Wisconsin Education News

August 22, 2017

The Wisconsin Education News is a daily update of education news and events that are taking place around Wisconsin.

At Wingspread, officials say Unified is continuing to move forward (Racine Journal Times © 08/16/2017)

WIND POINT — Dressed in khaki pants and suit jackets, about a dozen high school students greeted area officials as they entered Wingspread Tuesday for a gathering to learn about the Racine School District’s plans for the next five years, a plan called “Raising Racine 2022.”

Athletic directors who also coach: a disappearing commodity (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel © 08/16/2017)

Of the 34 athletic directors in the NOW coverage area within four major conferences -- the Classic 8, Greater Metro, Woodland and North Shore -- not one was a head coach in the 2016-17 academic year. In the Southeast, Scott Holler of Oak Creek is able to serve as AD and summer baseball coach.

Employee payment, open enrollment in West Salem a positive trend (Coulee News © 08/17/2017)

Employees at West Salem High School are being compensated appropriately when compared to other schools in the region, according to a recent survey on employee wages.

Handbook talks take shape, group working toward proposal for board (Racine Journal Times © 08/16/2017)

RACINE — Last week, the Racine Unified School Board gave the district a directive: Come up with a revised employee handbook by collaborating with employees and the teachers union.

Lena School District Gets $10,000 Grant (Peshtigo Times © 08/17/2017)

Lena"The Lena School Board approved the hiring of Elizabeth Blazek as the new junior varsity volleyball coach during its monthly meeting on Monday, Aug. 14.

Out with the old, in with the new Port High School (Ozaukee Press © 08/17/2017)

The former Port Washington High School office and library have been reduced to piles of rubble, and shovels this week are tearing into the oldest part of the school, which was opened in 1931.

School board gives OK to referendum survey (Chippewa Falls Online © 08/16/2017)

After making minor tweaks, the Chippewa Falls School Board on Tuesday night voted 5-1 to approve the wording of a 12-page survey that could result in a future referendum.

Summer Summit Focused on Education Budget (Lake Mills Leader © 08/17/2017)

Lake Mills High School was alive with activity, Aug. 9, as the Annual Summer Summit hosted by the Wisconsin Public Education Network hosted a day full of activities, including discussion panels, breakout sessions and lots of networking about the incomplete Wisconsin State Education Budget.

Districts prepare for school year despite budget holdup (WMTV NBC15 © 08/16/2017)

BARNEVELD, Wis. (WMTV)--- With the state budget at a standstill, ready or not, Wisconsin public schools will open their doors to students in just a few weeks.

Eau Claire police train Student Transit drivers how to spot drug use among students(WQOW ABC 18 © 08/17/2017)

Eau Claire (WQOW) - The start of school is just a few weeks away, but Eau Claire Police Department and Student Transit buses area already prepping for the first day back to school.

Elcho-White Lake Wolverines kick off 2017 season with 8-man football (Antigo Daily Journal © 08/16/2017)

The Elcho-White Lake Wolverines will bring an interesting twist into its 2017 football season as they visit Capital South Conference foe Belleville Thursday for a 7 p.m. game.

Madison School District high schools getting ready for Pathways' start (Wisconsin State Journal © 08/17/2017)

Program directors in the Madison School District have been helping teachers and staff this summer prepare for the fall start of the Personalized Pathways Initiative for 454 freshmen at the district’s four main high schools.

Hoodlums headed for West Allis neighborhood? District says, no (Greenfield NOW © 08/17/2017)

WEST ALLIS — The school district is attempting to calm fears that juvenile delinquents will come into a West Allis neighborhood to attend school at the former Parkway Elementary School.

Neighbors fear school development could endanger lake (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel © 08/16/2017)

FRANKLIN - Tuckaway Shores takes its name from the small, meandering lake that cuts through the center of this 155-unit condo development smack in the middle of the Milwaukee County suburb of Franklin.

Peshtigo School Board Shuffles Coaching Jobs (Peshtigo Times © 08/16/2017)

The Peshtigo School Board approved three resignations and three hirings at its meeting Wednesday, Aug. 9, though it wasn't without some disagreement.

NEWS FROM FRIDAY, AUGUST 18:

Dells School District mulls referendum (Wisconsin Dells Events © 08/17/2017)

The Wisconsin Dells School Board Monday evening discussed a possible $29.9 million referendum to build a new school, but not what kind of school, although the site would apparently be the land being donated by Todd and Shari Nelson.

Grantsburg HS gets a face-lift (Burnett County Sentinel © 08/18/2017)

GRANTSBURG— Students may run out the doors at the beginning of summer leaving desks to sit empty for three months straight; however, a school building is not a vacant, dusty shell until their return.

Holmen School Board approves security and bus purchases (La Crosse Tribune © 08/17/2017)

The Holmen School Board approved a number of equipment purchases at Monday’s board meeting.

Instead of moving company, Dodgeville High School opts for students instead (WMTV NBC15 © 08/17/2017)

DODGEVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) --- Instead of hiring a moving company to move back into Dodgeville's remodeled high school, the district opted to hire its own students.

Judge rules for city in religious school tax case (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel © 08/17/2017)

A private religious high school is not entitled to a tax break on housing it owns for its international students, a judge ruled Thursday.

Shady Grove preliminary plat OK'd: Residents express concerns over school scenarios (Monona Cottage Grove © 08/18/2017)

The Cottage Grove Plan Commission approved the preliminary plat for the Shady Grove subdivision Aug. 9 but not before hearing a variety of concerns from residents. Most of those worries dealt with the impact on the school district and the population of the village.

Grantsburg, i-Forward schools boast good numbers, new faces (Burnett County Sentinel © 08/18/2017)

GRANTSBURG— The Grantsburg summer school program has wrapped up as the first days of the regular school year are right around the corner. A total of 258 students participated in an array of classes throughout the summer which translates to 174 participating families.

New lease on life for West Allis school district at admin building (West Allis NOW © 08/18/2017)

WEST ALLIS — The impending sale of the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District Administration building won't leave Superintendent Marty Lexmond and his crew homeless.

Passing the torch: Retired teachers donations help the newcomers (Green Bay Press-Gazette © 08/18/2017)

GREEN BAY - New Green Bay School District teachers are getting a little help with setting up housekeeping this school year with the opening of the Great Room.

Proposal would save Racine School District from state takeover (WTMJ Channel 4 TV © 08/18/2017)

RACINE - An amendment to the state budget could help failing schools in Racine avoid a state/county takeover, and the proposal would give the district another year to make improvements.

Schools work to prepare local students for a career in IT (WSAW News Channel 7 © 08/17/2017)

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) --- There's a high demand for Information technology professionals in our area. To meet the need, educators are hoping their curriculums inspire students to pursue this career path.

Deerfield wins grant for school mountain bikes (Cambridge Deerfield © 08/18/2017)

Deerfield Middle School is about to get some wheels thanks to physical education teacher Pamela Klein and the California based Specialized Foundation. The Specialized Foundation uses bicycling as a tool to help kids achieve academic, health and social success.

NEWS FROM SATURDAY, AUGUST 19:

Bangor cancels Cardinal Nest Childcare (Coulee News © 08/19/2017)

Students taking part in Cardinal Nest Childcare in the Bangor School District will need to find a new after school option on early release days after September.

Middle School Principal Everson moves on from SDMA (Dunn Connection © 08/19/2017)

After 14 years serving the School District of the Menomonie Area (SDM), Middle School Prinicpal, Stacey Everson will be resigning as of Aug. 25.

School board dives into pool discussions (DeForest Times © 08/19/2017)

The DeForest Area School Board dove deep into the subject of pools at its regular meeting on Monday night.

Social studies, science coursework reinstated in Portage elementary schools (Portage Daily Register © 08/19/2017)

Science and social studies will be reinstated at the elementary levels in the Portage Community School District this year.

Waunakee High School stadium upgrades nearly done (Waunakee Tribune © 08/19/2017)

Workers are in the process of finalizing improvements at Warrior Stadium, which includes a new synthetic turf field.

Donnelly has progressive plans for SHS education (New Richmond News © 08/18/2017)

Shannon Donnelly, the new principal at Somerset High School, has plans to align the building's educational system "to a 21st Century model."

Ramirez family opens St. Augustine Prep doors for first school year (Milwaukee BizTimes.com © 08/19/2017)

School started this week at St. Augustine Preparatory Academy on Milwaukee’s south side and founder Gus Ramirez and his family held a ribbon cutting Friday to mark the start of the inaugural school year.

Schools’ strategic plan OK’d (Jefferson Daily Union © 08/19/2017)

The final year of a five-year strategic plan to help guide the School District of Fort Atkinson during the 2017-18 school year has been approved.

GREEN BAY, Wis – The graduation rate for the Green Bay Area Public School District for the Class of 2016 was 83.8 percent, an increase of 4.4 percent from the previous year. The district also had gains in the majority of subcategories as well.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - After two years of fundraising, Green Bay East High School's football team will kick off on their new turf field Friday night.

NEW BERLIN - When students return to school Tuesday, Sept. 5, the educational environment will include something new in several respects.

WESTON, Wis. (WSAW) - "When you stop wanting to improve, you lose your passion." The quote above is advice one local elementary school teacher uses every day to make learning unique for her students. On Sept. 5, the first one-room elementary school in the D.C. Everest School District will be open for just that.

NEW BERLIN - A spending package that includes some added borrowing to cover energy-saving projects with long-term benefits, but sidesteps a solar energy plan, will face public scrutiny at the New Berlin School District's annual meeting this month.

JUDA, Wis. - Local school districts have questions about money as the state budget remains in limbo, and some state aid payments could be delayed.

Education wasn't something Dan McGuire necessarily knew he was destined for when he was growing up.

It was the photo of the three kids on a tractor that struck Milwaukee artist Ken Brown. The combination of youthful joy and mechanical practicality summed up the spirit and aims of Harold S. Vincent High School on Milwaukee's northwest side.

NEWS FROM SUNDAY, AUGUST 20:

Waterloo community leaders toasted the school district’s new scratch cooking initiative at a dinner Aug. 9.

As MPS students head back to class a little earlier this year, so does the newly appointed staff for the recently created Black & Latino Male Achievement Department.

NEWS FROM MONDAY, AUGUST 21:

E.J. McKean Field could get a more defined entrance under a proposal presented to the Tomah School Board’s Facilities Committee Aug. 8.

UNION GROVE — The delay in passage of the 2017-19 biennial state budget might also delay the launch of an agriculture program at Union Grove High School, which was planned to start in fall 2018.

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAW) -- Parents and teachers aren’t the only ones preparing for the new school year. It’s a busy time for one local software company.

MADISON - State schools superintendent Tony Evers will formally announce his gubernatorial run Wednesday, making him the third Democrat to commit to a bid and the first statewide office holder to challenge GOP Gov Scott Walker.

2018 Outstanding Wisconsin Leadership Award is Open for Nominations

AWSA and the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation is celebrating its third year of providing fellowships for principals and their schools. The 12 public school Kohl Leadership Award recipients and the 12 schools of those principals will each receive $6,000 grants from the Herb Kohl Educational Foundation and will be recognized at a spring banquet.