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.
2:20 - Recognition of Fall Sports
The Board of Education meeting began by celebrating the amazing accomplishments of three fall sports teams.
First, the Middleton High School Girls Swim & Dive Team was recognized for earning back-to-back state championships. The team was undefeated in Conference Dual meets this season and crowned Sectional Champions. They made school history by winning all three relays at the state meet—a first for the program!
This victory marks their fifth state title since the 2016-2017 season, with previous championships in 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025. Their success is a testament to the dedication and leadership of their incredible coaching staff: RJ Leiferman (also the 24-25 Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year), Cyndie Zocher, Andrew Cotton, Emily Keebler, and Mike Keleny. Thank you for your hard work and commitment to this team’s excellence. Let’s hear it for the Girls Swim & Dive Team and their amazing coaches!
Next, the Middleton High School Boys Soccer Team was celebrated for winning the Division 1 State Championship for the second consecutive year! This incredible achievement marks a historic milestone, as they are the first public school to claim back-to-back D1 championships since 1988. This success would not have been possible without the dedication and expertise of their exceptional coaching staff: Kevin Pauls (also the Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year and NFHS Coach of the Year Nominee), Brian Zimdars, Bill Karls, Barret Van Sicklen, Kevin Thusius, Israel Muchacho Moreno, Ben Mertens, Cian Carlson, Mary Duffy, Keith Poniewaz, and Kayla Zimdars.
Lastly, the Middleton High School Boys Volleyball Team was celebrated for defending their 23-24 state title by making it back to the Division 1 State Championship game and finishing as State Runner-Up. This success would not have been possible without the dedication and expertise of their exceptional coaching staff: Dylan Griffith (also the Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year as well as recently being named one of the American Volleyball Coaching Association's top 30 under 30 coaches in the nation), Rob Kleinschmidt, Stephen Seaman, and Adrian Gonzales.
Congratulations to all the teams and their coaches for their outstanding achievements!
10:55 - Appoint Board Member for Area IV
Four candidates presented their speeches to the Board of Education, explaining why they should be selected to fill the seat for Area IV. The Board ultimately elected Jim Coursey as the replacement. Mr. Coursey will serve in this role until the April election and will be officially sworn in at the next board meeting on December 16th. We extend our gratitude to all the candidates who expressed interest in serving on the Board of Education.
40:21 - Superintendent’s Report
The Board of Education meeting continued with the Superintendent's Report. Dr. Dana Monogue congratulated the MHS Theater Department for their highly successful production of "Beauty and the Beast."
She also mentioned that the Bloom event hosted by the MCPASD Education Foundation raised $61,000, which supports many amazing programs for our District.
Dr. Monogue also highlighted that winter athletics are underway and wished good luck to the scholar-athletes and coaches.
41:30 - Substitute/Absence Report
Director of Employee Services Dr. Barb Buffington and Talent Recruitment and Retention Specialist Sherry Smith presented the District attendance report showing fewer staff leave requests in fall 2024 compared to 2023. The number dropped from 3,863 to 3,334 requests, with a decreased denial rate of only 0.7% compared to last year's 2.1%.
The District's new partner, EDUStaff, manages 247 substitutes, including 161 returning and 86 new hires. They're maintaining an 80% fill rate for absent positions, with teacher absences easier to fill (87-89% success) than teaching assistants' absences (57-67% success).
Most schools maintain coverage rates above 70%, with the Early Learning Center achieving 100%, Northside 98%, and Middleton High School 90%.
Currently, there are 7 full-time permanent substitutes across 8 schools, down from last year's 13 substitutes in 10 schools. The middle and high schools have the highest allocation of permanent subs.
The District continues monitoring the increasing absence rates, particularly among teaching assistants and teachers. The partnership with EDUStaff, which began in July 2024, focuses on recruitment, retention, and training of substitutes to maintain adequate coverage across all buildings.
55:05 - Elementary Level Report
The Elementary Principal team provided updates on their strategic continuous improvement initiatives. Each K-12 school maintains two primary goals through School Improvement Teams (SITs): a literacy goal and a school-specific goal.
The literacy data shows 80% of elementary students achieving reading proficiency through myView Literacy/miVisión Lectura curriculum implementation. However, 21% remain below proficiency, with 64% of these students not showing high growth, indicating a widening achievement gap.
Schools developed tailored secondary goals based on their specific needs: Elm Lawn focuses on staff collaboration, Northside on multilingual learners, Park on special education and universal design, Pope Farm on universal practices and student belonging, Sauk Trail on reducing absenteeism, Sunset Ridge on math and restorative justice, and West Middleton on behavior support.
District-wide initiatives include Social Emotional Learning implementation, an updated Code of Conduct with restorative practices, and a new Educator Effectiveness Model using the 2022 Danielson Framework. The approach emphasizes collaborative work while maintaining responsiveness to individual building needs, supporting both student and staff success through regular leadership calibration and classroom observations.
1:35:07 - State Accountability Report Cards
Dr. MaryBeth Paulisse, Director of Elementary Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment, and Dr. Jan Chynoweth, Director of Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment, along with Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Dr. Silvia Romero-Johnson, reviewed the new data on the District and School Accountability Report Cards for 2023-2024.
The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) demonstrated strong performance with an Overall Accountability Score increase of 1.4 points to 78.6, maintaining its "Exceeds Expectations" rating. The District showed exceptional performance compared to state averages, ranking higher than 95% of districts in achievement, 97.1% in growth, 68% in target group outcomes, and 62.6% in on-track to graduation metrics.
Across the District's schools, performance remained consistently strong, with all schools meeting or exceeding expectations. Notable achievements include Elm Lawn and Pope Farm Elementary schools, which earned the highest rating of "Significantly Exceeds Expectations" with scores of 87.4 and 90.0, respectively.
The Department of Public Instruction (DPI) implemented a significant change for the 2023-24 reporting period, adjusting achievement scores to align with the 2022-23 distribution due to updated Wisconsin Assessment cut scores. This adjustment is a temporary measure for one year, during which time DPI will work with educators to better align report cards and cut scores for a more accurate representation of school and district success.
Throughout the history of these accountability report cards, MCPASD has maintained consistent excellence, performing at the "Exceeds Expectations" level each year. This sustained high performance demonstrates the district's ongoing commitment to educational excellence and student achievement across all its schools.
2:01:11 - Declaration of Board Candidacy
Board members whose terms are concluding in April announced their intentions. Sheila Hibner has decided not to seek reelection, while both Bob Hesselbein and Tabitha Hansen confirmed they will be running for their seats once again.
2:01:50 - Items for Approval | Softball Field Project - City Council Amendment
The Board of Education approved Amendment #2 to the 2011 lease agreement with the City of Middleton for the softball field project. Earlier plans for artificial turf were denied by the City Council, leading the District to redesign the project with natural turf through Point of Beginning. The City Council approved an amendment on November 19, 2024, allowing the District to request rezoning of "Parcel A" to Parks and Recreation designation for the new field. This amendment modifies the original lease agreement that covers various parcels used for school, city, and recreational purposes.