2023 Convention Recorded Sessions

This session will highlight leadership and implementation of reading research in urban Cudahy and rural Neillsville. The science of reading is a body of research in literacy instruction that has educators aligning reading instruction. While these two districts represent urban and rural settings, they have found consistent themes in the implementation of evidence-based reading systems. District and building-level leaders will share what is working, what are the challenges and how school leaders can raise reading achievement in their own districts.

Cudahy School District
Neillsville School District

Join a team of school communication experts from across the state to learn about your role and how to support your school team during a crisis. Whether you’re a school board member, superintendent or other staff member, this session will help you understand the roles of a team before, during and after a crisis. Those roles can vary based on the size of a district, so presenters from districts large and small will ensure the message is relevant to any attendee.

Mineral Point Unified School District
Racine Unified School District
Sauk Prairie School District
Stevens Point Area School District

Does your district ensure that capital projects are approved only after they are prioritized as the top priority based on the needs of the district? The Greendale School engaged a citizen team to evaluate a long-range facility plan that supports learning opportunities aligned with flexible educational access, including indoor and outdoor spaces. The product is a rubric that considers the health and well-being, infrastructure and mission alignment of each project to calculate a priority score. Participants will receive templates of tools they can use to engage in the same process.

Greendale School District
Cadence Consulting

Operational referendums have become a critical part of many school districts’ budget planning process. This session will focus on how districts can determine future operation funding needs, understand the types of referendum questions and take steps to prepare for an operational referendum.

Baird Public Finance

This presentation will highlight Oshkosh School District programs offer that build skills necessary in students who have IEP’s and need support in preparation for life after graduation. Our high schools have built-in cafes that require daily engagement over the counter. We also have two nationally recognized programs that are offsite and focus on employability skills. Students who attend these programs work in community environments and are challenged to build work stamina and independence toward community employment. We’ll also discuss an accessible food truck, Mobile Café Brewing Future, that is proving to community businesses what amazing employees our students are.

Oshkosh School District

Schools across Wisconsin have seen a significant increase in the number of expulsions over the past two years and the issues giving rise to expulsions have become increasingly complex and varied. Board members, and especially newer board members, often struggle with their somewhat conflicting roles of trying to make sure every individual student gets an education, with their duty to make sure there is a safe school environment for all students. By gaining a better understanding of the law and procedures governing expulsions, board members will be better equipped to handle these issues.

BoardmanClark

The school district budget is one of the primary management tools for school administrators and boards. It translates the district’s strategic initiatives into programs and services that support student learning. Referencing the WASB/WASBO Budget Cycle Handbook (available in the convention bookstore), this presentation will discuss revenue sources and limits, budget plans and development, reconciliation and approval, budget management and reporting. Board members in attendance will have an opportunity to share their best practices.

Wisconsin Association of School Boards
Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials

Discrimination on the basis of sex is prohibited by state and federal law. These laws, including changes to federal Title IX statutes, affect school board policy in complex ways. In this session, we will provide an overview of relevant laws and discuss recent and proposed changes to Title IX. The presenters will provide straightforward guidance on challenging legal compliance issues such as student records, preferred names and pronouns, use of bathrooms and locker rooms, parental notification issues and participation in extracurricular activities.

Boardman & Clark
Wisconsin Association of School Boards