Wisconsin School News - September 2016 by WASB

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September 2016 | Volume 71 Number 1 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

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n WASB OFFICERS n

John H. Ashley Executive Director

Stu Olson

Capt. Terry McCloskey, USN Retired Three Lakes, Region 2 1st Vice President

Mary Jo Rozmenoski

Barneveld, Region 9 Immediate Past President

Mike Blecha Green Bay, Region 3

Brett Hyde Muskego-Norway, Region 11

Bill Yingst, Sr. Durand, Region 4

Nancy Thompson Waterloo, Region 12

Rick Eloranta Owen-Withee, Region 5

Rosanne Hahn Burlington, Region 13

Elizabeth Hayes Fond du Lac, Region 7

Terrence Falk Milwaukee, Region 14

Steve Klessig Brillion, Region 8

Ron Frea Pewaukee, Region 15

Andy Zellmer Montello, Region 10

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 © 2016 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.

Rewarding Innovation Laura Taylor

The Real Crisis and 8 Ways to Beat It David Horsager Why building trust is more important than ever

Forward Together Awards support progressive projects taking place in Wisconsin schools

Wanda Owens

n WASB BOARD OF DIRECTORS n

Shelby Anderson A small Wisconsin district has emerged as a technology education leader

Shell Lake, Region 1 President

Black River Falls, Region 6 2nd Vice President

Hands-On Learning

Natural Gas Contracts 101 Blake Baxter Avoiding common mistakes in the contracting process

Advocating for School Referendums What school board members and school staff can and can’t do during referendum season

D E P A R T M E N T S

C O L U M N S

2 News Briefs 3 Viewpoint — Many Reasons to Be Proud 24 Capitol Watch — Advocacy Continues… 26 Association News — Upcoming Events: Meetings, Seminars, Workshops, and Webinars…

28 Legal Comment — Bullying and Harassment Revisited 32 Service Associate Q&A — Jeff Thiel, R&R Insurance

NEWS BRIEFS

State’s Homeless Population May Be Higher Than Expected

n a 2015 federal report, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) counted 6,057 homeless people in Wisconsin. However, experts in Wisconsin estimate this count is overlooking thousands of homeless residents in the state. Each year, the HUD homeless count is conducted by hundreds of volunteers across the country. While it is relatively easy to count people staying in shelters, it is much harder to count homeless people who are temporarily staying at a friend or family member’s house or a hotel. In an article from WisContext.org, Joe Volk of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Homelessness estimates that Wisconsin may have as many as 20,000 homeless residents. Data from the Department of Public Instruction

reported that 18,390 homeless students were enrolled in school during 2014-15. It was found that 14,373 of those students were staying with a friend or relative. While many of these students are from the state’s larger districts, smaller districts are seeing their homeless student counts increase as well. Millie Rounsville, CEO of the Northwest Wisconsin Community Services Agency located in Superior, said it is a mistake to think homelessness is only an issue in the state’s largest cities. “That’s kind of been one of our pet peeves. People assume in our communities that we don’t have a homeless problem because you don’t see shopping carts like in the big cities or that it’s too cold, and that’s not the case,” Rounsville said.

STAT OF THE MONTH

9.5% Percentage of students with disabilities who were suspended in Wisconsin schools during the 2014-15 school year. Comparatively, 2.7 percent of non-disabled students were suspended. Source: Department of Public Instruction

Lake Mills Elementary School First LEED Platinum School in Nation

he U.S. Green Building Council announced in August that Lake Mills Elementary School has earned LEED Platinum certification. As the first school in the nation to earn this certification, it is considered the greenest school in the U.S. When the school was built in 2014, it took part in the U.S. Green Building Council’s new LEED v4 pilot program, which required certain energy efficient building and design requirements. Some of the features of the school include:

Wisconsin School News

b A white roof membrane on the gymnasium to reduce solar heat;

b Solar hot-water panels to supplement traditional water-heating equipment;

b A green roof filled with vegetation trays for water absorption, visual interest and learning opportunities; and, among other features,

b A closed-loop geothermal system that provides 100 percent of the school’s heating and cooling.

Report Examines Successful Education Systems in Other Countries

recently released report studied countries with high-performing education systems to see what policies and practices the U.S. and individual states could adopt. The report, “No Time to Lose: How to Build a World-Class Education System State by State,” is the result of an 18-month study by the National Conference of State Legislatures. The report found common themes among successful countries, which included a strong early education system, a reimagined and professionalized teacher workforce, robust career and technical education programs, and a comprehensive, aligned system of education. Additionally, the report found successful countries pay teachers more. “Teachers are compensated more generously than American teachers, typically earning pay similar to that of senior civil servants and professionals such as engineers and accountants,” the report states. “They are expected to be the best in the world and are compensated accordingly.”

VIEWPOINT

Jo h n H . A s h l e y

Many Reasons to Be Proud

t’s an exciting time of year. New and returning students and staff are settling into their classrooms and getting started on a new school year. While this can also be a daunting time of year, I feel very optimistic about the future of public education in Wisconsin. I believe the students who are entering our schools will have some of the best learning opportunities of students anywhere in the country. Our educators — teachers, principals and administrators — comprise one of the most qualified workforces anywhere. Their training, commitment and dedication is incredibly impressive. In addition, our schools continue to build valuable partnerships with higher education, business and other stakeholders for the benefits of students. There is much to be proud of when it comes to Wisconsin public schools. Over the past several years, we have been highlighting success stories from Wisconsin schools on our blog Stand Up for Public Education (wasbstandup.wordpress.com). It is impressive to look through the stories and see the wide range of good work and accomplishments taking place in our schools. Stories from this past year featured: a manufacturing business completely run by students at Hustisford High School; the Chippewa Falls IT Academy which, through a partnership between Chippewa Falls High School and Chippewa Valley Technical College, brings college instructors to the high school; the Ozaukee Youth Apprenticeship program, which connects students to careers; and a

team of students from Milwaukee’s North Division High School who earned a spot in a nationwide mobile app development program sponsored by MIT. The list of success stories goes on and on. While there is much to be proud of, there are always challenges awaiting our educators and school leaders. As I mentioned earlier, we have some of the best educators, however, the number of people entering the teaching ranks is shrinking and many districts are struggling to find quality candidates. We also need to continue to address issues related to the socioeconomic gaps in our communities and provide extra support to those who need it. We know that students come to our schools at all different learning and readiness levels. And, as always, there are new initiatives underway in a continuous effort to improve student achievement — from the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act, to Response to Intervention, Universal Design for Learning, local technology initiatives and more — the work never ends. I know our school leaders are thinking about and working on these issues and others. We received a record number of session proposals for the upcoming State Education Convention in January. Thank you for your willingness to contribute to the professional development of board members and administrators around the state. We’re all in this together. I also want to thank those districts that submitted resolutions to be considered for the WASB Delegate Assembly in January. Your resolutions guide the WASB’s advocacy.

As the school year gets underway, there are a number of WASB events on the calendar. The annual fall Regional Meetings take place in each WASB region from September to November and give you an opportunity to network with school leaders in your area and learn more about the WASB’s activities and plans. The WSAA/WASB Employment and School Law Seminar will take place Oct. 13-14 in Wisconsin Dells. And the WASB Legislative Advocacy Conference will be held Nov. 12 in Stevens Point. In October, we celebrate you — our school board members — with the annual Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week. This year, the special week is Oct. 2-8. During this week, we encourage school districts to thank their boards. We have developed a kit (available on WASB.org), which includes a sample press release, activities, and more to help districts honor their school boards. Finally, I’m excited to announce that details about the upcoming State Education Convention will begin to be released in early September. In this issue, we have an article by one of our keynotes — David Horsager, founder of the Trust Edge Leadership Institute. Look for more information on the upcoming convention in future issues of Wisconsin School News, the WASB website and your email inbox. It’s a busy, and always, exciting time of year. I hope your school year gets off to a great start and I look forward to hearing about the success stories from your district. It’s going to be a great school year! n

Our educators — teachers, principals and administrators — comprise one of the most qualified workforces anywhere. Connect with the WASB!

Twitter @wischoolboards

Facebook on.fb.me/1NBrEJq September 2016

A small Wisconsin district has emerged as a technology education leader Shelby Anderson

he Barneveld School District’s technology education, “tech ed,” department is proof that bigger isn’t always better.

The school district, which had a graduating class of 27 in June, has won awards in several high-mileage vehicle competitions. Its SkillsUSA

Wisconsin School News

chapter has been successful on the state and national stages, and its tech ed classes rival many large schools. Brett Stousland, district administrator, said the district’s tech ed department flourishes because of district staff but also because of community support.

“It’s truly a community program,” Stousland said. “Someone will show up with a farm tractor and say, ‘Hey, can you quickly weld this?’ Then when they have extra metal rods or something, they donate it to the district. The community has been very supportive.”

Despite the school’s small size, Barneveld High School students have won numerous high-mileage car competitions.

“It’s truly a community program. Someone will show up with a farm tractor and say, ‘Hey, can you quickly weld this?’ Then when they have extra metal rods or something, they donate it to the district …” — Brett Stousland, district administrator Duane Elfering teaches the district’s tech ed classes and advises its related clubs. Elfering won the International Technology and Engineering Education Association’s Teacher Excellence Award last year

and was named Wisconsin Technology Teacher of the Year by the Wisconsin Technology Education Association in 2014. Under Elfering’s guidance, Barneveld’s students have earned

numerous awards and recognitions. In particular, they have been very successful in the Wisconsin Energy Efficient Vehicle Association’s (WEEVA) high-mileage car competitions. The competitions challenge

September 2016

students to build small energy-efficient vehicles. Teams from around the state compete in a fuel category (supermileage) and an electronic class (electrathon). This past school year, the team from Barneveld won the supermileage category with a car that averaged 560 miles per gallon of gas and took third in the electrathon.

Elfering is proud of his students’ success, especially considering that they are going up against larger school districts with more funding. “You have schools that have 2,000 students and a lot of funding, and our kids are able to compete,” he said. | Learning Inside and Out

of the Classroom

“As a student, you become much more well-rounded. You learn that if you have motivation and a work ethic, you’re going to succeed.” — Duane Elfering, Barneveld tech ed teacher & advisor

Students built canoes in a class focused on transportation at a cost of only $50 per canoe. At the end of the class, students tested the canoes on a local lake. Teacher Duane Elfering confirmed that the canoes did indeed float.

Wisconsin School News

While the district’s success with its high-mileage vehicles is impressive, the classes that the small district is able to offer is equally impressive. The slate of courses includes metals, woodworking, engineering and robotics. Additionally, there are a number of high-level courses that Elfering offers every other year such as a building trades course, a class focused on transportation, and a

biotechnology class. Over the years, the Barneveld building trades class has constructed a house for a staff member, a chapel for a northern Wisconsin summer camp, and a generator for the Barneveld Fire Department. One year, the class built a 6,000-squarefoot “sale” barn, a building typically used for auctions that includes a show ring as well as living quarters. This past school year, Elfering held the transportation class. Among other projects, students were put into small groups and charged with building 16-foot, full-size canoes. By the end of the class, the students had manufactured six canoes out of a special plywood called luan for a cost of only $50 per canoe. On one of the last days of class, the students took their canoes out on a local lake

where they put their engineering and construction skills to the test. Elfering confirmed that all canoes not only floated but performed admirably in the water. One of the more involved classes is the district’s biotechnology course. Students study how technology is being used to improve agriculture and increase food production. In one project, the class raises chickens. At the beginning of the course, the class receives a shipment of baby chicks and over the course of the class, students closely monitor and study the chickens’ growth and health. At the end of the course, the chickens are butchered and the class holds a chicken dinner for the community to raise money for the district’s tech ed program. “Overall, the class is really good

The New Pathway for Vocational Education Teachers

istricts across the state have struggled to fill teaching vacancies in a number of subjects. One of those areas most challenging to fill is vocational education or tech ed. Last year, lawmakers passed 2015 Wisconsin Act 259 and included provisions in the 2015-17 biennial budget in hopes of drawing more people to the teaching profession. Act 259 created an experience-based licensure process for teaching vocational education subjects similar to the process created for technical education subjects in the biennial budget. Candidates for either license must have training and/or experience in a technical or vocational field or a trade, as well as some training in how to teach (pedagogy) and have a district interested in hiring him or her to teach technical or vocational education subjects. Qualification for these licenses are based on a system of points. Candidates must score at least 100 points, with at least 25 points for technical or vocational experience and at least 25 points for pedagogical experience. Qualified candidates hired by a school district are issued an initial three-year teaching license by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI). Once that license expires, DPI may issue a professional teaching license to the applicant as long as they have successfully completed the curriculum, which is determined by the school board. When he signed Act 259 into effect, Gov. Walker said, “This law will make it easier for school districts to fill much-needed teaching positions with professional and experienced individuals, which will assist in allowing school districts to offer courses in vocational areas that may not currently be offered to help Wisconsin students learn about in-demand careers and better prepare them for the workforce.” Under Act 259, vocational education subjects include: agriculture; child services; clothing services; food services; housing and equipment services; family and consumer education; family and consumer services; home economics-related occupations; health care-related occupations; business education; and marketing education. Technical education subjects covered in the budget provision include: architecture and construction, biotechnology, broad-based technology education, communication and information technology, electronics, engineering, environmental technologies, manufacturing, power and energy, and transportation. Act 259 was authored by state Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and state Rep. Daniel Knodl (R-Germantown) at the encouragement of a number of southeastern Wisconsin districts. N

September 2016

for the students,” Elfering said. “They get a better idea of where their food comes from and how it’s produced.” Elfering has also made an effort to expand the tech ed department to the district’s younger students. He offers a basic engineering course to

its middle school students. In addition, there is now a middle school high-mileage vehicle team that just started competing last school year. | Importance of Tech Ed Working so closely with students on engineering and manufacturing

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projects, Elfering said he sees firsthand the skills and knowledge that students gain by building a canoe, raising chickens or building a house. “As a student, you become much more well-rounded,” Elfering said. “You learn that if you have motivation and a work ethic, you’re going to succeed.” The success of Barneveld’s tech ed department is also apparent by the high rate of student participation. Elfering said that about half of all students in the district take a class or are involved with the department in some capacity. Elfering said he is also proud of the fact that the classes attract a widerange of students. “Tech ed used to attract a certain type of student,” Elfering said. “Now, we have college-bound students and everyone else. It’s just excellent to see.” The demographic also includes a lot of female students. Elfering said about 40 percent of all students in the districts’ tech ed classes are girls. “Some of my best welders this year were girls,” he added.

During the 2014-15 school year, Barneveld won the supermile category at the Wisconsin Energy Efficient Vehicle Association’s (WEEVA) highmileage car competition. The car built by Barneveld students averaged 560 miles per gallon of gas. The students designed and constructed the car as part of the school’s engineering class.

For many Barneveld students, the work doesn’t stop once they graduate. Many Barneveld graduates pursue careers or further their education in tech ed careers. Elfering estimates that almost half of the graduating seniors who were involved in the district’s program are going into related careers in manufacturing, engineering, biotechnology, and others. Most importantly, Elfering said he has learned that the hands-on,

real-world learning that takes place in his classes should continue to have a place in our schools. “In today’s education climate, everything is focused on reading, math, writing and tests,” Elfering said. “In a lot of schools, tech ed has gone away but it’s so important to our students’ learning.” n Shelby Anderson is editor of Wisconsin School News.

“In a lot of schools, tech ed has gone away but it’s so important to our students’ learning.” — Duane Elfering, Barneveld tech ed teacher & advisor

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September 2016

Slinger School Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s K.I.W.I. Club helps breaks down the barriers between students with and without disabilities.

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Rewarding Innovation Forward Together Awards support the creation of progressive projects in Wisconsin schools

isconsin is filled with teachers who have wonderful and passionate ideas for their schools and classrooms. However, some of these ideas may go unnoticed or there may be constraints when it comes to funding them. It’s important to recognize and reward Wisconsin teachers’ creativity, and, in turn, support better learning for our students across the state. This is the idea behind WEA Trust’s annual Forward Together Award. Over the past three years, WEA Trust has granted more than $25,000 to support individual educators’ school projects. This January, the Forward Together Award presented three educators a $3,000 grant each to fund their cutting-edge ideas. A record 165 proposals were submitted, which were reviewed by a panel of judges made up of a past Forward Together Award winners and education experts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the State Superintendent’s office and the Wisconsin Association of Schools Boards. This year’s winners included: Anneke Thompson of Burlington School District for a school business to sell and fund student-engineered projects; Robert Ferguson of Menominee Indian School District to incorporate a tradi-

| Laura Taylor

tional medicine school garden into the science curriculum; and Kathryn McKillip of Slinger School District to support a student organization that breaks down barriers between students, bringing everyone together in a kind and positive environment. | Bringing Creativity to Life BURLINGTON AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

Anneke Thompson’s project, Techno Dragon Designs, will use 3D printing technology to foster student creativity and build important life skills. “I want students to know that if they can dream up an idea, they can accomplish anything with hard work,” Thompson said. “Teaching children how to overcome barriers, stick with something for a long period of time and to realize their potential are life lessons that Techno Dragon Designs will offer.” Thompson will use the $3,000 Forward Together Award to purchase a 3D printer and filament rolls. With these new materials, students will create products to be sold in the school store, and use the profits to make the program self-sustaining.

Anneke Thompson will use the award to purchase 3D printing technology.

September 2016

HONORABLE MENTIONS During the application period for the 2016 Forward Together Award, WEA Trust received 165 project proposals. The three projects featured in this article were selected to receive grants. WEA Trust recognizes the following educators for submitting excellent proposals. Beloit School District Science Festival Big Foot Union High School District Big Foot Beat CD Colfax School District Transitions Field Trips Cornell School District Senior Education Project Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District Community Bike Shop Monticello School District Global Math Collaboration Oconto Falls Public Schools Outdoor Enclosure Osseo-Fairchild School District Big Ten Service Learning Random Lake School District Sensory Room Richfield Joint School District Online Library River Valley School District Architecture in the Classroom Royall School District Physical Education Southern Door County School District Tech Clubs to the Rescue Sun Prairie Area School District Aquatic Therapy West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Outdoor Learning Space Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools Illuminated Letters Wonewoc-Center School District Kiln Project

Wisconsin School News

The Menominee Indian School District will be using the award to start a school garden.

| Connecting to Roots MENOMINEE INDIAN SCHOOL DISTRICT Robert Ferguson applied for the Forward Together Award to fund his Maskihkiw Garden Project. This after-school program will teach Menominee Middle School students about the traditional planting and harvesting customs of the Menominee people. The project will be led by Grace Kasper, a science teacher at Menominee Middle School. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe this garden will be one more spoke in the educational wheel that will lead our students to an understanding of their own self worth and their abilities in sustaining a healthy lifestyle,â&#x20AC;? said Kasper. Through the maintenance of the Maskihkiw garden, Menominee students will learn about the importance of nutritious foods and encourage them to make healthy choices throughout their lives. The Forward Together Award will provide materials for the garden, including traditional Menominee plants such as sage, sweetgrass and cedar.

Ultimately, I would like to see this grow to other schools as well.” The Forward Together Award was used to send this organization to a Door County Adventure Center retreat to help create a culture of The Slinger School District used the award to send students to a inclusivity and strengthen relationretreat at the Door County Adventure Center (bottom photo). ships between students that extend beyond the classroom. “We were humbled by the vision, | Leading by Example SLINGER SCHOOL DISTRICT passion and drive of this year’s winners,” said Jon Klett, Kathryn McKillip’s project, the Kind Individuals with WEA Trust’s vice president of sales, marketing and Integrity (K.I.W.I.) Club, is a school organization that product development. “The Trust has long served helps foster meaningful relationships between students Wisconsin educators, and the Forward Together Award with and without disabilities. Students work together to allows us to support not just teachers’ health, but also their love of teaching.” n create volunteer projects and social events to spread awareness and inclusivity to all. Laura Taylor is a communication specialist with WEAT Trust. The WEA Trust provides group health insurance and administrative services to “We believe that everybody has something to give. Even public employers throughout Wisconsin. The not-for-profit WEA Trust was if it is small, it can make a huge difference in somebody’s created in 1970 to insure Wisconsin school district employees. Today, life,” McKillip, said. “The success of this program is really the WEA Trust offers its top-rated service and quality benefits to all state, county, and municipal groups. in the friendships that are built between these students.

September 2016

Advocating

for School Referendums What school board members and school staff can and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do during referendum season

f your district has a referendum on the ballot this fall, whether it is for a school building project or to exceed revenue limits, your district will be taking steps to educate your community about the referendum and the impact it could have on your district. The district serves an important role in sharing neutral information with voters so they can make an informed

| Shelby Anderson

judgment when voting. However, school district staff and school board members need to make sure they are following election law as they communicate about the school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upcoming referendum. Here is a look at what can and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be done during referendum season for school staff and board members.

SCHOOL STAFF

CHECK YES

đ&#x;&#x161;Ť NO

When district staff are off duty, they can advocate for school referendums. Staff members do not surrender their rights as citizens because they are employed by the district. However, at all times, staff will need to exercise careful judgment and should not hesitate to contact their district administrator with questions.

School district administrators and staff canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work on referendum campaigns during work hours. Thus, no supervisor should assign employees the task of working on the generation or distribution of â&#x20AC;&#x153;advocacyâ&#x20AC;? material.

During work hours or other times in which they are paid by the district, employees can provide neutral, factual information and educate the public about the referendum. This includes describing school or department needs or lack thereof.

Got Questions? Call WASB associate executive director and staff counsel Barry Forbes at 608-512-1707. You can also find more information on referendums on the WASB website â&#x20AC;&#x201C; WASB.org. Select â&#x20AC;&#x153;School Law Informationâ&#x20AC;? and then â&#x20AC;&#x153;Referendum Resource Centerâ&#x20AC;? (log-in required).

Wisconsin School News

No district funds or district resources can be expended for referendum advocacy (i.e. activities that expressly encourage a â&#x20AC;&#x153;yesâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;noâ&#x20AC;? vote). School district employees canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use school district money or resources (e.g., copying machines, computers, networks, or email) to campaign or advocate for or against the referendum. Referendum education materials created by the school district need to be neutral. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use words like â&#x20AC;&#x153;vote for,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;elect,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;support,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;cast your ballot for,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;vote against,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;defeat,â&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;reject,â&#x20AC;? in any official school communication related to the referendum. The use of school buildings by any advocacy group for any purpose should be coordinated through the standard building permit/facility use process. Neither a â&#x20AC;&#x153;vote yesâ&#x20AC;? group nor a â&#x20AC;&#x153;vote noâ&#x20AC;? group should be given preferential access to school buildings.

SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS

CHECK YES

đ&#x;&#x161;Ť NO

Individual board members can speak for (or against) referendums. Board members do not lose their First Amendment rights by being board members.

A school board may not expend public funds for the purpose of advocating a particular position on a referendum.

Board members can participate on committees that advocate for or against a referendum; however, they need to be aware of open meeting law implications if they participate in a group with other board members.

Do not advocate as a representative of the school board. When advocating for or against a referendum, it is important for board members to state that they are acting as an individual and do not represent the school board. When writing letters to the editor, advocating on social media, or electioneering, it is strongly encouraged that board members preface any advocacy remarks with the statement that the board member is acting in his or her individual capacity rather than in his or her role as a board member.

The school board may make reasonable expenditures for the purpose of giving voters relevant facts to aid them in reaching an informed judgment when voting on the referendum. (Appropriate expenditures may include the costs of brochures, newspaper advertisements, newsletters, and even videos that share neutral, factual information about the referendum).

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September 2016

The Real Crisis

and 8 Ways to Beat It

Why building trust is more important than ever | David Horsager

We are in a crisis. World Economic Forum leaders recently declared that our biggest crisis is not financial, but a lack of trust and confidence. We are in a trust crisis and few people really understand the bottom line implications. Not only does it affect credit and government relations, but it also affects every relationship and every organization. A recent Gallup poll shows that America’s confidence in nearly every major societal institution is declining. Pull out any newspaper and you’ll see countless examples of how trust is violated every day. Collectively, we no longer trust major corporations, banks, government, the media, public schools, nor organized religion. Doing business in this suspicious climate is extraordinarily difficult, and the degree to which people trust you and your organization is quite literally the difference between success and failure. Professor John Whitney of the Columbia Business School found, “Mistrust doubles the cost of doing business.” I think it costs even more.

Without trust, leaders lose teams and sales people lose sales. Without trust, schools and organizations lose productivity, retention of good people, reputation, morale and revenue. The lower the trust, the more time everything takes, the more everything costs, and the lower the loyalty of everyone involved. However, with greater trust comes greater innovation, creativity, impact, freedom, morale, and a bigger bottom line. In our ever-expanding global community, our ability to reach across borders has created amazing opportunities, but there is a challenge. Those opportunities do not always come easily, as we struggle to

learn about the unfamiliar and wonder if we can trust what we do not yet understand. Trust is not just a “soft skill” — it is the fundamental key to all lasting success. Though it may appear intangible, it is actually a measurable competency that can deliver real results in both our personal and professional lives. Based on my graduate research, and over a decade of leadership consulting, it has become clear that trust is the world’s most precious resource. No matter your position in life — parent, board member, CEO, or soccer coach — your ability to inspire trust has a direct impact on your influence and success. There are eight pillars that are identified in my research that are key to building and supporting trust.

1. CLARITY: People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous. Clarity requires honesty. With

Without trust, schools and organizations lose productivity, retention of good people, reputation, morale and revenue. 16

Wisconsin School News

honesty comes the need to share your vision, your purpose, and your expectations. Once people have a good understanding of what you stand for, where you want to go, and the role they play in your vision, it is easier to trust in your leadership.

2. COMPASSION: People put faith in those who care beyond themselves. Show that you can look beyond your own needs and wants. Trust and the ability to show empathy go hand in hand. There is a reason why we still hear, “people do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” 3. CHARACTER: People notice those who do what’s right over what’s easy. It is a complex word, but for our purposes, let us consider the two main components to be integrity and morality. With integrity, you are being consistent with your thoughts, words, and actions. Add that to a strong moral compass, a sense of right and wrong, and you are giving people someone they can trust. 4. COMPETENCY: People have confidence in those who stay fresh, relevant, and capable. Knowing how to do your job well matters. Whether it is a dentist giving you a root canal or the mechanic replacing your transmission, you want to know they are competent and capable of doing their job. The same applies to you. If you want people to trust you, make competency a priority. 5. COMMITMENT: People believe in those who stand through adversity. In this instance, actions

definitely speak louder than words. So if you say something matters to you, be prepared to show it to the people whose trust you want. It can mean demonstrating tenacity and stubbornness and making it clear you will see things through to the end.

6. CONNECTION: People want to follow, buy from, and be around friends. It’s easier to trust a friend than a stranger, so look for ways to engage with people and build relationships. You can start by learning to ask great questions. Use these This article is excerpted from David Horsager’s book, “The Trust Edge.”

Catch David Horsager at the 2017 State Education Convention DAVID HORSAGER will be one of the featured keynote speakers at the 96th State Education Convention, taking place Jan. 18-20 in Milwaukee. Horsager, MA, CSP, is a business strategist, keynote speaker, founder of the Trust Edge Leadership Institute and author of the national bestseller, The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line. His work has been featured in prominent publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, The Huffington Post and The Wall Street Journal. David has delivered life-changing presentations on six continents, with audiences ranging everywhere from Wells Fargo and the New York Yankees to Goodyear and the Department of Homeland Security. He is looking forward to speaking at the 2017 State Education Convention! Get free resources and more at DavidHorsager.com and TheTrustEdge.com. More convention announcements will be coming this fall. Check your email and the convention website (WASB.org/convention) for updates. Registration opens Nov. 1.

September 2016

questions to connect with people, to find the common ground you share. We find it easier to trust when we have a sense that we connect in some area.

7. CONTRIBUTION: People immediately respond to results. By giving of yourself and your talents, you are investing in others. And if you are serious about making a difference, you need to invest in the actions that will make your vision a reality. People trust those who actually do as opposed to just talking about doing. 8. CONSISTENCY: People love to see the little things done consistently. While all the pillars are important for building trust, failing to be consistent can undermine your efforts. Think of consistency like a savings account. Put a little in each day and over time, it will pay you back in safety and security.

Remember: it is unlikely that you will get one, big chance to be trusted. Instead, you will have thousands of small ones. Like the savings account, when you respond consistently, you will see the results build up over time. All of these pillars are the core to being a trusted individual or organization. Without consistency, these pillars do not matter. Let’s take clarity for example. Your organization can have a very clear, effective vision and mission, but if you’re not sharing it at least every 30 days consistently, then your team does not know it. Same with commitment. You can make a promise to lose 50 lbs. in five months, but if you are not consistently following an eating plan and exercising, by the end of five months, your results won’t be what you hoped. If you want to implement the trust edge into your life or organiza-

tion, you must be consistent in each pillar. When this happens, trust increases, as well as output, morale, retention, productivity, innovation, loyalty and revenue. Without trust, costs are high, skepticism and attrition increase. A lack of trust really is your biggest expense. Right now we have an opportunity to be agents of change. We cannot regain trust in business or government if we do not trust each other, and it starts with you. It is through individuals that we can rebuild trust in our communities and our institutions. Have the courage to act on what you know to be true: that trust is the foundation of all genuine and lasting success. n David Horsager is a business strategist, keynote speaker, founder of the Trust Edge Leadership Institute and author of the National Bestseller, The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line.

Policy Resource Guide Made in Wisconsin for Wisconsin School Districts, the WASB Policy Resource Guide is a convenient, up-to-date, Internet-based policy tool providing sample policies and the resources needed to customize local policies. Contact the WASB today.

Policy Services

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608-257-2622

877-705-4422

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What Can You Do With WASB BoardDocs?

As a WASB Member, You Can Do a Lot WASB BoardDocs web applications eliminate paper and streamline the processes used to manage board packets, access information and conduct meetings. You’ll save time, improve your board’s effectiveness and receive a specially discounted price for being a WASB member. If your decisions affect the lives of others, call us. We’ll help you do what you do best, even better.

It’s their future. It’s your choice.

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Natural Gas Contracts 101 Avoiding common mistakes in the contracting process | Blake Baxter

n an environment of tight or decreasing budgets, schools have been searching all facets of their budgets for any area where they can find savings. For years, one area that has attracted attention has been the utility bill. Many schools have upgraded their physical plants to garner greater efficiencies and lower their energy bills. Another area of interest for school officials has been to try to save money on their natural gas purchases. In our previous article, “Understanding Today’s Natural Gas Marketplace,” (published in the August 2016 issue of Wisconsin School News) we discussed the natural gas supply chain and the differences between the regulated gas utilities and retail gas marketers. Building on that foundation, we will focus on the key features of natural gas contracts and how to avoid some of the common mistakes that occur in the contracting process …

| Know Your Price Let’s get this on the table first and foremost: the most glaring mistake we find in many retail gas contracts is the lack of a definitive price. Can you look at your contract and determine what you will actually pay for your natural gas? There are two fundamental ways to price natural gas: (1) fixed price or (2) index priced. If you have a fixed price, then the contract should specify a price in million British thermal units (MMBtu) also referred to as Dekatherms (DTH) or Therms. As a point of reference, gas is currently trading nationally at $2.75/MMBtu, which is $0.275/Therm. Fixed pricing is commonly used by those who want cost certainty, however, just remember that cost certainty can cost you dearly. Natural gas prices go both up and down and a fixed price can be either a significant loss or gain. Indexed pricing is often used in lieu of a fixed price. Indexed pricing is the linking of your gas price to a

Wisconsin School News

publicly traded price that is reported by independent news organizations. For example, your contract could state that you will pay the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) “last day settlement price” for January 2017. NYMEX pricing is reported across numerous news organizations every day and reflects the results of thousands of transactions per day. One advantage of using NYMEX pricing is that most retail marketers or utilities will allow you to convert it to a fixed price at little to no cost. This can be important if there are changes in market conditions that make you reconsider your pricing strategy. Another example of indexed pricing would be for your contract to state that you will pay the “first of month midpoint price” for Chicago Citygate prices as reported by Platt’s Gas Daily publication. This is a news organization that has been reporting on gas prices for decades and is depended upon by buyers and sellers across the country. Each day they report on gas trading activity at

dozens of locations from Maine to California. The advantage of this type of pricing is that it should be based on a price that is traded close to your physical location and thereby includes the majority of your transportation/ basis cost. While fixed pricing and index pricing are two popular options, these are not the only ways to price a gas contract. So how can a school official really determine if they have a contract with real gas pricing? My answer to this dilemma is to ask one simple question: “Can my district audit its gas price?” If there is any hesitation or obscuration in answering, then you may have a problem. Additionally, make sure that the price being quoted is for delivery to your location. If your price does not include the cost of delivering the gas (a/k/a basis), then you may be in for a rather rude surprise come the next cold front. | Forecasting Usage Another key to natural gas contracts is to understand how the contract

handles your gas usage. Just as you cannot forecast how many cell phone minutes you will use next month, very few people can forecast how much natural gas they will burn. And yet, in order to secure a definitive price for gas, you will need to supply the Retail Marketer with a forecasted gas volume. Strategies to deal with these issues will vary, but they generally fall into two categories. The majority of consumers tend to aim low and purchase 50 to 80 percent of their expected usage. The other group tends to aim high and purchase 110 to 120 percent of their usage. Which of these strategies is the best? The answer to that question is in your contract. Since virtually no one can forecast their gas consumption, every contract provides a remedy for gas ordered, but not consumed, or for when the quantity ordered is less than what you consume. For large national contracts, the remedy can be that the

quantity difference is carried over to the next month. But for retail gas contracts, the retail marketer is going to charge you a price for any extra gas and it should pay you for any gas you ordered, but did not consume. How these prices are determined is the key to determining which strategy you should adopt. It is at this point that we re-visit our earlier conversation on gas pricing. The prices paid for any variance in gas volumes should be clearly stated and should be auditable. If they are not clearly stated, then you may find in cold weather that the price you pay the retail marketer is greater than you would have paid the local gas utility. At the same time, if you do not have a distinct price for volumes that you fail to consume, you may be selling them back to the retail marketer at prices substantially below market. The key, as you might guess, is to make sure that the prices for any variance in gas consumption are clearly stated. When these price are

clearly stated, you can then perform the mathematical simulations necessary to determine which is the best strategy for your situation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; aim high or aim low. | Perpetual Contracts If you want some fun reading for a long winter weekend, may I suggest a copy of the Federal Acquisition Regulation or the shorter State of Wisconsin Acquisition Regulation? They are not exactly cliff hangers, but both agree on one central tenet â&#x20AC;&#x201D; competition is the best way to secure value for the public. Consequently, both documents urge contracting officers to avoid perpetual agreements and provide for a number of procedural hurdles that must be met before such a contract can be signed on behalf of the government. The central point is that when a contract has a definitive end date in a competitive marketplace, the buyer has contracting leverage. Having an end date forces the buying official to

$ / MMBtu

NYMEX First of Month Pricing vs. Average Daily Chicago Pricing

September 2016

4 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW About Natural Gas Contracts 1. Price. There are a myriad of ways to price a commodity like natural gas. The most prevalent methods are fixed price or indexed price. However, because gas pricing can take many forms it may be difficult to know which prices are derived from independent public sources and which are proprietary to a single energy company. Gas pricing derived from the New York Mercantile Exchange (â&#x20AC;&#x153;NYMEXâ&#x20AC;?) is available from many sources, but does not include the cost of delivering the gas to your facility. The one question that should always be asked of any retail gas marketer is whether the price stated in the contract can be audited by your accountants.

2. Gas Forecasting. It is virtually impossible to forecast the gas consumption of any facility with precision. Therefore, it is critical to understand how any extra gas or any unused gas will be priced in your contract. Just like in item 1 above, the gas pricing methodology should be clearly stated and auditable. If the gas pricing is appropri-

take action and hopefully evaluate the recent performance of the contract prior to entering into a new or extended contract. One way that the national gas industry dealt with this issue was to develop the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) Base Contract for the Sale and Purchase of Natural Gas. The NAESB contract is what is referred to as an enabling contract. The base NAESB contract does not contain any commercial terms and does not obligate either party to a transaction. What the base NAESB contract does is to establish a commercial relationship between a potential buyer and a potential seller that explains how transactions will be handled if the parties opt to execute a transaction. Only if and when both parties execute a transaction confirmation, as described by the NAESB contract, is there a binding commercial transaction. This template was developed to facilitate the broader national market for gas. Large gas trading companies may have hundreds of NAESB contracts in place to facilitate high volume trading. The key is

Wisconsin School News

ately stated, then the amount of gas that you should order can be derived from mathematical modeling.

3. Perpetual Contracts. In a competitive marketplace, the best value for any institution is realized through competition. Having a specific end date in a contract provides the buyer with significant contracting leverage. Any attempt to limit your ability to end a contract should be met with skepticism. Watch out for attempts to amend your contract through language inserted into routine transaction documents. 3. Performance Metrics. Natural gas purchasing is all about the numbers and the calculations are relatively simple. Never take savings for granted. Someone in your organization should be reporting on the performance of your natural gas transactions. Even if you are purchasing gas for budgetary reasons, in which case some losses may be acceptable, you should understand the metrics as part of any due diligence prior to doing more transactions.

that each transaction must have a distinct gas volume, price, location, start date and end date. Most retail marketers will encourage buyers to sign their in-house contract, but as one saying goes, there be dragons. Retail marketers, like cell phone companies and others, draft their contracts to favor themselves. However, if pushed, most retail marketers will agree to a NAESB contract. At that point, one just needs to adhere to the KISS principal and make sure that the transaction confirmation has a distinct gas volume, price, location, start date and end date. Remember, you should avoid any language that seeks to automatically extend or perpetuate the transaction. | Metrics Revisited In our previous article, we discussed natural gas metrics in some detail. The bottom line is that if you have entered into a good contract with a retail marketer, you should have all the information needed for you, your accountant or a consultant to evaluate the performance metrics of that natural gas transaction. The

calculations are simple enough that they could be done quickly every month, but they should be done on an annual basis at a minimum. Unfortunately, we find too many instances of officials simply assuming that natural gas purchasing is saving them money. In some cases, this is because people compared this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bills with the bills from last year not realizing that gas prices have been falling in recent years (they fell to a 17-year low this past winter). In other cases, officials have opted to fix the price for budgetary reasons (in some cases for years) without a full grasp of the dollars at risk or the alternatives to managing gas price risk. The only way to properly evaluate your gas purchasing program is to run the performance metrics. As we have previously mentioned this can be done in house or at no cost through a consultant that is well versed in the natural gas marketplace. n Blake Baxter, who has more than 35 years of experience in the energy industry, is the senior energy originator for MEP Solutions, LLC located in Madison.

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To learn how Security Health Plan can help, call us at 844-616-5386 or visit www.securityhealth.org/school-districts. Or, ask your benefit consultant about our products. * Security Health Planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HMO/POS Private plans are rated 4.5 out of 5 among the National Committee for Quality Assuranceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Private Health Insurance Plan Ratings 2015-2016.

JD-016

C A P I T O L W AT C H

Advocacy Continues… The WASB Government Relations team stays busy when the state Legislature is not in session

ven though the state Legislature is not in session, there is still legislative activity happening and we want our members to be up-to-date on the latest issues. Thus, the WASB Government Relations Team (GR) is still regularly updating our blog, the WASB Legislative Update at wasblegupdate.wordpress.com, our social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter), as well as compiling updates in our weekly Legislative Newsletter email. Among other items, we have posted a number of advocacy tips, including suggested questions on K-12 education issues for use by school boards that may be interested in hosting a candidate forum. We are also currently in the process of moving to a new advocacy software that will make it easier for you to contact your federal and state lawmakers in response to WASB alerts. We are excited about the possibilities for increased engagement by our members this software can provide and will announce more specifics in the coming months.

| Legislative Agenda The WASB legislative agenda for the coming year is created by the GR team and submitted to the WASB Board of Directors for review and approval each fall. We try to predict

emerging issues that will be priorities, including in the state budget debates, and formulate positions based on WASB resolutions adopted by the Delegate Assembly. Once the 2017 legislative agenda is finalized, we will share it with you via our blog and other mediums. | Meeting with Governor’s

Office & Legislators Even though the Legislature is not currently in session, the GR team is meeting with lawmakers to discuss bill ideas and other issues in preparation for the 2017-18 session. We have approached several legislators to draft bills based on recent resolutions approved by the Delegate Assembly. We also have met and will continue to meet with the governor’s office to discuss issues heading into the next state budget debate. We are also meeting with the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and with other public education advocacy groups to share ideas and suggestions about changes we want to see. | Federal Activities In June, the GR team accompanied the WASB Executive Committee to Washington, D.C. to meet with our Congressional offices and express appreciation for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the long-

overdue replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act, and to encourage continued progress on federal legislation to update laws governing school meals (Child Nutrition Act) and career and technical education (Carl Perkins Act). | Policy & Resolutions

Committee This time of year, the GR team is also busy working with the WASB Policy and Resolutions Committee. The committee is appointed annually by the WASB president following recommendations made by the WASB Board of Directors. The committee is comprised of a least one school board member from each WASB region and from each type of school district (common, unified,

We are currently in the process of moving to a new advocacy software that will make it easier for you to contact your federal and state lawmakers in response to WASB alerts.

Wisconsin School News

WASB Government Relations Team: Dan Rossmiller Government Relations Director Chris Kulow Government Relations Specialist

K-8 and UHS). The committee will review proposed resolutions submitted by member boards (due Sept. 15), and decide which will be advanced to the January 2017 Delegate Assembly. The committee may modify board-submitted resolutions or suggest its own resolutions for consideration by the Delegate Assembly. We receive the submitted resolutions from member boards and research the topics to provide context and background for the committee to utilize during their deliberations. We also staff the committee meetings and are there to answer any questions. We have been in conversations with board members and administrators about ideas they have for resolution topics and have helped a couple of boards put their ideas into writing. We are always happy to answer questions or provide information about the resolution process or specific resolution topics. In addition, we reviewed the WASB Resolutions Book this summer and will be bringing suggestions to the committee regarding resolutions that are outdated or no longer relevant for possible removal or amendment. | Study Committees During the interim period when the Legislature is not in session, Legislative Council Study Committees are formed on a number of topics based on suggestions submitted by legislators. Often these topics involve issues that are difficult to resolve in the regular course of legislative business or that legislators believe need to be considered more in-depth. Each study committee is charged with studying its issue and recom-

mending legislative solutions. For each approved study topic, a committee is appointed comprised of legislative and public members with expertise or interest in the issue. There are three study committees that the GR team is following this session: School Data, Publication of Government Documents and Legal Notices, and Rural Broadband. We monitor the activities of these study committees carefully. We solicited school board members to apply to participate on these committees and Margaret Murphy, board clerk for the Neenah Joint School District, was chosen to serve on the School Data committee. The WASB was invited to testify before the Publication of Government Documents and Legal Notices committee. Dan Rossmiller, director of Government Relations, asked that any legislation recommended by this committee ultimately include provisions allowing school districts the option to post certain notices and/or documents on their websites as opposed to paying to publish them in a newspaper. This testimony was based on Resolution 1.60 Elimination/Reduction of Newspaper Notice/Publishing Requirements adopted by the Delegate Assembly in January. | Mental Health Coalition The WASB GR team is currently in discussions with a coalition of social service and community organizations that are seeking to expand school-based mental health services and has also met with the DPI and the governor’s office on this topic. Our involvement is based on Resolution 6.06 Mental Health Supports adopted by the Delegate

For updates and information on the progress of all of these efforts, follow our WASB Legislative Update blog and/or the Legislative Newsletter emails.

Assembly in January. We will update you on the product of these discussions as we work with others to develop a strategy to achieve significant support for mental health services in school districts while respecting local school board authority and not creating any new mandates on schools. | DPI Budget Request The GR team has been in regular meetings with the DPI to provide input on their 2017-19 agency budget request. All state agencies put together a budget request to the governor that he considers when crafting his initial state budget proposal. In addition, we have been working with lawmakers to request information from the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau to inform these discussions. | Speaking Engagements The GR team gave presentations recently at the WASB Summer Leadership Institute in Green Bay and the annual CESA 3 Convention in Fennimore. If you would like us to come talk to your board or CESA Board of Control, let us know. Even with the Legislature out of session, the WASB GR team stays busy advocating for you and keeping you informed. Please feel free to contact us at any time with questions or concerns. n Dan Rossmiller is the WASB government relations director. Chris Kulow is the WASB government relations specialist.

September 2016

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

Meetings, Seminars, Workshops, and Webinars… UPCOMING EVENTS

WASB Fall Regional Meetings

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 will address “The Continuous Improvement of School Boards” and focus on how successful school boards use strategic planning and data-based decision making to continuously drive improvement. 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 direction of the WASB. N

Pre-Regional Meeting Workshops COMING TO ORDER: How to Plan and Conduct Effective School Board Meetings

ll school boards conduct their business in similar meetings. However, the effectiveness of their meetings can vary widely. How a board sets its agendas and plans for and conducts its meetings can impact the board’s success in moving the needle on student achievement. In this workshop, a WASB attorney will review the legal requirements for meetings and board member roles as well as how to structure meetings to achieve different purposes, conduct an effective board meeting, record meetings appropriately, and accommodate public participation.

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 $65. Regional Meeting registration is not required.

Wisconsin School News

Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week is Oct. 2-8 In recognition of the thousands of school board members throughout the state, the WASB has set Oct. 2-8, 2016, as Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week. This week is designed to recognize the contributions made by Wisconsin’s school board members who are charged with governing public education under state law. The WASB has prepared a kit, which includes a sample press release, activities, and more to help school districts recognize their school boards. Find the kit at WASB.org. Select “Communications” and then “Wisconsin School Board Appreciation Week.”

WASB/WSAA Employment & School Law Seminar The WSAA/WASB Employment & School Law Seminar, taking place Oct. 13-14 in Wisconsin Dells, will feature experienced school law attorneys and WASB staff presenting sessions on a variety of legal and related issues pertinent to school board members and school administrators. Sessions will provide attendees with the latest information on important topics including: administrator contracts, Title IX, serving transgender student athletes, on-site health clinics, legal and policy issues with drone usage in schools, and much more. For more information or to register, visit WASB.org.

m Pre-Seminar Workshop A special pre-seminar workshop will be offered before the WSAA/WASB Employment & School Law Seminar on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 9 am-12:45 pm. This workshop with give school board members an in-depth look at how to use data in board decision making to drive student achievement. Please note: The 2016 WSAA/WASB Employment & School Law Seminar begins at 1 pm on Thursday, Oct. 13. The pre-seminar workshop begins at 9 am.

WASB Webinars

he WASB hosts a series of webinars throughout the year on important legal topics. Here is a look at the upcoming webinars from the WASB.

m Pupil Expulsion

administrator nonrenewals and more. State and federal court decisions on administrator contracts, including the Klaus v. Eau Claire School District case, will be covered.

Sept. 14, 1:30-2:30 pm Presenter: Bob Butler, Associate Executive Director and Staff Counsel

m Election Notices and Procedures

This webinar presentation covers state and federal laws relating to pupil expulsions. The presentation will provide a roadmap for considering the expulsion of pupils and to help avoid common pitfalls when doing so. The presentation will focus on procedures for administrators as well as for boards that conduct their own expulsion hearings.

Wisconsin school districts must comply with numerous statutory obligations related to elections, and this presentation will cover key deadlines, required notices, and post-election processes. This webinar will be of particular interest to school district clerks and to superintendents’ administrative assistants (who often assist with election duties).

m Administrator Contracts

Please note: These and all previous webinars are recorded and available on demand. WASB members can purchase any webinar and watch when their schedule allows. Upcoming live and pre-recorded webinars are listed on the WASB Webinars page at wasb.org (select “Meetings & Events” and then “Webinars”).

Oct. 12, 12-1 pm Presenter: Ben Richter, Staff Counsel

This presentation covers all aspects of administrator contracts, including the drafting of contracts, contract terms, application of section 118.24 Wis. Stat. to

Nov. 9, 12-1 pm Presenter: Dan Mallin, Legal and Policy Services Counsel

September 2016

LEGAL COMMENT

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

Bullying and Harassment Revisited

ullying and harassment involving students continues to receive significant focused attention by schools districts, parents and students. Not only does that activity undermine the educational culture, process and experience of students, but it also exposes districts to the risk of legal liability from lawsuits brought by the victims of such conduct. In order to address bullying and harassment of students, Wisconsin adopted legislation in 2010 to address bullying in schools. When such proactive measures fail, victims of that activity have turned to the legal system to seek compensation from the perpetrators and districts. This Legal Comment will review the statutory obligations of school boards regarding bullying and harassment, and explore legal claims to which districts are exposed if such activity occurs, in particular a strand of cases involving application of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.1

Wisconsin Statutory Requirements

In May 2010, Wisconsin adopted legislation which requires every school board to adopt a policy prohibiting bullying by students, to

distribute the policy to all students and their parents or guardians, and to provide a copy of the policy to anyone who requests it.2 In addition, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) was required to develop a model policy and an education and awareness program on bullying. That program is posted on DPIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website.3 The model policy contains the following elements: (1) a definition of bullying; (2) a prohibition of bullying; (3) a procedure for reporting bullying; (4) a prohibition of retaliation for reporting bullying; (5) a procedure for investigating bullying; (6) a requirement for all school employees to report bullying to an identified individual; (7) a list of potential student discipline for policy violations; and (8) an identification of when and where the policy applies. As is discussed below, it is important that boards revisit their policy regularly to make sure that it is being implemented consistent with its terms and whether their experiences with bullying and/or harassment under the policy signal the need to make changes to it. |

District Legal Exposure

When victims of bullying and harassment seek legal recourse against districts, those cases typically

allege violations of civil rights laws asserting that the bullying and/or harassment occurred because of the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legally protected status and that the district failed to take any action to stop it. Victims of bullying and/or harassment (victims) have also filed claims against districts alleging a violation of their rights under the Fourteenth Amendment. |

Civil Rights Laws

Students have the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of certain protected classifications under state and federal laws. In Wisconsin, the Pupil Nondiscrimination Law prohibits discriminatory activities, including bullying and harassment, on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or disability status.4 Federal laws establish protected classifications which are similar but not identical to the state classifications.5 In order to establish district liability for damages in bullying and/or harassment cases involving these civil rights statutes, courts examine the following criteria: (1) whether the conduct was severe or pervasive

The best way for a board to avoid the risk of legal liability is to review and revise, if necessary, its bullying, hazing, and harassment policies to ensure that district officials are investigating and responding to complaints properly, including complaints of off-campus conduct relating to school-sponsored athletics or extra-curricular activities.

Wisconsin School News

enough that it altered the condition of the student’s education or created an abusive education environment; (2) whether the district had actual knowledge of the conduct; and (3) whether the school was deliberately indifferent to the conduct.6 Courts have set a standard favorable to districts for what constitutes “actual knowledge” and “deliberate indifference.” In contrast, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which is the federal agency responsible for monitoring district compliance with the federal civil rights law, has established in its enforcement protocol a lower standard, which focusses on whether the district “knew or should have known” of the bullying or harassing conduct based on protected classification.7 OCR’s enforcement stance is the subject of current debate in the courts.

Under state and federal civil rights laws, not all bullying and harassment gives rise to a viable claim for relief in court. In addition to the elements set forth above, a victim of such conduct must ultimately prove that it occurred because of the victim’s protected classification. Thus, in circumstances where victims cannot meet that burden, they must turn to other potential legal sources in order to pursue compensation for their bullying and/or harassment related injuries. |

The Fourteenth Amendment — Due Process

One such alternate source is the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which provides that no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” As a

general rule, courts have concluded that a governmental body’s failure to protect someone from the acts of another does not constitute a violation of the due process clause.8 However, two exceptions have been recognized to this general rule, namely the “special relationship” and the “state-created danger” exceptions. Application of these exceptions in the education context has met with limited success, but a review of two recent cases is insightful as to the factors courts might rely upon to expand those exceptions to school bullying and/or harassment. This “special relationship” exception has been applied to create an affirmative duty on the part of a governmental body to protect an individual in situations where the victim could not protect himself or herself

Could Your Policy Manual Use a ‘Quick Check’? The WASB’s Policy Manual “Quick Check” can provide a fast, cost-effective way to know if or where your manual may need work. Contact the WASB today.

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September 2016

LEGAL COMMENT from the harm.9 This exception arose primarily in the context of injuries to inmates in state prisons caused by other inmates, or injuries to foster children while in state-ordered placements. Attempts to expand this exception to the relationship between a district and a student victim, however, have not been successful. In those cases, courts have distinguished the type of total control states have over inmates incarcerated in their facilities under their authority with the type of authority districts have over its students. While acknowledging that students are required to attend schools by law and that districts exercise parental-type authority over students while they are at school, courts have explained that this authority is not analogous to the state’s authority over incarcerated persons because students in public schools still remain primarily dependent on their parents for their care and protection, not on their schools. Therefore, courts have been reluctant to extend the “special relationship” exception to educational settings. However, in a recent case decided by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, a significant split arose among the judges, with a five judge dissenting block voting in favor of expanding the “special relationship” exception in school settings under certain circumstances.10 In this case, twin sisters were subjected to a series of threats and physical assaults by a fellow student. One of the twins was attacked at lunch and, notwithstanding a court-ordered no contact rule which the school knew about, the bullying and harassment continued at school. When the family met with school officials, the officials

[continued]

stated that they could not ensure the girls’ safety and that the family should consider moving to another school. The dissenting judges noted that the special relationship test should have applicability in cases such as this where at the time of the actions the district had “custody” of the students and who were substantially dependent on the district for their protection. Under the “state created danger” exception, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appellate court whose decisions are binding on Wisconsin school districts, requires a victim to prove: (1) the district, by its affirmative acts, created or increased a danger that the victim faced; (2) the district’s failure to protect the victim from danger was the proximate cause of the victim’s injuries; and (3) the district’s failure to protect the victim “shocks the conscience.”11 In a case involving this due process exception in the context of school bullying, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has a similar though not identical standard to the Seventh Circuit, found that while certain school officials may have had a role in creating or increasing the risk to the victim, the district itself could not be held liable because the school board did not have knowledge of that activity.12 In this case, a freshman and a junior got into an argument in the weight room during a voluntary afterschool work-out for the baseball team. An assistant coach allegedly told the junior to “take care of it.” In response, the junior, with the assistance of three other students, sexually assaulted the freshman in the school hallway. With respect to the first two

Sample Policies Available Sample student harassment and bullying policies from Wisconsin school districts are available upon request from WASB Policy Services staff. Email Teresa Kimball at tkimball@wasb.org or call 1-877-705-4422. [Subscribers to WASB’s Policy Resource Guide (PRG) can find policy background information and sample model policies on student harassment and bullying in the PRG under the policy codes 411.1 and 443.71.]

Wisconsin School News

elements of the state-created danger exception, the court held that a reasonable jury could conclude that the coach’s comment contributed to the freshman’s assault. With respect to the third element, however, the court noted that the requisite culpability could only be satisfied through evidence of deliberate indifference by the district as manifested by the following elements: (1) a clear and persistent pattern of abuse by school employees; (2) notice or constructive notice on the part of the school board; (3) the school board’s tacit approval of the conduct such that the board’s deliberate indifference in its failure to act could be said to amount to an official policy of inaction; and (4) the school board’s custom of tacit approval was the “moving force” or direct causal link in the constitutional deprivation. In this case, the court concluded that the freshman was only able to show a pattern of abuse by students and not by employees, that the school board did not act with deliberate indifference because it swiftly punished the students who committed the assault, and that the school board could not have reasonably foreseen that the assistant coach would authorize upperclassmen to sexually assault a teammate as a means of enforcing discipline. Therefore, the freshman could not proceed against the district for the bullying perpetrated by a fellow student even though a school official created the risk. |

The Fourteenth Amendment — Equal Protection

Another potential source of recovery is the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause which provides that no person shall be denied “equal protection of the laws.” To be successful under an equal protection claim, a victim of bullying and/or harassment must first show that he or she is a member of a protected class and that members of another class are not subjected to the same conduct. In order to find a district liable if these elements are met, the

victim must then show that an express district policy caused the constitutional deprivation when enforced, that the deprivation was the result of a widespread practice which constitutes a district custom or practice, or that the deprivation was caused by a district employee who had final policymaking authority. A recent Indiana case shows the difficulty victims have in meeting this burden, but also the path that can be followed to establish district liability.13 In that case, J.H. was a member of the boys’ swim team and attended a party hosted by another member of the swim team. At this party, members of the team forcibly cut and dyed his hair. After refusing to attend the next party, members of the swim team grabbed J.H. in the locker room, lifted him up, carried him over to another boy holding hair clippers, and eventually dropped him onto the cement floor. J.H.’s parents complained to the athletic director and superintendent. The athletic director stated that the parties were not hazing, but an initiation, and took no further action because he found no further evidence of the conduct. The superintendent did not act on the hair-dyeing party incident because it took place off-campus. The hairdyeing parties, however, continued. J.H. quit the swim team, and sued the district for violating his Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection under the laws. In assessing whether J.H. had enough evidence to take the case to a jury, the court held that J.H presented sufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that the district treated hazing differently for boys than girls. The court noted that there was evidence that the coaches saw and either ignored or minimized the incidents of hazing on the boys’ team. The court found it significant that the coaches did not even monitor the locker room after they had been notified about the

hazing. The fact that school officials were unaware of any complaints of hazing on the girls’ team was sufficient for a jury to infer that there was no hazing on the girls’ team and from this, the court concluded that a jury could find that school officials acted with discriminatory intent, or were at least deliberately indifferent to, the hazing on the boys’ team. As a result of this ruling, the case went to trial, and the jury found in favor of the district. However, the federal judge presiding over the case noted that a reasonable jury could have found in favor of J.H. and the district liable to him for money damages. |

Conclusion

As shown by the cases set forth above, victims have several evidentiary hurdles to clear in order to establish district liability for money damages, particularly in claims founded on the Fourteenth Amendment. Recent cases, however, have shown that under the right circumstances, courts and/or juries may find enough evidence to establish liability. That scenario is more likely when district decision makers are aware of bullying and/or harassment and fail to act. The best way for a board to avoid the risk of this occurring is to review and revise, if necessary, its bullying, hazing, and harassment policies enacted pursuant to state law to ensure that district officials are investigating and responding to complaints properly, including complaints of off-campus conduct relating to school-sponsored athletics or extra-curricular activities. District officials should also conduct training on bullying, hazing and harassment for all teachers and support staff, including athletic coaches and extracurricular advisors. Not only will such policies and practices protect districts from liability, they will also help foster a positive school climate for students, staff, and the greater district community. n

| Endnotes 1. For additional information on this topic, see Wisconsin School News, “Addressing Bullying and Harassment by Students” (August 2012); “The Doctrine of ‘Deliberate Indifference’” (January 2008); “Hazing and Bullying” (June 2004); “Verbal Sexual Harassment” (March 2002); “Peer Sexual Harassment” (July 1999; April 1996); “Harassment Injunctions” (April 1998); “The High Price of Sexual Harassment” (April 1993); and WASB Legal Notes, “Prohibited Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation” Parts 1 and 2 (Fall and Winter 2006); “Student-on-Student Sexual Harassment” (Summer 2003). 2. Wis. Stats. § 118.46. 3. A Comprehensive Approach to Bullying Prevention, Wis. Dep’t of Pub. Instruction, bit.ly/dpi-bullying-prevention (last visited Aug. 2, 2016). 4. Wis. Stat. § 118.13. 5. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; and the Americans with Disabilities Act. 6. Davis v. Monroe Cnty. Bd. of Educ., 526 U.S. 629 (1999). 7. Letter from Russlyn Ali, U.S. Dept. of Educ. Assistant Sec’y of Civil Rights, to Colleagues: Harassment & Bullying (Oct. 26, 2010). 8. DeShaney v. Winnebago Cnty. Dep’t of Soc. Serv., 489 U.S. 189, 197 (1989). 9. Morrow v. Balaski, 719 F.3d 160 (3d Cir. 2013). 10. Id. 11. Jackson v. Indian Prairie Sch. Dist. 204, 653 F.3d 647, 654 (7th Cir. 2011) 12. Richardson v. Huber Heights City Sch. Bd. of Educ., No. 15-4036, 2016 WL 3090334 (6th Cir. June 2, 2016) (unpublished). 13. J.H. v. Sch. Town of Munster, No. 2:12-CV-69 PS, 2016 WL 427351 (N.D. Ind. Feb. 3, 2016). In Wisconsin, Wis. Stat. § 948.51, makes it a crime for a person to engage in “hazing” activities which “endanger the physical health or safety of a student for the purpose of initiation or admission into or affiliation with any organization operating in connection with a school, college or university.” This Legal Comment was written by Michael J. Julka, Steven C. Zach and Brian P. Goodman 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.

September 2016

Q&A

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

Responsible Insurance Practices R&R Insurance’s Jeff Thiel discusses risk management challenges facing school districts SE RV I C E

A S S O C I AT E S

What are some ways that schools can save money on their insurance premiums?

Reducing a district’s workers’ compensation experience modifier is the best way to save money. This can be done in a variety of ways including evaluating current experience modifier factors, conducting safety surveys, educating employees, and many more. If your workers’ compensation insurance carrier offers nurse case triage, taking advantage of the care line helps reduce the cost of individual claims, which would reduce your experience modifier as well.

Q. Can you give examples of some of the biggest risk management challenges facing school districts?

A. The biggest challenge is providing

the best coverage while remaining in budget. Despite limited budgets, districts need to be focused on student safety and cyber security. Risk management challenges include turnover, an aging workforce, and the impact of unions. While it is hard to implement change quickly to meet these challenges, you should work with your insurance carrier and see if they have low or no-cost solutions to managing risk, such as: return-to-work programs, cyber security best practices, or free safety webinars.

Q. Are there any new insurance issues

or trends that school boards need to be aware of?

A. Property insurance is being converted from the Local Government

Q & A

Property Insurance Fund to private carriers, saving premiums and improving coverage. Since July 1, 2015, the private marketplace has really become the property insurance venue of choice, and should be able to provide long-term stability to districts in terms of not only premiums, but coverages, services, and capabilities. Private carriers will also provide loss prevention consulting services to districts which are offered as part of the insurance premium. The intent is to make the physical property more insurable and safer.

Q. If you could give one piece of insurance advice to schools, what would it be? A. Find a risk management partner that becomes part of your team. This partner should hold themselves and the district accountable. The partnership should work together for the mutual benefit of the staff and students. Effective partners will be crucial in impacting and enhancing

Jeff Thiel is an account executive for R&R Insurance.

your culture. Allowing partners to work and implement their part of the service plan is important. n The WASB Service Associate Program brings together businesses and Wisconsin public education leaders. Membership in the WASB Service Associates is another way for companies to reach Wisconsin school leaders. Joining this group will also give your company prestige and create goodwill among your target audience. For more information, visit wasb.org and select “Service Associates.” Or contact Shelby Anderson at sanderson@wasb.org or 608-512-1701.

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION EXPERIENCE MODIFIER The experience modification is a method used to tailor the cost of workers’ compensation to reflect the risks of individual business. Three years of losses are used to forecast or predict future workers’ compensation losses. It gives the employer an opportunity to have an impact on the final cost of their workers’ compensation insurance by controlling hazards that can cause injuries to employees. The result is a debit or credit to their insurance premium. N

Find a risk management partner that becomes part of your team. This partner should hold themselves and the district accountable. 32

Wisconsin School News

Educational Services And Products 2 0 1 6 WA S B S E RV I C E A S S O C I AT E S

Architecture, Engineering, Planning, Interiors and Construction Management

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

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Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP 414 359-3060 skramer@prarch.com prarch.com Architectural and interior design services

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Hardware, |Computer Software, Consulting Skyward, Inc. 800-236-7274 ben@skyward.com skyward.com Developer of student, budgetary and human resource administrative software exclusively for K-12 school districts.

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Management, |Construction Contracting, Consulting J.H. Findorff & Son Inc. 608-257-5321 cmlsna@findorff.com findorff.com

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With offices in Madison and Milwaukee, Findorff is one of Wisconsin’s leading builders. J.P. Cullen & Sons Inc. 608.754.6601 jvl.hr@jpcullen.com jpcullen.com J.P. Cullen is a family-owned, fullservice construction management firm that specializes in budgeting, planning and constructing the tough jobs.

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Scherrer Construction Company, Inc. 262-539-3100 customsolutions@scherrerconstruction.com scherrerconstruction.com Scherrer Construction has been partnering with school districts for over 88 years to deliver successful, quality projects that positively impact students and communities today and for years to come. 

VJS Construction Services 262-542-9000 cbathke@vjscs.com vjscs.com A top-10 construction company in southeastern Wisconsin with 65 years of experience.

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

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Associated Financial Group 608-259-3666 Al.Jaeger@associatedfinancialgroup.com 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. 

Key Benefit Concepts LLC 262-522-6415 info@keybenefits.com keybenefits.com Actuarial and employee benefit consulting services.

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

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National Insurance Services of Wisconsin, Inc. 800-627-3660 slaudon@nisbenefits.com NISBenefits.com

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

| Energy Services Midwest Energy Procurement (MEP) Solutions, LLC 608-273-4464 steve.grams@mepsolutions.org mepsolutions.org MEP Solutions is a Wisconsin-based energy procurement and consulting firm, which provides clients with comprehensive energy procurement analysis and solutions.

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

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

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| Insurance Community Insurance Corporation 800-236-6885 khurtz@aegis-wi.com communityinsurancecorporation.com Dedicated to providing school districts with the tools they need to economically and efficiently address today’s changing insurance and risk management environment.

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EMC Insurance Companies 262-717-3900 philip.lucca@emcins.com emcins.com Property and casualty insurance

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

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

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

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| Leadership Consulting 

Studer Education

850-898-3949 info@studereducation.com studereducation.com We support the critical work of school district leaders through coaching around an Evidence-Based Leadership framework to increase student achievement, employee engagement, parent satisfaction, district support services, and financial efficiency.

| Legal Services Buelow Vetter Buikema Olson & Vliet LLC

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

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von Briesen & Roper, s.c.

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School Perceptions, LLC

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| Transportation 

Dairyland Buses, Inc.

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SUPPORTING, PROMOTING AND ADVANCING PUBLIC EDUCATION

UPCOMING PROGRAMS 2016 FALL REGIONAL MEETINGS

September-OctOber, 2016 VariOuS LOcatiOnS

2016 Regional Meetings Highlights:

• School Board Member Recognition Awards • WASB Director Elections - (Regions 2, 5, 7, 11, 13 and 15) • Feature Presentation: The Continuous Improvement of School Boards • Executive Director’s Report

Optional Pre-Meeting Workshop:

Coming to Order: How to Plan and Conduct Effective School Board Meetings

Oct. 13-14, 2016 KaLahari reSOrtS, WiScOnSin DeLLS

2016 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

Save the dates. Watch for more information at wasb.org.

S u p p o rt i n g , p r o m ot i n g a n d a d va n c i n g p u b l i c E d u c at i o n

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