Wisconsin School News - December 2015 by WASB

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December 2015 | Volume 70 Number 6 T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E W I S C O N S I N A S S O C I AT I O N O F S C H O O L B O A R D S, I N C.

John H. Ashley Executive Editor

Sheri Krause Director of Communications

Shelby Anderson Editor n REGIONAL OFFICES n 122 W. Washington Avenue Madison, WI 53703 Phone: 608-257-2622 Fax: 608-257-8386 132 W. Main Street Winneconne, WI 54986 Phone: 920-582-4443 Fax: 920-582-9951 n ADVERTISING n

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT AT FAB LABS IN THREE LAKES AND FLORENCE page 4

608-556-9009 • tmccarthy@wasb.org n WASB OFFICERS n

John H. Ashley

Executive Director Barneveld, Region 9 President

Stu Olson

Capt. Terry McCloskey, USN Retired Three Lakes, Region 2 2nd Vice President

Mike Blecha Green Bay, Region 3 Immediate Past President

Shelby Anderson

Governance and Student Achievement

An evidence-based approach to improving achievement by improving governance

Brett Hyde Muskego-Norway, Region 11

Rick Eloranta Owen-Withee, Region 5

Nancy Thompson Waterloo, Region 12

Mary Jo Rozmenoski Black River Falls, Region 6

Patrick Sherman Genoa City J2/Lake Geneva, Region 13

Elizabeth Hayes Fond du Lac, Region 7 Steve Klessig Brillion, Region 8 Alice Marquardt Rio, Region 10

Terrence Falk Milwaukee, Region 14 Ron Frea Pewaukee, Region 15

Wisconsin School News (USPS 688-560) is published 10 issues per year by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards Inc., 122 W. Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703. Contents © 2015 Wisconsin Association of School Boards Inc. Subscriptions are available to nonmembers for $40 per year. Periodicals postage is paid at Madison, Wis. The views expressed in Wisconsin School News are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent WASB policies or positions. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wisconsin School News, 122 W. Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703.

Measuring a Board’s Strengths & Weaknesses Sue Peterson New board development tool aims to unite boards and improve efficiencies

Moving in the Wrong Direction Tony Klaubauf and Peter Ross

Michael R. Ford and Douglas M. Ihrke

n WASB BOARD OF DIRECTORS n Bill Yingst, Sr. Durand, Region 4

The Three Lakes Fab Lab is empowering students, developing critical thinkers and has the potential to boost the local economy

Wanda Owens

Shell Lake, Region 1 1st Vice President

Unlimited Potential

Wisconsin’s public school funding system is broken and getting worse

Supporting Latino Students Luis Cruz A multifaceted approach to eliminating the achievement gap for Latino students

D E P A R T M E N T S

C O L U M N S

2 News Briefs 3 Viewpoint — A Vision for Public Education 23 Member Recognition — 2015 Level 5 School Board Members 24 Association News — A Look Back at the WASB Fall Events, WSAA/ WASB Employment and School Law Seminar, Fall Regional Meetings

26 Legislative Update — It’s Mandate Season in Madison 28 Legal Comment — Update on Seclusion and Physical Restraint 32 Service Associate Q&A — Risk Management — M3 Insurance

NEWS BRIEFS

Connectivity Issues Continue to Challenge Districts

ast year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved an additional $1.5 billion per year in spending on the E-rate program, which subsidizes telecommunications services for schools and libraries. Despite this increase in spending, many school districts still struggle with equipping their schools with high-speed Internet. Education Week recently reported on a study by the Consortium for School Networking that surveyed 531 district officials across the country. Less than half said their schools are meeting the FCC’s short-term goal for

Internet speed (100 megabits per second for every 1,000 users). The survey also highlighted the challenges that rural school districts face in securing affordable, high-speed Internet. Rural school leaders said that cost is the major barrier — with 54 percent indicating that there is only one Internet provider in their area. However, there was some good news. Only 1 percent of the respondents said their high schools didn’t have wireless Internet access in their buildings, which is a vast improvement — two years ago, 43 percent

responded that their high schools didn’t have Wi-Fi. In the survey, Milwaukee Public Schools was highlighted as a success story. The district has received almost $5.4 million in E-rate discounts for Wi-Fi services and equipment, which has allowed the district to install wireless Internet in all of its school buildings. “The infrastructure improvements have benefited our classrooms by increasing access to online curriculum, cloud services such as our digital library materials, and online testing,” a district spokesman said. n

STAT OF THE MONTH

2,514 Number of students attending private schools this school year under Wisconsin’s statewide voucher program. Source: Department of Public Instruction

Study: Children Develop Self-Esteem At Early Age

new study found that children develop self-esteem by age 5 that is as strong as self-esteem measured in adults. This is much earlier than previously thought and points to the importance of early education. “We were surprised to find how strong it was,” Dario Cvencek, a research scientist at the University of Washington and a co-author of the study told the Washington Post. “The first five years seems to be a foundation on which children build for the rest of their lives.” The researchers plan to follow the children in the study to examine whether self-esteem measured in preschool can predict outcomes later in childhood, such as academic achievement, and whether selfesteem changes with experience. n

Wisconsin School News

Rural Wisconsin Awards

even programs serving rural communities and school districts received the State Superintendent’s 2015 Standing Up for Rural Schools, Libraries, and Communities Award on Nov. 11 in Stevens Point. The award is presented to school/community projects that “demonstrate the great potential and collaborative spirit of rural Wisconsin.” The award-winning projects are:

b Hunger Initiative Feeds People, Empowers Youth — Unity School District;

b Early Learning and Language Project — Bloomer School District; b The Food Court — Galesville-Ettrick-Trempealeau School District; b Sharing Supper Feed and Read — Endeavor Elementary School, Portage Community School District;

b Ecovim Digester Project — Sparta Area School District; b Agriculture Food for All — Stratford School District; and b Three Lakes School Fab Lab — Three Lakes School District (featured in this issue of Wisconsin School News).

VIEWPOINT

Jo h n H . A s h l e y

A Vision for Public Education

n recent years, the conversation about public education in Wisconsin has been mostly dominated by funding cuts, vouchers and shifting academic standards. I think all of us have been frustrated by the list of changing mandates handed down from the state and meandering debates over a host of educational policy items. These debates have deterred, rather than helped, local officials create a better atmosphere for public education in the state. It’s my belief that we’ve gotten bogged down in these circuitous, unproductive discussions because, as a state, we lack a strong vision for public education. Without a clear, focused goal, others have been able to distract us from our mission and take us down a path that hinders the success of our public schools. Public education isn’t perfect. We have challenges and obstacles. We need to acknowledge that we can do better in ensuring that all students — each and every one of them — leaves our doors with the skills and experiences that will prepare them for their next steps in life. And we need the courage and fortitude to acknowledge when there are issues and confront them head on. But public education is democracy at its finest — locally elected officials overseeing a system that ensures the education of our next generation of citizens. We need to take back the conversation about

the future of our public schools. A vision for its success cannot be decreed by the state. It needs to come from local communities across Wisconsin in a bottom-up movement. The WASB is committed to fostering this discussion. As school leaders, I ask each of you to think about your vision for public education. Ask your students, staff, parents and community members about what they expect. Listen and learn from their responses as you set your goals and strategic plans. It is through these conversations and inclusive dialogue that, ultimately, will lead the way to increased achievement and better outcomes for all of our students. My vision for public education includes: adequate, appropriate and predictable funding for every school district in the state; ensuring that all teachers have the skills necessary to meet students where they are and take them to the next level; technology accessible at school and at home for every student; solid investments in proven, early childhood education programs; supportive communities who recognize that public education is a collaborative endeavor; engaged parents who are involved in their child’s education; and the authority for local school boards and administrators to manage their districts in the best interest of their students and their communities.

But we want to hear about your vision. In this issue of Wisconsin School News, we feature a commentary on a vision for school funding from Tony Klaubauf, superintendent of the Denmark School District, and Peter Ross, superintendent at the Seymour Community School District. We hope to feature more articles like this in the coming months on your vision of what public education should be. We’ve looked closely at the feedback you gave us at this fall’s Regional Meetings during the community engagement activity. You’re clearly hungry for more information — both about what’s happening at the Capitol and from other school districts on what has worked for them. We’re working on finding additional ways to actively and efficiently connect with you through our timely and informative Legislative Update blog and weekly electronic newsletter, provide you with more resources including sample press releases, and help make your voice heard. We also encourage you to share your stories — at the upcoming State Education Convention, on our Stand Up for Public Education website and through the Wisconsin School News so your colleagues across the state can learn from your example. We look forward to hearing from you! n

Connect with the WASB! Engage with us on Twitter and Facebook.

Twitter @wischoolboards

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December 2015

Wisconsin School News

Unlimited POTENTIAL

The Three Lakes Fab Lab is empowering students, developing critical thinkers and has the potential to boost the local economy

teve Yahr, director of the Three Lakes Fab Lab, remembers his first job in high school working at a television repair shop. He spent his time fixing the big, heavy television sets that would sometimes burn out and need to be fixed. Yahr shakes his head when he thinks about how times have changed. He takes his cell phone out of his pocket and says, “Now we can’t live without these.” Technology has progressed tremendously since Yahr’s first job and it will continue to evolve. Yahr and the rest of the school leaders at the Three Lakes School District know they have to prepare students for careers that don’t even exist yet.

In September 2014, the school district opened a Fab Lab, which the district hopes will help prepare students for the future while also giving them a glimpse of it. It’s the second Fab Lab to open in a Wisconsin K-12 school. In 2013, Stoughton High School opened a Fab Lab with help from community and business partners. A Fab Lab is a place where users are welcome to develop and build whatever they want. The sky is the limit. The Three Lakes lab, like most other Fab Labs, has tools such as 3D printers, a mini-mill, router, plasma cutter, and a laser engraver. With these tools, you can make any number of items. In fact, one of the classes offered by most Fab Labs is called

| Shelby Anderson

“How to Make (Almost) Anything.” The machines in a Fab Lab are operated via computer numerical commands (CNC). You design your product on a computer using a computer-aided design program. Then you take that design and send the data to one of the tools, like a 3D printer, and it begins making the product according to the exact specifications directed by the computer software. However, a Fab Lab is more than a collection of machines. It’s a global network of more than 500 labs. One of the major tenets of a Fab Lab is the sharing of ideas and knowledge. Every lab is outfitted with a web camera that allows people in different labs around

A Fab Lab is a place where anyone is welcome to develop and build whatever they want. The sky is the limit.

December 2015

the world to connect with each other and share their work or ask for help. A large monitor in the Three Lakes Fab Lab shows simultaneous live feeds from labs in places like Rotterdam, Chicago, Taiwan, and others. “Here we are in northern Wisconsin and we can connect with anywhere in the world,” said Three Lakes school board member Terry McCloskey. “Our students have access to some of the same opportunities that students have anywhere else.” | A K-12 Fab Lab The Three Lakes Fab Lab is located in the district’s K-12 school building housing an elementary, middle and

T H R E E Dec 2013

Introduce Fab Lab concept to Three Lakes schools

Jan 2014

Visit to Fab Lab at high school in Mahtomedi, MN

Feb 2014

Official go-ahead by the Three Lakes School Board

Wisconsin School News

high school. It’s an appropriate location given that all grades in the district and a wide assortment of classes use the lab. Since most of the students are in one building, it makes it easier to get students from kindergarten to grade 12 in the lab. The district also has a small elementary/middle school in a nearby town. Those students are occasionally bused in to experience the Fab Lab. Yahr said it’s important to get students acquainted with the technology in the Fab Lab early so they become comfortable with it. One recent project paired third graders with high school students. The teams of students were challenged to see who could build the

L A K E S

Mar 2014

Equipment demonstrations at Three Lakes

F A B

Apr 2014

L A B

May 2014

Equipment ordering / Grant preparation

strongest bridge. A civil engineer visited the classroom and discussed engineering concepts and then the students began designing and building. The bridge models, which were constructed with cardboard, were produced using the Fab Lab’s laser cutter. One cardboard bridge held 45 pounds before it failed. The project is also a good example of how the Fab Lab encourages cross-curricular collaboration. The bridge project began as an idea by a third-grade teacher who was teaching a unit on geometric shapes. The teacher approached Yahr about the idea of building bridges using the Fab Lab and the idea took off. Other classes, such as art, regularly use the lab as well.

T I M E L I N E June 2014

Teachers attend Fab 101 at Mahtomedi HS

July 2014

Set-up lab / Curriculum development

Aug 2014

Sep 2014

Students introduced to Fab Lab

“The teaching staff here has really bought into it,” McCloskey said. “Steve and our administration have done a great job interacting with teachers.” Teacher training also plays an important role in the Fab Lab. Yahr and two other teachers attended a two-week training camp at Mahtomedi High School in Mahtomedi, Minnesota. In January, Yahr and another teacher will be participating in Fab Academy, a 19-week program where participants plan and execute a new project each week. | Empowered Learning The Fab Lab concept is built upon five key principles: empowerment, education, problem solving, job creation, and one that is harder to put into words. Yahr describes it as helping students realize that they have the opportunity and the power to imagine what might be and make it a reality. “This process not only develops and reinforces critical-thinking skills, but also enables the students to have a hands-on experience while visualizing the process from imagination to product completion,” said superintendent George Karling. The Three Lakes Fab Lab opened in September 2014 and already students and community members have utilized it to make unique and innovative products. The Three Lakes Library challenged high school students in the Fab Lab to design a better magazine display. The library buys plastic magazine holders for $40 each. Students are in the process of designing a version that is stronger and will cost less. The students have produced a couple of prototypes and are close to a finished product. The local library is interested in purchasing the magazine holders produced by the students and Yahr said other libraries have also expressed interest. Another challenge came from a local dentist office that asked students to design a better bitewing for x-rays that would be more comfortable for patients. This project is still in the early stages.

Florence High School Opens Fab Lab The Fab Lab seems to be catching on in northern Wisconsin. In addition to the lab in Three Lakes, the School District of Florence County opened a new Fab Lab at the start of this school year. Superintendent Ben Niehaus said the district looks to the lab to help incorporate STEAM subjects into the district’s curriculum, prepare students for employment after graduation and motivate students to pursue post-secondary education options. Niehaus is optimistic that the lab will change students’ perception about technology. “We hope it sparks an interest in those students who otherwise may still perceive technology education as dirty, difficult jobs predominately for males,” Niehaus said. Although the Three Lakes School District helped Florence establish its new Fab Lab, getting it started was not easy. The district was able to get two grants to cover some of the cost of equipment. The district still had to make a significant investment in the lab. The lab has also been a challenge in regards to scheduling and teacher capacity. Despite these challenges, Niehaus and leaders in the Three Lakes School District hope the two labs attract new industry to the area. “If our regional schools are providing educational opportunities through the STEAM and Fab Lab movement, we’re optimistic that business and industry will value this knowing there are students being prepared in our local region with the technical, analytical and problem-solving skills desired and needed in so many fields today.” N

December 2015

themselves back up and try again.” | Community

Sustainability

| The Engineering

Design Process The Three Lakes Fab Lab sharpens creativity and problem-solving skills through the engineering design process, which is on prominent display on a large sign posted on the wall of the lab. The process begins with identifying the problem, then researching and brainstorming, and ends with building and testing. If the product doesn’t work as designed, you start the process over. “Our take on it is that the Fab

Wisconsin School News

Lab is as much a mindset as anything else,” Yahr said. One of the most important lessons that students learn in the Fab Lab is that it’s okay to fail. “Along the way, they learn that it’s okay to make mistakes,” said Yahr. “It’s part of the learning process.” “We’re teaching our students how to think for themselves,” Karling said. “We’re challenging them to be critical thinkers. We want them to know it’s okay to fail. We want to teach them to pick

Looking ahead, Yahr said the next step is developing a curriculum for the Fab Lab for all grade levels that can be shared with other districts. The Three Lakes Fab Lab hopes to serve as a model lab that school districts from across northern Wisconsin and the rest of the state can visit to gain an understanding of the Fab Lab concept. In the meantime, the district is looking for funding to help support the lab. The start-up cost for a Fab Lab can be a challenge for some districts. Three Lakes secured a grant from the Department of Workforce Development for $132,000. However, the initial cost of modifying a classroom, buying equipment, and covering training expenses and salaries cost about $325,000. McCloskey said the district is busy grant writing and looking for additional business partnerships. School and community leaders have high hopes for the Three Lakes Fab Lab. They believe it can help play a role in educating a highly skilled workforce that, in turn, can boost the local economy and build a strong, sustainable community. As part of their work in the Fab Lab, Three Lakes students have been meeting with local business leaders and potential employers. Yahr said students are making connections and building relationships. Although no Three Lakes students have yet received job offers as a result of their work in the Fab Lab, Yahr said he can see that it is already making a difference in the students. “Students are growing confidence in themselves as a result of their making experience.” When planning for and developing the Fab Lab, the school district met

T H E

with business leaders in the area. District leaders were surprised to hear many businesses say they could expand their operations if they had more skilled workers. The challenge is finding employees with the right skill set. Businesses in the Three Lakes area said these skills or traits include: not intimidated by technology, able to identify a problem and build structure around it, work the problem to completion, and work in a collaborative team environment. Karling said these are the same skills that are emphasized and developed in the Fab Lab. “We believe the Fab Lab concept is critical in the future in K-12 education,” Karling said. “It’s something that’s absolutely important in the economy and the sustainability of small communities.” n

F A B

L A B

P H I L O S O P H Y

Fab Lab is a space where people of all ages and abilities can create things unique to them. Like a studio filled with instruments where musicians come to compose and play music together, a Fab Lab is filled with design software and machines for people to turn the designs into items. And like making music, making things in the Fab Lab is filled with starts, redesigns, exploring different avenues, theories, and U-turns on the way to making that perfect project.

Shelby Anderson is editor of Wisconsin School News.

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December 2015

Governance and Student Achievement An evidence-based approach to improving achievement by improving governance Michael R. Ford

n 2008, Matt Miller opined in the pages of The Atlantic that it was time to eliminate local, democratically elected school boards on the grounds that they are barriers to increasing student achievement. While Miller’s piece lacked any hard evidence to support his policy prescription, it was indicative of an ongoing push to supplant traditional school board governance with mayoral-run school districts, state recovery school districts, and school choice options such as charter schools and private school vouchers. Here in Wisconsin, there has been a steady uptick in the number of publicly funded pupils attending schools that are not governed by a traditional school board. These changes beg the questions, is there evidence that democratically elected school boards impact student achievement and, if so, how?

| Lighthouse Study Researchers first began to explore these questions in 1998 as part of the Iowa School Board Foundation’s Lighthouse Inquiry. They found that yes, school boards can impact student achievement by creating conditions for productive change. Recommended steps included building connections across the education system, providing workplace support and professional development, and finding the right balance between district authority and school autonomy. The positive findings of the Lighthouse Inquiry demonstrated the need to provide school board members with a guide for improving governance. A host of best practice lists have been created by academics and practitioners, but the most prominent guidelines for effective school board governance aimed at increasing student achievement are

Douglas M. Ihrke

the National School Boards Association’s Key Work of School Boards (Key Work). | A Look at Wisconsin

School Boards In 2013, we set out to test the link between adherence to the Key Work and student achievement in Wisconsin school districts. First, we operationalized the then-eight area Key Work (the newly revised edition of Key Work has five areas) — vision, standards, assessment, accountability, alignment, climate and culture, collaboration and community engagement, and continuous improvement — through a series of survey questions designed to measure the extent to which school board members adhered to these concepts. Second, we surveyed the population of school board members serving in Wisconsin. The result was a sample that included data from

Is there evidence that democratically elected school boards impact student achievement and, if so, how?

Wisconsin School News

47.4 percent of all Wisconsin school boards. Once we collected our surveys, we paired responses with hard data on the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, and performance levels of Wisconsin school districts. Finally, we processed the responses and data to determine if greater adherence to the Key Work resulted in higher levels of performance even after accounting for the effects of district size, spending, staffing, and student population. We found that when school board members who have served for at least five years indicate greater adherence to the Key Work, student achievement increases. Specifically, greater adherence to the Key Work concepts has a statistically significant relationship with a district’s reading proficiency levels, and overall accountability score. Thus, the answer to our first question is yes, school boards can positively impact student achievement in Wisconsin. We recently published our findings in the International Journal of Public Administration, concluding: “[A]dhering to these practices will likely yield some academic gains for boards comprised of longer serving board members, and no negative academic consequences.” | Impacting Student

Achievement Now to the second question, how exactly can school boards use governance to positively impact student outcomes? If a board is already using the Key Work as a model, they should keep doing it. The fact that the positive findings in our research manifest for longer-serving board members suggests that results will take some time, meaning boards recently committed to the Key Work should not abandon them if positive results are not immediate. Board members that are not using the Key Work should familiarize

The Power of the School Board

themselves with the document and the concepts. Importantly, we did not directly ask board members if they used the Key Work, but rather if they were committed to the concepts they represent (see sidebar). We have since expanded our study nationwide, and are working to see if the relationship we found in Wisconsin holds true in other states, and if there are other steps school boards can take to improve academic achievement through improved governance. So far we are finding, here in Wisconsin and elsewhere, that calls for the wholesale elimination of school boards on academic grounds have little merit. While there are many factors impacting student achievement that school boards cannot control, they can improve their approach to governance in ways shown to positively impact student outcomes. n

Michael R. Ford and Douglas M. Ihrke’s study of Wisconsin school boards concluded that school boards focused on certain key tenets positively affect student achievement. Ford and Ihrke found that school boards can positively impact student achievement by:

b Keeping its strategic plan up-to-date,

b Adjusting academic standards and assessment policies in response to student needs,

b Being open and honest with one another,

b Governing in partnership with their superintendent,

b Proactively and regularly engaging with the public, and

Michael R. Ford is an assistant professor of public administration at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

b Engaging in formal board development.

Douglas M. Ihrke is a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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December 2015

MEASURING A BOARD’S

Strengths & Weaknesses New board development tool aims to unite boards and improve efficiencies

new and improved governance tool is now available at no cost for Wisconsin school boards. Developed jointly by the WASB and School Perceptions, a research firm that conducts surveys for schools, the new tool measures a school board’s strengths and weaknesses. “Early on, our goal was to develop a tool that would help

| Sue Peterson

school board members learn about their roles and responsibilities as well as set planning priorities,” said Bill Foster, School Perceptions founder and president. “It was designed so a board can quickly discern areas where they agree or disagree, and therefore optimize their time together.” The conceptual framework for the Annual Board Development Tool was conceived by Tom Joynt, retired superintendent and University of WisconsinMilwaukee professor. Joynt had served as superintendent in the Pulaski, Menomonee Falls and Green Bay school districts during his tenure. “I am a true believer that it is always important for individ-

uals and groups to evaluate their processes,” he said. “What I saw was that wasn’t being done very often at the board level.” | Focus on Key Work To further refine the tool over the past two years, School Perceptions teamed up with the WASB. The tool now includes elements based on the National School Boards Association’s research, known as The Key Work of School Boards, which includes relationships, vision, accountability, community leadership and policy. Located on School Perceptions’ web-based portal, the survey is offered at no cost to Wisconsin school districts. Once all members of a board have completed the 10-15 minute survey, School Perceptions can provide a report that ranks priorities in each action area, compares the

“Our results showed us that there was a desire to do more with advocacy as it relates to continuous improvement and supporting local control.” — Deb Kerr, superintendent of the Brown Deer School District and president of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA)

Wisconsin School News

The Key Work of School Boards This year, the National School Boards Association released an updated edition of The Key Work of School Boards. The new edition offers an expanded look at five key subject areas for school boards — vision, accountability, policy, community leadership and relationships. For more information or to purchase the updated edition, visit WASB.org. Select “Publications Products & Postings” and then “Books.” Log-in is required. Discounted pricing is available when purchasing five or more copies.

district to statewide results and identifies items with the greatest discrepancy between respondents. WASB also offers districts a complimentary analysis of the report which includes recommendations and resources available for next steps. “Completing the survey and analyzing the aggregate results is a great first step in moving a board forward in effective governance. We can provide a wide range of services customized to meet the needs of individual school boards,” states John Ashley, WASB Executive Director. “From providing training on a board’s legal roles and responsibilities to developing a comprehensive strategic plan, we have staff that are able to offer leadership and support.” “There are strong boards and there are boards that are struggling,” Joynt said. “I believe both would benefit from this instrument.”

| Insightful Data The Brown Deer School District experienced benefits from completing the Annual Board Development Tool in June during their annual board retreat. “Our results showed us that there was a desire to do more with advocacy as it relates to continuous improvement and supporting local control,” shares superintendent Deb Kerr. “As a result, we identified areas to work with our Legislature, made recommendations for WASB resolutions and began including a discussion on legislative issues at a board meeting each month.” For Kerr and the Brown Deer School Board, the tool provided important data as they planned for the coming year and determined priorities. “The tool was developed based on best practices of school governance,” Kerr adds. “It is an excellent resource to provide direction for

future learning, improvement and growth. Just as our school board wants our staff to use data to improve their practice, the board is now able to review each area for their own professional growth.” Joynt said the tool provides an opportunity for individual board members to reflect on their role as part of the school board team. “Board members do not necessarily have the experiences or training on how to work together as part of a school board team,” Joynt said. “This tool provides an opportunity for them to step back and reflect on how things are going.” n Sue Peterson is a project manager with School Perceptions.

“Our goal was to develop a tool that would help school board members learn about their roles and responsibilities as well as set planning priorities.” — Bill Foster, founder and president of School Perceptions

WASB Can Help… After your school board completes the Annual Board Development Tool, the WASB can help school boards analyze its detailed report. This complimentary analysis includes recommendations and resources available for next steps. The WASB offers a wide range of Customized Leadership Services, including improving board climate and communication, building board/superintendent relations, and much more. If you have a leadership challenge, the WASB team can help provide guidance. For more information, contact WASB consultant Louis Birchbauer at lbirchbauer@wasb.org or 414-218-2805.

December 2015

Wisconsin School News

Moving in the

Wrong Direction Wisconsin’s public school funding system is broken and getting worse

or decades, Wisconsin enjoyed a glowing reputation for outstanding public schools. Years of great leadership created a system that espoused the fundamental principles of the Wisconsin Constitution — that all kids would receive top-notch educational services in as uniform a platform as possible. Things have changed and we’re moving in the wrong direction. The 2015-17 state budget drives Wisconsin public school per-pupil spending below the national average for the first time in recent memory. Some will claim that spending does not determine educational outcomes. However, the best teachers, highquality curriculum and advanced technology all come with a price tag. Today, Wisconsin’s public school children are being removed from a system of uniform funding to one that is inherently unequal — and it’s getting worse. Why do we make this claim? Let’s start with what is written in the state Constitution related to funding public schools:

Tony Klaubauf “The legislature shall provide by law for the establishment of district schools, which shall be as nearly uniform as practicable; and such schools shall be free and without charge for tuition to all children between the ages of 4 and 20 years; and no sectarian instruction shall be allowed therein; but the legislature by law may, for the purpose of religious instruction outside the district schools, authorize the release of students during regular school hours.” Wis. Const. art. X, § 3 (emphasis added) Disparity in school funding has recently increased — essentially signaling to citizens that the state is ignoring its constitutional mandate to establish “uniform” public schools. Wisconsin lawmakers have not only failed to follow the Wisconsin Constitution, but they have also failed to follow the Supreme Court directive in Vincent v. Voight (2000). In Vincent, the court required the state to account for, with additional funds, “those districts with disproportionate numbers of disabled

Peter Ross

students, economically disadvantaged students, and students with limited English language skills.” | Student Poverty While overall disparity in funding has grown, more troubling is the growth of students living in poverty and the ineffective manner with which the state is addressing it. In the 2008-09 school year, there were 292,699 Wisconsin public school students living in poverty based on the federal free and reduced-price lunch program. In 2014-15, using the same definition, the number of students living in poverty has increased to 361,122.1 Evidence is overwhelming that schools serving higher percentages of children in poverty have, by large numbers, more low-performing students as measured by the State Report Card. Research clearly shows that children living in poverty need more resources to perform at the same level educationally as children from families of means. However, our state’s lack of financial support for school districts educating

Editor’s note: This article is an opinion piece from two Wisconsin school district administrators. We thank them for taking the time to share their perspective. We invite school board members and administrators to join in the conversation and to share their vision for public education in Wisconsin. Contact School News editor Shelby Anderson at sandersonwasb.org.

December 2015

SCHOOL FUNDING

By the Numbers

23% Increase in the number of students in poverty from 2008-09 to 2014-15.

38%

Increase in general inflation in the past 15 years.

14% Increase in general school aid in past 15 years.

$250 million Amount the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates voucher schools will receive in 2016-17 school year.

$600-$800 million

Amount voucher schools in the statewide program could receive over the next 10 years, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau

children in poverty is surprising. Although schools with high percentages of students living in poverty need more funding to provide the appropriate services, these schools consistently receive less funding and subsequently offer fewer opportunities for their children.2 Contrast this with the decision made by the National Football League to keep a competitive balance between teams. All teams have a salary cap. Teams with poor records have the highest selection in the draft and play the easiest schedules. And revenue sharing has allowed a small market (poor) team like the Green Bay Packers to compete and thrive. We contend this is the “level playing field” we should be offering our children. Instead, resources for schools serving higher percentages of children living in poverty, students with special needs and students with limited English skill is lacking. The

Wisconsin School News

disparity continues to increase for these schools, their children and families.3 Our once heralded public school system has been forced to endure severe budget cuts at a time when sensible economic stewardship should have enlightened the path to increase investment in our children. In a recent article from Brookings, a collection of research disputes the notion that money doesn’t matter in education. In fact, recent studies find by increasing per-pupil spending by 10 percent during students’ K-12 years, high school graduation rates for children of poverty increase by 10 percent. The increase in student performance is linked to expenditures with respect to staff to student ratio, increased instructional time and increased teacher salaries that attract and retain highly qualified teachers.4 | Where is the Money? Many of you reading this article will probably be thinking, “tell me something I don’t know already.” Again this question needs to be asked of those making the decisions in Madison: Why are you making it harder and harder for public schools to have the resources necessary to teach the children we need to become the future workers and business leaders? The answer we receive from our representatives in Madison is: “there is no money.” Let’s take a straightforward look at that response. The tax levy credit, money garnered from the state’s citizens through sales and income taxes and credited to property owners to reduce property taxes (the higher the property wealth, the more credit you receive) is now over $1 billion each year. The tax levy credit is considered public school funding from the state, but no school or student receives dollars from that program. It goes to property taxpayers proportionally to the taxes owed. About 25 percent of the levy credit flows to out-of-state residents and those with second homes in the state.5 While general

inflation has increased about 38 percent in the past 15 years, general school aid has increased by 14 percent; special education aid has increased by 17 percent; poverty aid has remained flat, and aid to schools serving large numbers of English language learners has declined. Nevertheless, the property tax levy credit has doubled over the same time period.6 Vouchers have become a political paycheck in Wisconsin, and private schools are now receiving money from the state’s general aid to public schools to pay for private, parochial education. Research has proven, in multiple studies, voucher school students do no better on virtually any measurement of educational growth. In some cases, voucher school do worse.7 The political momentum is to continue to push taxpayer-funded religious school vouchers and worry about better educational outcomes at some point in the future. Voucher advocates argue that every parent has a right to send their child to the school of their choice. They have that right, just not at the expense of the public education system. Wisconsin taxpayers cannot afford to fund two school systems. The non-partisan Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau estimates the payments to all voucher schools will be about $250 million in the 2016-17 school year and $600 – $800 million will be spent just on voucher schools in the statewide program over the next 10 years. At the same time, there have been budget cuts to our public schools and additional limits proposed on the already restricted ability for school boards to raise revenues locally. School leaders need to talk with parents and community members about the investment value of our public school systems. Public schools are the heart of our communities, strengthening the foundation of our society. Parents and community members strongly support public schools as was demonstrated at this year’s public Joint Finance Committee meetings. However, the strength of our once great and heralded public

education system has been damaged. School board members, staff, parents, community members, local businesses, foundations, school teams and clubs must come together to support our public schools. | What are the Solutions? It’s really not all that complicated.

b Follow the state Constitution

regarding the establishment of public schools that are uniform as practical by supporting a funding mechanism that provides a level playing field for children and taxpayers.

b Provide the resources to allow

schools, no matter their property

wealth or income level, to have resources that keep up with inflation.

b Provide opportunities for rural

districts and districts that are low-spending, and/or have high percentages of children in poverty, special needs, or English language learners to enhance revenue to provide the services needed to prepare the next generation of citizens and improve Wisconsin’s economy.

b Stop funding out-of-state

and second home owners with levy credits.

b Stop spending money on voucher schools.

Invite your community to contact their lawmakers to let them know we need to shape legislative decisions instead of being forced to react to massive changes that come out in the state budget. Good governance is in the open, subject to debate, and invites compromise. We are reasonable people and realize there is only so much money to go around. We each have a choice of rallying for public schools or allow, what we believe to be shameful and unconstitutional, the dismantling of our public school system. n Pete Ross is the district administrator for the Seymour School District. Tony Klaubauf is the district administrator for the Denmark School District.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

DPI website — WISEDASH Forward Institute, Wisconsin Public Policy Research, The New Segregation — Education Funding, A Longitudinal study of Wisconsin education funding. 2014 Forward Institute, Wisconsin Public Policy Research, The New Segregation — Education Funding, A Longitudinal study of Wisconsin education funding. 2014 Brookings, Isabell Sawhill, With Educational Outcomes, Does Money Matter? 9/8/15 UW-Madison, Lafollette School of Public Affairs, Paper No. 2010-003. Andrew Reschovsky. A Critical Review of Property Tax Relief in Wisconsin: The School Levy Credit and the First Dollar Credit. 6. DPI website - School Finance 7. National Affairs, Frederick M. Hess, Issue No. 5 — Fall 2010, Does School Choice Work?

December 2015

Supporting Latino Students A multifaceted approach to eliminating the achievement gap for Latino students

he opening line to Charles Dickens’ classic novel The Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” could be referenced today to describe the state of Latino students in the public education system of the United States. According to the non-profit organization Excelencia in Education’s 2015 publication of The Condition of Latinos in Education, the following statistics hold true today:

b The National Assessment of

Educational Progress (NAEP) indicates that while Latino students have increased both math and reading scores by double digits over the last 10 years, Latino students continue to

Wisconsin School News

| Dr. Luis Cruz

score below the national average.

b While Latinos represent the

second largest group of the early childhood population, Latino children were less likely to be enrolled in early childhood education than other ethnic groups.

b While the Latino dropout rate

from high school has decreased, it still remains higher than any other ethnic group.

b While Latinos represented

17 percent of SAT test-takers for 2013 college-bound seniors, they also had lower mean scores in all areas of the SAT than did white, Asian, or American Indians /Alaska Native college-bound seniors.

While significant strides are being made to close the achievement gap for Latino students, an important question remains: What must schools and/or districts serving large Latino student populations do to eliminate the achievement gap for Latino students? As the former principal of an elementary, middle and high school serving a mostly low-income Latino student population, it became evident to me that eliminating the achievement gap for Latino students would require a multifaceted approach. Leadership, instruction, parent involvement, and a keen understanding of the role social emotional learning in the form of effective relationships between stu-

Dr. Cruz dents and adults looks like throughout the organization should be addressed. | Rethinking Organizational

Leadership Effective leadership in schools serving large Latino student populations, for example, must be revisited to ensure that teams of teachers, support staff, and administration are working collectively to focus on increasing learning for the students they serve. These teams must develop a shared understanding of best practices and then tactfully begin to mold a school culture whereby a hunger to increase learning for all students is embraced by all, but especially by the adults who work at the school. These teams should spend a significant amount of time analyzing both quantitative and

Wisconsin Latino Students

THE DATA

According to data from the Department of Public Instruction, Latino students made up more than 10 percent of the K-12 student population in Wisconsin during the 2013-14 school year. Projections from the University of Wisconsin-Madisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Applied Population Laboratory estimate this number will increase in the coming school years. Among student groups in Wisconsin, Latino or Hispanic students have scored below state average on state assessments. On the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam (WKCE), 28 percent of Latino students scored as proficient or advanced in math for the 2013-14 school year. The state average was 48.6 percent. Only 18.4 percent of Latino students scored proficient or advanced in reading. The state average was 36.6 percent. Hispanic students have also been below the state average in graduation rates. Data from the 2013-14 school year shows that 78.1 percent of Hispanic students graduated, compared to the state average of 88.6 percent.

AT CONVENTION

Wisconsin has one of the largest achievement gaps in the nation. Minority student groups, including Latino students, are struggling in Wisconsin. Cruz, a former principal of Baldwin High School in Los Angeles, significantly reduced the achievement gap at Baldwin High School between the general student population and English as a second language (ESL) students by engaging teachers, students, parents, and school leaders. He has been nationally recognized for his work in building positive school cultures in which all students, including ESL learners, can succeed. His focus on improving school culture and social emotional education of minority students has earned him many state and national awards. Cruz has won the New Teacher of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Administrator of the Year, and other community leadership awards. Cruz is a recipient of the Hispanic Border Leadership Instituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fellowship for doctoral studies. He earned a doctorate in institutional leadership and policy studies from the University of California Riverside. N

qualitative data aimed at providing a real-time indication of whether or not students are demonstrating learning. If factual evidence of learning is found, the team needs to share with the school community the good news and celebrate the accomplishment. If evidence of learning is not achieved, the team should initiate an atmosphere of collective inquiry aimed at researching best practices followed by implementation of ideas that may yield the evidence of learning sought.

| Rethinking Effective

Instruction Teachers must accept the fact that instruction is only effective if evidence of student learning serves as the end result. Consequently, teachers will have to abandon teaching in isolation as the norm, and instead embrace working as a team to reflect on their instructional delivery. Furthermore, teachers will need to embrace the research on how Latino children learn and ensure that an engaged classroom experience ] their [ continued on page 21]

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December 2015

Transforming Leadership Pre-Convention Workshop to focus on the power of ‘transformational leadership’

r. Cile Chavez, author of the book Spirit Movers: Attributes for Transforming Leadership, will be leading a Pre-Convention Workshop on Tuesday, Jan. 19 as part of the Wisconsin State Education Convention. Her workshop, “The Power and Promise of Modeling Transformation Leadership,” will discuss the importance of modeling positive leadership as school leaders and what that looks like both professionally and personally. Dr. Chavez has served as superintendent and deputy superintendent of Littleton Public Schools and assistant dean of the College of Education, University of Northern Colorado. The following is an excerpt from her book. “Why are relationships so critical to the success of the organizations? Why must leaders invest heavily in creating and fostering positive relationships? And do relationships have equal value to defined roles and

responsibilities? One cannot lead in a vacuum. One can process a compelling mission, sterling strategies, and a brilliant action plan, but none of those matters if there are not people with and for whom one leads. People make things happen. People bring life to visions, missions, and purposes. Investment in relationships is an investment in the achievement of goals. At its nucleus, leadership is about developing a caring environment that elevates the human spirit and enables everyone in the organization to feel the importance of their contributions, both individually and collectively. Some of the leavening agents that make such elevation possible are empathy, trust, honesty, and optimism. But what is the source of these attributes? How can we examine our lives to even understand and subsequently breathe life into the kind of relationships we want? How can we intelligently guide our actions within the context of relationship to the benefit of ourselves and others?” N

Sign-up for this Pre-Convention Workshop when you register for the 2016 Wisconsin State Education Convention. To register, visit wasb.org/convention.

Wisconsin School News

students is an integral part of the daily routine throughout the school. | Parent Involvement

and Empowerment The parent community must be embraced as an asset in the quest to increase student learning, and channels of communication must be established to solidify this ongoing partnership. Initiating this process will reveal to educators that the belief that Latino parents do not care for the educational well-being of their children is a myth, and that a collective effort to teach our parents why and how they can contribute to the process of accelerating learning both at school and at home is necessary. An investment to increase parent involvement will, over time, reveal the origin of parent empowerment, a welcomed condition whereby parents begin to take ownership of

their school and hold members of the school community accountable to produce high levels of learning for the students they serve. | Support Staff Adults throughout the school, especially members of the support staff (secretaries, custodians, cafeteria workers, etc.), must be introduced to the vital role they can have in the academic achievement of Latino students. Social emotional learning in the form of relationships conducive to supporting student learning is an essential component of the formula needed to empower students to take an active role in accelerating their learning. Leaders must begin to utilize human resources in a manner that extends beyond the “management” of the school and instead institutionalizes the innate desire adults throughout the organization

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may have to make a positive difference in the lives of students. Eliminating the achievement gap for Latino students will only be accomplished if schools and districts focus on enhancing each of the strands noted in this narrative. While there is no doubt that the effective implementation of each of the strands noted (leadership, instruction, parent involvement and social emotional learning) would prove beneficial to students of any background, it will be critical to the overall state of the Latino community that practices such as the ones observed become common in schools serving a majority Latino student population. The future state of the Latino community depends on it. n Dr. Luis Cruz is a former principal who has been nationally recognized for his work in improving student achievement among minority students.

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December 2015

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Attorney Gary M. Ruesch Wins Tipler Award

uelow Vetter Buikema Olson & Vliet, LLC congratulates their colleague Attorney Gary M. Ruesch who has been awarded the 2015 George Tipler Award by the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association (WSAA). This award is given annually to attorneys who demonstrate high achievement and dedication to the representation of school districts in Wisconsin. The award honors the efforts of former WASB Executive Director George Tipler, who initiated the founding of the WSAA and was a long-serving advocate for the boys and girls of Wisconsin. Buelow Vetter Buikema Olson & Vliet, LLC. joins the WSAA and our clients in acknowledging Gary’s commitment to serving public education, its officials and students, both nationally and locally, in over 35 years of practicing law. n

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Wisconsin School News

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MEMBER RECOGNITION

Congratulations to Our School Board Members Recognizing those school board members who reached Level 5 of the Member Recognition Program

ach year, through the Member Recognition Program, the WASB honors school board members who participate in activities that strengthen their skills as local educational leaders. Board members are awarded points for participating in WASB and NSBA (National School Boards Association) activities such as attending conventions, workshops, seminars, and webinars or serving on special committees. 2015 WASB REGION 2

Randy Erickson, Prentice REGION 3

Teresa Ford, Howard-Suamico Sue Todey, Sevastopol REGION 4

Eileen Sikora, Cornell Bill Yingst, Durand

MEMBER

Each August, the WASB sends out a report to board members that reflect WASB programs attended for that year and the total accumulated points. Qualifying board members receive recognition pins and certificates. Below are the school board members who achieved Level 5 of the Member Recognition Program. This is the top level that a school board member can achieve and requires a tremendous commitment on behalf of the school board member. Congratulations!

RECOGNITION PROGRAM

REGION 5

Jane Rusch, Wausau Mary Rayome, Wisconsin Rapids REGION 9

Arlene Siss, Platteville REGION 10

Beverly Beal-Loeck, Beaver Dam Deborah Nelson, River Valley REGION 12

Susan Manning, Monona Grove

LEVEL

REGION 13

Mary Anderson, Central/ Westosha UHS Julie McKenna, Racine Unified Patricia Platts, Twin Lakes #4 REGION 14

Terrence Falk, Milwaukee REGION 15

Larry Dux, Pewaukee

Below are photos from some of the Level 5 award presentations at this fallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Regional Meetings with WASB Executive Director John Ashley.

Arlene Siss, Platteville Public Schools

Julie McKenna, Racine Unified School District

Elieen Sikora (left), Cornell School District and Bill Yingst (right), School District of Durand.

Larry Dux, Pewaukee School District

Beverly Beal-Loeck, Beaver Dam Unified School District

Susan Manning, Monona Grove School District

December 2015

A S S O C I AT I O N N E W S

A Look Back at the WASB Fall Events Here is a look at the events that the WASB held this fall. Full event recaps along with presentations can be found on the WASB website (wasb.org). Select “Meetings and Events” and then “Event Recaps.” Member log-in may be required.

Legislative Advocacy Conference | Nov. 7, Stevens Point

he 2015 Legislative Advocacy Conference, held Nov. 7 in Stevens Point, gave board members and administrators the opportunity to hear from researchers, experts, and lawmakers on public education issues and provided attendees with hands-on strategies for gathering community support for their schools. Michael R. Ford, an assistant professor of public administration at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, shared research from a study he completed last year in which he surveyed Wisconsin school board members and asked them how they define accountability. He found that when board members serving together share common definitions on accountability, student test scores are higher. “Wisconsin school board members have diverse views on accountability,” Ford said. “There is no one correct view. What matters is that boards have a consistent approach.” Bob Lang, director of the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau reviewed the 2015-17 state budget and its effect on K-12 education and highlighted trends in state finances that will impact funding for K-12 education going forward. Notable trends include the increasing amounts the state is spending on medical assistance and the state’s inability to address an imbalance between growing state spending on transportation projects and revenues coming into the state’s transportation fund. Those revenues have been essentially flat since lawmakers ended automatic indexing of the gas tax in 2005. One surprising takeaway for many attendees was the realization that because lawmakers have not agreed on a way to increase transportation fund revenues, they may increasingly turn to

Wisconsin School News

the state’s general fund to finance future transportation project costs, which, it turn, would mean less money would be available for public schools. Dan Rossmiller, WASB Government Relations director, provided a legislative update on the status of various education bills in Madison. Rossmiller also led an advocacy workshop in which attendees worked in small groups on hands-on activities designed to help them build stronger relationships with legislators and encourage community advocacy work. The conference featured two separate legislative panels of state lawmakers: one Democratic and one Republican. Chris Kulow, WASB Government Relations specialist, moderated the panels and asked the legislators to articulate their vision for public education and to state their positions on a number of proposals pending before the legislature. On the Democratic panel, state Rep. Sondy Pope (D-Cross Plains) and Rep. Katrina Shankland (DStevens Point) sharply disagreed with the direction of majority Republicans in furthering vouchers and not providing schools with an appropriate

level of resources. On the topic of local control, both lawmakers said they support it and oppose state mandates in general. They also opposed proposed legislation to restrict school district referenda and to eliminate the revenue limit exemption for energy efficiency. On the Republican panel, state Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon), state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay), and Rep. Bob Kulp (R-Stratford) made it clear that parental choice and options will continue to be a large part of the future of K-12 education in Wisconsin and across the country. While the lawmakers all said they supported local control as a principle, Sen. Olsen made the point that it is the Legislature that is tasked with oversight of K-12 education by the state Constitution and thus lawmakers will likely always have considerable input. All GOP legislators agreed with their Democratic counterparts in opposing the referenda restriction bill and the bill to eliminate the energy efficiency revenue limit exemption as well as an effort to appoint, rather than elect, the state superintendent. N

WSAA/WASB Employment and School Law Seminar | Oct. 15-16, Madison

he WASB along with the Wisconsin School Attorneys Association (WSAA) held an Employment and School Law Seminar Oct. 15-16 in Madison. The event featured 14 sessions presented by WASB staff and school law attorneys from across the state. Barry Forbes, WASB associate executive director and staff counsel, discussed complaint policies, chain of command and public participation at board meetings. Forbes said it’s crucial that districts establish policies and procedures for handling complaints to give the public a structured procedure to have complaints reviewed by administration and, if necessary, reviewed by the school board. “School board members cannot resolve citizen complaints by themselves,” Forbes said. “A complaint procedure is a formal process that directs citizens to the staff best able to deal with each complaint. Citizens

who feel their complaints were not resolved have an option to appeal to the district administrator and board.” Jina Jonen, human resources director for the Oregon School District, and Melissa Thiel Collar, legal counsel for the Green Bay Area Public School District, presented a session on issues surrounding the handling of pupil records. With the advent of electronic pupil records, privacy issues and questions about exactly who can view records have become hot topics for schools. Jonen and Thiel Collar had several important suggestions for school districts. They recommended implementing a records system that sorts and retains records based on privacy and record retention requirements. In addition, they said districts should develop a centralized system for receiving and responding to directory data requests, much like

a district’s system for responding to open records requests. “It’s also important to review your district’s directory data policy,” they added. “Does your policy provide the necessary safeguards for your students’ directory information while maintaining the flexibility for your district to use directory information for its original purpose?” N

Fall Regional Meetings | Sept. & Oct., various locations

he WASB Fall Regional Meetings took place in September and October in all 15 WASB regions and gave board members and administrators an opportunity to connect with school leaders in their region and celebrate the accomplishments of their colleagues. Dozens of school board members were recognized at the meetings through the WASB Member Recognition Program. Board members who attended professional development opportunities such as WASB conferences and events or who had participated in other leadership capacities such as the WASB Policy and Resolutions Committee were recognized for their hard work. A complete list of names of school board members who reached Level 5 of the Member Recognition Program can be found on page 23. Level 5 is the highest level of the program and

requires a tremendous commitment on behalf of school board members. Each Regional Meeting also included a feature presentation aimed at helping school leaders build and develop community advocates for public education. This presentation reminded school board members and administrators of the importance of supporting communication efforts (including social media), inviting community members to the table, and focusing on issues that unite, not divide. Presenters challenged school leaders to go back to their boards and ask what its goals are for advocacy and community engagement. Before each Regional Meeting, WASB legal staff led workshops on “School Board Policy Implications of the 2015-17 State Budget.” This in-depth workshop covered policy updates on a range of issues

including curriculum and instruction, governance, employment, and finance and operations. One of the changes that WASB legal staff discussed was the new civics test that students will be required to pass in order to receive a high school diploma. This requirement kicks in with the 2016-17 school year and requires all school districts to amend graduation policies to include the new requirement. N

December 2015

L E G I S L AT I V E U P D AT E

It’s Mandate Season in Madison As you read this, legislators will have cast their final floor votes for 2015. Activity will pick back up again in mid-January.

hile things may slow down temporarily in December, lawmakers are still bringing forward new legislation, including many bills that would impose new mandates or edicts on school boards. Here’s a closer look at some of these proposals.

| Reporting Crimes Assembly Bill 517, introduced by Rep. John Jagler (R-Watertown), would require public and private high schools participating in a parental choice program to collect and report statistics on specific crimes and safety-related incidents reported to a principal, school security, or local law enforcement that occur on school property, on transportation provided by the school, or at a school-sanctioned event beginning in the 2017-18 school year. The bill, as introduced, provides no additional funding. Under the bill, these statistics must be reported to school board and to the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and included on the annual school and school district accountability report. However, DPI would be prohibited from considering crime statistics reported by a school or district for purposes of determining the school or school district’s performance on the annual school and district report cards. Another similar but more limited proposal being readied for introduction by Sen. Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) and Rep. Ken Skowronski

(R-Franklin) would set up a pilot school crime and safety incident reporting program in one urban, one rural and one suburban school district in the 2016-17 school year and would provides $25,000 in funding for this purpose. The WASB is concerned about the cost of staff time needed to compile and report this information to comply with a mandate that may not directly improve student safety. | CPR Instruction A proposed bill (LRB 2824/2) being circulated for support from legislative colleagues Sen. Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) and Rep. John Spiros (R-Marshfield) would require school boards, operators of independent charter schools, and governing bodies of private schools to provide instruction in cardiopulmonary and cardiocerebral resuscitation. This bill would require this instruction in any health education course offered to pupils in grades 7 to 12 and to provide instruction about automated external defibrillators to pupils in grades 7 to 12, beginning in the 2017−18 school year. Teachers would not be required to be certified in CPR to provide this instruction. Under current law, schools are required to offer CPR instruction and to provide defibrillator instruction to pupils enrolled in high school grades. Although the bill provides no money for schools to do this training, the WASB and other public education

groups have been working with the American Heart Association, one of the chief backers of this proposal, to find ways to ease the financial burden on school districts. It appears the American Heart Association will be able to make $75,000 available statewide, enough to provide 100 training mannequins and 100 training DVDs in each CESA as a shared resource for schools. | Financial Literacy While not new, Senate Bill 177 and Assembly Bill 248, companion bills offered by Rep. Scott Krug (R-Nekoosa) and Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green), would, as introduced, direct each school board to incorporate the state’s model academic standards for financial literacy into the curriculum. This would be required in grades kindergarten to 12, and require the statewide standardized examinations to assess a pupil’s financial literacy to the same extent that they assess a pupil’s knowledge of mathematics, science, reading and writing, geography, or history. Following meetings with the WASB lobbying team, Rep. Krug recently introduced amendments to drop the assessment requirement from his bill, allow a district to adopt any set of model academic standards for financial literacy (not just the Wisconsin standards) and provide for a six-month delay in implementation of the bill. These are welcomed improvements.

Lawmakers are bringing forward new legislation that will affect school boards. Let’s take a closer look.

Wisconsin School News

| Changing Rooms Assembly Bill 469, introduced by Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) and Sen. Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater), would require a school board to designate each pupil restroom and changing room (restrooms, locker rooms and shower rooms are referred to as “changing rooms”) in a public school building and accessible by multiple pupils as for the exclusive use of pupils of only one sex. It would require a school board to provide accommodations to a pupil to use a single-occupancy restroom or changing room or the regulated use of a faculty restroom or changing room if the parent or guardian of a pupil submits a written request for accommodations. The bill also permits a pupil or the pupil’s parent or guardian to file a written complaint regarding a violation of the requirements in the bill, and requires the school board to investigate and attempt to resolve the complaint. It further permits the pupil, or the parent or guardian of the pupil, who submitted a written complaint, to bring a legal claim for any of the following if the complaint is not resolved to their satisfaction: 1. Declaratory relief. 2. Injunctive relief. 3. Damages, including the reimbursement of reasonable attorney fees.

We are concerned about this virtually unprecedented provision allowing students and/or their parents to sue their school district. Federal agencies responsible for interpreting federal antidiscrimination laws, including Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination, have issued guidelines contrary to this bill and threatened to withhold federal funding for noncompliance. The WASB is concerned that bill will place schools between a rock and a hard place by forcing them to comply with either state law or federal law, but not both, with the result that school districts could wind up being sued by persons on both sides. A number of Wisconsin school districts have already confronted similar issues and adopted local board policies. The WASB is concerned about potentially undermining those boards by endorsing a “one-size-fits-all” approach. | School Referendum

Restrictions State Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Cedarburg) and state Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) have proposed Senate Bill 355 and Assembly Bill 481, companion bills that would, among other things, restrict when school district referenda can be placed before voters and implement a two-year waiting period following failed referenda.

Currently, a school referendum can coincide with a primary election or a general election, or a special election can be called specifically for the referendum. Under this bill, a school district referendum would have to coincide with a regularly scheduled spring or fall general election (in odd-numbered years, there is no fall general election). Currently, there is no limitation on whether, and how frequently, a referendum may be placed before voters. These bills would prevent a school board from bringing a new referendum request for two years if wa referendum — whether for capital projects or to exceed the revenue limit — is voted down. In some cases, according to the Wisconsin Budget Project, under these bills, some schools could be forced to wait up to three years in between referendums. These bills would also prevent a school board from accessing a number of other financing mechanisms — including promissory notes, state trust fund loans, certain types of short-term borrowing, and other small loans or bond issues, for two years in the event a referendum or attempt to use any of these funding mechanisms is voted down. The WASB strongly opposes these two bills based on resolutions adopted by the WASB Delegate Assembly. n

Follow the Legislative Update Updated frequently, this webpage includes:

b Timely and informative updates on state and federal legislation.

b Sample materials (talking points, letters, board resolutions, etc.) for use in advocacy.

b State bill tracking chart and other WASB Resources. A one-stop shop for everything you need to be an informed board member and advocate for your students! wasblegupdate.wordpress.com

December 2015

LEGAL COMMENT

B oa r d m a n & C l a r k LLP

Update on Seclusion and Physical Restraint

n 2013, the Wisconsin legislature enacted Wis. Stat. § 118.305 which prohibits the use of seclusion or physical restraint in public schools, except when certain conditions apply. This legislation codified and expanded directives issued by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) in 2005. While the statute established specific conditions for the use of seclusion and physical restraint, some provisions were broadly framed and, therefore, subject to differing interpretations and applications by school districts, especially in the context of students with disabilities. The statute has not been addressed in any Wisconsin court decisions. However, DPI’s Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Complaint decisions on this issue should provide useful direction to districts in navigating this relatively new law.1 This Legal Comment briefly summarizes the statute and reviews some of DPI’s most significant decisions regarding students with disabilities.

| The Seclusion and Physical

Restraint Law The statute prohibits a “covered individual” from engaging in the seclusion or physical restraint of a student at school unless specific circumstances exist. The term “covered individual” includes those who are employed by a district, under con-

tract with a district, employed by a person under contract with a district, or engaged in student teaching in a district. The term does not include school board members, volunteers, or law enforcement officers (including school liaison officers) working in the district. The statute covers the dayto-day operations of a school and any school-related activities, including field trips, sporting events, after school clubs, and transportation. “Seclusion” is defined as the “involuntary confinement of a pupil, apart from other pupils, in a room or area from which the pupil is physically prevented from leaving” and may only be used if all of the following apply: the pupil’s behavior presents a clear, present and imminent risk to the physical safety of the student or others and is the least restrictive intervention feasible; a covered individual maintains constant supervision of the pupil; the seclusion room is free of objects or fixtures that may injure the pupil; the pupil has access to bathroom facilities, drinking water, necessary medication and regularly scheduled meals; the seclusion lasts only as long as necessary to resolve the risk; and no door connecting the seclusion room or area is capable of being locked. “Physical restraint” is defined as “a restriction that immobilizes or reduces the ability of a pupil to freely move the pupil’s torso, arms, legs or head” and may only be used if all of

the following are present: the pupil’s behavior presents a clear, present, and imminent risk to the physical safety of the pupil or others and is the least restrictive intervention feasible; there are no medical contraindications to its use; the degree of force used and its duration do not exceed the duration reasonably necessary to resolve the risk; the restraint does not constitute “corporal punishment;” mechanical or chemical restraints are not used; and the restraining technique used gives adequate protection to the pupil’s head, does not cause compression on the pupil’s chest, lungs, sternum, diaphragm, back or abdomen and does not place pressure on the pupil’s neck or throat, on an artery, or on the back of a pupil’s head or neck, or otherwise obstruct the pupil’s circulation or breathing. While the statute governs the use of seclusion and physical restraint on all regular education and special education students, there are provisions in the statute specific to students with disabilities that direct a student’s Individual Education Program (IEP) team to both anticipate the use of seclusion and/or physical restraint and respond to it. If a student’s IEP team reasonably anticipates that seclusion or physical restraint may be used, it must be explicitly stated in the student’s IEP and the IEP must identify appropriate positive behavioral interventions, supports and strategies based on a functional behavioral assessment

If a student’s IEP team reasonably anticipates that seclusion or physical restraint may be used, it must be explicitly stated in the student’s IEP and the IEP must identify appropriate positive behavioral interventions, supports and strategies based on a functional behavioral assessment.

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LEGAL COMMENT (FBA). Further, the first time seclusion or physical restraint is used, the student’s IEP team must meet as soon as practicable after the incident to review and revise the IEP, if necessary, to ensure it contains positive behavioral interventions and supports. | DPI’s Decisions

Regarding Seclusion IDEA Complaint Decision 13-002. Over a four-month period, a student was placed in seclusion on numerous occasions during which staff physically prevented the student from leaving the room by holding the door shut. Typically, the student would not be released from seclusion until the student demonstrated a calm voice and body, and had ceased yelling, throwing items, kicking, or verbalizing threats of physical harm. Seclusion was also used when the student engaged in verbal aggression, took or damaged items, did not follow directions, swore and sang, or engaged in other types of disruptive behavior. In these situations, the district used seclusion as a time-out and required the student to complete thought sheets and letters of apology. The district notified the parents, as required by law, but did not convene the IEP team until four months after the first use of seclusion. In addition, the IEP team did not conduct an FBA and it did not review or revise the student’s IEP, including the behavioral intervention plan and crisis intervention plan, in response to the use of seclusion. Finally, the district’s non-violent crisis policy stated that the use of “seclusion/time-out” was a standard management practice in the district. DPI determined that the district’s use of seclusion was contrary to Wisconsin law because it was not always used as the least restrictive intervention feasible, nor was it used only when there was a clear, present, and imminent risk of the student’s safety or the safety of others. Furthermore, by using seclusion as a time-out and requiring the student to complete thought sheets and letters of apology, the district was pro-

Wisconsin School News

[continued]

longing seclusion beyond what was required for maintaining safety. DPI ordered the district to conduct an IEP meeting to determine compensatory services for the time period the student was secluded and to determine appropriate behavioral interventions and strategies based upon an FBA. Further, DPI ordered the district to develop a correction plan that included revision of the district’s non-violent crisis intervention plan and staff trainings.2 IDEA Complaint Decision 14-025. A student’s IEP included a behavioral intervention plan detailing a process whereby the student was given three opportunities to comply with a directive before being removed to a break room. The positive interventions and strategies in the IEP were not based on an FBA and did not clearly specify the use of seclusion or physical restraint. During one school year, the student was removed to the break room 73 times for periods of time ranging from five minutes to 90 minutes per incident. Most of the time, the student was not physically prevented from leaving the break room, but on eight occasions, staff utilized seclusion. In addition, while in the break room, the student was expected to complete a task before being allowed to return to the classroom. DPI concluded that the district did not follow all required procedures in its use of seclusion. First, not every situation where seclusion was used involved an imminent safety risk. Second, the student was not allowed to leave the break room immediately when the safety risk was resolved. Accordingly, DPI ordered the district to review the IEP, including the behavioral intervention plan, and revise it to include positive behavioral interventions and supports, including strategies to de-escalate the student’s behavior based upon an FBA, to ensure that the student’s IEP specified whether seclusion and physical restraint could be used, and to provide compensatory services for the amount of missed instruction. In addition, DPI ordered the district to review the

IEPs of all students with disabilities for whom seclusion and/or physical restraint was used and ensure compliance with the statute.3 IDEA Complaint Decision 15-020. In accordance with a student’s behavioral intervention plan, staff directed the student with behavioral difficulty out of the general education classroom to an empty classroom to allow the student time and space to de-escalate. When the student’s difficulties continued to escalate, staff physically prevented the student from leaving the room, but remained in the classroom with the student at all times. During the period of seclusion, the student tipped over tables and chairs and attempted to damage a computer. While the student was not injured, the room contained objects that could have caused injury and the classroom door was capable of being locked. DPI determined that the district did not comply with the statute because the student’s IEP did not clearly specify the use of seclusion, the room used for seclusion was not free of objects and fixtures that cause injury, and the door to the room was capable of being locked. DPI ordered the district to submit a plan to ensure that all supplementary aids and services in the IEP are implemented, to revise the IEP to clearly specify the use of seclusion, and to submit a plan to ensure that all rooms used for seclusion are free from objects that may cause injury and that all doors to the seclusion rooms are incapable of being locked.4 | DPI’s Decisions Regarding

Physical Restraint IDEA Complaint Decision 14-007. A student whose IEP addressed the use of seclusion and physical restraint was involved in two incidents that included the use of physical restraint. In the first incident, the student crawled into the bottom shelf of a moveable shelving unit in a closet and would not come out with verbal prompting from staff. Staff removed the student and temporarily immobilized him, but allowed him to move independently once he was

standing. Staff did not notify the student’s parents of the incident because they did not believe the student had been physically restrained. DPI concluded that physical restraint was used and justified because the shelving unit created an imminent safety risk to the student. DPI also concluded that the parents should have been notified as required by the statute. In the second incident, the student crawled into the bottom shelf of a shelving unit in a staff work room. The student responded to verbal prompts and crawled out of the shelving unit, but refused to stand and leave the room. Staff reduced the ability of the student to freely move his torso, lifted the student to a standing position, and, once standing, allowed the student to move independently. DPI concluded that physical restraint was used, but not justified because there was no imminent safety risk to the student or staff. DPI ordered the district to report the two incidents and to develop a corrective action plan to ensure that all staff understands the definition of physical restraint, when it may be used, and when it must be reported.5 IDEA Complaint Decision 14-022. DPI determined that a district violated the statute by using improper holds on two occasions that did not involve an imminent safety risk to the student and/or others. On one occasion, staff put the student in a prone position with weight placed on the student’s chest and, on another, a staff member wrapped his arms around the student in a bear hug, picked him up so his feet were not on the floor, carried him across the room, and placed him in a chair. These holds are not permitted under the statute because they place pressure on a student’s chest and abdomen. DPI ordered the district to submit a plan that included pro-

visions to ensure all staff members follow proper physical restraint procedures.6 IDEA Complaint Decision 14-048. A student with an IEP had a physician’s note stating that “it is absolutely contraindicated that the student is punished when he displays uncontrollable behavior.” Two incidents resulted in the use of physical restraint of the student. During the first incident, the student climbed on furniture, threw objects, and used a metal rod as a bat. Staff physically restrained the student for less than two minutes. During a second incident, the student was asked to give his iPad to a staff member so it could be recharged. The student was offered another iPad to use, but he became upset. The student again climbed on furniture and was asked to get down because it was unsafe. When the student did not comply, the student was lifted down and a physical restraint hold was used. The hold was released when the student’s behavior indicated that he would not begin climbing again. The duration of the restraint was less than 10 minutes. DPI concluded that both restraints were proper because staff appropriately determined that the student’s behavior posed an imminent safety risk to himself. DPI further concluded the physical restraint was not prohibited by the doctor’s note because it did not indicate that physical restraint cannot be used when there is an imminent safety risk.7 | Conclusion

It is critical for districts to train staff, especially those working with students with disabilities, concerning the statutory requirements governing the use of seclusion and physical restraint. In particular, staff should understand what actions constitute seclusion and/or physical

restraint, ensure that neither is used unless there is a clear, present, imminent risk of the student’s safety or the safety of others, and limit the duration of the seclusion and/or physical restraint to the time needed to resolve the risk. Further, staff should know that when seclusion and/or physical restraint is used, the IEP team must review the IEP and revise it if necessary to ensure that it includes the use of seclusion and/or physical restraint, as well as positive behavioral interventions and strategies that are based on an FBA.8 | Endnotes For additional information on related topics, see Wisconsin School News “Seclusion and Restraint” (February 2013) and “Using Force to Maintain Student Discipline” (February 1996). 1. DPI is responsible for adjudicating complaints that a public agency has violated the requirements of state or federal law governing the treatment of students with disabilities, including the use of seclusion and/or physical restraint. These complaints are referred to as “IDEA Complaints.” If DPI concludes that the district has violated the law, it will order the district to come into compliance with the law and/or direct the district to submit a corrective action plan to address each violation. See Wisconsin DPI, IDEA Complaint Procedures, available at https://sped.dpi. wi.gov/sites/default/files/imce/ sped/doc/comp-procedures.doc 2. IDEA Complaint Decision 13-002 (3/11/13) 3. IDEA Complaint Decision 14-025 (7/3/14) 4. IDEA Complaint Decision 15-020 (5/2/15) 5. IDEA Complaint Decision 14-007 (4/2/14) 6. IDEA Complaint Decision 14-022 (6/17/14) 7. IDEA Complaint Decision 14-048 (11/4/14) 8. See also 2011 Act 125 Seclusion and Restraint Frequently Asked Questions, http://sped.dpi.wi.gov/sped_secrestfaq This Legal Comment was written by Michael J. Julka, Steven C. Zach, and M. Tess O’BrienHeinzen.

Legal Comment is designed to provide authoritative general information, with commentary, as a service to WASB members. It should not be relied upon as legal advice. If required, legal advice regarding this topic should be obtained from district legal counsel.

December 2015

Q&A

A S S O C I AT I O N N E W S

Service Associate Q&A

M3’s Marty Malloy addresses risk management and employee benefit issues

What is the biggest risk management challenge that school districts currently face?

Q. From a benefits standpoint, what can districts do to retain or attract quality educators?

Staying aware of the changing laws and federal regulations to remain compliant. Over the past decade, school districts have seen a number of large legislative initiatives change the way they operate. For employee benefits, this includes the Affordable Care Act (ACA) from the federal government and Act 10 on the state level. In addition, government entities also have rule-making authority and can often update their regulations without legislative mandate. A recent example of this rule-making authority is the federal Office of Civil Rights (OCR) updating their interpretation of Title IX to include protections for transgender students. This ever changing environment can create potential liabilities and risks for school districts to manage.

A. Districts throughout the state are looking for ways to attract and retain the best educators for their students. From a benefits perspective, there are plenty of things districts can do to position themselves as a destination. Obviously designing and negotiating a quality benefit package is the cornerstone. While there are plenty of “insurance options” to meet your goals, we encourage districts to look outside the box. Think about implementing wellness programs to demonstrate your commitment to educator health, and being transparent with your educators about the costs of benefits can help improve engagement.

Q. What can school leaders do to

A. Starting with 2016 tax filings,

stay current with important insurance-related issues?

A. Fortunately, school leaders have active and engaged organizations helping them stay on top of the latest issues relating to insurance. All of the Wisconsin major school associations, including WASB, WASBO and WASDA, do a nice job of keeping their members apprised of insurance and risk management information. From an insurance prospective, your agent or broker should be providing you with information about the insurance field on a regular basis. Making sure you have an insurance expert who can help you adapt, while helping you to meet the needs of students and staff is vital. 32

Wisconsin School News

Q. What is new in your field that school board members and administrators should be aware of? districts will have to report new information to the federal government about the insurance coverage they offer staff members. Known as “Section 6056 Reporting,” districts will have to file a report with the Internal Revenue Service if they are considered a large employer (50 or more full-time or full-time equivalent employees) defining if they have made an offer of health insurance to their employees that meets minimum requirements. This reporting helps the federal government manage the federal subsidy/penalty process as defined by the ACA. We encourage districts to work with their payroll or software provider to manage this process.

Marty Malloy is an Account Executive and Practice Group Leader for M3 Insurance’s Education & Government Team.

Q. Is there anything coming in the future that districts should be thinking about?

A. In 2018, the federal government

is scheduled to implement the Cadillac Tax — an excise tax on “high cost” plans. Since final rules have not been issued, we don’t know at what levels the federal government will implement the tax. At this point, this is something your insurance experts and school associations will be monitoring.

Q. What other recommendations do you have for school districts? A. We really encourage districts to change the way they think about effective risk management and employee benefits. Traditionally, we have thought about these issues in terms of insurance expense and loss prevention, but now we are encouraging the integration of these programs under the scope of student achievement. There are many ways to integrate these functions to help you meet the goals of your educators, students, and communities. n The WASB Service Associates Program includes more than 25 businesses and organizations that have been recognized by the WASB Board of Directors as reputable businesses and partners of public education in Wisconsin. For more information, visit wasb.org and select “Service Associates.”

Quality Educational Services And Products 2 0 1 5 WA S B S E RV I C E A S S O C I AT E S

Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Interiors and Construction Management

Bray Associates Architects Inc. 920-459-4200 mwolfert@brayarch.com brayarch.com Architecture, interior design, planning, referendum support

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Benefits, |Employee Risk Management Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services 608-828-3740 kristina_winterfeldt@ajg.com ajgrms.com Specializing in serving the risk management and insurance needs of public schools.

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M3 Insurance 800-272-2443 kevin.clougherty@m3ins.com M3ins.com We stay smart so you stay smart. We’ll keep you educated on risks, costs, and changes so you can focus on the important work of increasing student achievement. As a proud partner of nearly 45% of Wisconsin school districts, we continue to demonstrate our dedication to education.

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We’ve been a specialist in public sector benefits since 1969. Our insured products include: health, dental, disability, life and long-term care insurance. Our financial solution products include: health reimbursement accounts, OPEB trusts (fixed or variable), special pay plan and flexible spending accounts.

| Energy Services Continuum Energy bchristensen@continuumes.com continuumenergyservices.com Retail natural gas services into all Wisconsin utility companies, including national and commercial customers.

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Financing, Banking, Consulting

Robert W. Baird & Co. 800-792-2473 BBrewer@rwbaird.com rwbaird.com/publicfinance Robert W. Baird & Co. provides school finance solutions through its Public Finance team and business office consulting services through its School Business Solutions team.

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Springsted Incorporated 414-220-4250 jdudzik@springsted.com springsted.com Advisors to the public sector in finance, human resources and management consulting services.

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Community Insurance Corporation

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Studer Education

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EMC Insurance Companies

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Humana

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R&R Insurance

262-574-7000 bill.hattendorf@rrins.com myknowledgebroker.com Our School Practice Group has more than 25 years of educational institution experience and a dedicated resource center designed with school district’s risk and claims management needs in mind. 

TRICOR Insurance

877-468-7426 john@tricorinsurance.com tricorinsurance.com We now insure over 150 public schools. Our School Practice Team is made up of a diverse group of experienced individuals who are extensively trained and specialized in school insurance products, risk management, support services, loss control, human resources and claims advocacy. 

UnitedHealthcare

414-443-4094 cecelia_hopkins@uhc.com uhc.com Our mission is to help people live healthier lives by providing access to high quality, affordable healthcare. We are committed to improving the healthcare experience of K-12 teachers, staff, retirees and their families in the state of Wisconsin by providing better information, to drive better decisions, to help improve health. 

Willis of Wisconsin, Inc.

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| Legal Services Buelow Vetter Buikema Olson & Vliet LLC

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262-364-0300 cbuelow@buelowvetter.com buelowvetter.com We have decades of experience in representing school boards across Wisconsin. We advise school boards and administrators on a variety of issues from labor and employment to student discipline and expulsion. Strang, Patteson, Renning, Lewis & Lacy, s.c.

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von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

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Media |Social Consulting 

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SUPPORTING, PROMOTING AND ADVANCING PUBLIC EDUCATION

Early Bird Registration Ends Dec. 11 Keynote Speakers

Luis Cruz

John Medina

Chris Lehmann

Dr. Luis Cruz, a former principal in Los Angeles, has been nationally recognized for his work in building positive school cultures in which all students, including English as a second language (ESL) learners, can succeed.

Dr. John Medina has had a lifelong fascination with how the mind reacts to and organizes information. In his best-selling book Brain Rules, Medina explores how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children.

Chris Lehmann is a renowned author and educator recognized for his work in developing innovative schools that incorporate technology in new ways and engage students in real world issues.