MPS takes more of your tax dollars, because it didn't settle the contract

The Milwaukee Board of School Directors' finance and budget committee approved an increase in the tax levy:

The levy accepted by the committee Tuesday night is $214.1 million, an increase of $6.7 million from the previous year and $4.8 million more than the levy approved in May. The estimated tax rate would decrease somewhat from last year because property assessments have bumped up the average home value. [. . .]

The property tax levy rose from spring to fall because MPS will be allowed to spend more under the state's system of revenue limits than it had projected, but state aid fell somewhat below spring estimates. "The revenue limit rose faster than state aid, and the gap is the property tax levy," said Michelle Nate, MPS director of finance.

While Nate is not lying--state aid still came in slightly under the Tommy Thompson-promised 2/3 even after Doyle's vetoes--the reason why MPS needs more money, in this teacher's humble opinion--is because over the last year the district wasted an estimated $1,000,000 every month because they refused to settle the teacher contract, locking the district into a more expensive health insurance plan for months longer than necessary. In addition, when the arbitrator selected the district's final offer in arbitration back in August, he selected the health insurance plan more expensive to taxpayers. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the district's--specifically, the superintendent's--intransigence is driving the need to squeeze more money from the taxpayers of Milwaukee.