Jan/Feb 2014 - Wisconsin School News by WASB

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Jan-Feb 2014 | Volume 68 Number 7 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

REINVIGORATING STUDENTS AND PREVENTING COMPLACENCY LED GREEN LAKE TO IB CERTIFICATION, page 16

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

John H. Ashley Executive Director Waterloo, Region 12 President

Mike Blecha

Barneveld, Region 9 2nd Vice President

Patrick Sherman

n WASB BOARD OF DIRECTORS n Stu Olson Shell Lake, Region 1

Vacant Region 7

Capt. Terry McCloskey, USN Retired Three Lakes, Region 2

Steve Klessig Brillion, Region 8

Bill Yingst, Sr. Durand, Region 4 Rick Eloranta Owen-Withee, Region 5 Florence Hyatt Onalaska, Region 6

Alice Marquardt Rio, Region 10 Colin Butler Kettle Moraine, Region 11 Terrence Falk Milwaukee, Region 14 Jim Long Hamilton, 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 © 2014 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.

Putting a Global Twist on Learning Shelby Anderson The Green Lake School District and others have bought into a program that promotes international learning, would it work for your district?

The Sky is the Limit Shelby Anderson Partnership supports integrated technology and engineering program in Brillion

Wanda Owens

Genoa City J2/Lake Geneva, Region 13 Immediate Past President

Shelby Anderson and Peggy Hill-Breunig Music educators and researchers emphasize the importance of music in our schools

Nancy Thompson

Green Bay, Region 3 1st Vice President

Finding Their Rhythm

10 Good Things About Public Education Patte Barth Sure, our schools need to be better, but there is much to be proud of…

Saving Students Gregg Curtis New tool from DPI helps schools identify students at risk of dropping out

D E P A R T M E N T S

C O L U M N S

2 News Briefs 3 Viewpoint — Protecting Our Students 24 Association News — 2014 WASB Event Calendar; Remembering Mary Janssen; New Regional Director Elected

26 Legislative Update — Common Core, Uncommon Controversy 28 Service Associate Q&A — Mike Mrdjenovich, Maritime Insurance 29 Legal Comment — Effects of Decertification of the Exclusive Bargaining Representative 32 Calendar Cover: Students in the Wisconsin School Music Association’s High School State Honors Choir show their enthusiasm during a rehearsal.

NEWS BRIEFS

Wisconsin Farm to School Projects Funded

hree Wisconsin organizations won federal Farm to School grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which they will use with school district partners. The Bayfield Regional Food Producers Cooperative won $76,742 to tackle the challenge of northern Wisconsin’s very short growing season by installing and managing “high tunnels” (a low-cost version of a greenhouse) as a supplement to area school gardens. The tunnels will let schools implement experiential, project-based learning in the spring

and fall, and will help them provide nutritious vegetables in lunches and snacks. A related “agripreneur” program will encourage and train older students to use high tunnels for commercial vegetable production. Finally, the partners will help schools, families, and restaurants to develop healthy, easy meals that can be sourced from local producers. The Research, Education, Action and Policy on Food Group (REAP) in Madison is receiving $83,185 to implement systems for increasing the locally grown fruits and vegetables

sold to school food services, starting with a focus on the new salad bars in the Madison district. The Winnebago County Health Department’s “re:TH!NK” program won $99,870 to freeze local produce for use in school lunches, promote healthy eating through farm to school programs, and lay the groundwork for self-sustaining procurement of locally grown food for school lunches. Wisconsin tied with three other states for second place in the number of Farm to School grants awarded. Only California had more grants. n

STATISTIC OF THE MONTH

3% Percent drop in the number of junior and senior undergraduates enrolled in teacher-training programs within the University of Wisconsin System in the past two years. Source: Wisconsin State Journal

U.S. Students’ Global Ranking Slides in Math, Reading, Science

esults from an international assessment found that American students’ scores remained steady while students’ scores in other countries improved. The results come from the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international assessment that measures students’ proficiency in reading, math and science worldwide. The test, launched in 1997, assesses 15-year-olds in reading, math, and science every three years in an effort to evaluate worldwide education systems. It collects test results from 65 countries for its rankings. The latest results show that U.S. students ranked below average in math among the world’s most-developed countries. They were close to average

Wisconsin School News

in science and reading. “In mathematics, 29 nations and other jurisdictions outperformed the United States by a statistically significant margin, up from 23 three years ago,” Education Week reported. “In science, 22 education systems scored above the U.S. average, up from 18 in 2009.” More than 510,000 15-year-old students in 65 countries and other education programs took part in the 2012 PISA test. The top overall scores came from Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Macao, and Japan, followed by Lichtenstein, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Estonia. American students’ scores in reading, math and science have not changed since 2003. n

Number of Homeless Students Continues to Grow

he U.S. Department of Education released numbers showing that the number of reported homeless students increased 10 percent from 2012 to 2013. In 2013, more than 1.1 million students were reported as homeless. A total of 43 states reported increases from 2012 to 2013. According to the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF), a nonprofit committed to providing support to homeless children; homeless students are 60 percent more likely to drop out of school. “For homeless children, keeping up with schoolwork amid chaos—the entire family living in one bedroom of a relative’s house, in a different motel every night, or in the family car — can be a struggle,” said Bill Wolfe, executive director of the HCEF. n

VIEWPOINT

Jo h n H . A s h l e y

Protecting Our Students

he safety of our students has been paramount in my mind, as I know it has been for many of you. With another tragic shooting in Colorado just before the one-year anniversary of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, we’re all reminded that we must be forever vigilant for our students. As school leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure that we do everything we can to create a safe and healthy place for students to learn. We know that school safety is not only about addressing student violence, but also mental health, interventions, nursing services, facilities, transportation, and much more. At the state level, serious discussions about school safety are underway. In July, I participated in a school safety summit that included leaders from a number of organizations including the Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, the Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association, the Wisconsin School Safety Coordinators Association, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and, among others, the Wisconsin Juvenile Officers Association. From this summit, a series of cross-cutting beliefs were developed that were identified as crucial to the work of keeping our schools safe. These beliefs highlight the impor-

tance of developing and maintaining a positive school culture and include:

b Every school should be a

warm and welcoming place for students, parents, staff, and the community;

b Leadership matters; b Relationships matter; b Practice must follow good policy;

b Joint collaboration among and between systems including community members is key;

b Investment in capacity building, including training, is smart and saves resources;

b No “one size fits all” approaches; and

b Listen to students’ voices. The beliefs acknowledge that this work looks different in every district. Cultural differences and community traditions need to be taken into account and school safety approaches tailored for each school district and school. The members of the school safety summit are committed to continuing to work together. With a set of common beliefs in place, we plan to continue meeting and finding ways to take definitive action to assist state and local policymakers. We hope this work will make a meaningful difference at the local level. There will be several sessions that

directly pertain to school safety at the upcoming State Education Convention. One will focus on the school safety summit, another on proactive steps that local school districts can take to minimize violence. Other sessions on student interventions, school leadership, facilities and additional topics that relate to the health and welfare of students will be offered throughout the convention. I encourage you to attend as many as possible. Our efforts to protect students must be continually monitored and evaluated. This is personal for all of us. At a WASB Regional Meeting in Baraboo in 2006, I stayed late talking to a school administrator who didn’t want to leave until he told me all of the great things that were happening in his schools. He was so proud of his students and his district. We were the last to leave. The very next day, that administrator, John Klang, was shot and killed protecting his students at Weston High School from a teenage gunman. I’ve never forgotten that final conversation with Mr. Klang or the ultimate sacrifice he made for his students. The WASB is committed to doing all we can to assist you in your work of enhancing school safety. Your input and recommendations as we move forward will be crucial. Thank you for the work you do on behalf of your students each and every day. n

As school leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure that we do everything we can to create a safe and healthy place for students to learn.

January-February 2014

Finding Their

Rhythm

Music educators and researchers emphasize the importance of music in our schools

he data and research agree: good music education programs support high-achieving students. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Research in Music Education reported that students in high-quality school music programs score higher on standardized tests compared to students in schools with deficient (or non-existent) music education programs, regardless of the socioeconomic level of the school.

Wisconsin School News

Shelby Anderson and Peggy Hill-Breunig

A landmark study from 2004 and published in Psychological Science assigned 144 children to keyboard lessons, voice lessons, drama lessons, or no lessons. Researchers found that children in the music groups exhibited greater increases on an IQ test than students in the drama lessons or those without lessons. This isn’t surprising to Christine Hayes, a general music teacher at Lincoln Inquiry Charter School in the Whitewater Unified School Dis-

trict. In her 17 years at Lincoln, a K-5 student-inquiry based school, she has seen her students reap the benefits of music education. “The more we’ve learned about how the brain functions, the more we’ve learned about how music positively affects brain stimulation and brain growth,” Hayes said. Hayes, who also serves as chair for the National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME) Council for General Music Educa-

“The outcomes associated with arts education — which include increased academic achievement, school engagement, and creative thinking — are becoming increasingly important. The opportunity to learn about the arts and to perform as artists is an essential part of a well-rounded curriculum and complete education.” — President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (2011)

tion, says when her students are in general music classes working on projects or practicing music, they are developing social and emotional skills; deepening their knowledge, not just of music but of a number of other subjects and topics; and, in the act of performing, writing or reading music, they are activating and exercising their brains in ways that no other subject area does. For an example of how music education can deliver all of these benefits to students, Hayes talks about an in-depth project she has developed for her fourth- and fifthgrade general music class. The project is a six-week composition project driven by student interests. Students write music based upon a

premise or theme selected by the class. Classes have picked themes such as planets or natural disasters — whatever they are interested in. Before writing any music, students research the theme or subjects and ask themselves how a certain element of that theme could sound, what the format of the piece should be, and any number of other questions. Then students work together to write their compositions. As different groups of students finish a movement or part of a composition, Hayes records the students performing their piece as the entire class listens. The final compositions are assessed by students and the teacher with a rubric based on student-generated criteria. The project doesn’t stop there.

What the

Research Says

ver the years, many studies have been published that report on the benefits music provides to the brain and learning. A recent issue of Education Week reported on a study from the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute. The study found that, “music training may increase the neural connections in regions of the brain associated with creativity, decision making, and complex memory, and they may improve a student’s ability to process conflicting information from many senses at once.” Based on these findings, researchers say music education can be used to foster brain plasticity, and treat learning disabilities related to language and hearing. Dr. Nina Kraus, a professor and neuroscientist at Northwestern University, has found research that music education improves students’ memory, attention and communication skills and can even help close the “academic gap between rich and poor students.” Additionally, Kraus has found that music education during childhood can help sharpen the brain’s response to sound into the adult years, even if, as adults, they no longer actively participate in music. Ana Pinho, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, has found that music education can be helpful at any age. “Even after stroke and disease, starting musical training can still help you get more from your brain,” she said. “All of these findings show [musical training] can create a lot of plasticity that can produce effectiveness across the brain, in cognition and behavior.” N

January-February 2014

Students then collaborate with their visual art classes to create art works inspired by their composition. Students wrap up the project by making a movie using their artwork and music. The project is student-driven. Students work in teams, they learn about a range of topics, and they use and develop a number of skills such as communication and collaboration. Hayes says the skills and knowledge that students gain in music directly relate to other school subjects and learning objectives such as 21st century skills. “Music is not an isolated island,” Hayes said. “We are integral in all areas of education.” Outside of the classroom, Hayes is on a team of music educators from around the country that is drafting the new Common Core State Standards for music. She is on the writing team for third through fifth grades. The team has met every

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Wisconsin School News

Monday night since last February and the music standards are scheduled to be released this spring. The learning processes and elements that will be included in the new standards for music are emphasized in Hayes’s class projects. For instance, the creative process, a basic process used in all of Hayes’s classes has students imagine, investigate, construct a product, and reflect. “This is exactly what we’re doing when we’re writing and performing music,” Hayes said. “There are so many higher-critical thinking skills taking place.” | A District-Wide Focus

on Music For years, the Neenah Joint School District has worked to offer a number of opportunities for students

in all grade levels to get involved with music. “I think our community sees music as an important connection between the district and the community, and also sees its importance in enhancing the education of our students,” said Superintendent Mary Pfeiffer. In elementary school, all K-5 students take general music. As early as third grade, students can begin taking after-school lessons on a stringed instrument and in fifth grade, students can begin taking band, choir, or orchestra. In sixth grade, all students participate in band, choir, orchestra or a general music class. In Neenah, all sixth-grade students are in one school. Music class occurs at the end of each day, oftentimes, the different music groups will come together to

put on performances for one another. “I think there is a really nice appreciation of one another – they’re all doing music,” said Kristi Stingle Neenah Joint School District K-12 music department chair and Neenah High School orchestra director. At the middle school and high school levels, students have multiple opportunities to take and participate in different levels of band, orchestra, and choir. At Neenah High School, which has about 2,000 students, students can pick from two string orchestras, four choirs, three bands, and an advanced Jazz ensemble. Orchestra, band, and choir all have advanced groups. “The teachers are very dedicated,” Stingle said. “They spend a lot of time with students and give

STUDENTS AND STAFF WORK TOGETHER TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITY FOR STUDENT

ustin, a senior at Waunakee High School, has always loved music. His mother thinks it started when he was just six months old, and music would play by his side in the hospital as he recovered from the first of what would become many surgeries due to complications of bilateral schizencephaly, a rare birth defect with symptoms similar to cerebral palsy. Justin started attending school within the Waunakee Community School District at age three and is now a high school senior. Teachers describe him as a joyful, social teenager with a sense of humor, big smile and infectious personality. He has played cymbal in the high school band since his sophomore year although, because of his condition, his ability to participate in marching band activities was limited. A team of high school students in an engineering class and their instructor, Ryan Ubersox, asked what they could do to help. This started a collaborative effort involving the music department, the engineering class and special education staff who understood the intricacies of Justin’s daily life. In May 2013, students presented the cymbal attachment for Justin’s motorized wheelchair they had constructed. The students discussed the process they went through to design and build an attachment that was strong enough to hold a cymbal at the proper angle for playing. Since then, the cymbal attachment has seen a lot of use. “Justin’s experience in band has done tons for his confidence, responsibility, sense of belonging, social greetings,

physical control, and the early stages of learning to read music,” said Wendy Van Asten, a member of the Waunakee special education staff. “With the cymbal now properly attached to his chair, we can work on even more skill development areas his participation in music can provide.” Justin’s inspirational story is also a testament to the educators in the Waunakee music department, who believe all children have a right to a music education. “Music provides another means through which children can express feelings and ideas even if they are non-verbal or unable to express themselves in other ways,” said Kathy Bartling, music department chair. “We adapt our teaching, materials and resources to enable all students to learn from the experience and participate in connecting with others through music.” N

January-February 2014

them a great opportunity.” “I can’t credit our staff enough,” Pfeiffer said praising Stingle and her colleagues’ work. “They, with the rest of our staff, really help Neenah shine.” As far as students participating in music groups, Stingle agrees that the practice, study, and performance of music aids learning. But, at the middle school and high school levels, she also sees another side of music. From Stingle’s point of view, the opportunity to participate in music can help students find a niche and develop a passion they may not have otherwise discovered. “Students are coming from all different places,” Stingle said. “Maybe a student who doesn’t necessarily feel comfortable speaking out in another class comes to my class and they feel comfortable with their instrument….There are a lot of kids who find themselves in their music classes and watching them grow from their freshman year to their senior year is just amazing.” | More than Just Performing Timothy Schaid, executive director at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education, says the power of music education isn’t just students performing but rather the work, learning, and experiences that occur every day in the music classroom. “The learning that takes place in music class is just as important as learning that takes place in math or English class,” Schaid said. “In music classes, students are collaborating, they are being creative — deep-level learning is taking place. Music class is one of the many important cogs at our schools.” Other organizations like The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a non-profit devoted to promoting and supporting 21st century readiness, agrees that music and the arts are a crucial part of a child’s education. The organization lists the arts (which includes music) among its list of core subject areas. Schaid, who was a music educator and then a high school prin-

Wisconsin School News

cipal before serving as executive director at the Wisconsin Center for Music Education, says there is also a positive academic effect from participating in music. Schaid remembers, as a principal, noting that students who were involved in music had higher grade point averages. Some would argue that higher-achieving students tend to participate in music, however, Schaid would argue this isn’t necessarily the case. In addition to offering positive benefits for students and schools, music

class offers another opportunity for a student to find their niche and passion. Just like athletics, drama, tech ed, fine arts, or any other classes or opportunities offered at a school, Schaid says it’s another opportunity for students to find their place. “I’ve seen music classes bring students to school that otherwise wouldn’t have come to school.” n Anderson is editor of Wisconsin School News. Hill-Breunig is president of the Waunakee School Board.

Music Associations in Wisconsin Offer

Support and Opportunities

he Wisconsin Center for Music Education is a music educational facility serving students, educators and community members throughout Wisconsin. The first of its kind in the nation, it has an extensive music resource room, keyboard lab, recording studio, videoconference services and is a catalyst for innovation and the growth of music and arts education throughout the state. The center is open to teachers, students, and interested individuals, and available for field trips. The Wisconsin Center for Music Education is home to three organizations that support music programming for schools and students and professional development for music educators: the Wisconsin School Music Association (WSMA), the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA), and the Wisconsin Foundation for School Music (WFSM). Timothy Schaid, executive director of the Wisconsin Center for Music Education, encourages interested school leaders, educators, and students to contact the center to see how it can benefit and support music education in your district. For more information, visit www.wsmamusic.org.

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January-February 2014

Sky

The is the Limit Partnership supports integrated technology and engineering program in Brillion

teve Meyer, a technology and engineering teacher in the Brillion Public Schools thinks he may have the answer to the nation’s skilled workforce shortage: K-5 STEM classes. “I’m convinced that it’s one of the best ways to fill the shortage,” Meyer said. When asked what his elementary students have been working on, Meyer talks about his chemical and aerospace engineering projects. That’s right, advanced engineering with elementary school students. While the lessons may not be hitting the technical level of college-level courses, Meyer said his students are wrapping their heads around advanced concepts with hand-on projects. “Kids in elementary school are much smarter than we think,” Meyer said.

“It’s amazing how fast they gobble up information,” adds Brillion High School Principal Paul Nistler. Students in the Brillion Public Schools have a habit of surprising their teachers and school leaders. In 2007, the Ariens Company, a snow blower and lawn mower manufacturer in Brillion, funded a $1.5 million addition to Brillion High School to house the 5,000-squarefoot Ariens Technology and Engineering Education Center. When the school district first approached Ariens Company executives, the company agreed to partially fund the high school addition. The company’s top executives changed their minds when they saw a presentation by Brillion students where they described what they were currently working on and what, with a new technology and engineering center,

| Shelby Anderson they hoped to accomplish. The presentation impressed Ariens Company executives and they decided to completely fund the school’s addition. | Engineering and Tech Ed 2.0 The addition, known as the Ariens Technology and Engineering Education Center, includes a 58-seat lecture room, a design room equipped with computers, a fabrication lab fitted with CNC (computer numerical control) machines, electronics, robotics equipment, laser engravers, and a large, four-plex material processing lab. Since the grand opening of the technology and engineering center, students, staff and administrators at Brillion High School have developed an impressive array of technology classes and opportunities with an in-depth curriculum.

Since the grand opening of the technology and engineering center, students, staff and administrators at Brillion High School have developed an impressive array of technology classes and opportunities with an in-depth curriculum.

Wisconsin School News

Learn More at Convention Educators from the Brillion Public Schools will present a session on the team-taught STEM technology courses at Brillion High School. Catch their session, “A Collaborative STEM Education,” on Thursday, Jan. 23 at the State Education Convention in Milwaukee. For more details, visit wasb.org/convention.

January-February 2014

Some of those classes include computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and a class simply called STEM that is open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors and focuses on all areas of STEM through project-based learning. During a recent visit to the school, students in an automation class, one of the many technology and engineering classes available at Brillion High School, were working on devices that would serve Kool-Aid. The students had to figure out how their machines would dispense the correct ratio of water and Kool-Aid, mix, and serve the final product. Some students were working together while others were soldering LED lights and other electronics to circuit boards. It was evident that, to tackle this project, students were using knowledge from a number of classes and disciplines. “I don’t know how you teach technology without teaching other subjects like math,” Meyer said. In fact, Meyer said the nationwide push for more STEM-focused classes is great but he worries that too often the elements of STEM — science, technology, engineering, mathematics — are taught singularly. “We should be integrating all of those pieces in our classes,” Meyer said. “The real power of STEM is understanding the relationships of all of these classes.” Back in the classroom, while students work quietly on their projects, Meyer stood at the head of the classroom, going over to students who raised their hand. Meyer said he often views his role as a facilitator of learning. “We’ve been able to develop extremely rich projects where students teach themselves,” Meyer said. “If you learn something yourself, you own it.” A lot of students at Brillion High School are opting to “own” their learning. Of the 320 students at the high school, about 200 take a technology and engineering class. Meyer

Wisconsin School News

is also quick to point out that more than 30 percent of those 200 students are female students. Meyer understands that a lot of these students won’t be pursuing careers in engineering or technology, but points out that the knowledge and skills they gain in the technology and engineering classes helps support learning in other subjects. “The work they do in here reinforces the work they are doing in other classes,” Meyer said. “They are applying knowledge to real world applications. This kind of learning is good no matter what occupation they go into.” | New Ideas Looking ahead, the district is also excited about offering more teamtaught technology and engineering classes. The district has held several so far. One team-taught class paired an agriculture teacher with a technology teacher; they had students build water tanks and team taught a class on aquaponics. Another team-taught class developed a trailer camera and powered it with reclaimed solar panels. Students placed the camera in a nearby wetland and focused the camera on a duck nest, which students monitored as ducklings hatched. “Having different teachers come in and help team teach a technology course has been integral for getting new ideas,” Nistler said. “The sky has been the limit here with ideas and projects.” In addition to classes, other opportunities for students have evolved out of the district’s partnership with the Ariens Company.

Meyer said a couple of employees from the Ariens Company will actually take a technology and engineering class at Brillion High School with the students. “They will be learning right alongside the students,” Meyer said. Another opportunity allows a select group of senior students to work on a project closely with the Ariens Company. The seniors are working on a project involving the deck of riding lawn mowers. Elliot Piepenburg is one of the students involved in the senior project. He and the other students meet after school or during study hall to work on the project. Piepenburg, who will be attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, plans on studying engineering. “Opportunities here at Brillion have definitely opened my eyes to the world of engineering,” he said. | Investing in Teachers When asked about the technology and engineering education in the district, Brian Horn, president of the Brillion School Board, first talks about focusing on educators. “We have been implementing the PLC concept for a few years now and hope to invest even more in training staff,” Horn said referring to professional learning communities (PLC), which provide a structure for teachers to collaborate to improve student learning. As for the technology and engineering education, Horn said the board has been supportive. Before Brillion High School partnered with the Ariens Company to build the

Far left: Students work on a mechanism programmed to dispense and serve Kool-Aid. Left: A student demonstrates the bio-arm, which replicates arm movements and functions.

high school addition, the school board made a curriculum change revamping and refocusing its technology classes. “Rather than attempting mastery of any specific subject — for example, wood shop, welding, drafting — we are attempting to create an interest for a career path for the student to pursue in a post-high school educational setting,” Horn said. With a refocused curriculum in place and with the addition following soon after, Horn said this put

the pieces in place for a successful technology program. However, he is quick to point out that it is the staff that has taken the technology and engineering classes to the next level. “A building is just that — a building,” Horn said. “It takes a highly motivated staff supported by top-notch administration, and all the partnerships they have developed in so many areas, that have made it successful.” | Forming Partnerships While not every school has a worldclass manufacturing and engineering firm like the Ariens Company across the street, school leaders at Brillion say that the partnerships and opportunities for students they’ve developed in their schools can be replicated in other districts. “I think boards will be quite surprised that local industry and businesses are very eager to support such

programs at many levels,” Horn said. Horn also said, just as important as working on partnerships with local industry is having a motivated and focused staff. “Getting the right people in the right places is key for anything to work well,” Horn said. “Our tech ed people are more than happy to share the ideas that have made the program successful.” Since the Ariens Technology and Engineering Education Center opened at Brillion High School in 2007, Meyer said the district has given about 60 tours to other schools and industries interested in getting something started in their communities. “When industries and schools get together, magical things happen,” Meyer said. “Schools can’t do it alone and industry can’t do it alone either.” n Anderson is editor of Wisconsin School News.

REPRESENTING SCHOOL DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT WISCONSIN Renae Waterman Aldana Joel S. Aziere Andrew J. Bezouska Clifford B. Buelow Robert H. Buikema Sarrie L. Devore Matthew J. Flanary Mary L. Hubacher

Lindsey A. Kraig Susan M. Love Mark L. Olson Nancy L. Pirkey Gary M. Ruesch Mark F. Vetter Daniel G. Vliet Brian J. Waterman

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January-February 2014

Saving Students New tool from DPI helps schools identify students at risk of dropping out

| Gregg Curtis

s State Superintendent Tony Evers put forth in his comprehensive education initiative, Agenda 2017, “Every child must graduate ready for further education and the workforce. We must align our efforts so all our students are prepared to succeed in college or a career.” Implicit in that message is that students need to progress through their K-12 education developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to successfully negotiate whatever path they choose after high school. Further implicit is the fact that students must graduate from high school, and that is not always the case. The latest available data shows that about 5,300 students dropped

out during the 2011-12 school year. In order to help schools identify potential dropouts and intervene to help them get back on track, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has developed a system to assist schools in identifying students at risk of not graduating. The Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS), available through the state’s secure WISEdash tool, helps schools find these children and

ensure they can be helped earlier and more effectively than ever before. The idea of an early warning system is not new. Several large districts, including Chicago, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee, have developed their own systems. Each was initiated at a different grade level, and each used different criteria to identify students. DEWS is unique in that it identifies students earlier, uses criteria reported at the state level, and is available to districts statewide. In creating DEWS, the DPI subscribed to the principles vital to any effective early warning system. The system must be transparent, scaleable, and accurate. Further, the

The Dropout Early Warning System is designed to be an educational “check engine” light of sorts, raising schools’ awareness of potential student issues.

Wisconsin School News

Number of Wisconsin Public School Students Who Have Dropped Out (2008-09 thru 2011-12)

2011-12

5,361 5,794

2010-11

6,434

2009-10

6,678

2008-09 Source: Department of Public Instruction

system needs to identify at-risk students early in their education, and be reproducible. Wisconsin’s Dropout Early Warning System uses clearly defined criteria to measure risk for 200,000 middle-level students in 1,000 schools. The process can be repeated in future years and provides the same results given the same data. In order to be as accurate as possible, DEWS uses a predictive statistical model to calculate student scores using a combination of demographic and student outcome measures. Depending on the data available, the factors included in the model will change, as will their weight in predicting the outcome. The system is flexible, so it can expand as new data comes online, and as more longitudinal data is available on student cohorts. The variables currently used are: attendance, disciplinary events, assessment scores, and student mobility. Every student’s risk of dropping out is calculated using these variables, and DEWS provides a score from 0-100. The score represents the rate at which students similar to the current student graduated. For example, a score of 75 means that 75 percent of prior students with similar characteristics graduated on time. Currently, DEWS scores are available in WISEdash for current seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade students. Students are classified as “at-risk” if their score crosses a threshold set by DPI. These thresholds can be modified as the model becomes more fully developed and more student graduation data is

realized. In the earlier example of a student with a DEWS score of 75, this student’s risk level would be classified as “Moderate.” DEWS is not meant to be the only source of information used to identify students at risk of not graduating. Rather, it is designed to be an educational “check engine” light of sorts, raising schools’ awareness of potential student issues. The school can then use their local knowledge — e.g., academic status, behavior data, teacher input, program context, parent input, and any other special circumstances — to determine the student’s real-time status and design appropriate interventions as necessary. It is important to remember that DEWS is not to be used alone, but must be combined with

other local data to give schools the most complete picture. Several resources are available through DPI to assist districts in using DEWS. The first stop for anyone wanting more information should be the DEWS website, http:// wise.dpi.wi.gov/wise_dashdews. Here you will find some basic information and links to other useful resources; including a DEWS Fact Sheet and checklist. The most comprehensive resource on accessing, interpreting, and using the DEWS scores is found in the DEWS Action Guide, wise.dpi.wi.gov/files/wise/pdf/ wi-dews-actionguide2013.pdf. n Curtis, PhD, is the education consultant for School Counseling on the DPI Student Services/Prevention and Wellness Team.

TIPS for Using an Early Warning System As schools use the Department of Public Instruction’s new Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS) to help identify at-risk students, there are a few key concepts to keep in mind when using an early warning system.

b Focus on effective intervention, not just identification. Finding these students is not the total desired outcome. Finding them and intervening to diminish the barriers to graduation is the goal. b Recognize and build on student strengths. DEWS only uses four variables in its model. Students are much more complex than can be illustrated in four variables. b Match resources to student needs, but practice intervention discipline. Intervention overload should be avoided, and the best way to do that is to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. b Remember, teachers and administrators can get started with just the local data currently available in their schools. View and use the Dropout Early Warning System at: http://wise.dpi.wi.gov/wise_dashdews

January-February 2014

PUTTING A

Global Twist

ON LEARNING The Green Lake School District and others have bought into a program that promotes international learning, would it work for your district? Shelby Anderson

ix years ago, the Green Lake School District was challenged by its school board to reinvigorate student learning. “Students were getting kind of complacent,” Green Lake Principal Mary Allen said. “And we weren’t really keeping up with 21st century learning like we should have.” The school administration team and educators researched options and came across the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. IB is an international, non-profit organization that offers three programs for students from 3 to 19 years old that, according to the IB website, “help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world.” The Green Lake School Board supported the idea to pursue IB certification and by the start of the

Wisconsin School News

2011-12 school year, the district was a certified IB school. In Wisconsin, about 16 public schools, including Green Lake, have active IB programs. There are three programs within the IB structure. Schools can be certified for the Primary Years Program (grades 4k-6), the Middle Years Program (grades 7-10), or the Diploma Program (grades 11 and 12). There is also a Career-related Certificate for students in grades 11 and 12. Most schools offer one or two of the programs, the Green Lake School District is currently the only district in the state to have all students eligible to participate. However, getting certified isn’t an easy process. It lasts several years, involves a lot of teacher training, and culminates in a rigorous authorization process that brings authorizers from all over world into your school. The authorizers spend several days in the school interviewing teachers and taking detailed documentation. Although the Green Lake School District is an authorized IB school, its IB journey is far from over. Teachers and administrators are continually required to seek professional development opportunities related to the school’s IB programs, and the district must reauthorize every four years.

| IB at Green Lake There are many elements to each of the IB programs, yet the programs — Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma — allow the district to teach its own curriculum. “IB is kind of like the backbone and then the district can build upon it how they want,” Green Lake Superintendent Ken Bates said. “Some people think IB is the whole house, but it’s really just the foundation and the structure, and then you can decorate it how you want.” At Green Lake, the IB program begins in kindergarten when students start their education in the district and begin participation in the Primary Years Program. According to the IB website, the Primary Years Program: “encourages students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning; supports students’ efforts to gain understanding of the world and to function comfortably within it; and helps students establish personal values as a foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish.” When kindergarten students come into the district, Allen said, they are taught about who they are, where they come from, and they learn about their community. Once they have an understanding of these

elements, they begin to learn about the bigger world. The district also works to get students, even kindergarten students, to direct their learning. Bates is proud of a project in which kindergarten students plan and organize their own field trip. The students do everything from scheduling buses,

Wisconsin International Baccalaureate Schools Here is a list of Wisconsin public schools that have authorized Internaltional Baccalaureate (IB) programs. Worldwide, there are more than 1,139,000 students at 3,678 schools in 146 countries. PYP = Primary Years Program MYP = Middle Years Program DP = Diploma Program

n Green Bay Area Public Schools: Bay Port High School (DP) Chappell Elementary School (PYP) Franklin Middle School (MYP) Green Bay West High School (DP) n Green Lake School District: Green Lake School (PYP) (MYP) (DP) n Manitowoc School District: Lincoln High School (DP) n Milwaukee Public Schools: Academy of Accelerated Learning (PYP) MacDowell Montessori School (DP) Ronald Wilson Reagan College Preparatory High School (MYP) (DP) Rufus King International School (MYP) (DP) Wedgewood Park International School (MYP) n Oconomowoc School District: Oconomowoc High School (DP) (IBCC) n Racine Unified School District: Jefferson Lighthouse Elementary School (PYP) Jerome I. Case High School (DP) McKinley Middle School (MYP) n Wausau School District: Wausau East High School (DP) For more information, visit ibo.org.

January-February 2014

creating the trip itinerary, to discussing program features with staff at the destination site. Bates says this exercise gets students to own their learning, but also gets the young students to use critical thinking and problem-solving and enable them to negotiate the world around them. At the end of the Primary Years Program, when students are in sixthgrade, they participate in a culmi-

nating project. This project varies each year. Bates talked about a recent culminating project in which students worked in small groups and investigated a social issue. The project involved a research paper, a class presentation and then, ultimately, a presentation to the community. “We open the gym and our students present their projects to parents and community members,” Bates said.

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMS c PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAM Grades 4K-6 c b Encourages students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning.

b Supports students’ efforts to gain understanding of the world and to function comfortably within it.

b Helps students establish personal values as a foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish.

c MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAM Grades 7-10 c b Enables students to understand and manage the complexities of our world, and provides them with the skills and attitudes they need in order to take responsible action for the future.

b Ensures breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding through the study of eight subject areas.

b Requires the study of at least two languages to support students in understanding their own culture and that of others.

b Provides the opportunity for students to undertake an independent project into an area of interest.

c DIPLOMA PROGRAM Grades 11-12 c The Diploma Program prepares students for effective participation in a rapidly evolving and increasingly global society as they:

b Acquire breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding, studying courses from six subject groups;

b Develop the skills and a positive attitude toward learning that will prepare them for higher education;

b Study at least two languages and increase understanding of cultures, including their own;

b Make connections across traditional academic disciplines and explore the nature of knowledge through the program’s unique theory of knowledge course;

b Undertake in-depth research into an area of interest through the lens of one or more academic disciplines in the extended essay; and

b Enhance their personal and interpersonal development through creativity, action, and service projects.

A tenet of all programs is to help students to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically.

Wisconsin School News

| Middle Years The Middle Years Program (grades 7-10) is a continuation of the Primary Years Program but adds new levels of learning and interaction. According to the IB website, the Middle Years Program: “enables students to understand and manage the complexities of our world, and provides them with the skills and attitudes they need in order to take responsible action for the future; ensures breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding through the study of eight subject areas; requires the study of at least two languages to support students in understanding their own culture and that of others; and provides the opportunity for students to undertake an independent project in an area of interest.” The Middle Years Program culminates in what is called the Personal Project. Students present, in a personal way, their understanding of real-world themes, concepts, and issues. The project, which requires students to interact with the world beyond the school walls, can take various forms such as an essay, a piece of creative writing, an original science experiment, the organization of an event, or any other project approved by the teacher. Bates said that one student learned Italian and another student wrote an ordinance to have chickens in the city and presented it to the city council (it failed but the student still learned a lot). “These are projects that are driven by the student’s interest,” Bates said. “One of the things that

IB stresses is project-based learning and student-led learning. We use the project to engage students with their interests, have them go out and do the work, and come up with ideas and solutions, delving into a topic deeply.” | Diploma Program While all students at Green Lake go through the Primary Years and Middle Years Programs, the Diploma Program (for juniors and seniors) is optional. The program is an intense two-year process in which students take six required subjects; write a 4,000-word extended essay; complete a Theory of Knowledge course; and complete a number of creativity, action, and service (CAS) projects. To earn the IB diploma, students also need to take an exam administered by IB. While the program is intense, it is recognized by the world’s top universities — some colleges offer up to 36 college credits for students who earn an IB diploma. This school year, out of 26 seniors in the district, five are pursuing the IB diploma. However, even if students in 11th and 12th grades don’t opt to pursue the full diploma, they can still take the advanced classes that are offered as part of the Diploma Program. These classes include a rigorous class called Theory of Knowledge that develops students into critical thinkers. According to Bates, Tony Wagner, a renowned education author, has provided his support of IB programs. Wagner argues that IB is even better than Advanced Placement (AP) courses because, while AP classes

teach students what to think, IB programs teach students how to think. Bates also likes that many of the projects that his students do are public-minded and benefit the entire community, not just the school. For one of their CAS projects, which are part of the Diploma Program, a student opted to redesign and improve a city park, planting native prairie grasses and improving the park. Another student raised funds to improve a city baseball field. “These kinds of projects are all part of civic engagement, which is an emerging element of 21st century learning,” Bates said. | IB for Teachers Bates and Allen also discussed some of the benefits for teachers in the IB program. IB challenges teachers to collaborate more with other educators in their schools. In fact, educators at authorized IB schools, like Green Lake, have time to collaborate with other teachers on multi-disciplinary projects. Teachers also participate in statewide and national training opportunities. “Everyone gets the same training,” Bates said. “So you have teachers from Tennessee, California,

and Wisconsin working together on how to write units. It breaks down those barriers and promotes teacher learning.” At the time that Bates was interviewed for this article, IB teachers from around the state were meeting at his school discussing IB practices and instruction in their classrooms. | IB for Beginners Districts that are interested in IB should know that it is an intense and long application process. As part of a district’s application process, educators have to teach using the IB program for an entire year and then reflect upon the experience before the school can even apply. Also, there is a cost of $8,000 per-year, per-program. “It’s not an easy road to go, but it provides focus and a clear direction for our district,” Bates said. Still, the cost can make it hard for a smaller district like Green Lake to support the program, but in the end Green Lake supports the IB program because it is seeing positive benefits for its students. “We did it for the students,” Allen said. “We wanted our students to have a top-notch, world-class program.” n Anderson is editor of Wisconsin School News.

January-February 2014

10 Good Things Note: This article shares positive information and statistics related to public education. School board members are encouraged to review their own related statistics and develop talking points in support of their schools’ progress.

about Public Education Patte Barth

he naysayers are wrong—public schools are not failing. Here’s a list of the many things we are doing right, with suggestions for ways to improve even more. Policymakers and pundits have decried “our failing schools” so often it’s become an accepted truth. But the naysayers are wrong. To be sure, our schools need to do better. But we have much to be proud of, too, and it’s on this foundation that we can build a 21st century system that will work for all kids. It’s time that we recognize our accomplishments and give our public schools a collective pat on the back. Here is my personal Top 10 list of things we’re doing right and where we should go next.

10 A tradition of universal education

Beginning in 1642 when Massachusetts enacted the country’s first education law, Americans have placed a high premium on producing an educated populace. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Whenever the

people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” Indeed, the history of American education is one of expanding educational opportunity. From the push for compulsory schooling in the last half of the 19th century through Brown v. Board of Education in the mid-20th, it’s a story that continues to this day. What’s next? The Common Core State Standards define expectations for all students that will prepare them for their next steps, whether they lead to a four-year college, two-year credentials, or training for 21st century jobs. At this writing, 46 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core State Standards.

Beginning reading

Over the last decade, our fourthgraders have improved their reading skills by six points on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). If that doesn’t sound like much, consider that 10 points on the NAEP scale is approximately one year’s worth of learning. More significantly, the gains have largely been from the bottom up, and the achievement gap is narrowing between children of color and their white classmates. As a bonus, American fourth-graders rank among

Wisconsin School News

students from the top-scoring nations in reading literature. What’s next? Middle- and highschoolers aren’t making the same gains. We need to do more than just teach kids how to read, but also focus on developing critical readers, especially of informational texts.

Civics

On the 1999 international assessment in civics, U.S. ninth-graders were No. 1 in civics skills. By a lot. But what about now? There hasn’t been an international look at this topic since then, but NAEP offers a clue. Over the last decade, American fourth-graders have improved their civics performance by seven points. Hispanic students improved the most — by a whopping 17 points. What’s next? As with reading, middle and high school students are not showing the same progress as their younger siblings. This deserves our attention, considering that high school seniors are able to cast their first votes or will be voting soon.

English Language Learners

An original study for NSBA’s Center for Public Education (CPE) compared the reading achievement and characteristics of limited-English-speaking students in the U.S. to

other industrial nations with high proportions of immigrant children (“PIRLS of Wisdom,” 2009). While English Language Learner (ELL) students in American public schools tend to come from poorer families compared to those in other countries, their schools nonetheless provide resources not available to their international counterparts and their performance is as good or better as a result. The big advantage? The U.S. has more teachers trained to teach ELL students. What’s next? The number of ELL teachers, though larger than other countries, is still too small to meet the need. Another big issue: Evidence-based instruction for ELL students too often takes a backseat to politics. Yet the research is clear in this regard: Dual-immersion programs produce the best long-range results for ELL students, followed by language support in elementary school. Despite its appeal to some, English-only submersion has been proven to have the least effect (CPE, 2007).

ESEA and IDEA: Monumental laws

In 1965, the country passed the first Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) as part of President Johnson’s war on poverty. Its intent was to provide poor children equal access to a solid public education. As such, ESEA did nothing less than establish education as a civil right, and every president since then has supported the provision of Title I funds to schools serving poor children. These goals were further extended to children with disabilities in 1975’s Education for All Handicapped Children Act, now the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which guarantees a “free and appropriate” education to all special-needs children. What’s next? Under President George W. Bush, ESEA became the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It added a sharp focus — and school accountability — on narrowing achievement gaps among groups of students based on race, ethnicity,

family income, and special needs. While the idea of accountability no doubt will continue, both NCLB proponents and critics recognize that adjustments need to be made.

High-level high school courses

One of public education’s biggest successes is the increase in high school academic rigor. In 1990, less than a third of high school seniors (31 percent) had a core curriculum that included math through at least Algebra II and three lab sciences. By 2009, that number was 59 percent. Moreover, the course-taking gap between white and black students has disappeared. What’s next? The Office of Civil Rights recently reported that there are still 3,000 high schools in the country lacking the capacity to offer Algebra II, meaning their graduates will not be college-ready or qualified to enter training programs for many 21st century jobs. Making sure all students have access to high-level courses and support to succeed must be among our highest public priorities.

January-February 2014

High-quality prekindergarten

No educational investment pays off more than making sure children are ready for school when they enter the kindergarten door. Recognizing the potential return on investment, states have been expanding access to and increasing the quality of pre-k programs. Over the last decade, the number of 4-year-olds enrolled in state-supported ported programs has doubled to 27 percent in 2011. And it’s not just access that’s improving. States have been more active in ensuring the programs attend to children’s educational preparation as well as to their social and emotional development. What’s next? Despite the recession, states have attempted to preserve their pre-k funding. However, in 2011, we witnessed the first decline in state funding for pre-k since 2002. These are painful setbacks, as the nation still has a long way to go to ensure universal access for families who wish to participate in pre-k.

High school graduation rates

Researchers have uncovered student characteristics — such as poor attendance, failing grades, and disciplinary actions — that are highly predictive of students who may be in danger of dropping out. In response, states and districts have implemented data systems to flag these “early warning signs” and provide effective interventions, often in collaboration with community-based organizations. The result is that graduation rates are beginning to improve. Since 2002, on-time graduation rates have increased from 72.6 percent to 75.5 percent in 2011. According to an analysis by CPE’s Jim Hull, including late graduates in the calculation would raise that rate by another 5 to 8 percentage points. What’s next? Even an 80 percent to 83 percent graduation rate leaves too many young people out of jobs paying a decent wage. President Obama has set a goal for the nation to reach a 90 percent high school

graduation rate by 2020. Reaching this mark will require the combined efforts of schools and their communities to keep kids in school and on track to graduate.

Mathematics: Yes, really!

We may not be No. 1 in mathematics internationally, but math progress is still the great untold story in American education. Since 1990, American fourth-graders have gained a phenomenal 28 points on NAEP math. Eighth-graders weren’t far behind, posting a 21-point boost over the same period. And progress was evident in every student group. Still not convinced? Scores on the mathematics portion of the SAT are significantly higher than in 1972, while the number of test-takers has more than doubled so that the scores no longer represent the academic elite alone. What’s next? Education technology may be the engine that propels the math achievement of all students, and can be especially helpful in remote or hard-to-staff schools. Innovators

Stand Up for Public Education New Website Shares Public Education Success Stories The WASB Stand Up for Public Education campaign helps local school districts spread the word about their students’ successes and how they benefit their communities. Join us in sharing your stories and learning about the great things that are happening in public schools across Wisconsin. For more information on how you can share your success story, visit wasb.org and click on the button “Stand Up for Public Education.” We look forward to hearing from your district!

Visit the new website at wasb.org (click on button “Stand Up for Public Education”)

Wisconsin School News

like Sal Khan are developing new ways to make even the most sophisticated concepts understandable to students using online platforms. Moreover, access is not determined by geography. And my No. 1 good thing about public education is …

Community support

Approximately nine out of 10 schoolaged children attend public schools in this country — a figure that has remained fairly stable for 40 years. Communities maintain their support of their local schools even as their opinion of public education in general declines. In 2013, only 18 percent of Americans told Gallup pollsters that they would grade American public education as an A or B. In contrast, 53 percent would give an A or B to their local schools. When asked to explain the discrepancy, respondents cited familiarity and local pride. What’s next? Public schools have their work cut out for them, especially as they tackle the job of preparing all

Stand Up

for PUBLIC EDUCATION

ast fall, the WASB launched a new blog-style website and social media campaign, “Stand Up for Public Education,” to share the many success stories of Wisconsin public schools. Since the launch, the WASB has shared dozens of success stories. The website has highlighted stories about a volunteer project in Germantown, a new career and technical education program at Beloit Memorial High School, a student-led playground project in Fond du Lac, and many more. The WASB looks forward to sharing more but needs your help. The WASB invites you to join in standing up for public education by following the WASB on Facebook and Twitter, and sharing the stories of innovative programs and student successes from across the state. For more information about how to share your stories, visit the WASB website at wasb.org and click on the “Stand Up for Public Education” button. N

of their students for success after high school in this increasingly complex 21st century world. Policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels all have a role to play. But the supportive involvement of the community — from one district to the next — is our

strongest guarantee that the challenge will be met. n Barth (pbarth@nsba.org) is the director of NSBA’s Center for Public Education. Reprinted with permission from American School Board Journal, June 2012. Copyright 2012 National School Boards Association. All rights reserved.

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January-February 2014

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

2014 WASB Event Calendar Here is a look at the conferences, seminars, workshops, and other events that make up the 2014 WASB Event Calendar. Event descriptions include WASB Member Recognition points. For more information on the WASB Member Recognition Program, visit wasb. org and select “Meetings and Events” and then “Member Recognition Program.” Please note: dates and locations subject to change. For the latest WASB event information, visit wasb.org.

JANUARY

20-24 93rd State Education Convention Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee (30 points) The 93rd State Education Convention features dozens of sessions led by school leaders and stakeholders from around the state. Each day is headlined by respected keynote speakers and features a selection of special events. The Exhibit Hall brings in hundreds of respected vendors focused on serving public education.

FEBRUARY

27-28 Legal & Human Resources Conference Chula Vista, Wisconsin Dells (10 points) This seminar, taking place over the course of two separate days, will cover a broad range of topics, with distinct tracks of sessions.

MARCH

28 Executive Coaching Workshop Crowne Plaza, Madison (10 points) Designed for initial and second-year district administrators, the WASB Coaching Program includes the active participation of the school board president. The intent of the program is to build the working relationship and strengthen the leadership capacity of the participants. It is open to all members.

APRIL

1 Spring Elections for School Board Members

Wisconsin School News

5-7 NSBA Annual Conference New Orleans, LA (30 points)

14-18 New Board Member Gatherings Various Locations (5 points) Newly elected school board members are invited to meetings where WASB staff will introduce important legal, policy, and board governance topics.

MAY

Date TBD Spring Academy Location TBD (10 points) This event provides attendees with a foundation in board governance and policy-based decision making.

AUGUST

staff, and vote for your WASB Regional Director (where applicable). Meetings are scheduled in Sept. and Oct.

26-27 Policy and Resolutions Committee Meeting, Madison (10 points for serving on committee) The Policy and Resolutions Committee evaluates the resolutions submitted by WASB member boards and determines which resolutions will advance to the 2015 WASB Delegate Assembly.

OCTOBER

16-17 WSAA/WASB School and Employment Law Seminar Kalahari Resort, Wisconsin Dells (10 points) Hear the latest on personnel and employment law and listen in as Wisconsin school attorneys from around the state discuss the latest issues in Wisconsin school law.

Executive Coaching Workshop Crowne Plaza, Madison (10 points)

See March 28 for details.

Policy and Resolutions Committee Meeting Holiday Inn, Stevens Point The second and final Policy and Resolutions Committee meeting before the 2015 WASB Delegate Assembly.

2 Leadership Institute Crowne Plaza, Madison (10 points) Designed for school board members interested in honing their leadership skills. This event will feature tracks on governance, finance, and accountability.

SEPTEMBER

Dates TBD Fall Regional Meetings Various Locations (5 points) Connect with school leaders from around your WASB region, hear a special presentation from the WASB

NOVEMBER

8 Legislative Advocacy Conference Holiday Inn, Stevens Point (10 points) The Legislative Advocacy Conference brings together state legislators, school funding experts, and school leaders as they discuss legislative topics that will affect public educations. Also learn important advocacy strategies critical to advocating on behalf of your district.

2014 WASB MEMBER SURVEY The WASB is conducting a member survey. In order to guide our planning and improve our services, we want to better understand our members’ perception of our services, programs, and publications as well as your concerns for the future. Surveys were sent out to WASB members’ email addresses. If you’d like a paper version of the survey to fill out, please call the WASB toll-free at 877-705-4422. Your input is greatly appreciated.

WASB Remembers Mary Janssen Janssen was region 7 director and past president of the WASB

Mary Janssen, region 7 director and past president of the WASB, passed away Dec. 10 from complications following heart surgery. Mary had been a member of the Little Chute school board for 25 years with the last 18 years as board president. With her leadership, she helped pass four referendums that included two building referendums and two operational referendums. In 2010, Mary was elected as president of the WASB. At the time of her passing, she was serving as the region 7 director, a position she had served in for seven years. As director, she met tirelessly with local and state officials in an effort to improve state funding and overall support for public school teachers and children. “Mary was passionate about education, always striving to learn more and improve education in Little Chute and for the children of Wisconsin,” WASB Executive Director John Ashley said. “The WASB sends its deepest sympathies to the Little Chute Area School District and to Mary’s family and friends. The WASB and public education in Wisconsin are better off because of Mary’s tireless work.”

Message from the Little Chute Area School District: Ms. Janssen was a frequent visitor and guest in our classrooms, and extra-curricular activities. She was a strong advocate for children who lived in at-risk conditions. She did not have a lot of patience for school systems that failed to reach their neediest learners. One of her favorite sayings was “I know we have some unmotivated children and uninvolved parents, what school district doesn’t? Don’t tell me about the obvious; tell me what you are going to do about it!” She was a believer in pre-K education, participated as an adult mentor for high school students, and was a promoter of our Boys and Girls Club Partnership. She believed community fostered education and education fostered community. Ms. Janssen also served as the environmentalist for St. John’s Church, treasurer for the Friends of the Library and a member of the Village Parks Committee. To say Ms. Janssen was a strong activist for public education is an understatement. She loved her role as a board member but more importantly she loved being a board member for Little Chute. She was proud to say “I am from Little Chute and our district takes care of all children — not just the easy ones!”

NEW REGIONAL DIRECTOR ELECTED This past fall, Ron Frea, a school board member from the Pewaukee School District, was elected director of WASB Region 11. Frea is an 11-year member of the Pewaukee School Board where he has served as president and vice president, and currently serves as chairman of its policy committee. Mr. Frea is a CPA with more than 37 years of experience and recently retired as a director from Deloitte

Tax LLP. He is still active in the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants as a member of its Federal Taxation Committee. Prior to becoming a CPA, Ron taught high school mathematics for five years. He enjoys golf and other outdoor activities and is involved with various charitable and community organizations. Frea will officially begin his three-year term after the WASB Delegate Assembly on Jan. 22 at the State Education Convention. N

January-February 2014

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

Common Core, Uncommon Controversy Common Core Standards appear safe in Wisconsin, for now

ow that the work of a pair of special legislative study committees reviewing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics has been nearly completed, it appears likely those standards will remain in place, at least for the time being. However, their future and especially their lifespan remains somewhat unclear as legislators appear poised to review them carefully, perhaps with an eye toward adopting Wisconsin-specific standards. In mid-December, separate reports were released by the Assembly and Senate select committees charged with reviewing the CCSS. The reports differ in their focus, and while both reports recommend regular legislative review of the standards (see below), neither recommends outright repeal. The Assembly report calls for reasserting legislative control over standards adoption in Wisconsin and a prompt review of the CCSS mathematics and English language arts standards as well as a review of Wisconsin’s recent attempt to revise these standards completed in 2009. Committee members suggest that the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) should halt the adoption of other nationally developed standards, such as science or social studies standards currently under development (by organizations other than those that developed the CCSS), arguing that “Wisconsin is best served by creating Wisconsin-based educational standards.” The Senate report calls for establishing guidelines for the adoption of academic standards in Wisconsin with legislative review, along with the

establishment of a state review board that would be responsible for periodic review of state standards. It also recommends delaying the rollout of the “Smarter Balanced” test, which aligns with new Common Core Standards, for two years to allow lawmakers to review how that test is working in other states. | Next Steps Unclear Throughout the study committee review period, many observers questioned whether lawmakers, particularly conservative lawmakers who dominated the study panels, could reach a consensus on a course of action. That question remains unanswered. As his committee signed off on its report, state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac), chair of the Assembly study committee, indicated to reporters that he doesn’t plan to collaborate with his Senate counterpart, Sen. Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee), the Senate study committee chair. Instead, Rep. Thiesfeldt indicated that his role was only to chair the committee and suggested it may be left to others to draft legislation suggested by his committee. Thiesfeldt summarized his committee’s main focus when he stated, “The committee strongly believes Wisconsin is best served when our schools are guided by Wisconsin-based standards. Our state must immediately begin working to reassert local control of schools, protect student privacy and data, prepare our students with standards for STEM-related vocations, and implement a process to review our current standards—including Common Core English language arts and Common

Core mathematics standards.” Meanwhile, Sen. Farrow delayed a vote by his study committee after Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Wauwatosa), a committee member, called publicly for a full repeal of the CCSS. The divergent viewpoints reflected in the reports and public positions taken by some committee members suggest that reaching a consensus remains one of the biggest roadblocks to any definitive legislative action on the CCSS. | Path to Controversy It’s worth remembering that the CCSS were not always so controversial. In fact, after State Superintendent Tony Evers adopted the Common Core Standards in June 2010, the Wisconsin Legislature took a number of actions that appeared to reaffirm that decision. In June 2011, for example, lawmakers included a provision in the 2011-13 biennial budget act that required the DPI to replace the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE) with new pupil assessments that measured mastery of the CCSS. Then in January 2012, the Governor’s Read to Lead Task Force recommendations included a DPI review and update of Wisconsin’s Model Early Learning Standards to ensure alignment of early childhood learning standards with the CCSS. More recently, in the current 2013-15 budget act, lawmakers provided funding for the state’s use of a new “Smarter Balanced” assessment system and ACT Suite of tests that will be aligned to the CCSS and also provided funding for a statewide educator effectiveness system

An Assembly report calls for reasserting legislative control over standards adoption in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin School News

that will use CCSS-aligned assessments, along with other data, to evaluate teachers and principals. During this period, however, public controversy over the standards was brewing among groups at both ends of the political spectrum, and particularly from conservatives. | Common Core Viewpoints In Wisconsin, lawmakers responded to these varied criticisms by calling upon the DPI to hold a series of hearings on the standards and by forming separate special study committees in each house to hold their own hearings around the state to gather information. The Senate and Assembly select committees, as the study panels were called, held four hearings around the state — in Madison, Fond du Lac, Eau Claire and Wausau. Many school leaders testified at those hearings about the steps they had taken to implement the Common Core Standards and the impact the new standards were having on student achievement. Many opponents also testified, raising a number of strong concerns. In general, there was agreement in the testimony on the following points:

b Rigorous state standards are

desirable, and the CCSS are more detailed, specific and rigorous than Wisconsin’s 1998 Model Academic Standards in English language arts and mathematics they replaced;

b The responsibility for deter-

mining what curriculum and instructional materials will be used in a district should remain with local school boards and districts; and

b Student data privacy should be safeguarded. Testimony in support of the standards included the following points:

b The CCSS cover all grade levels

(rather than only three as under the state’s former Model Academic Standards); thus, they

provide uniformity and give teachers a better idea of the skills students should have at each grade level;

b Having common standards will help students stay on track academically if they transfer to other districts;

b The CCSS and the tests aligned to them will help hold schools and teachers accountable; and

b School districts have already

spent large amount of time and money implementing the standards.

Among the concerns expressed were the following:

b The federal government exerted

undue influence on states to coerce them to adopt the CCSS;

b The process of adopting and

implementing the CCSS was not transparent;

b The range of choices in instructional materials may be limited because publishers will align materials to the CCSS; and

b Wisconsin should have stan-

dards that are uniquely adapted to the needs of Wisconsin students, which may not be possible because the CCSS are copyrighted.

A number of these concerns were addressed by the recommendations the eight-member Assembly committee (6 Republicans, 2 Democrats) voted to adopt:

b The legislature should modify

current law to ensure the privacy of student data.

b The legislature should restrict the collection of biometric student data.

b The DPI should create a STEMbased addendum to Wisconsin 9-12 standards.

b The legislature should affirm the existing authority of Wisconsin K-12 public school boards to choose and adopt their own:

x local academic standards; x curricular materials; and x instructional methods. b The legislature should establish a

statutory process for the continued review and adoption of model academic standards that reasserts legislative control and includes substantial public input. That process should include review and consideration of Wisconsin’s prior revision attempts, incorporating the mathematic and English language arts standards that were revised and completed in 2009. Additionally, the process should begin with a review of mathematics and English language arts standards.

b The legislature urges DPI to

refrain from adopting any Common Core-related or any other curricular materials. These decisions are best left to local school boards.

b The legislature should aggres-

sively oppose any direct or indirect effort by the federal government to further intrude into Wisconsin K-12 education. Academic standards shall be adopted locally, without federal interference, and statewide assessments shall be adopted at the state level, upon the approval of the legislature.

b Wisconsin is best served by

creating Wisconsin-based educational standards.

Recommendations 3 and 4 were adopted unanimously. All others were adopted by a (6-2) party line vote. With no final action yet by the Senate committee, exactly what legislation will be brought forward and/or adopted remains to be seen. For information on the final recommendations, if any, advanced by the Senate Select Committee on Common Core Standards, please consult the Legislative Update in your weekly eConnection, the WASB electronic newsletter. n

January-February 2014

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

Q&A

Service Associate Q&A

Featuring Maritime’s Mike Mrdjenovich

Editor’s note: Each issue, we will pose questions to a WASB Service Associate to share the good work that these businesses are doing with Wisconsin public schools.

Q. A.

What services does Maritime Insurance provide to districts?

Maritime has provided Property & Casualty, Employee Benefits, Financial Services and Risk Management services to Wisconsin Public Schools for 25 years. Schools have been a specialty of Maritime from the beginning.

Q. What separates Maritime from other providers?

A. Maritime is unique in that we provide local service and expertise, but bring the tools and resources of a global insurance broker. Q. What is one big issue in your field related to public education?

A. The biggest challenges we face

working with public schools are related to budget issues and health insurance. These are real challenges for our business managers we work with.

Q. Can you give some examples of how you’ve helped school districts? A. Sitting down face-to-face with business managers or superintendents and going through what the districts exposures are, have proved to be well worth their time. Business managers and superintendents wear so many hats, it’s very difficult to keep pace with all the things that can go wrong. By having a meaningful discussion on what’s covered and what’s not, is valuable time spent. Some of the gray areas of coverage and concerns include: boiler and machinery coverage, injunctive acts, data compromise/cyber liability, IEP litigation, and safety programs. We help school districts by outlining a detailed plan on how to address all of the above items and delegate others to be involved as a team. Helping districts clearly understand what their insurance protects 28

Wisconsin School News

them from, helps promote a great risk management program for the district.

Q. What do you enjoy about working with public school districts? A. District administrators have a difficult job. It’s rewarding to make their lives a little easier knowing their district is covered properly. My dad is a retired school superintendent and my wife is a first-grade teacher. I have a true understanding of the needs a district has when it comes to an effective risk management plan. After 30 years, I’m familiar with what they need and can speak their language. Q. If you could give school leaders one piece of insurance advice, what would it be? A. My piece of advice for school

administrators — be involved in the risk management process, you might be surprised on the cost savings your district can attain. n

Mike Mrdjenovich is president of Maritime Insurance Group, a HUB International Company.

The WASB Service Associates Program includes more than 20 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.”

Encouraging kids to believe in themselves can lead to amazing things. That’s why Junior Achievement and Kohl’s Cares partnered to bring you JA BizTown and JA Finance Park. Housed in the Junior Achievement Kohl’s Education Center, these programs empower kids as they experience the challenges of adult life. With the help of JA’s 90-year history, rewarding K-12 curriculum, and volunteer network, we’ll continue to inspire kids to pursue their biggest dreams. Learn more at wisconsin.ja.org

LEGAL COMMENT

B oa r d m a n & C l a r k LL P

Effects of Decertification of the Exclusive Bargaining Representative

chool boards are continuing to address many issues following the enactment of 2011 Wisconsin Acts 10 and 32. One of the issues raised by Acts 10 and 32 is the potential decertification of the exclusive representative of a bargaining unit in the district and the implications thereof. Act 10 includes a requirement that the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (WERC) conduct annual certification elections to certify that the exclusive representative of a bargaining unit continues to have sufficient support from the employees in the unit. A lack of necessary support will lead to decertification of the exclusive representative. If the exclusive representative is decertified, school boards may have questions related to the effects of such decertification. In particular, boards may question whether employees or the former representative continue to have rights related to concerted activity, representation during any grievance, or access to information from the district. This Legal Comment will discuss decertification of the exclusive representative and the effects of such decertification.1

| Decertification under the

Municipal Employment Relations Act The Wisconsin Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA) is the law governing municipal employees

in Wisconsin. “Municipal employee” is defined as any individual employed by a municipal employer (which includes a school district) other than an independent contractor, supervisor, or confidential, managerial, or executive employee.2 Thus, municipal employees typically include teachers and most support staff in the district. MERA identifies various rights for municipal employees, including the right to organize and choose a representative for collective bargaining with their municipal employer.3 It is a prohibited practice for a municipal employer to interfere with, restrain, or coerce municipal employees in the exercise of these rights.4 It is also a prohibited practice for a municipal employer to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization by discrimination in regard to hiring, tenure, or other terms or conditions of employment.5 It is important to note, however, that municipal employees also have the right to refrain from such activities.6 The most common representative chosen is a labor organization. MERA defines “labor organization” as any employee organization in which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in whole or in part, of engaging in collective bargaining with municipal employers concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages, hours, and conditions of employment.7 If employees elect to have a representa-

tive (such as a labor organization), all employees in a bargaining unit for which there is an exclusive representative are represented by that exclusive representative. This is true regardless of whether an employee is a member of the exclusive representative or not. In other words, although an employee may not be a member of the representative (e.g., labor union), the employee is still represented by that representative. As mentioned, under Acts 10 and 32, the WERC is now required to conduct an annual election to certify that the exclusive representative of a bargaining unit continues to have support from the employees in the unit.8 In particular, the representative must receive at least 51 percent of the votes of the entire bargaining unit. If no representative receives at least 51percent of the votes of all of the general municipal employees in the bargaining unit, the WERC is required to decertify the current representative at the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, if one exists, and the employees in the bargaining unit shall be nonrepresented. If the exclusive representative becomes decertified, the affected employees may not be included in a substantially similar bargaining unit for twelve months from the date of decertification. The effect of decertification means that the employees within the bargaining unit are no longer represented by their former exclusive bargaining representative with

School boards should be cautious in concluding that, once an exclusive bargaining representative is decertified, the employees or labor union no longer have rights within the school district.

respect to collective bargaining at the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, if one exists. As a result, the employees will no longer have a bargaining representative who is statutorily entitled to act on their behalf. Any former exclusive bargaining representative, however, may still continue to “exist” within the school district. In other words, the existence of a representative (e.g., labor union) is not dependent on its certification as an exclusive representative in the district; the representative may continue to exist, and employees may continue to be its members, but it will just no longer represent the employees in the bargaining unit for collective bargaining. | Concerted Activities MERA also identifies the right for municipal employees to engage in lawful, concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.9 In order for activity to be “protected” under the statute, it must be both lawful and concerted. If activity either is not lawful or is not concerted, it loses protection under the statute. Again, it is a prohibited practice for a municipal employer to interfere with, restrain, or coerce municipal employees in the exercise of this right and to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization by discrimination in regard to hiring, tenure, or other terms or condition of employment. Again, municipal employees also have the right to refrain from such activities. In order for activity to be considered protected under the statute, it is likely not necessary that employees have an exclusive bargaining representative.10 For example, in a WERC Examiner’s decision involving the Lake Geneva Union High School District, a custodian (Delaney), who was very active on the district’s custodial committee and who strongly advocated for getting wages, hours, terms, and conditions of employment reduced to writing,

Wisconsin School News

was terminated. The custodian, who was not part of any represented bargaining unit, claimed that he was terminated for engaging in protected concerted activities. The district claimed that the custodian was terminated for unrelated reasons, such as poor work quality, inability to get along with co-workers, and irritating habits. Although there was no union representing the custodians, the Examiner noted that: The law grants to employees the right of self organization, the right to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, the right to file grievances. Nothing in the statute requires the presence of a formally certified or recognized labor organization. The record clearly establishes that … Delaney was engaged in various forms of protected concerted activity: his role in attempting to secure Council 26 as a bargaining representative; his participation on the negotiations committee; his persistent attempts to urge his co-workers to unionize and to be more aggressive in dealing with the employer; . . . [and] his filing of a grievance over his vacation are all protected by Section 2 of the Municipal Employment Relations Act.

The Examiner applied the “inpart” test to determine whether the custodian’s protected activities were at all a part of the reason for termination. The Examiner found that, although the employee had indeed engaged in protected activities, the reasons for which he was terminated were entirely separate, and therefore, there was no violation of the statute. As Lake Geneva indicates, nothing in MERA requires the presence of a formally certified or recognized labor organization as a condition precedent to municipal employees enjoying the benefit of statutory protections. Instead, the statute guarantees certain rights to municipal employees, including the right to engage in lawful, concerted

activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection, regardless of whether the employee has an exclusive bargaining representative. Although Lake Geneva was decided by an examiner, the rationale will likely be supported by a future examiner and the WERC. School district officials should keep in mind, however, that, for activity to be found to be “concerted,” the actor must act in good faith on behalf of other employees, and not merely on his own behalf.11 For example, in the WERC’s City of La Crosse decision, a police officer informed a newer police officer, during a chance meeting in the locker room, that many officers were “irate” about the newer officer’s shift assignments in violation of seniority policies, and that the newer officer might not be voted into the union as a result. The veteran officer was suspended as a result of those remarks. The WERC found that the veteran officer’s remarks were not concerted, because (1) he was unable to identify any other officers who were “irate” about the shift decisions, (2) the meeting in the locker room was a chance run-in and therefore was more of a gripe session then a discussion of contract policies, and (3) no other officer had requested that the conversation take place. For the above reasons, the WERC concluded that the conversation was not concerted activity. Thus, district officials should consider the circumstances surrounding each statement made, or action taken, by an employee to determine whether it constitutes concerted activity. | Statutory Grievance Proce-

dure/Right to Representation Each school board is required to establish a civil service system or grievance procedure to address employee terminations, employee discipline, and workplace safety.12 The system or procedure must specify the process that the grievant and the school district must follow and must provide for a hearing

before an impartial hearing officer and the opportunity to appeal the decision to the school board. The statute requiring the system or procedure does not require that the employee be provided representation during the process. Thus, based on the statute, school boards appear to have discretion as to whether to permit an employee to have representation within the system or procedure. However, outside of this statute, there may be other legal obligations (e.g., due process) requiring representation within the system or procedure, even if the representative has been decertified. School boards should review any system or procedure that it has adopted to identify any rights for representation. | Requests for Information It has been recognized that, under MERA, a municipal employer is required to provide certain information, upon request, to an exclusive bargaining representative. In particular, pursuant to MERA, a municipal employer’s duty to bargain in good faith includes the obligation to furnish, once a good faith demand has been made, information which is relevant and reasonably necessary to the exclusive bargaining representative’s negotiations with the employer or the administration of an existing agreement.13 Because the scope of bargaining under Acts 10 and 32 has been limited to the subject of total base wages, the obligation to furnish information that is relevant and reasonably necessary is also likely limited to information regarding the representative’s negotiation of base wages or enforcement of the bargaining agreement consisting of base wages. If an exclusive representative becomes decertified, the employees or the former exclusive bargaining representative may still seek to obtain information from the school

district. Because MERA has only recognized the obligation to provide information to the exclusive bargaining representative, a school district can likely refuse to provide information to any employee or the former exclusive representative, when it is requested under MERA. However, if a request is made by an employee or by a former exclusive representative, school district officials should analyze any request carefully to determine whether the request seeks information under any other statute. For example, the request may seek records under the Wisconsin Public Records Law or under Wis. Stat. 103.13, the personnel records statute. The legal custodian of records for any school district must review any request and determine whether the employee or the former representative is entitled to records under either statute. In some instances, the former representative may seek information related to the home addresses, home telephone numbers, or personal email addresses of employees. School districts should keep in mind that the Public Records Law specifically prohibits the disclosure of such information for certain employees, unless it is requested by the recognized exclusive bargaining representative and only to the extent required to fulfill a duty to bargain under MERA.14 As a result, school districts likely can deny any requests from a former representative for such information, but must be sure to do so with the proper explanation and notice to the requester of the right to seek review of such denial. | Conclusion Acts 10 and 32 have certainly presented new questions for school boards, including the question of what rights are afforded employees or labor unions if the employees are no longer represented by an exclusive representative. School boards should

be cautious in concluding that, once an exclusive bargaining representative is decertified, the employees or labor union no longer have rights within the school district. At the same time, however, school boards should recognize that decertification of the exclusive bargaining representative certainly means that the school district no longer has certain obligations under the law, namely negotiating a bargaining agreement for base wages. Other questions may also be raised by the effects of such decertification, and if so, school district officials should seek advice from their legal counsel. n | Endnotes 1. For additional information related to this topic, see Wisconsin School News, “Elections of Bargaining Unit Representatives” (September 2011), “An Employee’s Duty to Cooperate During Internal Investigations” (June 2008), “Grievances and The Union’s Duty of Fair Representation” (June 2007) and “Dealing with Teachers’ Concerted Activities” (February 1994) and WASB Legal Notes “Objectionable and Abusive Language: Misconduct or Protected Activity?” (Fall 2004). 2. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(1)(i). 3. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(2), (4)(d)1. 4. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(3)(a)1. 5. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(3)(a)3. 6. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(2). 7. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(1)(h). 8. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(4)(d)3.b. 9. Wis. Stat. s. 111.70(2). 10. Lake Geneva Union High School District, Dec. No. 17939-A (Houlihan, 4/82), aff’d by operation of law, Dec. No. 17939-B (WERC, 4/82). 11. City of La Crosse, Dec. No. 17084-D (WERC, 10/83). 12. Wis. Stat. s. 66.0509. 13. Madison Teachers, Inc., 28832-B (WERC, 9/98). 14. Wis. Stat. s. 19.36(10). This Legal Comment was written by Michael J. Julka and Richard F. Verstegen of Boardman & Clark LLP, WASB Legal Counsel.

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.

January-February 2014

CALENDAR For important election-related dates, review the WASB School District Election Schedule. It is available at wasb.org. Select “School Law Information” and then “Election-Related Publications.”

JANUARY 1 Open Enrollment: School Boards to Make Annual Space Availability Determinations at January Meeting. Each school board shall determine the number of regular education and special education spaces available within the district in the January meeting of the school board. School Performance Reports – Notice. Annually by January 1, each school board shall notify the parent or guardian of each pupil enrolled in the school district of the right to request a school and school district performance report. Submit Requests to DPI to Commence School Term Prior to September 1 – Deadline. A school board may commence a school term prior to September 1 if it submits a written request to the department asking for an earlier school start date, and such request is granted by the department. The request shall be submitted annually by January 1 prior to the beginning of the school term.

appropriation remains available, shall re-submit to the department its October report amended by the addition of pupils enrolled the third Friday in September for whom documentation of low-income status was not submitted, or for whom eligibility was not determined, until after the third Friday in October.

21 Executive Coaching Conference Session 3. Hyatt Regency, Milwaukee. For more information, visit wasb.org. Pre-Convention Workshops. Hyatt Regency, Milwaukee. For more information, visit wasb.org/convention.

22–24 WASB-WASDA-WASBO State Education Convention. Wisconsin Center, Milwaukee. For more information, visit wasb.org/convention.

submit an application to the school board of the nonresident school district that the pupil wishes to attend, not earlier than the first Monday in February and not later than the last weekday in April of the school year immediately preceding the school year in which the pupil wishes to attend. Full-Time Open Enrollment: Deadline to Provide Notice of Any Local Requirement to Reapply. If the nonresident school board has adopted a policy requiring reapplication by previously-accepted nonresident open enrollment students, the board shall notify a pupil’s parents no later than the first day of the application period if a pupil will be required to reapply for the following school year.

12 Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Special Observance Day.

Nonrenewal of Administrator Contracts: Deadline for Preliminary Notice (for contracts expiring on June 30). See the WASB Calendar of Events and Notices for the complete description.

Susan B. Anthony’s Birthday Special Observance Day.

Open Enrollment: Deadline for Making Changes to District Policies (approximation only). If a nonresident school board wishes to amend its open enrollment policies, it shall do so prior to the first day of the application period to which the policy will first apply.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Special observance day. Note: the federal holiday is Jan. 20.

FEBRUARY

Legal and Human Resources Conference. Chula Vista, Wisconsin Dells. For more information, visit wasb.org.

SAGE School January Enrollment Report. By the third Friday in January, each school eligible for state aid for achievement guarantee contracts that is notified that a portion of the state

Full Time Open Enrollment: Annual Application Period Begins. The parent of a pupil who wishes to attend a public school in a nonresident school district in the following school year shall

Renewal and Nonrenewal of Administrator Contracts: Deadline for Notice (for contracts expiring on June 30). See the WASB Calendar of Events and Notices for the complete description.

10 Determining Membership Count. The average of the number of pupils enrolled on the preceding third Friday of September and the second Friday of January is used in computing state aid for the next school year.

18 Spring Primary Election.

George Washington’s Birthday Special Observance Day. [s. 118.02(4)].

27–28

WASB ONLINE CALENDAR OF EVENTS AND NOTICES The WASB has developed a comprehensive, online calendar that includes significant school law and election dates, WASB events, and Wisconsin special observance days. View the calendar by visiting the WASB website at wasb.org. The link to the Calendar of Events and Notices is at the bottom of the page.

Wisconsin School News

Quality Educational Services And Products 2 0 1 4 WA S B S E RV I C E A S S O C I AT E S MIRON CONSTRUCTION CO., INC.

ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, PLANNING, INTERIORS AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT BRAY ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTS INC. 1202A N. 8th St., PO Box 955 Sheboygan, WI 53082-0955 Phone 920-459-4200 www.brayarch.com Architecture, Interior Design, Planning, Referendum Support

DLR GROUP 520 Nicollet Mall, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55420 Phone 612-977-3500 www.dlrgroup.com Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Interiors, Construction Management

HOFFMAN PLANNING, DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION, INC. 122 E. College Ave. PO Box 8034 Appleton, WI 54911 Phone 800-236-2370 www.hoffman.net Planners, Architects and Construction Managers

PLUNKETT RAYSICH ARCHITECTS LLP 11000 W. Park Pl. Milwaukee, WI 53224 Phone 414-359-3060 www.prarch.com Architectural and Interior Design Services

COMPUTER HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, CONSULTING SKYWARD INC. 5233 Coye Dr. Stevens Point, WI 54481 Phone 715-341-9406 www.skyward.com Developer of student, budgetary and human resource administrative software exclusively for K-12 school districts.

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, CONTRACTING, CONSULTING J.H. FINDORFF & SON INC. 300 S. Bedford St. Madison, WI 53703 Phone 608-257-5321 www.findorff.com Construction S ervices

J.P. CULLEN & SONS INC. PO Box 1957 Janesville, WI 53547-1957 Phone 608-754-6601 www.jpcullen.com General Contractor

1471 McMahon Dr. Neenah, WI 54956 Phone 920-969-7000 www.miron-construction.com Miron provides construction management, design-build and general construction services to educational, commercial/retail, healthcare, industrial, religious and governmental/ institutional markets.

VJS CONSTRUCTION SERVICES W233 W2847 Roundy Circle Dr. Pewaukee, WI 53072 Phone 262-542-9000 www.vjscs.com Construction Services

CURRICULUM ROWLAND READING FOUNDATION 6120 University Ave. Middleton, WI 53562 Phone 866-370-7323 superkidsreading.org info@rowlandreading.org Rowland Reading Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving reading instruction in the primary grades.

ENERGY SERVICES SEMINOLE ENERGY SERVICES 113 South Main Street #200 Lodi, WI 53555 Phone 608-576-3592 www.seminoleenergy.com

ASSOCIATED FINANCIAL GROUP, LLC 8040 Excelsior Dr. Madison, WI 53717 Phone 608-259-3666 Al.Jaeger@associatedfinancialgroup.com www.associatedfinancialgroup.com Our focus is financial security options that protect and assist growth. We go beyond simply protecting against the loss of assets and property.

COMMUNITY INSURANCE CORPORATION 18550 W. Capitol Dr. Brookfield, WI 53045 Phone 800-236-6885 www.communityinsurancecorporation.com Community Insurance Corporation is dedicated to providing school districts with the tools they need to economically and efficiently address today’s changing insurance and risk-management environment.

EMC INSURANCE COMPANIES 16455 W. Bluemound Rd. PO Box 327 Brookfield, WI 53008 Phone 262-786-1800 www.emcins.com Property and Casualty Insurance

HUMANA N19 W24133 Riverwood Dr. Suite 300 Waukesha, WI 53188 Phone: 800-289-0260 www.humana.com Insurance Company

KEY BENEFIT CONCEPTS, LLC 2717 N. Grandview Blvd., Suite 205

Retail natural gas services into all Wisconsin utility companies, including national and commercial customers.

Waukesha, WI 53188 Phone: 262-522-6415 www.keybenefits.com

FINANCE, BANKING, CONSULTING

M3 INSURANCE

SPRINGSTED INCORPORATED 710 Plankinton Ave., Suite 804 Milwaukee, WI 53203-1100 Phone 414-220-4250 www.springsted.com

Actuarial and employee benefit consulting services. 3113 W. Beltline Hwy. Madison, WI 53713 Phone 800-272-2443 dale.vandam.m3ins.com

TRICOR INSURANCE 2001 W. Beltline Hwy., Suite 201 Madison, WI 53713 Phone 877-468-7426 john@tricorinsurance.com www.tricorinsurance.com TRICOR now insures over 150 public schools. TRICOR’s School Practice Team is made up of a diverse group of experienced individuals who are extensively trained (30+ years experience) and specialized in school insurance products, risk management, support services, loss control, human resources and claims advocacy.

NATIONAL INSURANCE SERVICES OF WISCONSIN, INC. 250 South Executive Dr., Suite 300 Brookfield, WI 53005-4273 Phone 800-627-3660 slaudon@nisbenefits.com www.NISBenefits.com National Insurance Services has 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.

UNITEDHEALTHCARE 10701 W Research Dr. Milwaukee, WI 53226 Phone 414-443-4094 www.uhctogether.com/schoolsinWI www.uhc.com UnitedHealthcare’s mission is to help people live healthier lives by providing access to high quality, affordable health care. We are committed to improving the health care 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.

LEGAL SERVICES BUELOW VETTER BUIKEMA OLSON & VLIET LLC

Advisors to the Public Sector in Finance, Human Resources and Management Consulting Services.

M3’s dedicated education specialists combine more than 100 years of experience and expertise to provide schools with the very best in risk management, employee benefits and property and casualty insurance.

WILLIS OF WISCONSIN, INC.

MARITIME INSURANCE GROUP

400 N. Executive Dr., Suite 300 Brookfield, WI 53005 www.willis.com Public sector practice

832 Niagra Ave. Sheboygan, WI 53082 Phone 920-457-7781 Fax 920-459-0251 mmrdjenovich@hubinternational.com www.hubinternational.com

The attorneys at Buelow Vetter have decades of experience in representing school boards across the State of Wisconsin. We advise school boards and administrators on a variety of issues from labor and employment to student discipline and expulsion.

INSURANCE

R&R INSURANCE

PHILLIPS BOROWSKI, S.C.

ARTHUR J. GALLAGHER RISK MANAGEMENT SERVICES

1581 E. Racine Ave. Waukesha, WI 53186 Phone 262-574-7000 www.myknowledgebroker.com

10140 N. Port Washington Rd. Mequon, WI 53092 Phone: 262.241.7779 www.phillipsborowski.com tlhe@phillipsborowski.com

1289 Deming Way, Suite 208 Madison, WI 53717 Phone 608-828-3741 Fax 608-828-3757 martin_malloy@ajg.com, www.ajgrms.com Gallagher specializes in serving the risk management and insurance needs of public schools.

R&R Insurance’s 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.

20855 Watertown Rd., Suite 200 Waukesha, WI 53186 Phone: 262.364.0300 www.buelowvetter.com

Phillips Borowski, S.C. works with schools throughout the state to guide them through the complex system of laws and regulations affecting school operations.

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2014 LEGAL AND HUMAN RESOURCES CONFERENCES About the Conference The WASB 2014 Legal and Human Resources Conference is designed to give school board members and administrators the latest information to help them in governing their districts as effectively as possible. The conference features WASB staff and industry experts presenting two separate tracks with a total of 16 sessions.

Sessions include: •Educator Effectiveness Update •PPACA Updates: Shared Responsibility Requirements •Legal and Policy Issues Surrounding Online Instruction •Student Transportation Liability Issues •Bargaining and Labor Law Update •And much more...

February 27-28 Chula Vista resort WisConsin Dells, Wi RegisteR Online Use the QR code at right to take you directly to the event home page.

WasB. O R g