February 10th Edition
State Assessment
At this time, state assessment is required by both federal and state law and DPI is planning on administering assessments this spring. On February 24th AWSA will host a webinar on assessment, including an overview of the state and federal policy landscape and information on planning considerations for the spring. The content will be informed by the results of a survey emailed to members yesterday.
Stop the Spread Public Service Announcement
AWSA is a proud member of the Stop the COVID Spread! Coalition, a group of Wisconsin’s leading health care, business, education, and advocacy organizations who have all joined together in the effort to urge the public to step up and take preventative measures seriously.
The coalition released a new public announcement video on February 9: Click here to watch the PSA. Please feel free to use this or any of the Coalition’s materials in your communications.
Compulsory Student Attendance In a Virtual/Hybrid World, by Attorneys Robert Burns and Abby Tilkens
Given the ever-changing movement between virtual and in-person learning across the state, it is more difficult than ever to ensure students are attending school, either virtual or in person, and meeting theirattendance requirements. As a result,districts are observing higher than normal student attendance issues. Below is a brief overview of the main concepts relating to student attendance.
Read more.
Building a Culture for Cyber and Data Security, by Ed Snow and Annette Smith
As technology has advanced so has the opportunities for the bad actors to compromise our district staff and students. K-12 school districts are incredibly data rich and those seeking to do digital harm have a widening attack surface. Every single person in your school district is a potential target and vulnerable to being tricked by the bad actors.
Read more.
AWSA 2021 Election
The AWSA Board of Directors election will be held electronically from April 15-April 30, 2021. This year, Directors will be elected from Regions 1, 4, 5, 6, and 9. Members of each of these regions will be emailed a notification on April 15th with a link to an online ballot listing the candidate(s) for that region. As part of its succession planning, the Board has recruited candidates in each region.
• Region 1 (co-director): Ellis Turrentine, Principal, Racine
• Region 4: Nicki Pope, Principal, Tomah
• Region 5: Aaron Andres, Associate Principal, Sauk Prairie
• Region 6: Debra Janke, Principal, Lomira
• Region 9: Anita Mattek, Associate Principal, Antigo
In addition, write-in candidates can stand for election by submitting a petition to the AWSA office by March 1. If you have any questions, contact Robin Herring at [email protected] or (608) 241-0300.
Retirement Planning for the Busy School Leader
AWSA would like to invite you to join our webinar on Retirement Planning for the Busy School Leader taking place at 1 pm on March 18, 2021.
This webinar will provide information on the Wisconsin Retirement System, Social Security, and personal savings. The session will also cover what educators should know about putting savings to good use. Come with your questions and leave better prepared for your future!
You will be able to access the webinar by registering at this link.
The webinar will be hosted by Joel Craven. Joel is the owner of Astraios Financial, a Horace Mann partner, that specializes in helping educators and their families with insurance and retirement planning. He has been serving this market for the past 16 years. He graduated from UW Madison with a degree in accounting and information systems. After working for Grant Thornton for 3 years as a financial consultant, he began his career with Horace Mann. His mission is to help educators have a healthy and successful financial future.
February 24th Edition
Closing Opportunity Gaps: One School’s Path to Being Recognized for Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing! By Keith Ruffolo
In 2019, Cedar Hills Elementary School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon Award winner for exemplary achievement gap closing by the US Department of Education. This article outlines seven themes that lay at the heart of our school's progress. For each theme, I have included links to example documents that help illustrate our work in that area.
Read More.
Can I Be Sued for Doing My Job? An Administrator’s Guide to Individual Liability, By Malina Piontek
A recent AWSA survey found that almost 76% of members were unsure what protection from liability they have in their districts. While principals should know how much insurance coverage their districts provide, they should also be aware that they have statutory protections against personal liability for a number of claims that could arise in the course of performing their job duties. This article will cover the various protections against personal liability administrators have under Wisconsin law[i].
Read More.
Governor Releases Budget Proposal
Last week the Governor unveiled his 2021-23 state budget proposal. The Governor proposes to make critical investments in our students’ academic, social, and emotional growth. For more information about the Governor’s proposal see our press release and the Budget in Brief.
State Assessment
Federal and state law requires state standardized assessment. On February 22, the US Department of Education sent a letter to every state outlining that the Department will not waive the requirement to administer tests this school year but will be approving waivers related to accountability measures based on the tests. Recently, the DPI requested to waive the 95% participation requirement for this school year. The 2/22/21 letter from the USDOE specifically stated that it would consider waiver requests related to 95% participation. AWSA sponsored webinars on February 24 on key logistical and communication issues relating to administering tests this year. In the summer we will host an additional webinar on how data will be used for state and federal accountability.
AWSA Convention Covid Conversations, by Marty Van Hulle
In Britain, during the dark days of World War 2, Winston Churchill is quoted as saying: “never let a good crisis go to waste.” As is often the case in times of crisis, local leaders rarely await direction from outside entities to begin tackling the challenges they face on a daily basis. In late January and early February, AWSA once again hosted its annual Conferences for elementary, middle, and high school principals and associate principals. Breakout sessions, organized around six key questions, allowed building leaders to share their ideas about how they are navigating the COVID waters and to engage with one another about strategies being employed to deliver high-quality social, emotional, and academic support to their students. What follows are some of the key highlights gathered from the three conferences.
Read More.
AWSA 2021 Election
The AWSA Board of Directors election will be held electronically from April 15-April 30, 2021. This year, Directors will be elected from Regions 1, 4, 5, 6, and 9. Members of each of these regions will be emailed a notification on April 15th with a link to an online ballot listing the candidate(s) for that region. As part of its succession planning, the Board has recruited candidates in each region.
• Region 1 (co-director): Ellis Turrentine, Principal, Racine
• Region 4: Nicki Pope, Principal, Tomah
• Region 5: Aaron Andres, Associate Principal, Sauk Prairie
• Region 6: Debra Janke, Principal, Lomira
• Region 9: Anita Mattek, Associate Principal, Antigo
In addition, write-in candidates can stand for election by submitting a petition to the AWSA office by March 1. If you have any questions, contact Robin Herring at [email protected] or (608) 241-0300.
Retirement Planning for the Busy School Leader
AWSA would like to invite you to join our webinar on Retirement Planning for the Busy School Leader taking place at 1 pm on March 18, 2021.
This webinar will provide information on the Wisconsin Retirement System, Social Security, and personal savings. The session will also cover what educators should know about putting savings to good use. Come with your questions and leave better prepared for your future!
You will be able to access the webinar by registering at this link.
The webinar will be hosted by Joel Craven. Joel is the owner of Astraios Financial, a Horace Mann partner, that specializes in helping educators and their families with insurance and retirement planning. He has been serving this market for the past 16 years. He graduated from UW Madison with a degree in accounting and information systems. After working for Grant Thornton for 3 years as a financial consultant, he began his career with Horace Mann. His mission is to help educators have a healthy and successful financial future.
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