Wisconsin Education NewsJanuary 7, 2026A daily update of education news and events that are taking place around Wisconsin. Upcoming AWSA Conferences: Register Today!
She guides Madison high schoolers — and is now a national award winner For over a decade, Sarah Elmore has encouraged students at Madison’s East High School to reach for the stars as a counselor for AVID, a college and career readiness program that stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. The AVID framework is used at thousands of schools across the country to help close opportunity gaps for students after high school. The program provides students support services and mentorship to help them pursue academically rigorous courses and prepare for college or the workforce. Manitowoc school district outlines staffing plans ahead of elementary school consolidation MANITOWOC (WLUK) -- The Manitowoc Public School District provided an update Tuesday after its school board voted to close two elementary schools last month. "We really want to communicate a great deal about what's going on, how we're planning, what we're doing," said MPSD Superintendent Lee Thennes. Milton school board selects firm to help with searching for a new superintendent MILTON—The Milton School Board voted unanimously Monday to contract with Arlington Heights, Illinois-based Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates (HYA) to assist in the search for the district’s next superintendent. HYA is a consulting organization that, according to its website, is a network of education experts that provides services for school districts, colleges and universities. Local law enforcement & school district policies on ICE explained EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Recent posts from a private Facebook group showing ICE agents in Eau Claire, have sparked lots of tension and fear. Both the Eau Claire County Sheriff’s Office and the Eau Claire Police Department did not wish to be on camera to speak about ICE reports in the area, but what they did share is whether they’re required to assist the agency or not. In an interview with WEAU from January 2025, Sheriff Dave Riewestahl said they’ve seen ICE in the area in prior years. He said “Historically, when they were in the area, they would give us a heads up just in case they had an emergency or needed assistance with something.” Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services (WCASS) is Seeking Nominations for Two Awards Student pronoun rules face Wisconsin Senate hearing, debate A Republican-authored bill that would require Wisconsin students to get legal, principal and parental approval to use a different name or pronouns at school drew testimony from more than 20 residents, advocates and lawmakers on Tuesday. The bill, SB120, was first introduced last March, and a companion bill was passed by the Assembly later that month. The legislation would require all Wisconsin school boards to adopt two policies, one on how a school keeps records of a student’s preferred name or pronouns, and another on how school staff may address a student. 46% of State’s Private School Students Get Vouchers A new analysis by Wisconsin Watch documents the remarkable rise in the number of Wisconsin students using taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private schools. “When it launched in 1990, the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the nation’s first modern private school voucher program, included just 300 students at seven secular private schools,” at a cost of $700,000, the story noted. Since then Republican laws have steadily expanded the eligibility and per-student payments of vouchers, with the biggest change being the inclusion of religious schools. By 2025 almost half “(46%) of all private school students in Wisconsin received vouchers across the state’s four programs. Taxpayers this school year will spend more than $700 million to defray tuition costs for about 60,000 students….” Students raise $3,000 for Rhinelander Area Food Pantry over holiday season RHINELANDER (WJFW) — The Rhinelander High School Key Club raised over $3,000 dollars in money and food donations over the holiday season for the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry. Last year, the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry saw in-kind food donations drop by about 30% while demand increased to record levels. That’s where the Key Club, a student organization focused on service and leadership, stepped in. Waunakee School District considers opening 4K options at elementary schools Some clarity on 4-year-old kindergarten programming in the Waunakee Area School District has been achieved; however, more questions remain. Miranda Moe, Arboretum Elementary associate principal and 4K director, said of the situation, “It’s like a puzzle with no edges.” Regarding the district’s recent contract offer to 4K learning sites to increase the per pupil stipend from $3,500 to $5,000, seven of the nine 4K providers have signed on. St. John School declined it, and the district did not hear back from Inspire Early Childhood Center by the deadline, which was the Friday prior to the district’s winter break. School board talks open enrollment seats The Stoughton Area School District Board of Education discussed open enrollment seats for the 2026-27 school year at its Monday, Jan. 5 meeting. Open spaces for enrollment are determined by how many sections are offered and the class size target at the elementary level and middle and high school is determined by looking at English/Language Arts classes and determining how many staff they have and the maximum number of students they have in those sections. Raymond School Board selects Nexus Solutions for 2026 facilities feasibility study RAYMOND, WI – After presentations in December from three competing firms, the Raymond School Board voted unanimously on Jan. 5 to hire Nexus Solutions to conduct a facilities feasibility study for the district. The study will help the district better understand the current condition of the school, needed upgrades, and guide future decisions, including whether to pursue a referendum to fund improvements. CRANDON, WI – Today, Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07) visited the School District of Crandon to meet with school administrators, teachers, and students to discuss the recent reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program. The visit followed the passage of S. 356, the Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act, which passed the U.S. House in December with bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 18th. Congressman Tiffany was a cosponsor of this legislation, which provides critical funding to rural school districts and communities impacted by federal land ownership. Appleton North HS has taken top drama honors for 27 years. Here's how. As one of the leads in Appleton North High School's one-act play, senior Max Lietzan and felt two decades of expectations weighing on him at the final state competition in November. For 26 years, Appleton North High School's drama program had taken home top awards in the Wisconsin High School Theatre Festival one-act play competition. For the competition's final round Nov. 22, 2025, at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, over 40 cast and crew members from Appleton were set to perform an adaptation of "Arabian Nights" by Mary Zimmerman. MADISON, Wis. — Should schools be required, under state law, to tell parents if their child asks to go by a different name or pronoun? That was the question lawmakers debated on Tuesday as the state Senate Committee on Education held a public hearing. Republicans, who introduced the bill, said it is about maintaining consistent policy, similar to the recently passed cell phone ban in schools. Democrats, on the other hand, argued it takes local control away from districts to decide their own policy.
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