Park Elementary School

Access Board Meetings Online: Community members can stay informed by watching every board meeting on our YouTube channel, MCPASD TV. In the recap below, we have provided timestamps for the various sections of the meeting. These will help you follow along and jump directly to the parts of the video that interest you the most.

18:52 - Superintendent's Report

The Board of Education meeting opened with remarks from Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue. She began by congratulating Bob Hesselbein, Tabitha Hansen, Jim Coursey, and Emily Evans on their successful School Board election campaigns. Dr. Monogue shared her enthusiasm for partnering with them in continued service to our students, staff, and families.

She also celebrated an exciting achievement: MCPASD has been named a Top Workplace by the Wisconsin State Journal — the first public school district in Wisconsin to earn this distinction. Dr. Monogue thanked all district employees for their dedication and contributions that made this recognition possible.

In District events, Dr. Monogue encouraged everyone to attend the Middleton High School Theatre’s spring musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” running April 9, 10, and 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Middleton High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are available now.

She also extended her appreciation to the Communications Team for a successful Realtor Breakfast held on Saturday, April 5. The event welcomed local real estate professionals to learn more about MCPASD and the resources available to help families choose our schools when relocating to the area. A new webpage was launched to support this effort, offering fliers and key information for open houses: Realtor Resources.

Finally, Dr. Monogue thanked Wisconsin Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski for visiting Sauk Trail Elementary School on Monday, April 7. The event highlighted the impact of the Common School Fund, which provides the primary source of funding for more than 90% of public school libraries in the state. MCPASD is proud to benefit from this vital support that helps strengthen student learning and literacy.

Secretary Godlewski was joined by State Representative Alex Joers, Middleton Mayor Emily Kuhn, Dr. Monogue, Library Media Specialist Betsy Wermuth, and other local leaders and education advocates. Learn more about the visit here: Read the Article.

22:30 - Substitute/Attendance Report

Director of Employee Services Barb Buffington and Talent Recruitment and Retention Coordinator Sherry Smith provided an update on general leave requests, attendance trends, and substitute fill rates across the District.

General Leave
Now in its second year, the District’s general leave system is helping make time-off requests more consistent and easier to manage. Before this system was introduced, staff followed different processes depending on their school or department. This sometimes caused confusion about when to request time off, how far in advance it was needed, and whether there would be enough substitute coverage.

The general leave system created a clear and consistent process for everyone:

• Staff can request up to five days off in a row for personal, non-emergency reasons.

• Requests must be made two weeks in advance for 1–2 days off, and three months in advance for 3–5 days.

• No more than 10% of staff in a group can be out on general leave at the same time.

• Approvals are based on staffing needs and the ability to find a substitute.

Since the system began, it's helped reduce the number of absences and made it easier to manage coverage:

• General leave requests are down — more than 1,400 fewer for certified staff and more than 300 fewer for support staff.

• Fewer requests are being denied — only 1.46% this year, compared to 2.1% last year, showing that staff are able to get the time off they need while schools stay fully staffed.

• Extended absences (five or more days) have also dropped for certified staff, which means fewer disruptions and lessneed for long-term subs.

Substitute Coverage
The District’s average substitute fill rate has improved to 82%, up from 80% at this time last year. Teacher fill rates are averaging 89%, while paraeducator fill rates have improved to 67%. Most buildings are experiencing stronger sub coverage overall.

This improvement is due in large part to the District’s partnership with EDUStaff, which began on July 1, 2024. EDUStaff currently provides a pool of 307 substitutes — an increase from 297 under the prior provider — and the presence of an on-site district manager has enhanced daily support and recruitment.

Permanent Substitutes and Monitoring Areas
While the number of permanent building substitutes has decreased from 13.4 to 7.325 FTE, consistent daily coverage has been maintained thanks to a more robust substitute pool and ongoing recruitment efforts.

Kromrey Middle School and Sauk Trail Elementary School continue to face substitute fill rate challenges and are being monitored closely.

45:12- AI Update

Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Jan Chynoweth, Director of Technology Services Brian Miles, Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Dr. MaryBeth Paulisse, and Sunset Ridge Elementary School Principal Brett Wilfrid shared the District's strategic approach to implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the educational and workplace settings.

Since August 2024, the District has been developing a comprehensive AI framework guided by seven core principles: student-centered learning, equity, teacher empowerment, ethical use, safety and security, continuous innovation, and data privacy. This work has included the formation of a District AI Team and aligns with national best practices while addressing community concerns around the ethical use of AI and protection of student data.

As part of this effort, the District has officially adopted two AI tools — Brisk and Gemini — with pilot programs underway for ClaudeAI, CoPilot, and Super Teacher.

Brisk is designed to support teacher efficiency and has been widely adopted, with 534 staff using it more than 10,000 times — resulting in an estimated 2,610 hours of time saved. Staff are primarily using it for curriculum creation (38%), providing feedback (36%), inspecting writing (22%), and adjusting reading levels (4%). Brisk also includes a translation feature, allowing educators to quickly translate text into multiple languages — an important tool for supporting multilingual learners and ensuring equitable access to instructional content.

Gemini, developed by Google, is a generative AI tool — meaning it can create original content such as text, images, and summaries based on prompts from the user. As it becomes integrated into tools like Google Docs, Slides, and Classroom, Gemini supports tasks such as drafting lessons, generating personalized learning materials, summarizing content, and streamlining communication — all within a secure, education-focused environment..

The District is also prioritizing professional development, with staff attending conferences like SLATE and participating in internal training. Cross-level collaboration is underway, and this spring, the District will partner with Advanced Learning Partnerships (ALP) to develop a long-range AI implementation plan. This process will include District leaders, instructional coaches, operations staff, students, and a board member.

Looking ahead, the District plans to develop a grade-appropriate AI instruction scope and sequence, support teachers in navigating AI’s role in instruction and academic integrity, and ensure equitable access to tools and opportunities. Building staff trust and capacity will be essential as AI becomes more integrated into everyday teaching and learning. While progress has been made, leadership acknowledges that this is an evolving space requiring ongoing adaptation and collaboration.

1:25:18 - Enrollment Update

Assistant Superintendent Jerrud Rossing provided an initial overview of projected enrollment for the 2025–2026 school year.

At the elementary level, enrollment is expected to decline slightly, with approximately six fewer sections compared to the current year. In contrast, the secondary level is projected to grow, requiring the addition of sections to accommodate increased student enrollment.

Enrollment projections for 4K and kindergarten remain uncertain, as it is difficult to determine how many families with young children currently reside within the District.

Overall, the District anticipates a decrease of approximately 99 students. However, there is capacity to welcome up to 181 new students through open enrollment, which could result in a slightly higher total enrollment than projected.

Class sizes remain within the District’s average range. Sauk Trail Elementary School, which offers Two-Way Immersion (TWI) at all grade levels and is designated as an Achievement Gap Reduction (AGR) school, receives additional state funding that supports smaller class sizes.

It is important to note that there will be no open enrollment seats available at the high school level for the 2025–2026 school year.

1:34:28 - Board Member Representatives for MEA Negotiations Team

In February, the Board discussed which members would serve on the committee to negotiate base wages with the Middleton Education Association. Board President Sheila Dahmen Hibner will decide after meeting with Superintendent Monogue who will represent the Board.

1:37:37 - Portrait of a Graduate Approval

After being introduced at the March 17 Board meeting, the Portrait of a Graduate framework was unanimously approved by the Board on April 7.

Over the past several months, a dedicated team of stakeholders — including high school students, parents, community leaders, educators, and administrators — collaborated to develop this vision for MCPASD. The framework outlines the key skills, mindsets, and attributes every student should build by the time they graduate.

Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue, along with members of the workgroup, presented the framework to the Board. A special thank you  to Dr. Monogue and Board Member Bartlett Durand for co-facilitating all five workgroup sessions and guiding the team through the process.

The team’s work included analyzing 15 Portrait of a Graduate models from across the country — along with one AI-generated version — to identify best practices and innovative approaches. The Mesa Public Schools district in Arizona was especially influential in shaping the final direction. Participants also engaged in team-building activities and thoughtful conversations about the future of learning and student success in MCPASD.

Two focused subgroups were formed to refine the work further: one group dedicated to crafting the language of the framework and another focused on developing a visual representation that would bring the concept to life.

The final result is A Cardinal’s Journey — a framework composed of two core components:

• Cardinal Mindset: Four key dispositions that foster personal growth, empathy, and adaptability.

• Cardinal Foundations: Four essential skill areas, supported by detailed rubrics and micro-skills to help students monitor their progress over time.

The framework will be embedded across the district and integrated into several key areas of student learning and development, including:

• Curriculum renewal

• Report cards

• Academic and career planning

• Student-led conferences

• Learner profiles (starting in grade 6)

• Advisory lessons

• Individual student advising

• Family engagement and communication

With A Cardinal’s Journey, MCPASD is taking an intentional step forward in preparing students not only for graduation but for life beyond the classroom.

1:38:19 - Approval of Teacher Contracts for 2025-2026

As part of the annual staffing process, the Board approved this list of teachers recommended for contracts for the upcoming school year.

1:38:38 - Approval of Wisconsin School Nutrition Purchasing Cooperative Agreement

The District has served as both a member and the fiscal agent of the Wisconsin School Nutrition Purchasing Cooperative (WiSNP) since its inception.This cooperative allows member districts to collaboratively purchase school nutrition products at better pricing and greater efficiency through shared contracts and coordination.

Administration recommended approval of the 2025–2026 66.0301 agreement, which formalizes MCPASD’s continued participation as a member district in WiSNP. The Board approved this recommendation.

1:39:16 - Second Reading of Board Policy Revisions