1.
School Aid Drops for Nearly All Districts
Ninety-seven percent of Wisconsin’s school districts (411 of 424) will receive less school aid for 2011-12 than the previous year.
The median decrease is 9.98 percent, according to the Department of Public Instruction’s general aid certification, released last week (The DPI estimates general school aid each year in July, then certifies the figures by October 15 using audited data.).
The current state budget cut general school aid by 8.4 percent.
This year, over 70 percent of districts became eligible for special “hold harmless” adjustment aid, funding awarded to prevent any district from experiencing a reduction of more than 10 percent in any one year.
Last fall, the DPI proposed “Fair Funding for Our Future,” to reform school finance in Wisconsin. As proposed, it would
- fix Wisconsin’s school funding formula to be fair, sustainable, and transparent;
- move away from property wealth as the primary determiner for aid;
- hold the line on property taxes;
- guarantee a base level of aid for every student;
- strengthen rural schools and schools with declining enrollments;
- account for family income and poverty;
- end the school funding shell game; and
- provide predictable growth in state aid.
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2. Technology Educator Wins 2011 Milken Educator Award
Kevin Janota, a technology education teacher at Kimberly High School, was named a Wisconsin recipient of the 2011 Milken Educator Award last week. The $25,000 cash award is one of 40 that will be given by the Milken Family Foundation nationwide this year.
Janota has reworked his school’s technology education course into a highly rigorous, college-level, technology education and engineering program centered on hands-on, project-based curriculum using cutting-edge technology.
His students work together to plan, design, build, and operate Rube Goldberg machines and supermileage vehicles, and ultimately compete with their creations against other students around the country. The program is widely popular among students and has won the admiration of many community members.
Janota was surprised to hear the news at his school at an event including State Superintendent Tony Evers and others. Janota was selected without his knowledge by a blue-ribbon panel and the Milken Family Foundation.
The largest educator awards program in the nation, the Milken Educator Awards aim to attract, retain, and motivate outstanding talent to the teaching profession. The winners are also invited to join the voluntary Milken Educator Network. This is the 13th year the foundation has presented an educator award in Wisconsin.
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3. Explore RtI Stories through Multimedia Site
Districts, schools, and educators can explore Response to Intervention (RtI) at a new multimedia site, "Wisconsin RtI Stories."
One video on the site introduces viewers to the “Lesson Study” program at McLenegan Elementary in Beloit. A cross-grade-level team of teachers and consultants plan and teach a lesson together, then revise the lesson based on their observations of students' learning.
"The smallest change can make the biggest difference," notes Kasandra Spencer, a teacher at the school.
Each of the four sections of "Wisconsin RtI Stories" offers a video which can be viewed alone or as part of professional development using a provided Conversation Guide. The sections are:
Each section includes "Go Deeper" links to related information or "bonus videos" featuring experts or meeting recordings.
"Wisconsin RtI Stories" was produced by the Educational Communications Board in cooperation with the DPI and the Wisconsin RtI Center.
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4. Schools of Recognition Honored
State Superintendent Tony Evers honored 118 Wisconsin Schools of Recognition at a State Capitol ceremony last week.
Wisconsin Schools of Recognition are those with high poverty rates but solid student achievement as measured by certain criteria. Each received a plaque and $5,000 for use on a school-related activity.
Music for the ceremony was provided by the Bruce Guadalupe Middle School Mariachi Juvenil from Milwaukee, under the direction of Dinorah Marquez. The student mariachi group is part of a culturally responsive Latino Strings program at Bruce Guadalupe.
Music during a morning reception was provided by the Black Hawk Middle School Orchestra of Madison, under the direction of Kristie Ely.
A complete list of honored schools is available as part of the DPI news release.
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5. Financial Literacy Awards
Subscriber Submission!
Three Wisconsin teachers received awards for excellence in teaching economics and financial literacy, from EconomicsWisconsin, a non-profit education organization, and Baird, a private financial firm:
- First Place - Joel Chrisler, Sauk Prairie High School (Prairie du Sac) – “Peer to Peer Financial Literacy.” Chrisler's high school students teach lessons on “Needs and Wants" to local first graders and “Savings and Earnings” to fourth graders.
- Second Place – Donna Gundrum, Rossman Elementary School (Hartford) – “Gundrum Money.” Gundrum's students choose a job status card each day, thus learning about high paying and low paying jobs. They can earn interest on their wages and also spend them in a variety of ways. Finally, they plan, set up, and run a factory—learning to work cooperatively and problem solve.
- Third Place – Kevin Jones, Cudahy High School - “Musical Money Management.” Jones has each student choose a song that literally or symbolically expresses their perspectives on money management. They then write essays about those perspectives and the song’s relevance. They also play part of the song in class and discuss their reasons for selecting it.
Green Bay Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy presented the teachers with their awards at EconomicsWisconsin’s “Get Your Students Pumped Up on Personal Finance and Economics” annual conference, Oct. 14 at Lambeau Field.
Each winner received a monetary award between $500 and $2,000.
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6. WEASSP Conference
The Wisconsin Education Association of Student Support Programs (WEASSP) holds its annual conference December 8-9, in Lake Geneva, with the theme of "Transforming Schools in the 21st Century through School Partnerships, Parent Engagement & Community Relationships."
Keynote speakers include Crystal Kuykendall, motivational speaker, educator, attorney, human relations expert, and author of From Rage to Hope: Strategies for Reclaiming Black and Hispanic Students; and Sam Redding, director of the Academic Development Institute and the Center on Innovation and Improvement.
Sessions will cover Response to Intervention, Effective Communication with Parents, Math Strategies, SMART Board use, Working through Budget Cuts and Decreasing Resources, and more.
More information can be found in the on-line brochure.
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