December 16, 2024 at 6:30 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  This is a meeting of the Board of Education in public for the purpose of conducting the School District's business and is not to be considered a public community meeting.

Description:  This meeting was noticed by way of publication in the Waterford Post on Thursday, December 12, 2024, was posted at the District Office (Door #7) and at Entrance #19, and was published on the District's website. Minutes from the regular board meeting of October 7 and from the special meeting held October 29 are posted on the District's website.

Description:  An itemized list of bills payable, including vendor names, payment amounts, and descriptions of goods or services rendered.

Description:  The Wisconsin DPI requires school libraries to develop a long-range library plan using tools based on the Future Ready Librarian Framework. A well-developed long-range library plan implemented with fidelity allows for library programs to effectively increase student achievement, provide equitable resources to all, and be a key collaborative element of district learning initiatives. Ultimately, there is no end to library planning. This is a cycle that must progress continually to provide the best resources, opportunities, and engagement for our students and educators. The District's plan can be found at the following link: https://sites.google.com/wuhs.us/wuhsschoollibraryplan/home.

Description:    Act 143 requires schools to conduct at least one annual drill in the proper response to a school violence event, and submit a brief written summary to their school board or private school's governing body within 30 days of the drill. Schools may use this documentation to satisfy this requirement.
   In compliance with the intent of Statute 143, WUHS conducts monthly safety drills and provides the documentation to the school board at the start of the school year.  Between January 1, 2024, and December 13, 2024, Waterford Union completed ten (10) ALiCE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) when/then drills, five (5) fire evacuation drills with four canceled due to inclement weather, and one (1) tornado shelter in place drill. Waterford Union exceeds the number of safety drills the Department of Justice requires, so we provide a list of the drills at the start of the new year rather than reporting them to the Board of Education every thirty (30) days.  
   Each of the ALiCE drills gathers feedback from staff leading the drills during instructional time. The drills require five to ten minutes of instructional time. The drills rotate so that most of the classes learn the exercises in various locations throughout the building. Each drill covers the different core tenets of the ALiCE protocol. Officer May creates and reviews the drills for the building. 

Description:  At this time the board would like to invite any member of the audience to stand with comments about items of interest or concern that do or do not appear on the agenda this evening. Please begin by stating your name and address. It would be appreciated if you would limit your comments to three minutes so that we can keep the meeting moving in a timely fashion and allow others an opportunity to speak. We ask that you remember that Wisconsin law prohibits us from discussing specific employees or their job performance. Thank you for your support of our school district.

Description:  The Student Council Sergeant at Arms will provide an update on the recent activities of various student co-curricular clubs. 

Description:  Ehren Klebenow, Andrea Martens, and Joel Molitor, Unite Academy staff, will be attending the meeting with a number of students from the new WUHS alternative program Unite. The students have conducted research into whether students' use of earbuds might be permissible in given situations. The research project counts towards the students' graduation requirements.   

Description:  Transition Coordinator Susie Thomas will provide an update to the Board on a recent a grant award totaling $66,000. A portion of the funds will be used to purchase a vehicle for the PAC House transition program, with the remainder of the funds to be used for district staff education through NextUp Transition Curriculum.  The link for her presentation is as follows: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGXsLdP-CI/ljKXKxF6AKSzyfE4E3dymg/view?utm_content=DAGXsLdP-CI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hccbc1f6582

 

Description:  The most recent policy updates were approved at the Nov. 25 meeting, except for Pol 2340—District -Sponsored Trips and Pol 5460—Graduation Requirements. The board tabled these policies to gather feedback from stakeholders.

Dan Foster and Kyle Rader express concerns about the financial and participatory implications of requiring trips through commercial organizations, emphasizing the need for cost-effective and flexible options. 

Dan Foster's Feedback: Requiring all international trips to go through a travel agency could significantly increase family costs, potentially making trips less accessible. The previous language allowing the Board to cancel trips based on travel warnings appears to be removed, raising concerns about oversight and safety flexibility. 

Kyle Rader's Feedback: Requiring trips to be arranged through commercial organizations would drastically limit student participation due to increased costs. Example: Kyle organized a 3.5-week student trip to Germany in 2022 for $1,175.79 (including airfare, lodging, and activities) through grants and custom planning. Commercial programs charge $3,000-$4,000 for 1-1.5-week trips, making them far less affordable. Without grants, the trip would have cost only $1,894.78, significantly below the cost of equivalent commercial programs. The policy would disproportionately affect students with financial constraints, reducing opportunities for cultural and educational experiences abroad.

Description: 

Summary of Stakeholder Feedback on Graduation Requirements Policy Stakeholders provided detailed feedback concerning proposed changes to graduation requirements, particularly the reduction in required elective credits from 8.75 to 8.50. 

Joe Datka emphasized that electives provide critical exposure to diverse fields, support career exploration, and encourage the practical application of core learning. He advocated for increasing elective requirements, not reducing them, to enhance students' holistic development and career readiness. 

Brett Roberts highlighted that electives allow students to discover interests and gain valuable experiences that standardized courses might not offer. He argued that reducing electives might deter students from pursuing enriching opportunities and setting higher personal and academic growth standards. 

Several stakeholders, including Datka and Kyle Rader, suggested alternative approaches to preserve or increase credit requirements: Adding the 0.5 credit financial literacy course to the overall graduation total instead of reducing elective credits. Reclassifying financial literacy as a social studies credit rather than an elective. Removing outdated requirements, such as Information and Technology Literacy, to allocate more credits toward electives. Stakeholders raised concerns about students missing out on opportunities to explore personal interests or capstone classes due to reduced elective requirements. 

Roberts noted that some students may graduate early but lose out on valuable experiences, diminishing the district's rigor and reputation. 

Roberts and Datka also pointed out that the reduction may disproportionately affect "average" students who aim only to meet minimum requirements. 

Dan Foster proposed expanding middle school credit options to prevent overloading other programs due to elective cuts. He also called for a review of the alternative diploma process, expressing concerns about the varying interpretations of its pathways.