Wisconsin School News - August 2015

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August 2015 | Volume 70 Number 2 T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E W I S C O N S I N A S S O C I AT I O N O F S C H O O L B O A R D S, I N C.

John H. Ashley Executive Editor

Sheri Krause Director of Communications

Shelby Anderson Editor n REGIONAL OFFICES n 122 W. Washington Avenue Madison, WI 53703 Phone: 608-257-2622 Fax: 608-257-8386 132 W. Main Street Winneconne, WI 54986 Phone: 920-582-4443 Fax: 920-582-9951 n ADVERTISING n 608-556-9009 • tmccarthy@wasb.org

GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS LIKE LAKE MILLS ELEMENTARY IS A MODEL OF SUSTAINABILITY, page 4

n WASB OFFICERS n

John H. Ashley Executive Director

Wanda Owens

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Stu Olson

Capt. Terry McCloskey, USN Retired

Mike Blecha

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

Brett Hyde Muskego-Norway, Region 11

Rick Eloranta Owen-Withee, Region 5

Nancy Thompson Waterloo, Region 12

Mary Jo Rozmenoski Black River Falls, Region 6

Patrick Sherman Genoa City J2/Lake Geneva, Region 13

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

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

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Learning to Grow Ann Davis

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Student-led agriculture projects at Sheboygan Falls High School are providing unique learning opportunities

D E P A R T M E N T S

Good Food and Teamwork Shelby Anderson Student culinary team provides new set of opportunities and learning experiences for students

Three Wisconsin schools and one district named Green Ribbon Schools

Shell Lake, Region 1 1st Vice President

Green Bay, Region 3 Immediate Past President

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Shelby Anderson

Barneveld, Region 9 President

Three Lakes, Region 2 2nd Vice President

Health, Education and Sustainability

Reducing Waste and Cost It’s time to ask for more from your waste management contractor

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C O L U M N S

2 News Briefs 3 Viewpoint — Community Advocates Needed 22 WASB Insurance — Managing Your Risk Can Enhance Student Achievement

24 Association News — Summer Leadership Institute; WASB Fall Wisconsin School News (USPS 688-560) is published 10 issues per year by the Wisconsin Association of School Boards Inc., 122 W. Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703.

Contents © 2015 Wisconsin Association of School Boards Inc. Subscriptions are available to nonmembers for $40 per year. Periodicals postage is paid at Madison, Wis. The views expressed in Wisconsin School News are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent WASB policies or positions.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wisconsin School News, 122 W. Washington Avenue, Madison, WI 53703.

Regional Meetings; Pre-Regional Meeting Workshops

26 Legislative Update — 2015-17 State Budget Signed Into Law 28 Legal Comment — Education of Homeless Children and Youth 32 Service Associate Q&A — Mark Neubauer of EMC Insurance

NEWS BRIEFS

Wisconsin Global Schools Network Doubles

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eflecting educators’ and students’ growing recognition of the international nature of today’s world, there are now 50 members of the Wisconsin Global Schools Network. There were exactly half that number last August when the network’s second year of existence commenced.

Schools in the network are authorized by the state superintendent to offer the Global Education Achievement Certificate to high school graduates. The students must meet the certificate’s criteria: at least four years of world language learning, four credits in globally focused subjects across the curriculum, independent book reflections, and active participation in schoolbased global education activities.

The Global Certificate is the first of its kind in the nation.

Gerhard Fischer, the DPI’s international education consultant, says the boom in the network’s membership isn’t happening because of any intense outreach, but because schools simply “are responding to interests and needs of our students who need global skills in today’s globalized society and job market.”

Fischer points out that in both the developed and developing world, students often learn multiple world languages.

“It’s not uncommon for teenagers around the world — from Ghana to Kazakhstan to the Netherlands — to speak four different languages at very high proficiency levels. Our students will utilize such learning opportunities when they are offered by their schools.” n

STAT OF THE MONTH

83% Percent of teachers who worry that some of their students will go hungry during the summer.

Source: NoKidHungry.org

More than 8,000 Students “Opt-Out” of Badger Exam This past spring, about two percent or 8,104 students in public elementary and middle schools in Wisconsin opted out of taking the Badger Exam (Wisconsin’s version of the Smarter Balanced Assessment). Last year, about one percent of students opted out of the assessment.

The Badger Exam was aligned to the Common Core State Standards and given to students in third through eighth grade to measure math and reading skills.

Some states, most notably New York with a 14 percent opt-out rate, have seen even larger percentages of students not taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment.

The state budget (2015 Act 55) signed by Gov. Walker eliminates the Badger Exam entirely and bars the state from participating in the consortium that developed it. The exam faced other challenges this spring, which caused lawmakers to pass a new law limiting the use of the test data and prohibiting the Department of Public Instruction from publishing school and school district report cards for the 2014-15 school year.

A bill (AB 239) proposed by Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) would require a school board, upon request of a parent or guardian, to excuse a pupil enrolled in any grade from 3 to 12 from taking any examination required under state or federal law, except for a test that is a high school graduation requirement. n

n REPORT: Mental Health Disorders Going Untreated in Children

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ccording to a report from the Child Mind Institute, almost 50 percent of youth in the U.S. will have a diagnosable mental illness at some point in their childhood. However, only 7.4 percent of those children will receive mental health support.

The most common mental health problems among youth are anxiety disorders. Other disorders include ADHD and disruptive behavior, depression, bipolar, and eating disorders.

“Anxiety disorders are like a silent majority — kids are very good at hiding them,” said Harold Koplewicz, president

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of the Child Mind Institute. “But that doesn’t mean they don’t cause impairment and suffering, and we do know that they lead to more severe disorders down the road.”

To help students receive proper mental health support, the report suggests educating parents and teachers. Stigma and misunderstanding are listed as two big reasons as to why children don’t receive help or are overlooked.

“If parents were knowledgeable and unafraid, then early and routine mental health care would be the norm. It would be expected, training would be adequate, and we would not have shortages of providers,” Koplewicz said. n

VIEWPOINT

Jo h n H . A s h l e y

Community Advocates Needed

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mplementation of the 2015-17 state budget, signed into law last month by Gov. Scott Walker, is going to be challenging for school districts across the state. While increasing overall state spending, Wisconsin state lawmakers, unlike lawmakers in most other states, have chosen to fund increases for public education below the rate of inflation.

As a result, Wisconsin’s per-pupil funding is expected to fall below the national average for the first time in memory. And the percentage of the state budget devoted to funding public education is at a 20-year low.

At the same time, Wisconsin’s private school voucher programs are increasingly commanding a greater share of the new resources devoted to K-12 education by the state. That reality, coupled with the expressed priority of state policy makers to hold the line on property taxes, will force school boards to continue making difficult budget cuts.

But is this really what Wisconsin residents want?

Results of a statewide poll conducted by the Marquette University Law School in April indicated 78 percent of Wisconsin voters opposed the $127 million cut to K-12 school budgets initially proposed by the governor. When asked which is more important, reducing property taxes or increasing spending on public schools, 40 percent of voters said reducing property taxes is more

important while 54 percent said increasing spending on schools is more important.

As the Joint Finance Committee was reworking the state budget, parent and community groups across the state made their voices heard in advocating for public education.

That groundswell of support for community schools was crucial in restoring the cut in per-pupil aid.

One thing we’ve learned from this year’s state budget process is that the voices of public education advocates matter. But those voices need to be strong and sustained in order for public schools to fight and win. Part of our job will be to nurture these voices and keep them engaged.

Advocacy is important work and, unfortunately, it sometimes gets overlooked by busy school leaders.

According to the aggregate results of the WASB/School Perceptions Annual Board Development Tool survey taken this year by districts across the state, advocacy efforts rank low among school board priorities.

I know boards will face some tough budget decisions with revenue limits and state aid frozen next year, but the new school year will soon be upon us and it will bring renewed energy. Our challenge will be to channel that energy to build advocacy groups for public education in each and every community.

Public education is important to our state’s citizens, and they have a

clear interest in protecting their investments in our public schools and our students.

It is crucial therefore that, as school leaders, we seek out advocates in our communities. I urge you to connect with community and civic groups in your area and seek out parents and community members who are willing to speak out on behalf of your schools.

The new school year will also bring a new round of Fall Regional Meetings, taking place in September and October. The feature presentation at this year’s meetings will focus on developing community advocates and enhancing the role they can play.

I strongly encourage you to attend and learn more about ideas and strategies to strengthen community engagement and advocacy.

It is clear that the passage of the 2015-17 state budget hands more challenges to our public school districts (see pages 26-27). The good news is that we may have more people willing to advocate for public education. The cuts to K-12 funding have caused parents and community members to stand up and speak up on behalf of our public schools. We need these advocates to continue the discussion and keep K-12 issues at the forefront. I encourage you, our school leaders, to work with these supporters of public education and help develop more community advocacy groups in your communities. Together we have a stronger voice. n

One thing we’ve learned from this year’s state budget process is that the voices of public education advocates matter.

But those voices need to be strong and sustained…

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Three Wisconsin schools and one district named Green Ribbon Schools Shelby Anderson

ABOVE Students take a virtual tour of Lake Mills Elementary School on an interactive screen where users can learn about the green features of the school.

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n 2015, Wisconsin schools continued the state’s tradition of showcasing the work of exemplary schools through the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program. Three Wisconsin schools, one school district and one technical college were recognized for reducing their environmental impact and energy costs; improving the health and wellness of schools, students and staff; and providing environmental education opportunities.

Here is a look at some educational opportunities and green initiatives taking place at Wisconsin’s 2015 Green Ribbon Schools.

Discovery Charter School COLUMBUS SCHOOL DISTRICT

Housed in Columbus Elementary School, Discovery Charter School was developed in 2007 with the aim of giving young students interested in science and nature opportunities to explore and study the natural world.

Principal Sue Sewell is a former elementary teacher who saw science being overlooked in the early grades.

“The school was created to get more science happening at the elementary school level,” Sewell said. “As an elementary science

2015 WISCONSIN Green Ribbon Schools

teacher, I felt the passion that a lot of elementary students have for the sciences.”

It is said that children are natural scientists because they are curious about the natural world and how it works, and students at Discovery Elementary School have ample opportunities to be natural scientists.

The school has several gardens including a butterfly garden, rain garden, and several vegetable gardens. The school also utilizes a nearby community park and woods physically several times a month and virtually using trail cameras to help study wildlife behavior. The school also has a greenhouse for students to start seedlings in the spring before planting in the school’s gardens.

Students at Discovery Charter School hone their reading and math skills through the various science projects. The school uses an inquiry-based learning method in

which the lessons and projects are driven by student interest.

“We get at the heart of what students want to learn,” Sewell said.

“Students find answers to questions they are asking.”

With careful guidance by teachers, students are using and developing math and reading skills as they undertake projects. Sewell said, when students learn this way, math and reading aren’t seen as chores by students, rather they are ways for students to learn more about topics and questions that interest them.

While the school structure may be non-traditional, Sewell is proud of the fact that the students have scored well on state assessments. On the student achievement portion of the school’s 2013-14 School Report Card, which combines a school’s math and reading scores, the school scored 89.8, compared to the K-5 state average of 66.8.

“Some people were concerned that our focus on environmental education would mean test scores

Lake Mills Elementary School Lake Mills School District Discovery Charter School Columbus School District Colby Elementary School Colby School District Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District

would go down,” Sewell said. “That is not the case.”

One project that stemmed from the school’s inquiry-based learning, involved students and community members and expanded far outside the classroom walls. At the start of the 2012-13 school year, students and staff had to make a decision about what to do with a dying Norway Spruce on school grounds. Students studied the tree and took measurements to determine if it would survive another season or need to be removed immediately. The students made the final decision and watched as the tree was cut down that

BELOW Students from Discovery Charter School in the Columbus School District start plants from seeds in the school’s greenhouse in early spring to get a head start on the growing season.

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December. It produced several large logs, which, with the help of a local sawyer, were milled on school property so students could see the process.

A local furniture maker then fashioned the boards into a book nook for the school’s library.

During the milling process, students discovered worms in several pieces of the wood. They sent a letter along with pictures of the insect to an entomologist at UW-Madison who informed students that the insect played a role in the tree’s death. The previous summer’s drought likely stressed the tree, allowing the insect to infest and destroy the tree.

After the tree was removed, students led the effort to replace the Norway Spruce with another tree.

They conducted research and decided to plant a Sugar Maple.

With learning experiences such as this one, more students have been enrolling in Discovery Charter

School, Sewell said. Next year another section will be added to try and meet some of the demand.

“The interest in the school has been overwhelming,” Sewell said. •

Colby Elementary School COLBY SCHOOL DISTRICT For the past three school years, staff and students at the high school, middle school, and elementary school in the Colby School District have challenged each other to see which building can reduce its electricity consumption the most.

During the 2012-13 school year, Colby Elementary School won the challenge handily by reducing its electricity usage by 8.6 percent.

Recently, the focus by students and staff on energy savings at Colby Elementary School has expanded to include efforts to reduce waste through composting and recycling.

The environmental focus has also extended beyond the school walls.

The use of area parks, natural resources, and the building of several gardens has added to the students’ environmental education at the elementary school.

The school has made big strides in reducing food waste during meal times. The school worked with its waste removal service to allow them to recycle milk cartons, and compost hundreds of pounds of food waste.

In one lunch period alone, the school collected 15 pounds of food waste — 15 pounds that were composted instead of sent to the landfill.

The school is committed to making these efforts a part of the school culture. Whenever necessary, they hold an assembly to discuss a new initiative. Once it is presented to the entire school, teachers give small group presentations at each grade level (19 of the school’s teachers have received in-depth training on topics such as energy education, renewable energy, energy efficiency, biomass energy, and education for sustainability).

ABOVE LEFT Students from Colby Elementary School weed the school’s raised beds.

ABOVE RIGHT Students enjoy lettuce from the school’s gardens.

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Green &

Healthy

Schools W

ABOVE The Lake Mills Elementary School is designed to maximize the use of natural light throughout the building.

“The students understand why we are doing it and will more likely remember to do it, and then it just becomes a habit,” said principal Brenda Medenwaldt.

Another project that has caught on is the development of an outdoor classroom. This space includes benches and an area for an entire class and also features five “cold frames” for growing vegetables. The cold frames are small, raised beds that have a cover that can be easily opened or closed. When closed, the cold frames function like greenhouses and protect plants from cold temperatures. The structures allow the school to extend the growing season a couple of months. Vegetables such as onions and cabbage are used by the school kitchen.

Last year the second-grade curriculum included a topic on growing plants. They grew lettuce and had a “lettuce feast” with the local retirement center. For many people, “lettuce” and “feast” may not belong in the same sentence but teacher Jean Rosemeyer said her students were very excited about growing the lettuce.

“The students love to be outside and we’re growing something that is healthy for them.” Rosemeyer said.

“It just makes everyone smile.”

Medenwaldt sees the students’ excitement as well.

“After school, while waiting for their parents to pick them up, they will run down to see if their plants are growing,” Medenwaldt. “Some students bring their parents and want to show everyone the garden they planted.” •

Lake Mills Elementary School LAKE MILLS SCHOOL DISTRICT The Lake Mills Area School District has been establishing itself as a leader in building cutting-edge, energy efficient schools. In 2008, the district renovated and expanded its middle school, in the process, turning it into a certified Platinum LEED, Energy Star, and Wisconsin Green & Healthy School.

The district took these efforts even further when it built its new elementary school. The school is the first and only school in the nation to pilot the LEED v4 Beta program.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in an effort to promote and support the construction of green buildings. The LEED v4 program is a new program available to help organizations build the next generation of environmentally

isconsin has been a leader in environmental education and providing students with healthy learning facilities. Schools in Wisconsin can be formally recognized for their efforts by participating in Green & Healthy Schools, which is Wisconsin’s state recognition program for K-12 schools.

Participants choose their own goals and proceed at their own pace, with support and information from partner agencies and providers. Participants may work toward state recognition, toward nomination for a federal Green Ribbon Schools Award, or both.

The same application form is used for all, and the eligibility questions let staff know to which group a school belongs.

Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin has nine focus areas in which schools may document their achievements. Schools reaching the Sugar Maple level are reviewed each year for possible nomination to the federal Green Ribbon Schools Award program. Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin does not give certificates for districts, but they may wish to compete for a U.S. Department of Education District Sustainability Award.

District Sustainability Awards are given annually at the Green Ribbon Schools award ceremony. Since 2012, all 14 schools nominated by Wisconsin became Green Ribbon Schools, and three school districts have received the District Sustainability Award. N For more information, go to GHSWisconsin.org or contact the Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin coordinator at DNRGHSWisconsin@ wisconsin.gov or 608-267-7622.

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sustainable buildings.

Every aspect of Lake Mills Elementary School, literally from the school grounds to the building’s roof, is designed to maximize student learning and be a model of sustainability. The grounds are landscaped with native plants, which, in addition to not needing mowing, also don’t need to be watered. The grounds are designed to contain 100 percent of the storm water

onsite via rain gardens. The roof features a layer of vegetation that absorbs heat and naturally insulates the building. The roof is also fitted with solar panels, which generate about enough energy to power the computer lab.

The school building was constructed with recycled and non-toxic materials. For instance, carpeting is made with a special low-volatile material and 98 percent of the steel used in the building is recycled. The school is also fitted with a geothermal

system for heating and cooling the building, which uses an estimated 50 percent less energy than traditional heating and cooling systems. Solar is also used to heat water.

All of these features are impressive but just as impressive is how the school is being used as an educational resource. Principal Amanda Thompson said that students have been educated on the various features and efforts taking place at their school.

“As we were introducing these different elements of the school,

Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Nationally Recognized

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or years, staff, students, and school leaders in the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District have worked to make their facilities energy efficient, provide healthy learning environments for students, and offer enriching environmental education opportunities. For its work, the district, which has 10 school buildings, and serves 6,622 students, was recognized by the Green Ribbon Schools program with the District Sustainability Award.

Deb Weitzel, a former science teacher who taught at Middleton High School for 34 years, wrote the winning application.

She said that at about the beginning of the 2000s, the district won an award to replace some infrastructure like old heating and air conditioning systems with energy efficient systems.

“Over the last 10 years, we’ve saved more than $10 million in energy costs,” Weitzel said.

This effort started the district down a path towards energy savings and eventually a focus on environmental education and behavioral changes. Once one building installed a couple of solar panels, Weitzel said, student learning really got started. She remembers one of the first efforts toward energy efficiency started with her students.

Through a grant from Environmental Education in Wisconsin and a company called Rapid Improvement, Weitzel’s science students received tools to monitor energy usage in the high school. Students discovered that with a slight change in behavior, energy consumption by the science area in the high school could be reduced by 12 percent if teachers were more mindful about when they had classroom lights on.

“Students went to the teachers and asked them to change their habits,” Weitzel said. “It began with the students.”

Today, each of the 10 schools in the district is an Energy Star school — one of only two districts in the state. Last year, Park Elementary School was recognized as a Green Ribbon School. One of the focuses of Park Elementary

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School and other schools in the district is environmental education.

When Weitzel taught at Middleton High School, she was an advocate for outdoor learning.

That tradition continues at the school as classes like freshman biology, AP Environmental Studies, and various photography and English classes have regular outdoor projects.

Students at Middleton High School often visit the Pheasant Branch Conservancy, a 160-acre natural area that borders the school’s campus. Students in the freshman biology classes visit the conservancy and do data collection in the prairies during a scientific methods unit. The students then revisit the natural area and help with conservation efforts, such as removing invasive species.

Classes in the humanities get involved as well. English classes visit the site to conduct research for essays about the conservancy and be inspired to write nature poems over the course of the four seasons. The high school’s three photography classes learn how to take nature photos in the conservancy. Through a partnership with the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy, students enter their photos into a contest to have their photos printed in an annual calendar. Poetry from English classes is also included in the calendar.

“When students work outside, they see and experience things they never would in a classroom,” Weitzel said. N

students were learning about the green features in and outside of their classrooms,” Thompson said. “In our school, the energy conservation efforts and education efforts are closely tied together.”

One of the aspects of the school that teacher Deb Galsted appreciates is the amount of natural light that comes into the building. Each classroom is fitted with a large picture window. The school is constructed at an east-west angle to maximize daylight and windows are arranged so natural light makes its way into all parts of the building. In addition to the large picture windows in each classroom, a clerestory, or long row of windows, run the entire length of the second floor.

“Sunlight lifts the spirits and it’s good for teaching,” Galsted said.

Perhaps most importantly, the school is proving that it is a healthy learning environment and the rate of absenteeism has been reduced. As studies show, absenteeism among teachers and students plays a signifi-

ABOVE The Lake Mills Elementary School features a green roof, which helps reduce rainwater run-off and improves the building’s insulation.

cant role in student achievement.

Galsted said when you walk into the school, you can tell it isn’t your average school building. There are nooks for students to read, and small groups to learn, an open spiral staircase connects the first and second floor, and, in addition to an abun-

dance of natural light, colorful carpeting and walls brighten the school.

“You can’t help but be inspired teaching in a building like this,” Galsted said. n Shelby Anderson is editor of Wisconsin School News.

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Learning to Grow Student-led agriculture projects at Sheboygan Falls High School are providing unique learning opportunities

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chool was out for the summer but the lessons were just getting started for Ashley Cotcher, 17, a student at Sheboygan Falls High School. There were tomatoes to check on, peppers to plant and a huge pile of mulch to spread around the fruit trees. Not to mention the chickens and the bees.

Lesson number one: the work never ends when you’re tending the miniature truck farm and more located behind the Sheboygan Falls High School building. But Ashley doesn’t mind.

“I like it all!” she said enthusiastically about the non-stop list of chores. She even likes those tasks that many people avoid. “I find weeding very soothing,” she said.

The gardens are part of an outdoor project developed by Bruce Brunner, who teaches agriculture education at the school. Although other projects had been tried in the area, which was once a pond, the gardening effort really began with the construction of a hoop house — an outdoor greenhouse — two years ago. The hoop house allows Brunner and his students to get a head start on the growing season and keep the plants going into the fall. An outdoor garden is located next to the hoop house and this year the students are growing a long list of vegetables from lettuce to tomatoes to kohlrabi and peas. There are also blackberry and raspberry bushes.

In the adjacent orchard, the fruit trees are still too young to harvest, but the chickens, which actually belong to Ashley, produce an average of nine eggs a day. Two bee hives are located in a secluded area behind the school’s football field. Last year, the bees produced 40 pounds of honey that the students sold as a fund-raiser for their programs.

| Anne Davis | Student-Led Gardens Ashley is one of five high school students who signed up to spend five days a week working mornings on the gardens, orchards and associated projects throughout the summer.

They receive one-half credit for their work, which includes planting, weeding, watering, collecting eggs, and harvesting produce. Last year, they produced 1,200 pounds of tomatoes as well as other vegetables, and much of the produce was frozen for use in the school cafeteria.

This summer, they expect to produce so much that they have constructed a farm stand called Cornucopia near the gardens where they will sell produce and fresh eggs to the public. They set up a Facebook page and are hoping to generate business through social media and word of mouth.

They will also be selling their wares at the local farmers’ market.

This is the second summer that Ashley, who will be a senior this fall, has worked on the gardens project.

She became interested after taking

“I like it all! I find weeding very soothing.”

— Ashley Cotcher (shown right), Sheboygan Falls High School Student

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one of Brunner’s classes called Green and Growing as a sophomore.

“I kind of fell in love with it,” she said, adding that she particularly enjoys the hands-on learning that working on the gardens provides.

“It’s all trial and error,” she said.

“It’s OK to make mistakes and we grow from it, literally.”

For instance, last summer the tomato plants grew too big, making it hard to take care of them. They learned from a local expert that they needed to take off the suckers to help the plants grow up not out.

Siblings Andrew and Amber Pashley, who are also working on the summer project, live on a farm so working on the gardens comes naturally. Andrew, 16, who wants to study veterinary science after high school, has been working with the

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bees. A local beekeeper gives the students advice on how to care for the hives and Andrew hopes that the bees will produce even more honey this summer.

Amber, 15, enjoys gardening but doesn’t think she will go on to a career in agriculture. This is her second summer working on the project and she particularly enjoys harvesting.

“You can’t pick a pea and not eat one,” she says.

Although her mother has a large garden and her family lives in the country, Carson DePagter, 15, had never really been interested in gardening. Then she took a class from Brunner and signed up to help on the summer project. She, too, enjoys the hands-on learning agriculture classes provide.

“It was like a break in my day where I could just go outside and

deal with the plants,” she said.

She also enjoys helping to choose what to plant. When Brunner asked what types of vegetables they should plant this year, she suggested kohlrabi because the vegetable was one of her personal favorites. | Large-Scale Effort The emphasis on healthy school lunches has led to many schools planting school gardens. But few operations are on the same scale as Sheboygan Falls. Its project is even more remarkable when the district’s size is considered — Sheboygan Falls has three schools and a total enrollment of about 1,750.

One of the issues with school gardening projects is finding enough students to help during the peak season — summer when classes are out and many high school students have jobs and other activities. But

Brunner has always been able to find students to help and he works with them, overseeing the operation and assigning tasks.

In addition to the summer program, Brunner’s agriculture classes grow plants from seed in a greenhouse inside the school and work on other projects including aquaculture and hydroponics. In the spring, students grow annuals and put together baskets that are sold to local businesses and the general public. | Research Work The program has recently drawn some statewide attention. This summer, students are conducting a field trial for UW-Madison on new varieties of lettuce. The students collect data on the size of each variety as it develops.

This spring, Alfonso Morales, an associate professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at UW-Madison, visited

Sheboygan Falls High School and toured the agriculture education projects. He heard about the program from a Sheboygan Falls graduate who went on to study at Madison.

Morales studies food systems, including urban agriculture, public marketplaces and street vendors, and their role and function in community building and economic development.

He talked with Brunner about getting the school district’s gardening programs involved with local food banks and other efforts designed to provide healthy food for low-income families.

Brunner has had preliminary talks with Nourish, a non-profit based in Sheboygan that runs several farmto-table initiatives, but no formal collaboration has been set up yet.

Brunner says he has no immediate plans to expand the current summer gardening programs although he could envision building

a second hoop house sometime in the future.

“Besides we still have a lot to learn about the tomatoes,” he said, looking at the rows and rows of plants in the hoop house.

Just like school, a garden’s lessons are endless. n Anne Davis is a freelance writer.

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Good Food and Teamwork Student culinary team provides new set of opportunities and learning experiences for students

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or the past six years, a unique event in western Wisconsin has challenged students to think differently about food.

The Harvest Challenge, appropriately taking place during late fall, challenges teams of students from western Wisconsin school districts to create healthy meals with local and seasonal ingredients that meet school lunch regulations and cost about $1 per serving.

“I have participated in the Harvest Challenge three times and every time it is eye opening to try

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and meet the regulations of a school lunch,” said Gwyneth DeLap, a senior at Viroqua High School.

“When you want to create a dish that meets the nutritional and financial guidelines, that is practical for a school cafeteria and incorporates local foods, you are in for a challenge.”

The student culinary teams work with a mentor, usually a local chef, and learn about food preparation, and much more. Over the course of several sessions during the fall, each team develops a recipe and presents it to their district’s food service

| Shelby Anderson coordinator for approval. The student teams then serve their meal to judges and students at the annual Harvest Challenge competition. The competition moves between school districts each year. Last year, it was at Viroqua High School, this year’s Harvest Challenge will take place Nov. 7 in the Westby Middle/High School. | Judges’ Choice Last year, the student culinary team from Viroqua High School won the Harvest Challenge with a butternut squash lasagna made with local ingre-

“Watching the students grow in a relatively short time is one of the most gratifying parts of teaching in the program.” 

dients. The Viroqua students met several times before the competition with their chef mentor, Luke Zahms who owns the Driftless Café in Viroqua. Robin Hosemann, the librarian at Viroqua High School, served as the school advisor to the team. She said the team was comprised of a variety of students, some of whom didn’t necessarily have a lot of knowledge about food preparation.

After several team-cooking sessions with Zahms and Hosemann, the team quickly developed their skills and learned about a variety of aspects of the culinary arts from food science to sourcing local and seasonal ingredients.

“Watching the students grow in a

Chef Mentor Luke Zahms

relatively short time is one of the most gratifying parts of teaching in the program,” Zahms said. “All of us can cook in some capacity — but they learn quickly that it’s a much different process to cook in volume and in a professional setting.”

When it came time to develop the recipe for the Harvest Challenge, Hosemann said students were ready to take the lead.

“It was virtually all student driven,” Hosemann said. “Luke was good at throwing ideas and challenges at them and they would get to work and try different things out.”

Once the Viroqua team had their dish ready, they presented it to the high school’s food service staff. The

team couldn’t have had a better team to present their dish to. Marilyn Volden, the district’s food/nutrition supervisor, helped start the Vernon County’s Farm to School Initiative.

With some tips from the school’s food service staff, the team refined the recipe and conducted a taste test with their fellow high school students. As may be expected, some students were hesitant to try something new for lunch, but Hosemann said the students on the culinary team did a good job of promoting their dish.

After running the recipe through

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“The skills that students learn transfer so readily outside of the classroom… working together, problem solving, and, of course, cooking.” 

Robin Hosemann, school advisor to the team

several tests at the school, the team took their butternut squash lasagna, paired it with a Waldorf salad, and presented it to judges at the Harvest Challenge.

Competition night was a bit stressful as students had to prep the food ahead of time, get it plated, and present it to the panel of judges. The team was rewarded for their hard work and the judges selected their dish for first place. | Whipping Up Wellness After winning the Harvest Challenge last fall, the team continued to work together and competed in the Whipping Up Wellness Competition

hosted by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) in May on the UW-Madison campus. This statewide competition selected five teams from a field of 150 high school and middle school culinary teams from around the state.

For the Whipping Up Wellness Competition, a new set of nutritional standards was thrown at the students and the Viroqua team had to rework their recipe. Dishes were evaluated on creativity, flavor, texture, visual appeal, and team presentation. Judges were selected from the food industry and education sector.

Remarkably, the Viroqua team also took first place in the Whipping Up Wellness Challenge. Their recipe,

along with those of the other finalists will be featured in the thirdannual student-chef cookbook published by the DPI. | A Learning Experience While winning was nice, Hosemann said the real story is what the students gained from the experience.

“I’ve been in education for 15 years and this is probably the most rewarding program I’ve been a part of,” Hosemann said. “The skills that students learn transfer so readily outside of the classroom. Students are learning to work together, they’re developing problem-solving skills, and, of course, they’re learning cooking skills.”

In addition, the students learned

 Focused on Local The Viroqua Area School District has been a leader in school nutrition and developing relationships with local farmers. The district’s enthusiasm for local food is evident in its school meals, which regularly feature locally produced fruits, vegetables and other products. Last school year, instead of holding a traditional pep rally, the high school held a live cooking competition.

The district was also critical to the formation of the Vernon County Farm to School Initiative – one of the strongest and most successful Farm to School programs in the country. The initiative was started in 2008 with the goal of improving not only student health but also the local economy and environment. In addition, the initiative has worked to bring food education into Vernon County schools in the form of farmer visits, new food tastings, and curriculum related to healthy food choices.

Viroqua Superintendent Bob Knadle is grateful for the work of Marilyn Volden, the district’s food/nutrition supervisor, who has developed the district’s food service program into one of the district’s strengths. Student participation in the school’s meal program has increased and, by purchasing food from local farmers, the district has helped support the local economy.

“What we’ve done with our food service has been appreciated by our parents and community members,” Knadle said. “It’s good for our students, our schools, our local farmers, and our community.” N

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to use and cook with local and seasonal produce. The Viroqua School District is a member of the Vernon County Farm to School Initiative and processes hundreds of pounds of local fruits and vegetables for use in school meals. The student culinary team had access to this selection of local produce and saw the process of getting produce from local farmers and then using it in the kitchen.

“I feel that it’s imminently important for high school students to learn about real food,” Zahms said. “We live in a society that is increasingly reliant on fast, processed foods — it’s important to realize where your food comes from and how it gets to your table.”

“I think it is essential for students to learn about food,” DeLap said, who graduated from Viroqua High School in the spring. “There is so

much to learn about food from the science behind it to production and to cooking. Food is universal.”

Despite its accomplishments, the student culinary team at Viroqua High School is an informal group formed in the fall prior to the Harvest Challenge. Hosemann said

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student interest has increased and there is talk of developing a more formal culinary club.

“The group really bonded,” Hosemann said.

One of the students on the team was hired by Zahms to work at the Driftless Café and plans on pursuing a career in the culinary arts. At the time of the writing of the article, the student was headed to a boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

“He jumped into the restaurant as a dishwasher and we quickly put him in situations where he was assisting the lunch crew with prep and execution of menu items,” Zahms said. “He worked so hard and was excited about his work.” n Shelby Anderson is editor of Wisconsin School News.

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Reducing Waste and Cost

It’s time to ask for more from your waste management contractor Erin Green

O

ne of the places that K-12 schools can greatly impact the environment and our future as a habitable planet is our handling of waste. We generate a lot! Paper, paper towels, food and cafeteria waste — these types of items make up the bulk of our waste streams. With most of this going to landfills, except possibly recyclables, the environmental impact is huge.

Most districts have some kind of contract with a waste hauler to remove our solid refuse. Whether we realize it or not, the waste manage-

ment industry is changing. Services are now available that weren’t only a few years ago. Considering the changing nature of the business, it may be time for school leaders to ask for more from our waste management contractors. | Seeking Solutions The Greendale School District did exactly that this past winter when we sent out a request for proposal (RFP) to waste management contractors. Specifically, we were seeking firms that would be willing to work with the district to reduce waste and

save money. This RFP asked more from contractors than we had in the past. It clearly stated the school board’s goal of reducing waste costs “year over year by improving traditional waste collection with services that inform and influence school waste generation optimization through recycling, composting, process design and optimization.”

The RFP was very detailed and covered everything from the long list of items we wished to recycle to other waste reduction options such as composting. Now, several years later, the work that we put into the

Paper, paper towels, food and cafeteria waste … with most of this going to landfills, except possibly recyclables, the environmental impact is huge.

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RFP is beginning to take hold. We have an established relationship with a provider who is willing to work with us to continually find ways to reduce our waste and expenses.

After completing the process and working with our provider, here are some areas to consider when completing a bid process or taking quotes from a waste hauler. | Customizing Waste Pick Up The amount of information and data that is possible through most waste removal contractors is very impres-

sive. Schools should take advantage of these services so school leaders can better monitor its various waste streams.

Make sure to ask for weights and measures and regular reports from the vendor. This can include the weights of containers before pick up.

A lot of waste collection trucks are now outfitted to provide weights at pickup. Reports can be generated by the vendor concerning waste composition, weights and measures.

There are also new and inexpensive gadgets that can be placed in

dumpsters to monitor the fill-level.

The instrument uses wireless technology to report out how much waste a container holds. These kinds of tools can allow a district to easily monitor its waste and can also be used by the waste management contractor to collect waste more efficiently.

Another option is to ask for “right sizing,� which is a system based on the weights or measures of the waste or recycling bin. Oftentimes, this allows waste pick-ups to occur less often, which can help the

Educational materials can help your students and staff recycle more materials, which can go a long ways in cutting waste.

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Our school board has adopted a board sustainability policy to formalize the district’s focus on environmental stewardess.

district avoid “tipping fees” or landfill fees. In some cases, containers may be downsized, which also can help reduce costs. | Educational Materials When it comes to waste, everyone in your schools — teachers, staff, and visitors — all contribute. As busy as school leaders are, it’s a lot to ask them to provide educational materials regarding recycling or other efforts or strategies to cut down on a school’s waste.

Many waste haulers have excellent educational resources that can be used in your schools to help

educate staff and students, to help promote recycling, or explain how the waste is processed. Ask for signage, materials and recycling bins to help promote recycling and/or composting.

In some cases, providers will offer to host field trips for students to visit their facilities and see its new stateof-the-art recycling facility or to learn more about waste management. | Reducing Waste Stream Educational materials can help your students and staff recycle more materials, which can go a long ways in cutting waste. However, even with

recycling, schools are going to produce a lot of garbage, such as food scraps, that can’t be recycled.

Some waste management companies are beginning to offer composting services. Composting allows schools to collect food scraps, yard waste, and some paper products.

Although composting services are still rare, make sure to ask your vendor if they are composting. It is likely that composting services will become more commonplace.

If your provider doesn’t provide composting, a separate composting service may be available. The Greendale School District recently engaged

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Contact the WASB today.

Policy Services

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608-257-2622

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877-705-4422

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Visit wasb.org

Students Lead School-Wide Composting Effort

the services of a new start-up composter, the Compost Crusader (see sidebar, right), with the goal of reducing our food waste and associated costs and to help pay the cost of composting. The Compost Crusader picks up the food waste and takes it to a processing facility. The finished product then goes to Wisconsin farmers to begin the cycle again. Our composter can take paper towels, non-recycled paper, any compostable items, and food waste. Through composting, we hope to reduce our waste stream by as much as 75 percent. | Making It Happen Asking more from your waste management provider is a great way to reduce your schools’ impact on the environment and maybe even lower expenses. If your district doesn’t have one already, it may be helpful to adopt a policy stating your board’s commitment to sustainability inside and outside of the classroom.

Our school board has adopted a board sustainability policy to formalize the district’s focus on environmental stewardess. It commits the district to the “3E” approach, which focuses the district on “economy, education, and environment.”

In some cases, simply asking for more from your waste management provider will go a long ways in improving your service and reducing your waste. It’s important to be able to work with your provider. If you think of something else in regard to waste management, recycling, or composting, ask for it. If you don’t ask, you won’t get it. We are talking big business here, and in most places there is competition. n

A

student “Green Team” at Canterbury Elementary School in Greendale made it their mission this past school year to reduce the amount of waste the school was sending to the landfill.

Recycling efforts were only going so far. Students knew they wanted to make a bigger impact.

The team began researching composting and found a company, Compost Crusader, which collects compostable material from businesses and schools in southeastern Wisconsin. The school got special receptacles for compostable waste. The members of the Green Team monitored the bins at lunch and educated students about what could be composted.

Afterwards, the janitorial staff took the compost to a special dumpster outside the school, where it was picked up weekly by Compost Crusader. The company is run by Melissa Tashjian, who started the company when she saw the interest among Milwaukee-area companies to compost. She never thought schools would sign up for her services but is glad to see students leading the effort.

“I’ve found that many of these programs are driven by students,” Tashjian said. “It’s really exciting to see good habits being instilled in our youth.

They no longer have the out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality towards waste.”

Principal Mike Mullen said the school has always had an environmental feel to it. The school is surrounded on three sides by forest and many of the students come to school with knowledge of recycling and composting.

“We’ve always felt it’s absolutely key to teach students about environmental sustainability,” Mullen said. “The composting effort has been another great teaching opportunity for our students.” N

Erin Green, former Director of Business, Greendale School District, is treasurer of the Green Schools National Network.

For a sample request for proposal (RFP), school board policy and other information about reducing waste, email Erin Green at erin.green1776@gmail.com.

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WASB INSURANCE

Marty Malloy

Managing Your Risk Can Enhance Student Achievement

N

o matter how you look at it, school districts in Wisconsin are in a period of transition.

Districts are facing changes in educational standards and funding levels from the state and federal government. To meet the challenges that come with these changes, new strategies for funding and supporting classroom activities are being explored by administrators and school boards throughout the state.

During this difficult period, districts are still expected to enhance student achievement. The key metric in education is student achievement, and it is how the public judges the success of a district.

Meeting this challenge isn’t just the responsibility of the districts and their leadership, but also of their vendor partners. We need to discover creative solutions to help reduce costs and improve results. This approach not only builds long-term relationships, but also a long-term, win-win environment for all stakeholders.

The first question we get as an insurance broker is, “How can you help us control insurance costs?”

Obviously brokers serve the traditional role of negotiating rates with insurance carriers, but a broker also should have the perspective and expertise to help you meet your student achievement goals.

| A Holistic Approach In our work with districts, we have

found that a holistic approach to risk management by integrating traditional benefits, wellness programs (physical and mental) and workers’ compensation can help slow down and, in some cases, reduce costs for districts. In the insurance industry this approach is referred to as “enterprise risk management” (ERM). The premise behind ERM is that coordinating the reduction of risk in the workplace will help an employer in multiple avenues.

A district that takes a holistic approach to risk will likely see overall dollar savings in the form of insurance premiums. However, there are often important ripple effects to other areas of the workplace, which can have great impact on the classroom experience. One of those effects is a reduction in teacher absenteeism.

Data shows a link between a permanent teacher in the classroom and student achievement. Healthier teachers tend not to miss a lot of class time. Studies done for Harvard and Columbia Universities show a link between student achievement and teacher absences. Anything a district can do to keep a healthy teacher in the classroom has the potential to enhance student achievement.

A reduction in sick days also has an effect on expenses. A recent study by the Oregon Health and Science University found that incorporating these programs can lead to a 25 percent reduction in overall health insurance,

workers’ compensation and absenteeism costs for employers.

It has been our experience that taking the ERM or holistic approach by integrating benefit programs can lead to great success. Our experiences have shown these approaches result in reduced costs for the school district and enhanced student achievement. | Facing the Big Challenges Obviously, the biggest challenge every district faces is funding, but there are other common challenges we see as well, including: the achievement gap; student health and wellness; and the need for additional mental health resources for students.

Overcoming these challenges isn’t just about managing your expenses, it’s also about building community support for the district as an entity.

We have been working with several school districts to expand their wellness program to students and the community as a whole. By doing this, the district is helping to promote student and community health while creating a closer bond between the school district and the community. Many districts allow residents to use school buildings for community-based initiatives, such as: walking clubs, open fitness centers, hosting health fairs, and community gardens.

Much like a healthy teacher, a healthy student is much less likely to miss class time. Recently the

Data shows a link between a permanent teacher in the classroom and student achievement. Healthier teachers tend not to miss a lot of class time.

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Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction reviewed attendance data and identified a correlation between student absenteeism and achievement.

Their study found that:

b Missing school has a significant

impact on the vital development of reading and math skills.

b Students with good attendance from kindergarten through second grade were twice as likely to be proficient on standardized tests in eighth grade.

Districts taking this larger approach have seen greater success in engaging the public in their initiatives, which includes passing funding referendums. A strong relationship with the community is often vital to the health of a district. | Moving Forward We would advise districts to think differently about managing their

risk. Traditionally, risk management has focused on preventing losses and purchasing the lowest cost insurance. Moving forward, we believe risk management should take a more comprehensive approach to help our clients achieve their goals. In the case of schools, the goal is student achievement.

Data shows that keeping healthy teachers in the classroom can help increase student achievement. There are similar studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that show that healthy students who feel safe in school and connected to their community miss less school and score higher on assessments.

A district can use risk management techniques to keep teachers in the classroom by integrating traditional benefits, wellness and workers’ compensation programs.

Risk management can also help implement safety initiatives,

post-injury return-to-work, and disability management programs.

In addition, risk management can be used to help students feel safe in school by ensuring proper safety and security procedures are in place in school buildings. It can be used to develop bullying prevention programs to help students feel safe and connected. Student fitness and wellness programs will also help keep students healthy and in class.

At M3 Insurance, our ultimate goal is to partner with districts to integrate their employee benefit and property and casualty risk management so our public schools can reduce overall costs and increase student achievement. n Marty Malloy is an Account Executive and Practice Group Leader for M3 Insurance’s Education & Government Team. M3 is an endorsed agency through the WASB Insurance Plan. For more information, visit wasb. org and select “WASB Insurance Plan.”

Legislative Update Stay up-to-date on the latest state and national legislative news by following the WASB Legislative Update website. This mobile-friendly site is updated regularly

by WASB staff and features a “follow” tool so you can receive email updates when a new item is posted.

Visit the WASB Legislative Update website at wasb.org.

Select “Advocacy & Government Relations” and then “Legislative Update”.

Advocacy & Government Relations | 608-257-2622 | 877-705-4422 | Visit wasb.org

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

Building School Leaders

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he Summer Leadership Institute, hosted by the WASB on July 18 in Green Lake, featured a variety of sessions on important topics aimed at giving school board members the information and tools they need to lead their districts.

Sessions, delivered by WASB staff, school leaders from around the state, and other education experts, addressed issues related to student achievement, governance, communications, and, among others, school funding.

The event started with a keynote address by Dr. Jerlando F.L. Jackson, director and chief research scientist at Wisconsin’s Equity and Inclusion Laboratory (WeiLAB) at UW-Madison. Dr. Jackson shared his research on the challenges facing black males in our educational systems and his suggestions for policy changes.

School board members from the Verona Area School District presented their board’s work in developing policies and practices that promote the equity of access and opportunity for students. The district focused on getting more underrepresented students into the high school’s Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Research shows that students who take AP classes, regardless of prior academic performance or other background factors, are more likely to succeed in college.

Through retention and support structures, the district has been able to close racial/economic gaps in AP classes by 76 percent.

The Kettle Moraine School District shared its communication and engagement strategies for passing school referendums. For a successful referendum, many aspects of a school district’s leadership need to work together towards the same goal of developing trust among the community. Clear, consistent and transparent communication goes a long ways in developing trust.

School leaders also said it is crucial to make community involvement a part of the referendum planning process. In Kettle Moraine, the school district held community workshops in spring 2012 and 2013, conducted a community-wide survey in the fall of 2013, and then held the referendum in spring 2014.

The Brown Deer School District shared its efforts to close the achievement gap. The district instituted support and initiatives at each grade level including reaching out to early child care providers to ensure that they were educating students and setting them up to succeed once they began school. The district also provides after-school help where students participate two to five days a week to work on homework or get extra help from a teacher. In addition, staff development has been crucial in closing the district’s achievement gap.

Through teacher-led professional development, the district has developed a district-wide training that helps teachers identify strategies and efforts to help students.

Among other sessions, WASB Consultants Cheryl Stinski and Al

Brown presented on the recently updated Key Work of School Boards, a framework for school leaders looking to develop the leadership skills they need to deal with today’s educational and political challenges.

Among other topics, Stinski and Brown discussed vision and its importance and role in today’s school boards. As the Key Work states, “Vision is not about what we are, but what we want to be … A positive vision is future-focused and seeks to shape events rather than simply let them happen.” n For presentations from all of the sessions at the Summer Leadership Institute, visit wasb.org. Select “Meetings and Events” and then “Event Recaps.”

Vision is not about what we are, but what we want to be …

A positive vision is future-focused and seeks to shape events rather than simply let them happen. — “Key Work of School Boards”

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UPCOMING EVENTS

WASB Fall Regional Meetings

Region 1 | Oct. 6 – Trego*

T

Region 3 | Sept. 29 – Green Bay

he WASB Fall Regional Meetings bring together school leaders in their respective WASB regions to recognize accomplishments, listen to a feature presentation, and hear about WASB’s activities and plans.

This year, the feature presentation focuses on community advocacy efforts and how school leaders can foster community advocates for public education. If school boards are going to be successful in advocating for state policy changes that improve public education, they need to enhance their community leadership role and advocacy efforts at the local level. This feature presentation will highlight ways school boards can be more successful in influencing

Region 2 | Oct. 7 – Minocqua

their communities’ support for public education.

In addition to the feature presentation, the Regional Meetings take time to recognize school board members who have reached a new level in the WASB Member Recognition Program. School board members earn points by attending WASB and National School Boards Association (NSBA) programs and activities.

WASB Executive Director John Ashley will wrap up the meeting with the Executive Director’s Report, which will inform members about the activities and future director of the WASB. N

PRE-REGIONAL MEETING WORKSHOP

School Board Policy Implications from the 2015-17 State Budget The 2015-17 state budget proposed substantial changes to state laws impacting Wisconsin public school districts — from funding, student assessments and district report cards to open enrollment and much more. As a result, school boards throughout the state will need to revisit and reconsider a number of their policies. At this workshop, learn more about the specifics of the major statutory changes and implications on local district policies. Make sure your district doesn’t fall behind in making the appropriate and necessary changes.

Workshops will be held immediately prior to the Regional Meetings from 4-6 pm at the same facility.

Members are welcome to attend workshops in any region. Cost is $85. Register at wasb.org. Regional Meeting registration is not required. N

Region 4 | Oct. 14 - Eau Claire* Region 5 | Oct. 13 – Rothschild Region 6 | Oct. 21 – Fountain City Region 7 | Oct. 1 – Neenah Region 8 | Sept. 30 – Kiel Region 9 | Oct. 22 – Fennimore* Region 10 | Oct. 27 – Baraboo* Region 11 | Oct. 20 – Pewaukee*

Region 12 | Sept. 24 – DeForest or Oct. 8 – Evansville Region 13 | Oct. 28 – Elkhorn* Region 14 | TBD – Milwaukee Region 15 | Oct. 20 – Pewaukee *Denotes region with elections for WASB Board of Directors.

Are You Receiving WASB Emails?

As your member association, the WASB wants to ensure that you are receiving all of the timely legislative updates, legal and policy notices, and meeting invitations that you are entitled to receive with your membership.

If you are not receiving WASB emails or would prefer they be sent to a different email address, please contact us at info@wasb.org or by calling toll-free 1-877-705-4422 and provide us with your current, preferred email address(es). (You may need to whitelist “robust.wasb.org” if your WASB emails are being blocked. Contact the WASB or district IT for assistance.)

The WASB is committed to working with member school boards to strengthen local governance and advocacy of Wisconsin public schools. Make sure you are receiving WASB emails to benefit from the full range of services. N

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

2015-17 State Budget Signed Into Law

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overnor Walker signed the 2015-17 state budget into law on July 12. We take a look at what we’ve labelled the “Good, the Bad and the Ugly” in the new budget.

| The

GOOD…

Funding Restored and Increased Slightly. The budget restores nearly $127 million in Per Pupil Aid funding in the first year that had been slated to be cut, and it adds $100 per pupil to this aid in the second year, a net increase of $84.1 million over the base-level funding for per-pupil aid.

Help for Rural Schools. The budget provides additional resources for rural schools by increasing funding for: b Sparsity Aid by $8.4 million over the biennium. b High-Cost Pupil Transportation categorical aid by $5 million over the biennium.

The pupil transportation reimbursement rate for districts transporting children more than 12 miles increases from $275 to $300 per pupil.

The budget also authorizes school districts to use whole-grade sharing agreements to achieve greater economies, which could help rural districts willing to adopt this approach with neighboring districts.

In a surprise move, legislators continued the state-run Local Government Property Insurance Fund, an insurer of last resort for some rural school districts.

Support for Instructional Innovation.

“TEACH 2.0” provisions in the budget should help small and rural districts meet their technology needs by allowing districts to request additional data lines and video links, and by authorizing grants to districts for telecommunications access, infrastructure, and teacher training.

A new grant program will fund purchases of equipment used in fabrication laboratories (“fab labs”) for instructional/educational purposes by

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K-12 students.

Educational Options for Public School Students. The budget improves access to open enrollment for students with disabilities. Beginning in 2016-17, the open enrollment transfer amount increases to $12,000 and resident districts may not deny requests on the basis of undue financial burden.

A $5 million boost in high-cost special education aid in 2016-17 could ease the burden on non-resident districts accepting additional special needs pupils via open enrollment.

The budget retains the Course Options Program but permits institutions of higher education to charge tuition and fees to a pupil or the pupil’s parents, if the pupil will receive postsecondary credit for successfully completing the class.

Flexibility for Districts. The budget permits districts to choose their own reading readiness screeners and continues to fund their cost, allows common and union high school boards to sell district property no longer needed by the district without annual meeting authorization, and exempts school districts from the state’s prevailing wage law, effective January 1, 2017.

| The

BAD…

Geographic Representation for Racine Unified School Board. The budget requires the Racine Unified School Board to adopt, by resolution, a representation plan for electing its members from geographically apportioned districts before November 1, 2015, a serious interference with local control prerogatives of the duly-elected school board and residents of the district.

Alternative Assessments. The budget requires DPI to request a federal waiver to allow the state to approve three to five assessments that could be used by districts, “2r” charters, and voucher schools as an alternative to the test adopted by the state superintendent.

If the state receives a waiver, the Value-Added Research Center at UW-Madison would be paid $750,000 to identify and approve alternative assessments. This provision was adopted over WASB’s protest that the easiest, fairest, most accurate and most straight-forward comparisons occur when all students take the same test at the same time and under the same conditions.

Civics/Citizenship Assessment Requirement for High School Graduation. Beginning in 2016-17, no public school, independent charter or private voucher school may grant a high school diploma to a student who does not successfully complete a 100-question civics assessment by correctly answering at least 60 questions. Students with an individual education plan must take, but need not successfully complete, the test.

School boards agree on the need to promote civic education. However, locally elected boards, and not the state, should decide whether passing this test is the best way to encourage good citizenship among a district’s graduates.

Participation in Athletics and Extra-Curricular Activities. The budget requires all public school athletics and extra-curricular programs to give equal access to district residents who are homeschooled, and requires school boards to accept, without question or challenge, a written statement from the parent of a homeschool student that the student is eligible for participation based on age and academic and disciplinary records.

A provision that a school district may not be a member of an athletic association (WIAA) unless the association requires member districts to allow homeschool students to participate in athletics in the district was removed by a governor’s veto. However, the impact of this veto is unclear as it left intact the requirement that districts must, by state law, permit a homeschool pupil who resides in the district to participate in interscholastic athletics.

| The

UGLY…

Opportunity Schools and Partnership Program (OSPP, aka, “MPS Takeover”). These provisions allow a commissioner appointed by the Milwaukee County Executive to take over low-performing schools in the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) district, removing them from the governance of the MPS board. This commissioner, free of state and local regulations other than for health, safety, special education and non-discrimination, may then implement turnaround plans at those schools, including utilizing independent charter, nonsectarian private voucher operators or others selected through a request for proposals (RFP) process to run these schools.

The Commissioner would act independently of the MPS Board.

The provisions hand over up to three of the lowest-performing MPS schools (or vacant or “underutilized” MPS school buildings) to the commissioner in the first two years, with up to five of the lowest-performing MPS schools or vacant or underutilized MPS school buildings to be handed over each year thereafter. The commissioner becomes the agent of a lease with the City of Milwaukee, taking possession and exercising care, control and management of all land, buildings, facilities and other property that would be part of a school transferred to the program, and would be the conduit through which “education operators” would transmit their letters of interest in purchasing MPS buildings and facilities.

The provisions make other sweeping changes, including giving the MPS Superintendent powers that parallel those given to the commissioner with regard to low-performing schools. Other “parallel provisions” would allow a similar commissioner to be established in other Wisconsin urban school districts that meet specified criteria.

Private School Voucher Expansion.

The budget lifts the cap on statewide voucher enrollment but caps participation by pupils residing in any given district at 1 percent of that district’s prior-year enrollment.

This initial cap increases by 1 percent each year beginning in 2017-18 until it hits 10 percent in

2025-26, after which there will be no limit.

While the budget provides some additional state funding for public schools, $48 million of that will be siphoned off to fund statewide voucher expansion through a “money follows the child” mechanism. Each district’s general aid will be reduced by an amount equal to the total voucher amounts attributable to “incoming” pupils to a voucher program who reside in that district. If the district does not receive enough general aid to cover the reduction, the remaining amount will come out of other state aid received by the district. Districts cannot levy to backfill the aid reduction.

“Incoming” pupils to the Racine and statewide voucher programs in 2015-16 and thereafter can be fully counted by their resident school district for general aids and revenue limits, including for their first year in a voucher program.

The new funding mechanism suggests the role of local school boards will increasingly become one of raising property taxes to support students that are not educated in district schools. This funding method will mask the true cost of the voucher program by eliminating the separate state appropriation that funds vouchers and instead “wash” the dollars used to fund vouchers through the aid formula for public schools. Taxpayers will subsidize private schools not governed by locally elected boards, and not required to operate transparently.

It is unclear how the state can sustainably add thousands of new private school voucher students and additional costs without negatively impacting public school funding, especially when nearly 86 percent of new voucher recipients already attend private schools.

Special Education Vouchers.

The budget creates a special needs voucher program, beginning in 2016-17, for students with an individual education plan who meet certain conditions, including that they: a) have recently applied to attend a public school in one or more nonresident school districts under open enrollment — including

in the same year for which they apply for a voucher — and their open enrollment application was rejected without a successful appeal; and b) that they attend a Wisconsin public school for at least a portion of the 2015-16 school year. No income eligibility requirements apply. The voucher amount is $12,000 per year, funded via a similar but not identical “money follows the child” mechanism as that used for statewide vouchers. Recipients would not initially be fully counted by their resident district for revenue limit purposes.

Special needs vouchers will deprive special education students and their parents of important due process rights and other enforceable legal rights. With vouchers fixed at $12,000 (adjusted for inflation), there is a disincentive for private schools to accept students with significant disabilities. As a result, public schools will likely serve higher concentrations of students with significant disabilities.

Additional Charter School Authorizers. The budget allows an existing independent charter school operator to open additional schools if all the schools it operates rank in one of the top two categories on the most recent school report cards. It also allows five new entities (UW System, Waukesha County, Gateway Technical College, College of Menominee Nation; and the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College) to authorize independent charter schools.

These additional independent charters would be funded using a “money follows the child” like the one used for special needs vouchers.

State aid equal to the per-pupil payment for “incoming” independent charter enrollees will be withheld from the district of residence and the district could not levy to backfill that aid reduction. However, those “incoming” students would not initially be fully counted by their resident district for revenue limit purposes. n For a more complete summary of budget provisions affecting K-12 public education, see the WASB Budget Chart at: http://bit.ly/1SxjBQv

August 2015

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27

LEGAL COMMENT

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

Education of Homeless Children and Youth

H

omelessness among families, single parents with children, and children on their own is increasing dramatically. Statistics collected by the Department of Public Instruction (“DPI”) show that the number of homeless students in Wisconsin increased from 5,354 in the 2003-04 school year to 19,471 in the 2014-15 school year.1 This has a significant impact on the education of Wisconsin children.

The McKinney-Vento Education For Homeless Children and Youth Act (“McKinney-Vento”) was passed

by Congress in 1987 and has been amended several times, most recently in 2002 when it was reauthorized in the No Child Left Behind Act.2 It was enacted to address the unique and pressing issues faced by homeless students, and to protect their right to receive a free and appropriate education on equal terms as students living in stable homes. McKinney-Vento requires that “state educational agencies must ensure that each homeless child and youth has equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including a public preschool education, as other children and youth.”3 One of McKinney-Vento’s central tenets is that homeless students should have access to the educational and other services they need to enable them to meet the same state academic achievement standards to which all students are held. In addition, McKinney-Vento mandates

that homeless students may not be separated from the mainstream school environment.

This Legal Comment will review what districts need to do to comply with McKinney-Vento and examine how courts have enforced its provisions. | Who is a Homeless Student?

The term “homeless children and youths” means students, including migrant students, who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence and includes students who:

b are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason;

b are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations;

b are living in emergency or transitional shelters;

b are abandoned in hospitals or are awaiting foster care placement;

b have a primary nighttime

residence that is public, or a private place not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings; and,

b are living in cars, parks, public

spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings.

McKinney-Vento applies to students of all ages and includes children who have been thrown out of their homes, run away from home, or have been abandoned by parents or guardians. Family income is not a consideration for homelessness — only the living situation. A homeless family with financial means may not need the same services as families with limited financial means, but has the same rights as any other family experiencing homelessness. | What Does McKinney-Vento

Require of a School District?

McKinney-Vento requires that a district do a number of things for homeless students. They include designating an individual as the district’s liaison for homeless students. The liaison is expected to work with district staff and community agencies to identify and enroll homeless students and assure they are not segregated or stigmatized, have access to comparable services, and are afforded an equal opportunity to be successful in school. The liaison is also required to assist homeless parents/guardians and unaccompanied youth by obtaining medical and academic records for school enrollment, securing preschool placement for their children, and mediating enrollment, transportation, and educational services disputes. An “unaccompanied youth” is defined as a student

Courts have generally taken an aggressive role in protecting the rights of homeless students under McKinney-Vento.

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Wisconsin School News

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JD-014

LEGAL COMMENT attending school, but not in the custody of a parent/guardian.

A district is also required to inform homeless parents/guardians and unaccompanied youth of the educational opportunities available to them, including transportation rights and the availability of community health and social service programs. The liaison must also inform parents/guardians of their right to appeal enrollment and transportation decisions.

Districts should make sure their policies and procedures do not serve as educational barriers for homeless children and do not stigmatize, segregate, or isolate students because they are homeless. The services provided to each homeless child must be comparable to services offered to other students in the district and, where applicable, include transportation services and public preschool, special education, Title I, limited English proficiency, vocational educational, gifted and talented, before and after school, and school meal programs. | Enrollment Requirements Districts are mandated to identify and immediately enroll a homeless student even if medical and academic records or proof of residency are not available. The enrolling school should immediately contact the student’s last school of attendance to obtain relevant records. If immunizations are needed, the enrolling school must refer the parent, guardian, or student to the liaison who is required to assist the family in obtaining the necessary records or immunizations.

Districts are required to make school selection and enrollment decisions for homeless students according to the best interest of the homeless students. Homeless students have the right to enroll in any public school that non-homeless students who live in the same attendance area are eligible to attend. Generally, districts should continue a homeless student in the student’s “school of origin” for the duration of the student’s homelessness. Studies have shown that changing schools significantly

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Wisconsin School News

[continued]

impedes students’ academic and social progress and that highly mobile students tend to have lower test scores and overall academic performance than peers who do not change schools. “School of origin” is defined as the school the student attended when permanently housed or the school in which the student was last enrolled. Importantly, even if a homeless student becomes permanently housed during the academic year, the student is entitled to remain in the student’s “school of origin” for the remainder of that academic year.

If a district places a homeless student in a school other than the “school of origin” or a school requested by the parent/guardian, the district must provide the student’s parent/guardian with a written explanation of the basis for the decision and a statement regarding the parent’s/guardian’s right to appeal the district’s placement decision. If a dispute arises over the district’s selection or enrollment decision, the homeless student must be immediately admitted to the district or school in which the enrollment is sought, pending resolution of the dispute. Each district should have a dispute resolution procedure in place and, if the family is still dissatisfied, they can file a complaint with DPI.

| Special Issues for

| Transportation

| Open Enrollment and

Requirements If the parent/guardian requests it, transportation must be provided for a homeless student to the student’s “school of origin” for the duration of the homelessness. If the student remains enrolled in the district, the district is responsible for transportation. If the homeless student begins living in an area served by another district, the two districts must agree on how transportation costs will be shared. If they cannot agree, the transportation costs must be shared equally.

There are several alternatives for districts to meet these transportation mandates. A district can contract with the parents to have the parents

provide their own transportation with reimbursement of expenses. Families, however, cannot be required to use their own vehicles. Districts can arrange for transportation by taxis or other public transportation. In addition, homeless shelters may be willing to transport students. Some districts have also contracted with community members or staff willing to transport students. If such alternative transportation options are used, all district requirements for district drivers apply, including background checks, physical examinations, vehicle inspection, and insurance coverage.4

Preschool Children Homeless preschool children are covered by McKinney-Vento. The liaison should develop an informed referral network to make sure these students are being located and provided services. This includes Head Start or Early Head Start and any special education services that might be available. Technically, preschool children do not have a “school of origin,” but if a preschool student becomes homeless and if the district provides transportation to “housed” children, the district is obligated to provide transportation.

Tuition Waiver Once a family finds permanent housing, a student is not automatically eligible to continue attending a non-resident school district beyond the end of the school year. Therefore, it may be advisable to tell students how to take advantage of tuition waivers and the open enrollment process, to the extent they are eligible. Transportation is provided under McKinney-Vento while students are homeless, but parents are responsible for transportation under the open enrollment program, as well as under any tuition waiver program.

There is also no guarantee that a family applying for open enrollment will be accepted into the program.

| School Records A student’s “homeless” status must be kept confidential. However, a student’s willingness to accept certain services exclusively available to homeless students may inadvertently identify them as homeless. School districts should be careful to respect the privacy rights of homeless families and their children. If the district believes a student should be designated as homeless, DPI recommends that the designation be entered into a student’s behavior record since it is not a progress record and not specifically identified in state law.5 In addition, any such records so designated will be eligible for retention for no more than one year after the student ceases to be enrolled.

Likewise, the homeless liaison or other district staff may wish to be proactive in informing the parents/ guardians of homeless students and unaccompanied youth over 18 that “directory data” can remain private if the parent/guardian or unaccompanied youth requests so in writing. | Athletic Eligibility

Homeless Students The WIAA has specifically developed a form and a set of criteria which must be followed in order to determine student eligibility for families experiencing homelessness or for unaccompanied youth. | Legal Decisions Despite the fact that the law has been in effect for almost 30 years, there has been limited litigation surrounding McKinney-Vento. In Lampkin v.

District of Columbia6, a group of homeless mothers alleged that the District of Columbia school system delayed placing their children on the basis that the mothers had only applied for emergency shelter and were placed on the shelter’s waiting list. The court held that families who had entered the shelter system or were

on the shelter’s waiting list are considered “homeless” because they lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

In National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, R.I. v.

New York7, the plaintiffs alleged that the district failed to locate and ensure enrollment of homeless students, failed to provide uninterrupted transportation to enable homeless students to attend school, failed to provide immediate enrollment to students upon becoming homeless, and failed to provide educational services that are comparable to those received by children who are not homeless. The court noted the law was intended to confer individually enforceable rights on homeless children and the families in this case alleged enough facts to show the district was not complying with the law.

In N.J. v. New York8, the plaintiffs were displaced from their home after it was destroyed by a fire, forced to move in with a friend, and eventually moved out of the district of the student’s “school of origin.” The district disenrolled the student because the family did not reside within the district. The plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction to prevent the district from disenrolling their children pending resolution of their appeal.

The court concluded that a homeless student should remain enrolled in the school in which enrollment is sought pending the final resolution of the dispute, not simply the resolution at the district level. The court granted the plaintiffs’ injunction because it believed that the students might suffer irreparable harm and that the benefit to the children of an uninterrupted education due to circumstances outside of their control far outweighs the harm to the school district in continuing their enrollment.

These cases reflect that courts have generally taken an aggressive role in protecting the rights of homeless students under McKinney-Vento.

While questions may arise in particular circumstances regarding how McKinney-Vento is to be interpreted and implemented, districts will be well-served to develop fair and thorough mechanisms for addressing and resolving disputes internally so as to avoid potential litigation. | Conclusion Many Wisconsin districts have extensive experience with homeless students and the circumstances unique to their situations. However, data compiled by DPI shows that over 100 Wisconsin districts report no students who qualify as homeless under the law. Given the broad definition of a “homeless” student under McKinney-Vento, all districts should review their policies and procedures to assure that they are not only identifying students subject to McKinney-Vento, but are also complying with its mandates. n For additional Legal Comments addressing district residency issues see Wisconsin School News: “Revisiting Student Residency Determinations” (January 2002); “Court Decisions Clarify Residency Questions” (June 1986); and “New Legal Requirements for Foreign Students” (August 1997). | Endnotes 1. See DPI website http://homeless.dpi. wi.gov/ 2. 42 U.S.C. 11431 et. seq.

3. McKinney-Vento uses the phrase “children and youth.” This Legal Comment will shorten that for style purposes to “student.”

4. Wis. Stats., § 121.555 5. Wis. Stats. § 118.125(1)(a) 6. Lampkin v. District of Columbia, 879 F.Supp. 116 (D. D.C. 1995) 7. National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, R.I. v. New York, 224 F.R.D. 314 (E.D. N.Y. 2004) 8. N.J. v. New York, 872 F. Supp.2d 204 (E.D. N.Y. 2011) This Legal Comment was written by Michael J. Julka, Douglas E. Witte and Steven C. Zach 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.

August 2015

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31

Q&A

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

Service Associate Q&A

EMC’s Mark Neubauer talks about strategies to avoid accidents in schools

Q.

What are some safety issues or related maintenance projects schools should address this time of year?

A.

The summer months are a great time to make sure your sidewalks and parking lots are ready for students and staff to come back to school. Examine sidewalks and parking lots for low areas, cracks, unevenness, holes and weather damage. By replacing, patching or grinding down damaged areas, you can decrease the likelihood of slip-andfall incidents and make walking safer for pedestrian traffic. Make sure all exterior and interior lights are working, and if necessary, replace burnt out lightbulbs or broken fixtures.

Another safety issue to evaluate is student drop-off and pick-up procedures. You should assess:

b Pedestrian-vehicle accidents (or close calls);

b Traffic patterns and directional signs to improve traffic flow;

b Paint on streets and in parking lots; and,

b Tree and shrub trimming to improve sight lines.

Q. What are common accidents in schools? What can school leaders do to try and prevent these accidents?

A. Slip-and-fall incidents and overexertion are the leading causes of school injuries. Faculty and staff, students and the general public are all at risk for slip-and-fall injuries.

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Wisconsin School News

Overexertion injuries are common with custodians, food service and maintenance personnel.

School leaders can help reduce the likelihood of these injuries by taking the following actions:

b Inspect sidewalks and parking

Mark Neubauer is the commercial lines underwriting supervisor at EMC

lots and promptly repair any damage;

b Formalize a procedure to clear water, snow and ice in pedestrian paths;

b Require food service staff to wear slip-resistant shoes;

b Remind all staff to wear appropriate slip-resistant shoes during inclement weather;

b Provide the proper material handling equipment for custodial and kitchen staff;

b Do not allow staff to use chairs, tables or desks to access out-of-reach items; and,

b Store materials and food in smaller, lighter containers to help staff avoid lifting heavy loads.

Q. What role can school board members play in ensuring safe schools?

A. School board members can help keep schools safe by promoting safety in everything they approve.

Creating a consistent and effective safety-focused culture at school would be very difficult without the leadership of the board. School board members should always consider the impact of their decisions on

the safety of staff, students and the public. Some safety items have an associated cost but the return on the investment can be found in insurance premiums, substitute teacher budgets, employee morale, staff performance, student achievement, human resources time and district reputation.

Q. If you could give school leaders one piece of insurance (or safety) advice, what would it be?

A. Start. Don’t assume that someone else is responsible. Building a culture of safety means everyone is responsible. Begin with simple fixes that make a difference. Comply with recommendations from loss-control experts and strive to be safer each and every day. n 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.”

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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.

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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 Waukesha, WI 53188 Phone: 262-522-6415 www.keybenefits.com Actuarial and employee benefit consulting services.

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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.

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

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

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.

UNITED HEALTHCARE 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.

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

LEGAL SERVICES BUELOW VETTER BUIKEMA OLSON & VLIET LLC 20855 Watertown Rd., Suite 200 Waukesha, WI 53186 Phone: 262.364.0300 www.buelowvetter.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.

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SUPPORTING, PROMOTING AND ADVANCING PUBLIC EDUCATION

UPCOMING PROGRAMS 2015 FALL REGIONAL MEETINGS

September-OctOber, 2015 VariOuS LOcatiOnS

2015 Regional Meetings Highlights: • School Board Member Recognition Awards • WASB Director Elections (Regions 1, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 13) • Feature Presentation: Community Leadership: A School Board’s Role • Executive Director’s Report

Optional Pre-Regional Meeting Workshop:

School Board Policy Implications from the 2015-17 State Budget

Oct. 15-16, 2015 aLLiant energy center, madiSOn, Wi

2015 WSAA/WASB SCHOOL LAW SEMINAR

WSAA/WASB School Law Seminar Highlights: • Get up-to-date on the latest school law issues affecting Wisconsin school districts • Sessions led by respected school law attorneys and WASB staff counsel • Gain information to effectively lead your district

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Ph: 608-257-2622 FAx: 608-257-8386