11.24.25 Regular Board of Education Meeting

001All right. Good evening. Good evening. We're going to call our November regular board of education meeting to order. And I'll start with a resuscitation of our vision and mission statements. Our vision is MMSD will be a learning community where all students are valued, challenged, supported, and inspired to reach for their dreams. And our mission is MMSD creates safe and inclusive schools, delivers highquality instruction, strengthens positive relationships, and partners with families and the community to achieve student self-determination and educational excellence. Tonight we'll start the meeting with a resolution from our uh regarding our National Merit Scholarship semi- finalist board for member Mosner Falam. >> Thank you. Whereas the mission of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation is to recognize and honor academically talented students around the United States by conducting nationwide academic scholarship programs. And whereas these

002students have worked hard in the classroom, they've challenged themselves academically and many participate in athletics, extracurriculars, and internships around the community, all in addition to their achievement in being scholars. Whereas the 43 Madison Metropolitan School District scholars who have been announced as National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists, these scholars represent the top 1% of students in the nation for academic performance on the 2025 PSAT National Merit Scholarship qualifying test. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education recognizes and congratulates these 43 students for being recognized as National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalists. Be it further resolved this statement be permanently imprinted in the Board of Education minutes for the meeting of November 24th, 2025. >> Thank you. Um this evening we also start with a couple of remembrances and I'm going to have

003uh Vice President Pearson start with our first one. We'd like to ask for a moment of silence this evening for our district to recognize the passing of Trarevon Harris who was in 10th grade Memorial High Schooler. Travon is remembered as someone who was a student athlete. The words that best describe Trey are generous, courageous, and passionate. His legacy is one of unwavering positivity and the course to follow one's dream no matter the obstacles. Trey lived his life as a daring adventurer, embracing every moment with enthusiasm and bravery. Those who knew him well described him as confident, funny, and always with a smile on his face. He was a natural leader to whom others gravitated. He made us all better people. Trayvon's passing has taken a significant toll on so many students and staff in the

004Memorial High School community and we remember them tonight. Please join me in participating in a moment of silence to honor Trarevon Harris. Thank you. >> We have another remembrance. Um, we'd also like to ask for a moment of silence this evening for our district to recognize the passing of Rosemary Barantos who was a social worker at Memorial High School. Rosemary is remembered as someone who for over 29 years warm smile whose warm smile illuminated the student services office at Vel Phillips Memorial High School where she served as their beloved multilingual social worker. She founded the Latinos Unidos Club at Memorial and coordinated the school's annual Latino festival. Rosemary also hosted monthly meetings of the Latino family group for many years, creating learning opportunities, a welcoming space to share resources, and a bilingual bridge for Latino

005parents and guardians to build communication with the school. Rosemary was a pillar of inspiration for students, families, and staff, and a dedicated leader in the Latino community of Madison. She enriched countless lives as she supported them with her compassion, empathy, and wisdom. And while her loss is deeply felt, her legacy of crosscultural respect, kindness, and love lives on. Rome Rosemary's passing has taken a significant toll on so many students and staff in the Memorial High School community, and we remember them tonight. Please join me in participating in a moment of silence in honor of Rosemary Barentos. Thank you. As we move um into our public input part of the agenda, I'll start with um a summary of our written statements. Um, the written registrations portal opened on Friday, November 21st at noon and remained open

006until 3 p.m. today, Monday, November 24th and they have been summarized. Um, all right, hold on one second. Uh we had one statement regarding bill um some kind of a bill to ban phones. Um several statements on um addressing the salary compression. Another one on a cell phone uh ban. Oh, actually quite a few of those. Um, I'm sorry. I might be in the wrong. Yeah. Okay. Sorry about that. Usually I have a summary. Okay. Thank you. So it without going through the entire document, it was 14 written statements on a cell phone policy ban and four um written statements about salary compression. Thanks for your patience. Okay, at this point we will move to our um registered speakers. I know that we have one person online. We'll start with that person and then we'll

007move to in-person speakers. And I know that we have um 21 uh folks who have registered tonight. Jesse, >> our online speaker is Megan Ross. >> May I begin? >> Yes, go ahead. >> Thank you. Uh my name is Megan Ross. I am a parent of a child at Kennedy Elementary and I wanted to talk to you today um about our school. Kennedy received a fails to meet expectation rating on the DPI state report card for the third consecutive year. But this is not because of the lack of effort. Staff does everything they can. This problems our school is facing are structural. Kennedy sits in some of the highest concentrations of poverty and family instability in the district. We have the highest number of unhoused students topped only by East High. Children walk in the

008door every morning carrying stress that should never be theirs. This shapes the learning environment before lessons began. The district has made some necessary changes and unfortunately they are still not sufficient. They brought Kennedy from conditions that were absolutely impossible to conditions that are barely manageable. We can do better than that. When a school carries this level of concentrated poverty, small steps do not move outcomes. Incrementalism becomes irresponsible here because it prolongs the harm. Our students do not get these years back. I know the district cannot control the city's decisions that led to the condition around conditions around Kennedy. However, the district does decide how to meet the needs um that those choses created. We can change how we allocate support inside our own system. That is the part of structural repair that belongs to you.

009I want our children to have the same chance as children anywhere else in the city. My ask is the district commits to a proportional support model for Kennedy, meaning that the structural plan brings staffing, behavioral support, literacy, intervention, and classroom stability um up to meet the level of need that is the reality for our student population. A plan grounded in the indicators of the need at the school with immediate additions where classrooms remain unstable. Our children deserve the support that meets the scale of the problem. Thank you. All right. Thank you. We'll go with our registered speakers who are here. Um, speaker number one is Daniel Baron and uh, speaker number two will be Andrea Miserelli. And Daniel, as you come up and for those who are also going to be speaking tonight um, at

010the podium, you'll have a little black box on there. When you see the yellow light, you have about 30 seconds left. Red light means your time is up. please try to um kind of finish your thoughts within a few seconds. And you also have a visual clock up here for your minutes. All right. Thank you. >> Uh good evening. Thank you for the time reminder. I won't do my tap dance tonight. Uh just wanted to thank Meg uh Megan for starting and uh Megan is very smart and thank you Megan for being a passionate advocate for Kennedy Elementary School. Uh I'm the proud parent of a Kennedy Elementary School second grader. Uh I just wanted to discuss two things, food and also continued support. Uh first I believe that all children at all public schools

011should have access to free breakfast and free lunch automatically throughout Wisconsin. And also for the planet, for our health, and because it is moral and ethical, I believe that 100% of the meals should be 100% vegan. These meals should be free, and I do mean automatically free without having to sign up for it. And I do think they should be vegan with zero animal exploitation. Uh, second, I love Kennedy. Principal Kent is the greatest and Kennedy is the best school for my son. Uh, we have dedicated staff in a wonderful community. And speaking of community, I wanted to thank the board and everyone else here for helping us become officially a community school. And also thank you for the board and everyone else um for helping reduce class sizes and to give us additional staff.

012Not to mention, thank you to the many board members who have uh come to our PTO meetings. We really really appreciate it. It means a lot. Um, I am here to ask for just a small favor. Just kind of continuing with what Megan was saying. Uh, to kind of to use a metaphor, help us cross the finish line. We've gotten a lot of help and we really appreciate it. We just have some gaps here and there and I do think with our solid, strong foundation and with your help, we can win this marathon. Uh, we can get those better test scores. we can get transportation we need for homeless students in addition to additional help for the homeless students. And you know, please just help us get us those last few staff members and tutors

013and support staff uh so that we can close this loop. Uh we can do it. I know we can. Let's keep up the momentum. Thank you and go Kennedy Cougars. I'm just gonna start. Okay. Good evening everyone. I'm Andrea Miselli and Madison Teachers Inc. MTI president for the teachers unit. I'm here to speak about the salary compression. The compression started 25 years ago and slowly continued to grow until 2018 when seven levels total were cut off. I believe Nikki has the greatest year of tenure on the board and she wasn't elected yet until after the last compression cutoff happened. I understand that nobody currently on the board created this salary compression, but it is your responsibility to fix it. Uh I estimated close to about $3.5 million is how much money it would take to

014cost the district to fix the chopping off levels part for the compression. the district knows how much everyone makes and their hire dates and the contracts that they've received every year since. Um, it should be able to be figured out. A couple weeks ago, a high school staff member told me her principal 20 years ago used to preach how important it was to take care of your retirement. I believe this is the case and it's important to take care of those who have led the paths for us as well. There are about 200 teachers that were hired before the 2001 school year. These staff have given 25 plus heartful years to this district and our community. They are individuals who have dealt with the compression salary for 25 years and it will affect them for

015the rest of their lives into retirement. These individuals are looking to retire this year or in the near future and need this board to make it a priority to fix the compression now so the rest of their lives aren't continually affected by this inaction. These dedicated, loyal staff can't afford for you to continue to wait to fix the compression. I don't have a certificate with MMSD's new logo on it to give all of you back here for all your years of service, but I would like to thank you all and list the names until President Nichols cuts me off of the staff who have given 25 plus years to the district. Thank you. Janet, Ann, Joanne, Christina, Daniel, Michelle, Mon'nique, Sharon, Amy, Kathleen, Phillip, Katherine, Cynthia, Jana, Benjamin, Julianne, Christine, Barry, Mary, Jean, Rebecca, Wendy,

016Kathy, Robert, Isoldi, Wendy, Maria, Kimberly, Christine, Cheryl, Michael, Jennifer, Lisa, Bridget, Brenda, Donna, Julie, Don, Margie, Elizabeth, Angela, Eric, Danielle, Gregory, Carrie, Samantha, Patrick, Heather, Kristen, Vera, Amy, Laura, Sarah, William, Bridget, Michelle, Rosemary, Sydney, Steven, Jennifer, Karen, Amy, Carmen, Kelly, Norma, Amy, Kathleen, Jennifer, Colleen, Colia, Joseph, Christina, Marie, Christine, Christine, Tina, Shannon, Denise, Kristen, Christine, Daniel, Sarah, Maya, Miguel, Stacy, Don, Kevin, Nikki, Michael, Colleen, Michelle, Bruce, Joel, Heidi, Nicole, um, Patricia, Carrie, Mark, Amy, Jennifer, Lisa, Sonia, Ann, John, Sebastian, Stacy, Sasha, Elizabeth, Christine, Thomas, Jennifer, Jeffrey, Kelly, Kadet, Maya, Ellie, Chris, Christy, Kelly, Beth, Becky, Megan, Scott, Young, Melanie, Tonia, Kelly, Christine, Eric, Joanne, Shannon, Lorie, Douglas, Julia, Amy, Annie, Tyler, Mindy, Christopher, Emily, Lewis, Carrie, Teresa, Angela, Jessica, Christina, Grayson, Kimberly, Jonathan, Sheila, Kristen, Amy, Christine, Stacy, Andrea, Jessica, Kyangi, Janet, Odessa, Kimberly, Sandra,

017Colleen, Christy, Stacy, Benjamin, Bridget, Ching Lling, um, Nicole, Kelly, Sandra, Joseph, Benjamin, Kurt, Cynthia, Mary, Robin, Miriam, Deborah, Kurt, Lorie, Heidi, Katherine, Shannon, Tally, Brent, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Patrick, and Christine. Thank you. Thank all of you. All right, our next speaker, I think this is Kenneth Tate or is it Carth Tate? Oh, sorry. Carrot. My apologies. And then following will be Amy Martino. >> Good evening. I am here tonight to implore you to fix the salary compression issue that affects so many of your veteran teachers. We are a valuable resource and I think you know this. I sat down at my computer to write this statement at 6:00 on Saturday evening. It took me until that late in the day to find the energy because I was exhausted from doing my job last week. I started

018down the rabbit hole of looking at my paychecks from as far back as I can access them, which happens to be from 2005. I had the idea that I could highlight for you the difference between the percentage of my pay that I actually net now compared to the percentage I netted 20 years ago because regardless of what the salary schedule says, I have to live off of my paycheck. I started doing some math. I saw how my net paychecks actually decreased from 2010 to 2012 and decided that it was an exercise in frustration. I wasn't going to tell you anything you don't already know anyway. And like I said, I'm exhausted. I've been teaching not only in MMSD, but in the same building for 27 years. I did my student teaching at Samberg in the

019fall of 1998. I filled a long-term subposition there in the spring of 1999. During the 1999 2000 school year, I had a temporary contract to fill a medical leave of absence. Fun fact, temporary contracts did not count toward your years of service. So according to human resources, this is my 25th year in the district. For the record, that should put me at salary level Y. I am at T. I spent most of my time as a fourth and fifth grade teacher. I taught second grade for a few years with third to a couple times, too. And now I am a reach teacher at Samberg. Samberg is my home. It continues to be my community e even as its population has changed drastically over the past 25 years. Earlier this month I was meeting with my

020principal about my educator effectiveness self- evvaluation. I told her that there are a few of the domain criteria where eight or 10 years ago I would have given myself the highest rating of distinguished but based on the criteria I can't now. It's not me. I'm not less effective. My students are harder to teach. My job is harder to do. After 25 years, that seems counterintuitive, but there it is. And quite frankly, I deserve to be making at least as much as my years of experience should merit. I know it. The community knows it. You know it. In three weeks, I will be 55. I can retire in June, but I won't. I am deeply committed to the children and families of my school community and I am not done serving them yet. I am not

021going anywhere. Many of the veteran teachers in the same position as I am probably aren't either. God knows none of us went into this because of the money. But that doesn't mean that we don't deserve to make what we have earned. There are a lot of things that I could be standing here asking you to fix. A lot of them you could not fix. Some of them you would not fix. You can fix this. You need to fix this. Following Amy will be uh Nick Igel. I don't know if I pronounced that correctly. >> Hi, I'm an MMSD parent and wanted to speak tonight in support of a Belltobell phone ban. The recent passage of Act 42 will require Wisconsin school boards to prohibit cell phone use during instructional time, but I urge MMSD to

022go above and beyond legal compliance by giving students an entirely phone-f free school day. Phone-free passing periods, lunch, and recess could greatly improve school climates, benefit social emotional development, and reduce bullying. I personally think these benefits far outweigh the inconvenience of not being able to be in constant communication with my kids. In fact, mental health statistics suggests that constant communication is not actually good for our kids. And there's a growing movement among parents to give kids more independence. A change.org or petition asking the district to enact a bell-to-bell phone ban has more than 300 signatures and a number I think it was 14 parents submitted comments to tonight's meeting supporting a bell-to-bell ban. Many school districts have already enacted cell phone bans and we can learn from them. Data from a Florida school district that

023enacted a bell-to-bell ban stricter than the state law show improvements in test scores and attendance. Preliminary findings from a study that surveyed 20,000 public school teachers from across the country found that stricter school cell phone policies lead to more focused classroom environments. And phone storage matters. Policies that allow students to keep phones in their pockets or backpacks are less effective than policies that require students to store phones in pouches or lockers. A cell phone buzzing in a back pocket or in a backpack at a student's foot is more distracting than a cell phone that's locked away. According to another study, twothirds of principles said phone bands cut down on incidents of students using their phones for inappropriate behavior, like photographing classmates in the restroom or locker room or recording or streaming a physical fight in

024school, which we just saw at West. As more and more data come out on social media addiction and mental health issues related to smartphones, many parents are trying to delay and limit smartphone use. But we need collective action. Please partner with us in giving our kids a phone-f free chance to learn. After Nick will be Brenda Blessing. Good evening everybody. Uh, thank you for the time this evening. My name is Nick Igel and for the past 12 years I've had the privilege of serving fourth and fifth grade students and families at Samberg Elementary School. I love my school, the students, the staff, the laughter, the challenges, the memories. I love all of it. Well, mostly. But I digress. Like many of us, I'm here to speak my concerns about salary compression. And when I learned

025about the situation a few months ago, I was a bit perplexed. Admittedly, I'm not the most knowledgeable on the topic, but from what I understand, starting pay was increased to attract new educators. It's great. I'm happy for them. This is a demanding profession, one in which none of us choose for the money and they deserve it. But then someone explained the profession to me and they also pointed out that student services went through this same fight already and successfully from what I gather. So yeah, I'm a bit perplexed why I'm here. Was the board simply not aware of the ramifications of the new salary schedule? Did they hope we wouldn't notice? Did they not expect a response? or are they just unsure on how to fix the situation? To me, the path forward seems obvious.

026Just like when I work a fix it plan with a student, we identify the problem, acknowledge the hurt, and make actionable steps to fix it. And I really hope that this is the case. So, as I prepared for tonight, I went through different ideas or arguments or points to make. Maybe I tell a story, think of of a metaphor. It probably wouldn't be a surprise to any of my co-workers here that I also consider different ways to pull a fun or harmless prank. But uh none of the ideas really stuck. Like I said, I'm perplexed why we need to argue for this. I love Samberg and I have planned on staying until I retire, but it pains me to say that this year, for the the first time in over a decade, I will be

027searching and applying for jobs in other districts. Please make a plan to make this right. It might not be perfect. It might not be fully equitable. For all I know, that's impossible. But to ignore it outright, that's inexcusable. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I hope our words resonated with you all tonight. Thank you. After after Brenda will be Lily Calshure, I believe that's right. >> Hi, I am Brenda Blessing and I am a proud MMSD teacher of over three decades. I'm here tonight to talk about the salary compression issue. This problem hurts staff morale, encourages valuable people to leave our district, and ultimately harms the education our students receive. We are happy to see the district offering competitive starting salaries for new teachers. However, failing to adjust the pay for our veteran

028staff to match this devalues the knowledge, deep skills, and historical understanding that long-erving educators contribute every day. It sends the wrong message that experience and loyalty are not respected. This isn't just about budget numbers. It's about real people. I want to share my own story. I came to MMSD 33 years ago right after finishing my degree at WMadison. And that was also after completing both of my practicums and student teaching in Madison schools. I knew this was a district I wanted to build my career. I love the diverse and caring community and the supportive feeling in every school. I was especially impressed by the district's commitment to equitable education, which is why I chose to work here. I spent one and a half years substitute teaching and then 30 years teaching fourth and fifth grade.

029The past three years, I have served as an advanced learning specialist, a reading interventionist, and an instructional coach. I've dedicated more than half of my life to helping hundreds of students succeed, seeing them grow into confident learners ready for the next level. I have built strong, lasting relationships with students and families, staying in touch with many long after they graduate. This genuine connection is why I have stayed with MMSD for over three decades. At 55 years old, I still love my job and I feel like I do make a real difference. Equity has always been a core value of MMSD. Yet, salary compression stands in clear contradiction to that principle. Based on my years of experience, I should be placed at salary level GG, but I am currently at level Z. As a result, I

030am earning $6,985 a year less than I should be. This discrepancy not only affects my current pay but also reduces my future TURP and pension benefits creating real challenges as I plan for my family's financial future. It is disheartening to feel that decades of dedication have not been fully acknowledged. If this issue remains unressed, we risk losing our most experienced and committed educators and our students will bear the consequences. Veteran teachers are among the district's greatest assets. We are asking for recognition that reflects our loyalty and our contributions to MMSD. No educator should feel compelled to resign and be rehired simply to receive fair compensation. I respectfully ask that you address salary compression promptly and equitably. I have no plans to retire. I am still dedicated to this district. I want to see the dedication

031to myself and other veteran teachers because we have been here for MMSD. We need MMSD to be here for us. >> Okay, you're Eleanor. Okay, so um just so it's clear on time limits for each of you. Can one of you kind of speak until you're done? Up to three minutes and then the second one. >> We only need three. >> You just need the three minutes total. Okay. Just in fairness for everybody else who signed up. Thank you. >> Hi everyone. Thank you for hearing us today. I'm Lily. I'm a junior at West this year. Um I'm Eleanor Winkl Wagner and I am a senior at West. At West, we lead March for Our Lives, which is an anti-gun violence club that seeks reform, safety, and of course, no gun violence. We are so

032excited to be here with our lovely club members um to talk to you about safe storage and the impact it can make on our community. So, the safe storage initiative is a plan to make sure that guns and ammunition are safely stored and locked or unavailable to children or those who are unlicensed to have access to guns. We have been pushing our school administrators to tell the families in our district about safe storage and gun violence reform for in general for many years but have been making progress especially in the past two. We are trying to make clear the impact that gun violence has on youth and how it should not have to have that big of an impact on us. So our club reached out a few weeks ago to the school board and

033then we met with Blair and we talked about a resolution which highlights how pressing the issue is and how we want to move forward. We shared our safe storage proposal with her and emailed it to the board and now have a draft of a resolution thanks to Blair and a plan for moving forward. To further explain why this is so important and demands necessary action, we have some facts for you guys. Firearms have been the leading cause of death in children and teens in the US for many years and it kills over 4,000 youth annually. Um, firearms are also heavily linked in suicide in teens. Mass shootings and school shootings are still on the rise with an average of over 300 school shootings per year. More than half of these incidents involved unsecured firearms. Because

034of these alarming statistics, we demand change. So, we work we workshopped solutions with Blair and it was mentioned that we could send postcards to MMSD families with safe storage information. Also, we could add a question when parents enroll kids in school about whether people who have guns are storing them safely. We'd love for this to become a reality and could only do this with your support. We would love for those postcards to be sent to every household and include facts about safe storage as well as options for locks and storage solutions. We would also love to collaborate with you guys on those. For the questions on the enrollment, it would include, do you have a firearm in your household? Is it safely stored? And we can link back sheet and also for those who are

035not storing their guns safely as of right now, how we can provide information with options for storage. >> Yeah. So, we want to take preventative measures now to better ensure that we won't have to take reactive measures in the future. Um, thank you so much for your time and consideration and we look forward to future collaboration. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next speaker is Becca Robbins and then we'll be followed by Lisa Friend Kalupa. >> Um, I'm Becca Robbins. I am a Van Heist kindergarten teacher and have been in the district for the past 19 years. I'm also a parent of two MMS students, a middle schooler, sixth grader at Senate and another middle schooler, eighth grader. I can't believe they're both middle schoolers at Senate. Um, and I'm here, as many of us

036are, to talk about the issue of salary compression. I want to be direct from the beginning. I know you guys are in a really challenging situation. You guys don't set the funding formula. I know that makes your position difficult and you can't make money appear via magic. However, I've seen this board do really challenging things in the past, things that people have said are not possible because of the financial situation. We've watched you guys prioritize 4K and help our youngest learners have a good start to school. That cost money and you made it happen because you made it a priority. You looked at the class size in the primary grades. I've taught a class of 23. I've t taught a class of 17 the past two years. It's different. I can do different things for

037my kids. That cost a lot of money. and you did the right thing even though it was hard. You made it a priority. When it came time to compensate our seas who do incredible and very challenging work, you found the money. You made it a priority. It was important and you made it happen. And this is the next hard but right thing we're asking you to do. When other smaller bargaining units came to you and said that the issue of salary compression wasn't fair, you acknowledged that it was the right thing to do and you changed it for them. doing it for the larger teacher bargaining unit is going to be more challenging. There's a lot of us. It's a lot of money. I know. But it is the next right thing to do. And

038we tell our students all of the time that when the right thing to do is hard, it's important to figure out the way to do the right thing even when it's not easy. And that's what we're asking of you. Um it was a smart move years ago to adjust our incoming salaries for our new teachers. We are able to recruit really wonderful young people who bring great things to our buildings by doing that. But schools thrive when we have a balance of experienced and brand new staff that provides stability for our students. I will still remember 19 years later that when I was a new teacher and I was doing my best and I came in with so much excitement and so much heart and all of the good grades and all of the things

039that said I was qualified. I felt like I was drowning those first few years. Being a new teacher is hard. I was doing my best. And I will never ever forget the day that um a veteran teacher in our building who was not on my team, did not have to do this, showed up at my door with keys in hand saying she had already signed us both out at the office. We're going to go in that 30-minute duty-free lunch and quickly get a bite to eat because she saw me and she saw how hard things were. And in that moment, I looked at my pile of things I had to do and I told her I didn't have a second to go eat. I needed to get this stuff done. She told me I would

040always have a list. I would always have a pile. And if I didn't take that moment for myself, I was not going to make it. And in that quick 30 minute duty-free lunch, she looked at me and she said,"I know you can be good at this. You might not be there and getting everything the way you want it today, but you will be and you will get it done." And it made a difference. And so we can recruit great teachers with an better incoming salary, but if we don't retain them, we're not doing the work we need to do. And we're also not doing right by our students. So we're asking you to do right not only by your staff, but also by your students. and I know you can do that next really hard

041but right thing. Thank you so much for your time. >> Hi, my name's Lisa Fran Kalupa. I grew up in the district. I went to Midell Baffford was K5 Cherokee West. Raised two kids in the district who went through Leopold Cherokee and West. Um I started as an right out of college in the district for two years, went back to school, got hired as a teacher in 1994. I've been here ever since, which means I'm in my 32nd year right now. Um, so I've had a lot of experiences over the years. I want to talk to you about one particular year, uh, 2001 2002 school year, which was a big one for me. I was, um, pregnant with my second child and exhausted. Right before school started, I got a call from my principal that

042I was going to need to change my assignment to a um different classroom than I had been planning to support because they had a teacher placed that for various reasons they expected was going to struggle with the classroom. Um the other part of my position that year was behavior response for students with intensive behavior plans in their their IEPs. So, it wasn't looking to be an easy year and the classroom was in fact really challenging. However, a couple of years ago, one of the students from that year reached out to me on Facebook. He wanted to let me know that he'd turned his life around after some truly truly rough years and that he was deeply appreciative of the Glendale teachers that he had had and the principal that he had had who he felt

043had held him to really high expectations. And he said that he drew on that later um as he kind of moved into a new phase of his life. For me, that I made a positive impact on him that year was not a foregone conclusion. It was not um it was not my easiest year. We were in almost constant conflict the entire year. Um he was not he was not um always happy with our rules uh or expectations. And it was a really tough year for me. It was the year the towers came down. My grandmother died a week later. While I was at her funeral, the teacher that I had gone into support had quit. Um, in January, the other person doing behavior support got surplus because we used to do that twice a year.

044Um, my one of my students and his mother were killed in a car accident in February. My mother-in-law died in March. I gave birth in April. It was a year that I was able to make any kind of an impact during that year. I would love to say is because I'm just such an awesome person. But that's not it. It was my eighth year of teaching. I rested on the seven years that I had leading up to that, the seven years that I no longer get credit for on my salary scale. And I just I guess I just want you to know that for every one of us, there is a story. And it feels it feels rough to have the years that we leaned on erased, knowing that we're still leaning on them and

045that we're still using them to help other people um as they helped us. So, I feel like this is a problem that's fixable. Maybe not easily fixable, but it is fixable and I would ask you to please do that. Thank you. Next up, we'll have Kaitlyn Bartlett and then I believe it's Cheryl Nelson. Good evening. My name is Caitlyn Bartlett and I'm a teacher at Lake View Community School. This is my fourth year teaching and though I am not someone who is experiencing salary compression, I am here to speak about how it affects all of us. Recently at Lake View, we've been making headlines about the growth that our students are accomplishing and the amazing experiences and opportunities our students have. At our school, 14 of our teachers, more than a third of our teaching

046staff, are making less money than they should due to salary compression. These are the teachers who are creating successful systems, leading academic work, mentoring new teachers, and coaching others to advocate for all our students inside and outside of the classroom. These same teachers have their own children to care for to finance through college and beyond. As a direct result of salary compression, these educators have taken second jobs to adequately provide for their own families, using valuable time that should be theirs to spend, however they see fit. Some are also considering drastic measures, including leaving the profession or moving districts. Either of these outcomes would be detrimental to our district. The Lake View school community cannot afford to lose these teachers who collaborate with the rest of our staff tirelessly in support of our students and

047their families. Furthermore, it is crucial that MMSD retain these educators with combined decades of experience and expertise that they pour back into each and every school across the district. fix the salary compression so that Lake View and all schools within MMSD can continue to grow and thrive. Thank you for your time and attention. >> Hello. Let me begin by introducing myself to give some context to why I'm speaking about um the salary compression, my salary compression. My name is Sheri Nelson and I am a 4K teacher at Orchard Ridge Elementary School with 35 years of teaching experience all in the MMSD. I have my masters in child development and brain research and my family has been a part of this district for a century. That's right, a hundred years. My grandmother graduated from West in

0481935, starting school in the 20s. My father graduated West in 60 and me in 1985. My grandmother taught in the Madison schools and retired at age 65 and lived a very comfortable life with phenomenal benefits until 97. 32 years with great benefits from her career within the Madison schools. My father-in-law, Dan Nelson, taught at Toki for his entire 37-year career, retiring in 2004, and again lived comfortably with benefits, including health insurance that covered his cancer treatment until he passed in 2024. 20 years with benefits from teaching at Toki. I have given my entire career to the Madison schools, Stevens, Leopold, Mure, Vanheis, and Ochard Ridge. I have supported countless practicum and student teachers. I want my years in the MMSD to give me and my husband a comfortable retirement like my grandmother and my father-in-law.

049It is my opinion that if the MMSD has monies to spend on things like mascots and rebranding, there is money to fix the salaries of veteran educators. Spending monies on mascots and rebranding is window treatment. It looks lovely, but spending money on educators is spending money on the very foundation of the MMSD. Our institutional knowledge and memory of Madison schools that we hold as veteran teachers benefit students, families, and young educators. These young teachers rely on us for student teaching, mentoring, and support. Our service, experience, and expertise is invaluable. Being told you're the best or we value you, that's great, but they're words. As Cuba Gooding Jr. said in the movie Jerry Magcguire, "Show me the money. Fix my salary compression." This school year at week eight, I was told the night before a long

050weekend, 400 p.m. to be exact, that my class would be doubled and I had one day to prepare. I was told I could handle it because I was a great teacher. The best. And I had experience. I cannot imagine being in my third, fourth, fifth year of teaching and having experienced this. My students will excel and they will do well. However, this along with my salary compression has amplified the lack of value, worth, and respect given to veteran experienced teachers like myself. The MMSD needs to amend the salary compression immediately, acknowledging our experience, our education, our endless and valuable qualities, and treat us with consideration and dignity. Thank you. Next up is Phillip. Is it I don't know if I'm It looks like W O C D. Yes, that is a D. Yes, Philip Wood.

051And then following will be Valerie uh Chapel. Don't know how excited they were to see that I was going to have a timer. All right. Uh, hi. I'm Philip Wood. I'm a parent. I have a eighth grader and ninth grader here in the district. I'm a teacher. I teach at Toki. I've been at Toki for nine years. I taught at another district for 11 years before that. And you'd think after doing the same thing for 20 years that the job would get easier. It's not. It's harder every year. And every year we have to make the choice. Are we going to do that again? And we have to look at all the things that have gotten harder and we have to decide what are the pros and what are the cons. And one of those

052is money. We're the ones, all of us older veteran teachers. You told us, "Hey, teach at home." And we did. You told us NOW GO BACK AND DO THE SAME thing twice at the same time with hybrid. And we did. We're the ones that got on the plane that was being built in flight knowing that we would be the parachutes for the kids. We need the respect and the trust that our our jobs have value. I understand that we need more young teachers and what you're doing for them is great. I was a young teacher. I didn't get paid enough. But we're the ones who are taking care of those young teachers. We're the ones making sure they stay. We're the ones taking care of them when they're crying in their room. I have mentored

053four world language teachers, first years since coming to the district. I have done another four practicum kids. And it's are you going to put your money where your mouth is? Um, I hear, you know, well, you know, the expense, it's already our salary, the staff is already our number one expense. It should be. We're what makes the district the district. We're the ones who the kids show up for and who take care of the kids. We're the ones who should be getting paid what we deserve to get paid. Um, it it comes back to a choice. I don't need another set of textbooks I'm never going to use. I don't need technology I didn't ask for. Um, I need to be able to take my family to Spain because I'm a Spanish teacher. I need

054to be able to afford groceries which are $500 more expensive than when I started. Um, you can do it. And if you don't, those young teachers aren't going to trust you. You know there's a problem. You've known there's a problem. You could fix it. If I'm a secondyear teacher wondering where am I going to stay? Well, they didn't take care of those old teachers, the ones that cared for me. Why would they take care of me? So to to quote Hamilton mostly like the whole world is watching. Thank you for your time. >> Good evening. I'm Valerie Chappelle. I'm a first grade teacher at Lake View Elementary School and I want to talk to you about salary compression, but I want to be fair about it and I want to come at it at a

055different angle. Um, I came on the district in 2001. I was recruited from Chicago. I came with 14 years experience and I remember when this happened, but I wasn't paying attention because I was concentrating on coming to a new school system and a new state etc. But I thought about it. I learned years ago in Illinois that schools have a corporation kind of characteristic and sometimes they operate like corporations. So I get why this happened. You know, businesses use financial incentives to to attract workers. I get that. But if it's not done right, if it's not controlled, then you have the dilemma. You have you have an inequitable salary scale and it goes against one of your core principles which is equity. Now I want you to consider our profession. Madison also I want to

056say this you you have what 23% something like that of your workers are baby boomers veteran teachers etc. Now let's look at our profession. Our profession has a crisis going on. Arizona lost what a thousand teachers since July. We have what uh uh we've lost what 16% of our people to other school district. Young teachers are leaving within five years. You need your veteran teachers to bridge that gap and be that stabilizing force in your if you want to think of it like a company. You need this. Why let all that talent and knowledge that you've invested in go out the door? We don't know what's happening in our field. There's a lot of things going crazy from the White House down when it comes to education. So, as although I understand some of the

057business part of it, you know, it is to your best interest to work with what you have. Madison has one of the largest percentage of people baby boomers in the workforce. So I'm assuming you have something like that 23% or something like that of your your workforce across the board must be in those baby boomer ages. So use us and remember about this this is well documented. This age group work ethic is off the chart compared to other generations who in my opinion have more of a healthy work um life balance whereas us we've been indoctrinated with work work work and fit fit life around work etc. Use the same kind of philosophy of a work incentive to hang on to what you have. Thank you. our next speaker, Rachel Bird, and then um Sarah

058Meowski or sorry Hi. Sorry about that. Um, good evening. Um, thank you for the opportunity to speak tonight. My name is Rachel Bird and I'm a reading interventionist at Henderson Elementary. I was a fourth grade teacher at Henderson for six years before I became an interventionist. I am also here to talk about salary compression. Um, it is a problem that, as you've heard, it undervalues veteran educators, weakens our staff morale, and put students long-term success at risk. We are happy to see competitive salaries for new teachers. That is so important. However, by not moving veteran staff to match devalues the knowledge, skills, and institutional history that long-erving educators bring to our school every day. It sends a message that experience and dedication are not valued. At Henderson, we have recently experienced a very high level

059of staff turnover. Of our um 48 staff members who are instructional staff, half are within their first five years of teaching. And it has made me I've been in Henderson for nine years now. Um, it's made me even more aware of the impact of veteran educators in our school community. Um, this impact comes from in the form of running our much loved theater program, um, mentoring new teachers, maintaining long-standing relationships with families and community partners. Um, implementing classroom routines and curricula efficiently and effectively, and promoting positive school culture over time. Veteran teachers are your most valuable resource and we want you to show that your val show that you value our loyalty to teachers who have dedicated their careers to this district. We shouldn't have to leave in return to get the pay we deserve.

060Um or work a second job. I've worked at restaurants my entire teaching career and continue to. Um please make it right with us and fix the salary compression. Thank you for listening. Um I hope I ask I know that it is a hard problem. Um I ask that you take steps to address this issue urgently and thoughtfully. Thank you. Um, my name is Sarah Mleski. I am a teacher at Henderson Elementary. Um during my first few weeks of being a brand new teacher in another district, that's when the 911 attacks happened. And that was a really long time ago. Um like when I talked to young staff members at school about that, they're like, "Wow, that was before I was born." So been at this for a while, right? Um then after two years in

061that other district, my family was really excited for the opportunity to come back come back to Madison. This is where I had done my student teaching, where I went to school, and we couldn't wait to come back. I was hired during a time of surplus. I didn't even get a call back from HR for months until I called them and said, "By the way, did you notice I speak Spanish?" Then I had some interviews. But being hired in a time of surplus and luckily having the skills that I needed, I started at the bottom of the ladder and I I was fine with that. I got back into I got into this district after everybody said, "Oh, don't even bother. Just go teach someone else somewhere else. You're not going to get into Madison." So,

062and in that in those early years, I benefited from many veteran teachers because it was rare to be a brand new teacher. So, everybody kind of embraced me because they hadn't had a new teacher for a long time. Um, I taught in the um MMSC fledgling bilingual program for many years as a classroom teacher in a B in a BRT. I've been a PBS building leader. I've taken on extra duties from grant writing to running the school garden to directing the school musical. Now I've been teaching a reach as a steambased maker space teacher for over seven years leading the way in the district including writing the first standardsbased standard curriculum for reach that the district has ever had. Now now teaching now I'm teaching a number of my former students children. Some of my

063former students are now my colleagues. I support all of our new staff that come in. I check in on them. I make sure that they're doing well. and over half of, as Rachel said, almost half of our teaching staff has been hired in the last five years as new teachers. I'm the de facto historian for my school and for the entire district bilingual program. I'm the de facto reach lead teacher because we don't have one. I'm literally working 110% contract this year. 23 years in this district plus the two years that I didn't get credit for when I was hired in a time of surplus would put me now at letter Y. Let's just say though that we can't fix that and I'm at level W. But here I am at level R, which is

064the 18th letter of the alphabet. What was I doing in my 18th year of teaching? I was teaching kindergarteners online for COVID. What sense does it make in a time of a teacher shortage to expect me to quit and get rehired just to see credited for the years that I've worked? For some roles during the past hiring season, we have had no candidates until we actually go out and look for them. We need to retain the irreplaceable veteran staff that you've already have here by paying them what they deserve. Thanks. Next up will be Becky Christie and then Elizabeth Rundy. >> Good evening. I'm Becky Christie. I'm a first grade teacher at Orchard Ridge and I'm here today to advocate for myself, my fellow colleagues, but most importantly for our students. I'm part of three

065generations that have taught in MMSD. My mom started her career at Franklin in 1960. My daughter Caitlyn is also a teacher at Orchard Ridge, and I couldn't be more proud to pass my first graders on to second grade with her and her teammate Elizabeth. I'm passionate about this district. When it came time to choose a landing place to raise a family, my husband and I chose Madison. I firmly believe that this district has some of the best educators and administrators that I have ever worked with. All four of my children graduated from MMSD and all four of my children were prepared to pursue their passions in higher education because of MMSD teachers. I fully understand the value that new teachers and staff that are new to the district bring. No one is discounting what it

066takes to be fully staffed and have the best possible people. But there are pieces that someone new won't have. The curriculum knowledge, the historical building knowledge, the relationships with staff members. I have mentored new teachers and trained a large number of pre-ervice practicum and student teachers. I know that I play a large part in helping new teachers continue when those first years are hard. Like many of our veteran teachers, I've worked with brand new principles, served on SPLT and math curriculum committees, spoken to the board about our literacy curriculum, built strong relationships with students and families, taken on an instructional coach role in addition to my teacher role when our school didn't have one. Subbed almost daily for five years. served many years on PTO boards as a parent, coached a high school sport, as

067well as opening my doors to any and every staff member across the district, looking to see and hear curriculum being implemented. My knowledge as a veteran teacher should be fairly compensated. To know that I'm being underpaid simply because of when I was hired is sad and unacceptable. It's even harder to understand when other teacher units have had the salary compression problem resolved and we are still having to come before you to ask for a fix. This deserves your highest attention, not something to put on a back burner or fix in another calendar year. This lowers teacher morale at a time when our professionalism is already being questioned. You know, it's important when this many people show up at every board meeting to speak or be present and support their colleagues. This isn't about the budget

068or having the money. This is about doing what's right and doing it now. Hello, my name is Elizabeth Rundy and this is my fifth year teaching at Orchard Ridge Elementary. I'm here tonight as a direct beneficiary of the institutional knowledge and mentorship provided by our most experienced educators. While I'm currently personally unaffected by the salary compression issue, I have been profoundly impacted by the veteran teachers it does affect. I would not be the effective educator I am today without teachers like Becky Christie. Experienced teachers like Becky are not just members of our staff. They're the institutional foundation and instructional leaders of our district. Veteran teachers are the ones new educators look to for mentorship, guidance, and instructional strategies. They possess the deep understanding of our curriculum and community that's necessary to consistently deliver highquality instruction

069and drive student achievement. I've turned to veteran teachers in times of struggle, joy, confusion, and everything in between. As previously mentioned, they're whose rooms I go to to cry in, and I cry a lot. Experienced teachers consistently dedicate their time and knowledge to our early career teachers to ensure student success and teacher longevity. Experienced teachers are the main reason I've thrived and remained in this challenging profession for the first five years of my career. When you allow salary compression to persist, when years of increasing skill and dedication aren't reflected on the pay scale, you're not just mishandling funds, you're delivering a clear, damaging message to this essential group of teachers that experience, loyalty, and leadership are disposable. If you fail to fix the salary schedule, the result is not just frustrated teachers, it's compromised student

070learning. The board must urgently address and rectify the salary schedule so that veteran teachers are paid what they've earned and what they deserve. Fair compensation gets new teachers in the door, but it's your veteran teachers that keep them here. I, like most other early career teachers, would not be where I am today without the knowledge, support, and kindness of our veteran staff. Investing in our most experienced staff is not merely a personnel issue. It's a direct investment in student success and the long-term stable future of this district. Thank you. Uh next we have Kaitlyn Lo. All right. And then following will be Amy Edge. My name is Caitlyn Loodall and I am also speaking tonight to urge the board to fix salary compression. I was a student in MMSD. You could also think of me

071as the third in the third generation that Becky Christie mentioned before. I went to Faulk in 2001, Chavez in 2002, Toki in 2007 where I had Norma Sanchez uh who has now been teaching at Toki for 21 years and affected by salary compression. I then graduated from Memorial High School in spring of 2014 where which means that all of the teachers I had during those years either are still or were affected by this salary compression. It start I started in MMSD in the 2018 2019 school year. I was hired in January at Orchard Ridge where I had already spent a lot of time in my mom's first grade classroom on all the school breaks. That's where I was because I loved that school. I benefited from the higher pay that was brought on by this

072salary at the expense of all of my mentor teachers and my mom. Teachers like Kathy Stats who is in her 23rd year in the district and was my teammate when I came in in January. Teachers like Kayla Suing who's in her 18th year and mentored me as her teammate in my second year of teaching in 2020 when we shut down and I had to suddenly be virtual on top of not really knowing what I was doing. We need veteran teachers. We need that institutional knowledge of buildings. When new people come in and they don't know how the systems work, we need coaching around curriculum and class management that cannot be given in your college careers. It comes from those veteran teachers. You spoke earlier that one of your values is delivering highquality instruction. And I

073ask how you can expect that to be your value when you're not honoring the highquality instruction you already have here. I believe that solidarity is important. And while I am not being impacted by this salary compression, I am benefiting from a system that's taking away from my colleagues. We cannot allow compression to continue or we risk losing all of those staff who make what my education was as a student and what my career now is make our district what it is. So the ask move my colleagues, your veteran teachers up the steps that were eliminated since they were hired. You can say there isn't the money or the district can't afford it, but I would say you need your veteran staff to stay and you can't afford not to. [applause] Good evening. I'm Amy Edge

074and I'm a second grade teacher at Emerson and a person affected by salary compression. I was hired in 1996, so this is my 30th school year with MMSD. I have experienced the salary compression that started in 2001. So, this results in me being seven levels behind a teacher with the same experience in your service. I'm very glad that you've raised the starting pay of new teachers to protect and support a profession and to allow them a living wage in an increasingly expensive Madison. My second grade team colleague who came to Madison in 2017 with five more um years experience than me is 13 levels ahead of me on the salary schedule. Now she's worth every penny, but it isn't equitable or fair for loyal veteran staff who stayed in Madison their whole career. I've committed

075my career to Madison and my two sons graduated from East High and even 30 years in, I enjoy this important work and I'm not ready to retire. If I really thought about all of the lost income since 20 or 2001, it's like 24 years. Um, it would be a lot. Luckily, I didn't realize it was happening and I'm not expecting to receive that money. But I do think it's fair that the levels be corrected now. With retirement coming at some point and your pension calculated on your three highest years, a salary compression correction would make a big difference for my future. I work hard for this district and it's fair to pay me the same as a new hire with the same years of service and experience. Thanks very much. Our last speaker um is

076Joan Brennan. Hi there. Um, thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Joan Brennan. I currently teach first grade at Samberg Elementary. I want to talk about salary compression. This is a district created issue that has made veteran teachers feel significantly undervalued and taken for granted. has also put MMSD students at risk for continuity and the highlevel educational experiences we have come to expect for our scholars. As a veteran staff member, I believe we must have competitive wages for new teachers. But when veteran teachers are not given the same monetary consideration, it clearly sends a message that knowledge, experience, and loyalty to the district isn't a priority. Salary compression is about the people who have stayed with MMSD through tough times and given their professional and personal lives for our students. I have

077a 41-year history with MMSD beginning with my practicum and student teaching placements. I have been employed for the past 37 years in Madison in multiple schools at multiple grade levels. During this time, I have provided high level instruction and expectations for the over 1500 students that I have taught, coached, and mentored. Not to mention all of the student teachers and practicum students that I have guided and supported. I am also in my 32nd consecutive year of being a parent of an MMSD student. It has been an important issue to me as a parent to have consistent staff for my children. There were multiple years when my kids had three to five different teachers teach their class or when they had completely different staff at the end of the year than they had at the beginning.

078Many of those veteran staff left before financial reasons. Salary compression has affected me personally significantly. There were many years when I was stuck every two years at the same pay level because at year 15 you only went up every two years. That meant multiple years I made less take-home pay than I had the year before. So many, many years I had to have another job in order to make what I had made the year before. When the district switched from numbered step levels to letters, we all lost even more years of service and pay increases. I questioned this immediately and called HR and was told, "That's just how it is. We can't do anything about it." 25 years of salary compression is enough. I am thrilled the social workers pressed the issue with the district

079and I wonder why the district didn't settle this matter for all bargaining units at that time. This whole issue is infuriating to me as I look to retire after 39 years of loyal service and work as a teacher. It is greatly going to impact my retirement income and that of my colleagues. Now is the time to settle this and fix what's wrong. Thank you. Thank you to all of our speakers tonight. Uh we appreciate you coming out giving us a a glimpse into your tenure and your um experience here in the district. Uh there were two speakers that did not wish to speak tonight. So I just wanted to acknowledge that one of them um wrote that they wanted us to consider a bell-to-bell phone ban and the other was here in support of salary

080compression. Um, also listed on our agenda is um, so I want to ask if there's anyone here specifically to talk about the proposed Middleton Cross Plains Area School District and the MMSD land attachment detachment agreement. who may not have registered. Okay, thank you. All right, we will move on to um approval of our minutes. I move that the board of education approve the minutes from the regular meeting dated October 27th, 2025. >> Second, Maya. All right. Um, student representative Lee. >> Um, we're approving the minutes. >> I >> Right. All those in favor? I >> I >> All right. Let me just see. Is Savanatan? I need to change my >> Hey, uh just making sure you saw me. >> Can you hear me? >> Yep, I got you. Just had to change my view

081on Zoom. Thanks. >> All right. Now, we'll move into our um announcements from the district. So, in celebrating our community, we first want to acknowledge that Trans Day of Remembrance, which was on November 20th, uh we want to acknowledge this day remembers those who have been murdered as a result of transphobia. and Vice President Pearson and I will alternate. >> So, celebrating our students, congratulations to the West High boys soccer team for winning the D1 state championships. Yay, go regents. Um, they had a 1 and 0 win over Marquette University High thanks to a goal in the 75th minute by our junior Lewis Row. students. Um Joelle's uh Decasta who attends West High School was recognized as a youth of the year by the Boys and Girls Club of Dayne County. This is the highest

082honor the organization awards recognizing students who excel and uplift others along the way. In addition to Dwells, three of the other finalists were also MMSD students. Raul Amaya from East High School, Kevin Portillo Bazaria from Bell Phillips Memorial, and then Christian Rubio Robindo from Lafallet High School. East High's Phil uh Philar Phil Harmonic Orchestra led by music teacher Rebecca Hail was one of seven groups statewide chosen to perform at the Wisconsin State Music Conference. They were selected through a blind audition process. So, congratulations to all of our students. Also for this month, we want to acknowledge Native American Heritage Month, which celebrates the traditions, languages, and stories stories of Native American and Alaska Native communities. and celebrating our staff. As part of American Education Week, the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Education honored four

083of our teachers with the 2025 Rockwell Outstanding Cooperate Cooperating Teacher Awards. Congratulations to Anthony Cow Teo. Thank you, Kristen Rothman. Kristen Pelar Pelerin and Tuya Win. We also want to thank all of our educators and staff who uplift and support our an um our students. and other announcements in tonight's consent agenda. The board would also like to acknowledge um and thank all individuals and organizations that have donated to the district, especially the friends of MSCR for a donation of $14,100 to support programming at MSCR. the Madison Rotary Foundation for a donation of $70,887 to support the MSCR Goodman Rotary 50 plus fitness program for the 2526 fiscal year. the Madison Public Schools Foundation for a donation of 14, sorry, $15,540 for the Forever Literacy, the Row Endowment, Strand Engineering for a donation of $12,000 to

084support the AVID program, field trips, and positive behavior and interventions and supports at Wright Middle School and Cherokee Heights fundraiser for a donation of $20,225. to meet student needs. Thank you all. I'll pass it over to our superintendent. >> Thank you, President Nichols. Members of the board, staff and community. Thank you for this opportunity. As part of homeless awareness month, I join Janney Kester, our transition education program teacher leader, and other staff to celebrate a display of ribbons in front of the Doyle building. Each ribbon represents a student experiencing homelessness from early childhood through high school. MMSD serves approximately 1,400 students or 5% of our enrollment who don't have a permanent place to sleep. This display is a reminder of the challenges many of our students face and of the important role MMSD plays in

085providing some stability in their lives. To further help support them, our transition education program, sometimes is referred to as TEP, is accepting donations of clothing and personal care items. Anyone interested in contributing can bring donations to MMSD schools and here at Doyle. Now, in some other highlights, we recently hosted, this was mentioned earlier tonight as well, we hosted a reception to honor our national merit program semifinals. This event is typically held as part of a board meeting, but with 43 semi-finalists this year, we moved it to Holtzman. In all, more than 80 people attended to support not only their student, but others as well. I know we've mentioned that MMSD leads the state with the most semi- finalists, but I also want to share that when compared to similar districts around the country, we are

086ahead of many of them. This speaks to the hard work and dedication of our students as well as to the support of their families and teachers. Thank you to board members Nichols, Vandermillan, Saravo, and Pearson for attending and it was a wonderful celebration. I also joined the community along with students, staff and families to celebrate the Mung New Year, our amazing students in the Mung heritage bilingual program, performed a Pahwam, a traditional form of Mung poetry, and sang two songs to kick off the new year celebrations. Next, we wrapped up October with a relaunch of a principal experience. Thank you to the Madison Public Schools Foundation for bringing this event back to MMSD. Approximately 75 people join principles across the district to walk side by side with principles and schools across MMSD. Maggie Bakererman with

087the Wisconsin Technology Council. Shaya Hetszel, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Representative Robert Whiti, 63rd Assembly, joined me for a tour of MSR West, Lapam, and Innovative High School. A goal with this event is for our guests to not only experience what it's like to be a principal, but to also see how our staff across the district are fully committed to our students and their overall success. Additionally, it's a chance for our guests to connect the work they do to the success of our students across our schools. And I can tell you and many others are already looking forward to next year's event. Speaking of making connections, we recently met with city of Fitchburg Mayor Julia Arata Frada, city administrator Chad Brecklin, economic development director Michael Zimmerman, and city planner Diana Schmidt. MMSD serves students and families

088who live in the city of Fitchburg. So, it's important that we look for opportunities to align our work as we plan for the future. In fact, we learned that Fitchburg is prepping or preparing for business development and additional housing units and that more than, get this everyone, more than 50,000 cars travel each day on the McKe McKe Road Fish Hatchery corridor every single day. It's the second most congested or high volume traffic area in this region. Uh, that was really surprising for me to hear. We look forward to the continued discussion and partnership with the city of Pittsburgh team. As board president Michelle Nichols notes, American Education Week was held earlier this month. She shared with you some of the recognition that we had with the school of education. It's an important opportunity to purposely

089set aside time to recognize and celebrate the important work that our MMSD team does to help support and educate our students. Our educators along with teams in food service, health services, school safety office, custodial, special education, and so many others contribute to our students learning. This work isn't always easy, and it's our collective effort and dedication to students that help them learn, grow, and thrive, preparing them with skills and confidence they need for success in college, career, and community. And I'm very proud of the work our educators and staff do each and every day. And then lastly, as we enter the fall break, I want to thank everyone for their continued support and commitment to our students and MMSD. Thank you, President Nichols. This concludes my report. >> Thank Thank you for all you're doing.

090And we're also hoping everyone's going into the fall break, ready for a little time to unplug and come on back and push through that December. Okay. Um on our agenda, we're going to move on through. Next up is uh a report on the items that proceeded through the instruction workg group held on November 3rd, 2025, and Chair Moldro will give a report out on that. >> So much board president Nichols. We had an update on our strategic framework planning on K8 math RFP update and a semester one class size report. Uh our next instruction workg group will happen on December 8th and we will be discussing the behavior education plan. >> Thank you. >> Um next we'll have a report on the items that proceeded through the operations workg groupoup held on November 10th, 2025.

091Uh Chair Castro, you want to report on that? >> Yep. Okay. So on November 10th, 2025, um I was not there, but the board uh discussed um the impending boundary review and work to date. Um we had a human resources update, a food and nutrition update, and then finally um regground ourselves in our uh strategic framework and guiding principles for the upcoming 2627 budget. Our next operations workg groupoup meeting is slated for January 12, 2026 where we will further kick off the 2627 budget uh development. Uh we will receive another human resources update on recruitment and retention and then uh finalize it with a referendum update. >> All right. Thank you. Um, there were no action items that proceeded through either the instruction workg group or the operations workg group uh this month for separate

092votes. So, I'm going to move us into our consent agenda. I move that the board of education adopt and approve all of the motions set forth in section 10 of the electronic agenda prepared for the November 24th, 2025 regular school board meeting. Exactly as said motions are written. By voting affirmatively on this motion, a board member expresses his, her, or their affirmative vote on each of the motions consolidated, thereby subject to any express separations that have been made by any member of the school board. >> Second, Maya. >> All right. Are there any separations? Board member Mosnerfel. 10.7 >> 10.7 board member Maldo. >> Okay. 10.18 board member Saravo. >> Uh 10.6 but also 10.18 was one I was interested in as well. >> Okay. That one's already been called. All right. So 10.6 10.7

093and 10.18. All right. Uh but for all the others that we've already included in the um the motion, I'll call for our vote on that. Um student representative Lee, your advisory vote. >> I >> All right. All those in favor? I >> I >> All right. Thank you. That passes unanimously. All right. Let me go to 106. All right. This is the Lexia core supplemental resources. And I'll read uh the motion. I move that the board of education approve this additional expenditure for the Lexia Core 5 software subscription from the vendor Lexia Learning Systems LLC in the amount of $6,445.83 on an addendum. This expenditure will be purchased using the individual schools budget for the 2025 2026 school year. Second. Thank you, man. >> Okay. Board member Saravo. >> I just was bringing this one

094forward because we there was a lot of confusion around Lexia for this year and bringing it up there. I find it a really important resource for our students and it took a significantly long time to get the contract figured out and I'm hoping that next year that that will not be an issue going forward so that people can have access to it a lot sooner than they did this year. Okay. Any no questions for the administration? Just more of a point of view. I mean as an opinion on >> just brain of hoping that this does not happen again next year so that the students who would like access to it do not have to wait significantly longer into the school year in order to in order to do that so that they can utilize

095what Lexia has to offer right away instead of having to pivot between programs when they don't have access to it right away. >> Okay. Thank you board member Vandermillan. Yes, I want to uplift my uh colleague Martha's comments. One of my schools, White Horse, had a really hard time getting a hold of Lexia this year. It was really difficult and I worry that our special ed students may get behind especially because they have additional learning challenges and I feel that part of the joy and benefits of Lexia is that it helps individuals who may need that additional support. I would agree with that. Thank you. >> Board members Saravo and Vanderville and President Nichols. Yes, understood. And we will of course work to make sure students have access as quickly as possible. I do want

096to point out the 10.6 is an addendum. That's a K through five program for Lori Merry. So, just to be clear what's being voted on with theation. I just wanted to be clear on that. >> I I I appreciate that and I just wanted to include it for all because Frankly, it's an excellent program. Okay. Um I'm assuming there's not any questions. It's kind of a school level contract though and is an addendum to an already larger amount that's been spent. Correct. Okay. Board member Sarava, are you okay with us proceeding on? Okay. All right. All those in favor, uh, I'll start with student representative Lee, your advisory vote. >> I I >> Okay. All those in favor? I. >> All right. Thank you. I think that passes unanimously. Okay. Let me go to 10.7.

097All right. This one is a partnership with Edgewood University for teacher training and credentiing. I move that the board of education approve an expenditure in the amount of $90,000 for the first cohort of teachers to receive contracted services from Edgewood University for dual credit accredititation funded through the co career college and community readiness budget. Second board member Mosner Fala. Oh, did you bring this one up? Okay. Yes. Board member Moser Fala. I brought this one out um I think it deserves some special recognition. I'm so in love with all of our grow your own programs and I'm so excited about the addition. Uh, as I understand it, this is specifically for high level math, which we know is an area. And I'm especially excited about the possibility of seeing college level math being taught in

098our high school buildings, especially in schools where it's harder for students to get to some of our institutions. But I just brought this um out of consent because it's so exciting and to give us all an opportunity to be excited. member Maldo. >> Yeah, I want to thank our administration for this investment in growing our own educators and creating additional opportunities for young people who strengthen their skills in the area of math. Um I proud to get to favor of this and I think All right, I'll call the vote. Um, student representative Lee, your advisory vote. >> I >> All right, all those in favor. I All right, that passes unanimously. Let me move on to 10.18, the human resources transaction report. I move that the board of education approve the human the November 2025

099human resources transactions report items 1 through 11. All right. Thank you board member Maldo. I believe you brought this one up. Okay. >> Okay. I have several questions of our human resources action report. My first question is when I looked at this report, I felt like it was a little alarming that it seemed like there was a significant number of substitute nurses um that are exiting the the district and I was wondering if that is specific to certification um or emergency lenture and uh what we're doing to fill that gap given the importance of the role. President Nichols, board member Malter will Dr. Esser address your question. >> Good evening. Um, we were really doing some uh just comprehensive bookkeeping um as we reviewed the substitutes that we had um in our system and those

100who are currently working and able to work. There was a discrepancy between those folks. So, it was really just ending um a group of people who have not been able to sub with us for a while for the purpose truly of getting um to your point, board member Muldro, of really understanding where our staffing needs are um and not having um larger numbers uh on paper than what we actually have in practice. >> Okay. I really appreciate the clarification on that. Can I ask you one follow-up question, Dr. Esser? Um, should we anticipate that we need to hire and replace those folks who are showing up on paper? Um, or are we kind of fully staffed in terms of subs and this was a reduction we made from a space of ideal comfort. We are

101our our health services team is doing an outstanding job of hiring and recruiting and the reality is that they have such a specialized skill set that finding substitutes and ensuring the right people in those positions is a is a big lift. Um, part of why we, um, endated those folks on tonight's human resources report is because we're doing a deeper analysis into our absences, our student data, and having trying to have a better understanding of what a sustainable subbing model looks like in a health services department. That doesn't require us depend upon um, piecing together via phone for like a half day here, one day here. um which is what we're currently um doing. We're doing a really good job of that. Um and I'm very proud of the team. But again, we are looking

102at more of a comprehensive and thoughtful way to um staff those in the inevitable um uh absences of some of our health office staff. >> Thank you so much for speaking to that. The other questions I have are specific to our unallocated pool, the 10 substitute positions that we created um in June. Yeah. So, I I I'm curious about our unallocated pool and how we factored in third Friday and if this did come out for folks in a weekly update. I actually don't have access to weekly update on board docs right now. have an issue with my like ability uh to have to have that information visible and part of our agenda to be visible to me. Working working on that with uh tech support. So if there is a member of our administration who

103just wants to reference that update uh that would be tremendously helpful to me. So um it wasn't a weekly update. Um we provided a snapshot based on October 15th. Um as of that date 15.93 FTE have been utilized from the 20 unallocated um >> Can you explain to me how our third Friday count was utilized to redistribute those that allocation? >> Yep. So what we do is evaluate the staffing allocation that were initially made in the spring against the um spring of 2025 against our um class size policy. We then monitored their student attendance, principal, department input before and after the official count date um to determine whether additional allocations are needed beyond those that are already budgeted from the June 2025 budget. And so based upon that, we look at them and then that's

104how we determine how we provide additional allocations. >> I greatly appreciate that. Given our enrollment count was down, was there any reduction um of staff at any specific school? >> No. Okay. >> There was no reduction. >> Thank you for speaking for that. And then my last question is the board created 10 subs that would be housed in specific schools. Um, I'm wondering if I can better understand that goal and how we're utilizing it and where those 10 subs ended up. >> And so that's in the weekly update as well. So um, they went to Blackhawk, Lauren, Manary, Sherman, Lake View, Moda, White Horse, Hawthon, Gillespie, Wright, and Kennedy. So those are the 10 schools that were assigned. What was your other question? And they all been filled as of as of the date of

105it. All 10 of them have been filled and are at for >> that is an exciting thing to celebrate. Can you tell me about how that role is utilized? So I think if I'm holding it, I'm what my real question is. I am curious if a school is fully staffed or if you need kind of a specific certification to sub longterm for a classroom. Um how do we how do we use that position? Do we kind of have extra hands at that specific school or do we send those folks out to a school that needs a sub that day? >> So, we we haven't had to. So, first and foremost, it's important to recognize that according to DPI, we only can have subs in position for up to so many days. Even though we have

106these long-term positions, we still have to be in compliance with that. Um, and then we also have not gotten to a place where we've been fully staffed at a school every day where they don't need a sub in some capacity. of is being used. But also as a reminder, these individuals are placed at Doyle to allow us to be able to move them if we should be able to, but they are positioned at the 10 schools based upon the need that in the criteria that we >> I really appreciate that the agility of that and the ability to use these positions um where they're where they're needed and also strategically within schools that have kind of specific staffing concerns. My last curiosity about that role is um how we chose the schools. And I I

107am curious. I it sounded like they were mostly elementary and middle schools. So I'm a little curious about kind of why not at the high school level. So we looked at um the fill rate and poverty levels indicated by the percentages of students receiving free reduced lunch from the previous year based upon the the schools who have the highest need and that's how we determine the schools where we place them at. We don't have a lot when you think about like um I Jennifer Walder but when you think about free reduced lunch or at a high school that really is in a high poverty level so that's probably you just don't have them at a high school versus at the middle and elementary school. >> Thank you so much for that explanation, Dr. McCrae and

108Dr. Esser. >> All right. Any other questions on this one? >> Okay. For me, >> yeah, thank you for Nichols. I wanted to uh focus on obviously the salary compression that we've been talking about and been hearing about. I did know that we have the uh weekly update that came from uh that was included on November 6th that was written up on the 30th of October that we're going to have something more specific that kind of broke it down a little better so people could understand a little bit more of a timeline. Are we still waiting on understanding what that timeline looks like because of the study and the time that that is going to take or where are we on that? Could we break that down a little more? >> So, [clears throat] um,

109yes, because once we have the vendor selected, we're then able to provide a more concrete timeline of exactly how everything will happen. Um we will as we stated in the RFP be prioritizing the teacher unit but we will be looking at um a salary compressions for all units across the district um with this particular vendor as well. >> So because it obviously took a really long time for this to come out and recognizing there's a lot of work to be done to look at everything. Do we have do we know how long that the study might possibly take to do? Do you any idea at all at this point? We >> we don't know. But in the RFP, one of the things that we stated was the ability to prioritize the teacher unit. So while

110it might take us time to do all of the units, the teacher unit is the unit that will happen first. So that will be the unit that we'll do and then we'll do the other ones throughout as we begin the timeline for the post study. Do you know when the RFP like what is the timeline for getting that narrowed down? >> Yeah, we it's it's coming closed soon. We have our vendor meeting uh with vendors um when we're back in on December 5th selection. So, it'll it'll close off pretty soon. >> Okay. >> There is a memo in the weekly update that gives an outline of the calendar of the timeline. >> Okay. Thank you. I was having a hard time locating it because there's >> it's on a so if you look when you

111get your memo if you go all the way down to the bottom there's a timeline that's out there that's out there that gives you everything like when a proposal so proposal are due on the A the interviews like all that's inside of that memo >> thank you >> I had a hard time that also so apologize and that. But my question is with the RFP, is there really a need to go to RFP if we could just place staff with the years that they have? This is something I'm I'm trying. Maybe it's my lack of math skills. Maybe it's my lack of understanding of why I'm teaching student. If Dr. Gothan wants student, he can. I just something I cannot seem to grab. >> Yeah, respectfully, President Nichols, board member Vandermillan, 10.18 is not discussion

112around salary compression. We provided information in the weekly update, then sharing with MTI and others about what our process is going to be and that this is a 2627 budget decision that we'll have to make and it's also for all district employees, but we're going to prioritize teachers. So, this is a comprehensive look. And the reason for an RFP is so that we can have regional national comparisons so that we can not just adjust But we can fix salary compression so that five years from now we're not right back where we are now. Sometimes the most difficult thing about this work is to have your own eyes looking at it. It can be extremely helpful to have a third party who specializes in doing this work conducted for us so that we can do it

113in a way that everybody feels they were reflected in the eventual recommendation. And does that RFP come to the board at my last? >> Will the RFP come to the board >> as a as an approval? >> I didn't know if it was over threshold or not. >> It will as most RFPs it will come to as a board consent. >> Y >> perfect. I didn't know if it was over the threshold or not because I know we recently changed that. Thank you. I really appreciate Oh, sorry. Yes. Thank you, board member. Sorry. The only thing I wanted to highlight, and I don't know if Bob might be able to speak to something, but looking at the the new information that we got about special education reimbursement rates, like how is that going to be

114affecting us moving forward? >> So, is that relative to the HR report that we just pulled from the consent. It might be I think where I'm there are things that are related to HR, but like we're supposed to be just pulling out the HR transaction reports. I don't I'm I don't mean to be disrespect, but I'm just trying to figure out where we're going. Is the is your question for members specific to the pulled item that we have right now on the table from the consent the eight >> person Nichols if if I may we'll have uh our budget formation process will be at our operations work group meeting in January where we'll go over you know more of a final number as as we have it and you know see what those impacts might

115be. >> Thank you. All right, board member Maldo. >> I greatly appreciate the conversation we're having. I I think the complexity of whether we're noticed to have a conversation expansively about compression is complicated in relationship to the HR report in part because we're hiring people using our salary. And so for every person who's who's on there um their salary is transparent. I think like intentional conversation while balancing that isn't necessarily. >> Yeah, I guess I want to ask general I think it's a little more expansive for the specific HR report. That would be my professional. I shouldn't say new because it's it's related. Can Can you hear me? >> Okay. No, I was saying I think that that's a little more expansive than the HR report. Of course, it relates. We can connect a lot

116of things, but I think it's a little more than what we're not to discuss at this moment. >> You know, and if I might, President Nichols, members of the board, you know, if we were doing nothing, I'd be concerned. And that's not the case. We've been talking about this for months about a process to do this in a way um you know that wasn't part of the 2526 budget. We just approved it. This was not part of the 2526 budget. So knowing how our cycles work, we know that we are going to have to prioritize. If a recommendation is going to come forward that you support, we're going to have to prioritize an investment in making this correction. And we're not in a place to do that right now. um it would be very uh

117it would be very challenging and and I won't say reckless but to make that commitment now before we have data before us and you know again this might be a multi-year proposition as well through all of our units and through all the employees just depending on learn and when we get the recommendations where the board would really like to set any changes that are that are recommended. for member. Thank you, Dr. Albert. >> For my for my colleagues and for um people who are listening and who are writing in on this topic. Um what I understand from the memo we received for six weekly update is that the sort of um you know, get the numbers and make decisions uh in April or May. Uh which to me feels like right in line with sort

118of our typical budget process. Um and I, you know, there's confusion about when there's confusion about the process. I don't feel confused about the I feel like whether or not I love it different confusion. Um, I feel like I expect to see some options. If that's wrong, please let me know. But for for clarity sake for my colleagues writing in with concerns about their own salary compression, I understand that that's something to say that would be helpful for people who are concerned about the implementation in the Um, President Nichols, board member Molner Felam. True. And also know that it isn't as though we're going to have that recommendation. That's the first time at that meeting. We'll lead up to it as we get information and give updates as regularly as we can be. Dr. McCrae

119and I meet with with MTI on a regular basis, you know, and and will also be in the budget development which includes obviously, you know, salary for the next year as well. So, there's going to be a lot of different priorities converging on this that's going to require us to communicate clearly to each other. >> All right. Thank you. Thanks for all the questions and uh um conversation that this uh report brought up. Um I will ask for um our vote to approve the human resources transactional report. Student representative Lee, your ad >> I. >> All right. All those favor I >> I. >> All right. That passes unanimously. All right. Moving on to other reports um to the board. Uh the first is for the city county schools collaborative committee. What we have listed

120in board docs is that the ordinance uh file number 900754 which ultimately recommends to repeal the city county schools collaborative committee has been added to legisar uh for the introduction at the common council meeting on November 25th which is tomorrow. So that the committee has not met and that is where the status of that is. Um moving on to students senate. >> Thank you president. Um so our two committees uh education equity and student wellness are making a lot of progress in their committees. Student wellness is working on recreating the successful mental health fair that were hosted at East and West High School last year. However, this year they want to host at all four comprehensive high schools. Um, they're also working on creating a new safety video that is studentled to appeal to the

121students and education equity is currently working on hosting a panel to share students experiences on AP and honors classes. We now have representation from three high schools and five middle schools, which is a step forward from last year. However, we're still looking to grow um our organiz school and community recreation advisory committee member Mosera. >> That's me. Uh did you all know that in 2026 MSCR will be celebrating 100 years of school and community recreation? I know. Uh well to move into the second century of MSCR the team is engaging in a strategic planning process purposefully designed to slide right in next to MMSD excellence together. So in our last um citizens advisory council meeting we were able to participate in that strategic training planning process. We um sat around a table with folks from

122friends of MSCR and the Goodman Rotary and spent the hour brainstorming what's working well in MMSR MSR and work even better. Um, and maybe you're jealous that you weren't there. Well, your voice matters and MSCR has an a community survey that is open on their website until December 1st and you can well, probably no one at this can, but the community can enter to win a $100 gift certificate if you take that survey. Um, the winter and spring 2026 program guide is out and has hit the mailboxes of all MMSD residents probably just this week. And registration begins Monday, December 1st at noon for Madison residents and December 15th at noon for non MMSD. >> Thanks. Next is policy committee have update. >> Yep. So um uh we met last on November 14th um before

123our board of education retreat um on that same day um and we received at the retreat um feedback about our process um and the next steps of some policies. Um we were to meet um just to remind the board we meet every two weeks as a committee. Um we were scheduled to meet um this Friday. Um however, due to fall break, we will not be meeting and we will be rescheduling that um committee meeting. Um we do have a board retreat on December 5th, so there is a chance that we may not be able to meet as a full committee before then because that is literally next Friday. Um, I will send out um a update um from the policy committee just to check in on the policy progress of um the focus that we

124approved back in our October retreat. Um and as well as some the questions that um were posed to us um at our retreat. I'll make sure to have those questions in that update. Um, and we'll go over uh those questions and updates to the policies at our next meeting. That is it for us. Thank you. All right. Moving on to other business. Um the next business item that we have is related to the Middleton Plains Area School District attachment and detachment. So, um, in consultation with the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District, it has come to our attention that one or two of the parcels listed in the materials set to be transferred from the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District to the Madison Metropolitan School District may have recently been transferred between property owners.

125While the board will vote on the transfer of parcels this evening, it is important to note that the final list of parcels transferred must comport with the 1999 agreement between the two districts. So for that reason, if the potential transfer between property owners, which was just discovered, does not satisfy the terms of the agreement, the respective parcels will not be included in the final transfer conferred by the city of Madison. Are there any clarifying questions on that before I read the motion? the 1999 agreement has specific criteria as it relates to the transfer. And so just today when we were communicating back and forth with Middleton because the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District is also voting at their board meeting which I believe is this evening. It's around the same time um this was

126discovered. And so just to be transparent, we wanted to clarify in case later on someone's looking closely and wondering why the parcel list looks different now than when the final parcel list um appears through the city of Madison. That's why we just want to make all of our um Can you clarify what you mean by harm? >> Sorry about excuse me. Um it doesn't harm our position if we vote tonight on this issue because our group wouldn't be approved if they don't failed the 1999 agreement. Correct. >> Correct. And just to clarify, just because it may not meet the criteria now doesn't mean it won't ever meet the criteria. So, it could still potentially be transferred or will be transferred at some point. It just may not be with uh this round. And just as

127um I guess this is also an appropriate time in the month of January, we're also slated to potentially roll out a few more parcels. And just to clarify, the reason why it wasn't included this time is because those parcels weren't um a part of the initial conversation and now they're available. We are still within the deadline set by um statute if we do this again in January. >> I appreciate and thank you chair my >> All right. So um let me read the motion. I move that the board of education approve a resolution detaching territory from the Middle [laughter] South Plains Area School District, attaching to the Madison Metropolitan School District and detaching from the Madison Metropolitan School District and attaching to the Middleton Cross Plains Area School District pursuant to Wisconsin statute 117.12 as

128provided in the document prepared for this agenda. Agenda item dated November 24th, 2025. >> Second, Maya. >> All right. For member Maldro, >> I voting. >> Oh, okay. No qu any questions? All right. Um, student representative Lee, your advisory vote. >> I. >> All right. All those in favor? I. >> All right. That passes unanimously. All right. Our next item, this one is regarding Malle Chicasa Nana Elementary School unusually hazardous transportation plan proposal. I move that the board of education approve the usually hazardous transportation plan proposal for Malle Chicasa Anana Elementary School as laid out in the materials prepared for the November 24th, 2025 regular board of education meeting. Second, Maya. >> All right. Board member Castro, is your hand up for a question? >> Yeah. Um yeah, thanks to the team for making this

129happen. Um I uh you know, I've heard of other potential dangerous walk sites throughout the um the district. I was wondering if we could help clarify how other schools can go through this process. >> Sure. Thank you, President Nichols. Board member Castro. I have senior executive director of building services, Scott Chiac. I'll come up and answer questions and give some explanation about this process. >> Good evening, board. Um, so answer your question, uh, board member Castro. Uh, this was brought up last spring by the local alder and the school principal, uh, talking specifically about Shraider Road being a hazardous crossing area. had no rapid uh rectangular flashing beacons, no crossing guard in that stretch of road which stranded 40 students in an island just north of Shrader Road by Bent. Um so we started reviewing

130that we our safe routes to school team for the city of Madison engaged them into a study as well. Um and they came back recommended that it is a hazardous walking area because there is no real good crossing area. So then we particularly went back and assessed what we can do for transition capacity when we found some capacity in that work. Uh we then reached out recently at the beginning of this school year with Dane County Sheriff's Department. They did their review and then assess that it is a considered a UHT. So we're coming to the board for approval uh to go to DPI to get this submitted with UHT. We have currently already started busting in that area knowing that process is started um first week of October. This particular in general answer the

131next part of your question. In general, in general, uh the the process for this goes by what the community members are deeming alders or school staff talking about unusually hazardous conditions, which are various spots around our our city. We do have an active UHT listing what we do in our city. It's uh probably 30 or 40 of them across our city. So, as we see them, we do a personal assessment. We go out there, review it. We understand the assessment. We work with city leaders for safe routes to school teams. We meet every other week. Uh we bring those conditions forward looking for what other conditions may or may not be affected from our city. As you know, Vision Zero from the city has done a tremendous job of lowering speed limits, adding rapid RFBs

132or rapid rectangular flashing beacons, um and also adding crossing guards for next year. We're in those conversations to assess. Um, I'm happy to say that we are taking some information we've gathered from other surrounding districts and we're forming an internal process and procedure to identify potential UHTs for next year using recognized methods from TAD and other organizations so we can do a calculated assessment for walking hazards and crossing hazards to have a formulated response interpretation. But every time that something comes up, whether it be Milwaukee Street or Hawthorne or other places, we do that assessment. We're going through we're taking a lot of time monitoring traffic and seeing things we can do with our city partners looking to avoid hazards. Um sometimes it's neither people want to hear but we are also taking very consideration

133looking at traffic pattern traffic counts and then uh like I said RFBs crossing walks uh stop stop signs me lights. So, >> okay. Thank you, >> Paul. >> Thank you. I I appreciate this investment by the district and I appreciate the partnership you spoke to in relationship to the greater community. I do know that um Madison has a a real plan as a city to make the community safer for pedestrians. Um I think that includes our students. So, I am curious if there are measures to create a safe walking space for our students who live within walking distance um in the long run, whether those are measures to have a clear space for students to cross, having crossing guards, um slowing traffic in that area, or are we really kind of um saying that basically

134the volume of traffic in this area is is really concerning? And we even embrace some of the more standard practices taking a space for for students. Um the sheer volume of traffic doesn't won't accommodate our young people in a way we're comfortable with. >> Yeah, I can kind of clarify. So our our new UHC process will talk about number of traffic counts. They're a publicly available traffic counselor, WISDOT. Um, in addition to a safe rout, collaboration with the police department, traffic engineering, and ourselves, we are a big advocate for our students to help reduce those risks, including advocating for crossing guards, right? So, we're we're already proactively working on next year's plan and really dropping in this needs to be this, we have to do this versus asking. We're kind of pronouncing what we do

135for our students. Um, we hear from the families and we're being their advocate. Thank you very much members. >> Thank you president Nichols. I think the only thing I just wanted to add into here just for clarification sake on places that are not considered roads like those types of things but like the tunnel uh and places like that that aren't crossing a road but people are um identifying as possibly hazardous or just wanting more safety in those places. what is done when people reach out with those types of concerns about spaces like that? >> I can tell you personally, I've spent a lot of time walking that tunnel, including walking school buses. Uh we did a lot of advocacy about a year ago with the city of Madison. Uh we have worked with them. They've

136improved the lights there as about 11 months ago. They put a lot of investment to improving the lighting, including I always talked about having the scary monster hole. So, they adjusted that so you can actually see all the way through there. Um, so as we see that, we also be to our partners, right? We have to make sure they understand our concerns and they have I honestly think they've done a great job of doing that and then throughout the night time now there's a police officer that will go through that tunnel prior to our students and doing sweeps to ensure they can do that. Our partners at city streets have spent a lot of time walking and sweeping that tunnel. And we've also taken ownership and advocacy of making sure that any graffiti shows up.

137our crews from our school and our painting staff will take a walk just to make sure it's looking safe for our students. >> Great. Thank you. I like the collaboration with all that as well. >> Absolutely. >> All right, Vice President Pearson. >> Yeah, I just want to say thank you for all the work that um you are doing. This um update is actually really really positive and really great. Um and just thank you Dr. Gothard for your work with trying to work more and getting the team to work more with the city. Um I think when we had the alder um I believe it's um Alder McKenna um when she came in and spoke to us about um about um the hazardous walkway I think about a year ago and even this year she

138did as well. Um, you know, I think one thing that we just have lacked really was just a relationship with all of our like city um electeds, all of our um county electeds and um but also just in general the relationship between the city county. And so it's really great to kind of see um us h being more proactive and making sure that um all these areas are understanding like the needs of our students because I do feel like even when you look at some of the build plans and some of the neighborhoods there's not a lot of conversation about what about the children, what about the schools, what about the you know the extracurricular activities. There's a lot of like well you know what about housing which is great right? We need housing. So

139that's another thing. But there's not a lot there's it seems to be that in most of these plans there's the afterthought our children. Um and so now I'm I'm glad and I'm proud of the work that y'all have done um to make that a forethought and not an afterthought. So I'm excited to see um the proactiveness for next year and trying to figure out some of this. So I just wanted just to name that. So thank y'all. I will add quickly, the city of Madison Plant Commission is also working on the southeast and east area plans, southwest area plans, and they've asked input from our our district and our transportation groups to advocate whether more sidewalks are needed, traffic pattern changes. Um, so the city's been very active with that, including uh traffic enforcement in

140some of our roads, especially around near LA High School to to help reduce some of that limit because there's no sidewalks currently. So, they've done some great job helping us. Thank you. Um, all right. We've got a motion to approve this plan. Um, student representative leave your Oh, >> I was in favor I and I think Oh, there you are. Savian. All right. Great. That passes unanimously. All right. Well, that does conclude our business for tonight and we'll take into burn. >> So move. Second. >> All right. All those in favor of >> adjournment. >> All right. Good. >> We are ajourned. >> What?