On the Road

On September 19, State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster traveled to Stevens Point to award $335,000 in continuous school improvement grants to be shared among the Stevens Point, Antigo, Merrill, and Wisconsin Rapids school districts. The grants are intended to help local districts partner with their communities to improve student achievement.

“Acknowledging where we need to improve is part of our educational tradition in Wisconsin,” said Burmaster. “School improvement requires a systematic, long-term approach to raising academic achievement for all students, and these grants will help us reach that goal.”

A total of $6.5 million is being awarded to 18 Wisconsin school districts that have demonstrated their commitment to improving student achievement, according to Burmaster.

On September 20, Burmaster attended a meeting of the Milwaukee Partnership Academy (MPA) Executive Partners in Milwaukee. MPA is a coalition of education, labor, business, government, university, community groups, and foundations whose purpose is to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in the Milwaukee Public Schools.

Later that day, the state superintendent met with representatives of the La Crosse Chamber of Commerce and attended their Oktoberfest in the Capitol Luncheon.

On September 21, the state superintendent welcomed Wisconsin school district administrators to the Fall Superintendents Conference in Madison. In her welcome address, Burmaster told the group, “As superintendents, you know how important it is to celebrate accomplishments. Working in education is true public service. It is hard and demanding work. It is our on-going, sustained effort over time that makes a difference—effort that can’t always be judged by a test, a score, or even a diploma. Nothing would be accomplished in our great schools without your quality leadership.”

Later that day, Burmaster delivered her State of Education address at the Capitol in Madison, and unveiled some key elements of her education budget for 2007-09 and made a strong appeal for support of public education in the next biennium. “Our students have been among the most successful in the nation for the past century, but we are at a crossroads,” she said. “From our largest urban to our smallest rural school districts, there is a rising inequity in educational opportunity for our children. Districts, especially in our urban and rural areas, have been closing schools, cutting programs, and eliminating services.”

Burmaster said in the current school year, budget shortfalls resulted in more than 65 percent of Wisconsin school districts laying off teachers and support staff, while more than half offered fewer courses, increased student fees, reduced programs for both gifted and at-risk students, and reduced extracurricular programs. As a result, she says, quality education in the state is being compromised. “The single best investment we can make is in our children, but educational opportunities are being limited at the same time we are increasing accountability for student achievement. Our state’s economic and civic future requires that our students pursue rigorous study to develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in the 21st century.”

Areas of emphasis in Burmaster’s budget will include increased funding for the SAGE and early childhood education programs, an increase in special education funding, and expansion of Bilingual-Bicultural Aid and school nutrition programs.

Background information and summaries for the 2007-09 budget, and video, audio, and print versions of the state superintendent's State of Education Address, are available on the DPI 2007-09 budget proposal resource page.

The entire 2007-09 budget narrative and summary is available at http://dpi.wisconsin.gov/pb/index.html.

Following the State of Education address, Burmaster presented awards to seven Friends of Education for 2006, recognizing individuals and groups that have made significant contributions to public education in Wisconsin. “These people understand that education is the foundation of our democracy, and that the long-term economic security and quality of life in Wisconsin is dependent on how we educate this generation,” said Burmaster.

That evening, the state superintendent attended the fall conference reception of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators (WASDA).

Last updated on 9/25/2006