools and historic buildings.

From a former 2075 Task Force member: “They are moving full steam ahead with Model A1. The ad hoc committee is just a farce. This is Means’ narrative. It’s our fault they are making poor financial decisions.”

GOVERNANCE & TRANSPARENCY — CITY–SCHOOL COLLABORATION?

Onward Tosa reports the City and School Board are moving toward coordinated talks on secondary restructuring and possible footprint reductions, via a template letter to the City Administrator.

Concern: Bypassing the elected Common Council risks making this an administrative exercise rather than a public, democratic process.

What to insist on:

• Route through the Council agenda with recorded vote.

• Open, joint public session — no staff-only pre-meetings.

• Public draft MOU clarifying City vs. District roles before property moves.

NEW COMMUNITY REPORT — WAUWATOSA SCHOOL DISTRICT: AN EXPOSÉ

"Wauwatosa School District: An Exposé of Funding, Performance, and Possible Corruption” 

An independent report by Fernando Topete — now circulating in community social media — documents:

• $12M+ in budget errors & overspending

• Deferred maintenance despite $124.9M referendum

• Push to close top-ranked WSTEM

• Rising admin costs during academic decline

Findings mirror some of the xCore Report and 2030 Task Force investigations.