2023 Fall Legislative Conference
#WASBLegConf2023
The 2023 Fall Legislative Conference, held Saturday, Nov. 4 in Green Lake, is your chance to put your finger on the pulse of the future of public education in Wisconsin. Join a conversation about the latest issues affecting children in your communities.
Attendees will learn from expert presenters about timely topics, including significant changes to reading instruction, public opinion on education, the trends and impact of declining enrollment and board governance in a politicized era.
Registration Information
The registration fee is $190 per participant, which includes the program, materials, continental breakfast and lunch.
Deadline for registration: Friday, October 27
No refunds will be given unless cancellation is received at the WASB by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 27. To cancel, call 877-705-4422.
Hotel Information
Heidel House Hotel & Conference Center
635 Illinois Avenue
Green Lake, WI 54941
Reservations: 920-807-0300
Mention the WASB Legislative Conference to receive the conference rate.
2 Queen Beds: $124
2 Queen Beds (lake view): $139
Reservation Deadline: Tuesday, October 10
Join the Conversation #WASBLegConf2023
Share your excitement for the 2023 Fall Legislative Conference online. Download our social media graphic to spread the word about your participation at #WASBLegConf2023.
Be sure to use #WASBLegConf2023 in your posts!
We encourage you to tag us in your social media posts (@WASBWI for Twitter and Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) for Facebook).
Optional Social Media Copy
Option 1
I’m attending #WASBLegConf2023 because I want to make a difference for the students in my district and across Wisconsin. Will you join me? Register at wasb.org
Option 2
I’m excited to attend #WASBLegConf2023 in Green Lake this November. Join me to learn about the latest issues affecting children in your communities. Register at wasb.org
Option 3
I’m attending #WASBLegConf2023 on Nov. 4 in Green Lake to stay informed for the rest of the 2023-24 legislative session. Registration is open: wasb.org
Event Agenda
7:45 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:15 a.m. Welcome
• Rosanne Hahn, WASB President
8:30 a.m. Declining Enrollment: How Demographics and the Pandemic Affect Wisconsin’s Schools
Recent research focused on the impact of Wisconsin’s demographic trends and the pandemic on student enrollment. Explore how enrollment in public schools is changing.
• Sarah Kemp, Researcher, Applied Population Laboratory, University of Wisconsin–Madison
9:45 a.m. Wisconsin’s New Reading Landscape
The DPI played a significant role in the development of 2023 Wisconsin Act 20, a landmark law that introduces major changes in early literacy instruction. This session will take a detailed look at the new requirements and other provisions included in this law.
• Laura Adams, Policy Initiatives Advisor, Department of Public Instruction
11 a.m. Public Opinion and Public Education
Public opinion about schools has shifted over the past dozen years, at times in support of public schools and at times away from them. Charles Franklin looks at all these trends with a reminder that opinion changes, and today is not the same as yesterday.
• Charles Franklin, Director, Marquette Law School Poll
12:05 p.m. Lunch
1 p.m. Effective School Board Governance in an Era of Politicization
Michael Ford will discuss the rise of partisan culture-war politics on local school boards. He will present research on the benefits of non-partisan education governance, discuss threats to impactful governance practices on Wisconsin school boards and share best practices for using governance to improve student performance. Attendees will leave the session with practical tools to improve their school board’s performance amid competing partisan agendas.
• Michael Ford, Associate Professor of Public Administration, Director of the Whitburn Center for Governance and Policy Research, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
2:15 p.m. Conversation With Assembly Education Chair
WASB Government Relations Director Chris Kulow will sit down with Rep. Joel Kitchens, chairman of the Assembly Committee on Education, to discuss the issues of the day at the state Capitol, including his bill to make major changes to reading instruction, examples of bipartisan agreement between the governor and Legislature and what we can expect in the rest of the 2023-24 legislative session.
• Chris Kulow, WASB Government Relations Director
• Rep. Joel Kitchens, R-Sturgeon Bay
