June 10, 2024 | Board Of Education Recap
The Board of Education meeting commenced with the Superintendent's report. Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue shared a big congratulations to the Middleton High School lacrosse team, who won the state championship on June 8, 2024, marking our fifth state championship team at Middleton High School for the 2023-2024 school year.
Additionally, Superintendent Monogue reflected on the year and shared a heartfelt thank-you to our school communities for their contributions to the wonderful 2023-2024 school year.
Sauk Trail Winter AGR Report
Beginning in 2010, Sauk Trail Elementary has received state funding from the Achievement Gap Reduction (AGR) program. This funding supports small-group professional development and reduced class sizes. It also provides data-driven instructional coaching for classroom teachers and one-on-one tutoring programs for students.
Principal Chris Dahlk and Rebecca Saeman, Reading and Math Specialist, shared a detailed report from the spring semester with the Board of Education. The data presented included results from standardized tests in both math and literacy for students in kindergarten through third grade. Along with the data, Principal Dahlk also highlighted several successes, including that students as a whole are growing at a higher rate on the ACCESS exam (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) compared to recent years.
Principal Dahlk was proud to share that they anticipate 25% of students will identify as multilingual learners by the 2024-2025 school year.
Constituent Engagement Surveys
A team of administrators—including the Deputy Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and Directors of various departments—reviewed the District engagement survey results for students, staff, and families. This marks the third year the District has administered these surveys.
The report provides a summary of the results from the annual District engagement surveys: the student engagement survey, the family engagement survey, and the staff engagement survey.
Key points from the report include:
Survey Development: The District developed these surveys to align with their Strategy Map, goals, and priorities. This approach replaces past surveys that were not well-aligned with the District goals.
Student Survey:
Participation rates were high, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels.
Areas of strength include student-teacher relationships and understanding behavioral expectations.
Areas for improvement feature peer-to-peer respect and reflecting students' identities in the curriculum.
Family Survey:
Overall participation increased, with a strategic focus on engaging Indigenous, Black, and People of Color (IBPOC) families.
Scores improved across all four pillars: Family Support, Culture of Belonging, Communication and Information, and Community Value.
The District plans to further engage underrepresented families, with particular attention to Black families, and to improve the website user experience.
Staff Survey:
Participation rates increased, especially among certified staff.
Strengths include relationship-building with students and a strong sense of mission.
Areas identified for improvement are workload, recognition, and opportunities for professional growth.
The data from these surveys are utilized to inform District and building-level continuous improvement plans. The District intends to continue analyzing the data and collecting additional qualitative feedback to steer their improvement efforts.
Community Growth & Projections Report
Deputy Superintendent Sherri Cyra presented alongside representatives from MDRoffers Consulting on their projections for student enrollment in the upcoming years.
Cyra provided the monthly enrollment report highlighting that our enrollment levels are above projections, excluding the 4K program, but enrollment is still lower than in previous years.
MDRoffers Consulting conducted a thorough analysis of future residential development and demographic changes and shared estimated implications for future student enrollment.
Based on their findings, our District anticipates an increase of 1,127 K-12 students between September 2023 and 2040, averaging 66 additional students per year. This projection is based on expected housing growth but does not include 4K, Early Childhood, or open enrollment students. Additionally, the estimation is based on the current rise in birth rates and the Millennial generation reaching prime child-bearing age.
Click here to view the full report | https://go.boarddocs.com/wi/mcpa/Board.nsf/Public
First-Year Update on Staff Student and Family Engagement
Director of Student, Family, & Staff Engagement Tony Dugas shared a review of his first year at MCPASD. In his role, he has placed a focus on relationship-building, a culture of belonging, school and staff support, student and family engagement, and recruitment.
He successfully established multiple initiatives, such as student listening sessions with senior leaders and developing a 'Sensitive Topics Guide' as a resource for staff. During the 2024-2025 school year, Dugas plans to place an emphasis on hiring staff that reflect the diversity of our student body.
Direct Admit Wisconsin and The Wisconsin Guarantee
Starting August 1, 2024, the Universities of Wisconsin will offer two new admission pathways for the Class of 2025: Direct Admit Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Guarantee. These programs aim to enhance access to higher education for Wisconsin high school students.
Direct Admit Wisconsin:
All high school juniors (except those who opt-out) will have their GPA and student information shared with participating UW colleges.
Students will be automatically accepted based on this information without needing to submit an application or ACT/SAT scores.
Accepted students will be notified by the university.
The Wisconsin Guarantee:
Guarantees admission to all UW colleges (except for UW-Madison) for students in the top 10% of their class by the end of 11th grade.
Guarantees admission to UW-Madison for students in the top 5% of their class.
Students will still need to apply through the traditional process as well.
Eligible students will be notified of their admission status.
Families at the high school level will be provided with more information about these programs later this summer.
Annual Update to the Employee Handbook
The 2023-2025 Employee Handbook was approved by the Board on June 12, 2023, and is reviewed annually for updates by the Handbook Committee. The 2023-2024 review highlighted staff requests for further clarification on procedures and systems within the handbook, such as time-off requests and school calendar clarification.
2024-2025 Strategy Map
Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue outlined the main priorities for the District in the 2024-2025 Strategy Map draft. These priorities were developed with guidance from the Board of Education over the course of two learning sessions. They focus on our work with students, staff, and the community.
Priorities for each group included:
Students:
Literacy curriculum
Support systems
Special Education action plans
Middle school schedule revisions
Staff:
Diversity in recruitment and retention
Compensation for non-certified staff
Staff feedback systems
Benefits & advisory groups
Retention and Recruitment plan
Community:
Capital improvement plan
4K program evaluation
Artificial intelligence work group
Crisis response training
Refresh on Communication materials
The Board of Education will approve the strategy map at their upcoming meeting on July 15, 2024. An email will be sent to all families, staff, and community members that outlines the goals and priorities for the upcoming school year.
Discussion of Revised Certified Staff Compensation Plan for 2024-2025
As more information regarding compensation plans from neighboring Dane County School Districts becomes available, the administration recommends revisiting the 2024-2025 Certified Compensation Model for School Counselors, Speech Pathologists, and Social Workers.
Under the current Certified Staff Compensation plan, approved on March 18, 2024, these positions are compensated in lane 2 (MA or BA w/NBPTS or DPI Master's Educator or School Nurse Lane) due to their positions requiring a master's degree for licensure. The recommendation is to move these specific positions to Lane 3 (MA w/NBPTS or DPI Master's Educator or OT), resulting in an increase in staff compensation.
The budget impact of the recommended revision is $235,090.This recommendation is based on the goal of attracting and maintaining an outstanding staff by providing competitive compensation.
The Board of Education will vote on the revised compensation model in July 2024.
Greater Dane County School District Governance Consortium Update
The Dane County School District Governance Consortium is an organization based on collaboration between 16 school districts across Dane County. The group focuses on advocacy, effective governance and strategies, and promising practices.
The organization hosted a meeting at the MCPASC District building on May 29, 2024, and several Board Members were in attendance.
Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue and Board President Sheila Hibner plan to submit a proposal to formally join the organization later this summer.
The following four items were approved by the Board of Education:
Approval of Compensation for 2024-2025
The "2024-25 Compensation Plan Recommendation," presented by Jerrud Rossing, Erin Wheeler, and Barb Buffington at the May 13, 2024, board meeting, outlined a proposed pay increase for all support staff employee groups receiving a 6% increase.
However, the Professional Support Services Personnel (PSSP) group, which includes Administrative Assistants, Specialists, and others, was recommended to receive an additional $1.50 per hour market adjustment on top of a 6% increase. PSSP does not include para educators, custodians, maintenance, food service, and bus drivers.This $303,000 PSSP market adjustment, combined with the proposed increases for other employee groups, aims to keep wages competitive by targeting the 75th percentile in Dane County, support staff retention and recruitment goals, and align with the district's "Great Place to Work" initiative.
Approval of Budget Changes for 2023-2024
The Board of Education approved the final 2023-2024 school year budget. These adjustments are necessary to ensure that our resources are allocated effectively and aligned with the District's evolving needs.
The District is expecting to receive additional revenue from various sources. This includes:
Increased funds from transportation aid
Higher interest earnings on the District's investments
Additional state aid for transportation
New state grants for mental health initiatives
The District is also receiving more funding from neighboring school districts for shared services, such as a safety and security coordinator position.
With these extra funds, the District plans to make the following key investments:
Purchasing new textbooks and classroom materials to support student learning
Providing more professional development opportunities for teachers
Enhancing mental health support services for students
Covering increased costs for legal services
Upgrading technology equipment and services across the district
Addressing higher transportation expenses due to increased fuel and maintenance costs
Approval of Intergovernmental Agreement - Crossing Guards
The Board has approved the Crossing Guard services agreement with the City of Middleton for the 2024-2025 school year. This agreement outlines the partnership between the City of Middleton and the Middleton-Cross Plains School District for providing crossing guard services during the 2024-2025 school year.
According to the agreement, the School District is responsible for employing and paying the school crossing guards. Meanwhile, the City will oversee the hiring, training, equipping, and evaluation of the guards. The City has agreed to reimburse the School District for all expenses related to the crossing guard program on a biannual basis. Either party has the option to terminate the agreement by providing 60 days' notice.
Approval of Public Depositories for the 2024-25 Fiscal Year
Each year the Board is required to approve the public depositories for the upcoming school year, and for 2024-2025 the administration recommended the following:
Lake Ridge Bank as the primary depository for the District.
Bank of Montreal/Harris Bank and US Bank for purchasing card programs (Mastercard and VISA respectively).
PMA & Midwest Institutional Trust Services for the CESA 6 Wisconsin OPEB Trust.
American Deposit Management for a local investment fund and reinvestment of bond proceeds.