School Board Meeting - 04/20/2026

001[laughter] >> I am calling this meeting to order. The meeting has been publicly posted. Would you all rise, please, for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I will call the roll tonight. Uh Jason? Here. Eric Schwartz? I am here, virtual. Jake? Here. Crosby? Here. Dale? Here. Craig? Here. Carolyn? Here. Mike? Here. Jim? Here. So, the first order of business this evening will be the election of our officers. That is why I am chairing this part of the meeting. The state of Wisconsin requires the Mukwonago Area School Board to organize, reorganize, and elect officers of the board annually. This must take place after on or after the

002fourth Monday in April and within a set limit of 30 days. I will proceed with the election of the president, and then the elected president will take over from there. So, for the board, when you vote for board officers, you have four choices of how to do it. We can then do it by typical voice vote, we can do it by a show of hands, we can do it by roll call, or we can do it by secret ballot. This is the one time you can do things by secret ballot. Board, how would you like to vote? Show of hands. Hands. Hands. Hands. Yeah. Hands. Uh Except for Eric. Eric, could he participate by voice vote? >> Yes. Oh, thank you. Then any school board member now can nominate another school board member. You can

003nominate yourself if you would like. You can vote for yourself. Once nominated, I will ask the board member who has been nominated if they would like to serve in this position. Next, I will need to have a majority of votes of board members present. Tonight, we have everybody here. Thus, if you want to be elected president, you have to have at least five votes. I will ask for nominations. I will ask three times, then I will close the nominations. Are there any questions on that? No question. Okay. The process for determining the president for the upcoming school year is now called to order. I'll start by taking nominations for the school board president. Nominate Dale Porter. Dale, do you accept the nomination? Yes. Are there other nominations? With no nominations, uh we will now vote

004for president. By by show of hands and Eric by voice vote. Uh all in favor of Dale being the board president, please say I. Or vote by with your hand. >> I. I. All right. I. We got one I and then we have 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 hands up. So, we have eight. Mr. Porter, are you going to vote for this? I'm going to abstain. Mr. Porter is abstaining, so it's by 8-0-1. Uh Dale is the board president. I will pass the mic and the gavel over to him. Thank you. Now, we're going to look for the board uh vice president. Looking for nominations for the vice president. >> like to nominate Carolyn Simon as the vice president. The Any other nominations? Thank you. Are there any other nominations? Any other nominations?

005Hearing none, may I see a show of hands for Carolyn Simon as board vice president? I. And an I. >> That's my way of accepting. >> [laughter] >> Congratulations. Big shoes to fill. All right. Up next, we are going to elect the board treasurer. So, I'm looking for a nomination for the board treasurer. I nominate Jake. Any other nominations for board treasurer? Jake, do you accept board treasurer? >> Yes. Okay. All those in favor of Jake becoming the board treasurer, please raise your hand and Eric say I or no. I. Unanimous. Thank you, Jake. Up next, we are looking for the nomination for Oh, I'm sorry. Board clerk. Are there any nominations for board clerk? Nominate Crosby. Are there any other nominations? Any other nominations for board clerk? Hearing none, all those in favor of

006Crosby becoming the board clerk, say I or Eric say I and the rest show hands. I. All right. It is unanimous. Thank you. Up next, we have to look for our CESA 1 nomination. Looking for a CESA 1 nomination. Jake? I nominate Eric Schwartz. Any other nominations for CESA 1 nomination? Any other nominations? Hearing none, see a show of hands for Eric Schwartz becoming our CESA 1 nominee. Looks like unanimous. >> and I. Oh, yeah. I forgot to ask you that. All right. Thank you, Eric. All right. Moving on to recognitions. Employee of the month. All right. Uh this evening, uh Gary Young, would you please come forward? Gary Young is the lead groundskeeper for the Mukwonago Area School District. He has been a dedicated member of our team since June of 2019, when he

007joined the district full-time following his retirement from his primary career. Since then, Gary has consistently demonstrated an ex- exceptional commitment to excellence, taking great pride in ensuring our grounds are among the best in the state. Gary plays a vital role with the maintenance and grounds team, contributing across the wide range of responsibilities. His work includes mowing and maintaining grounds, repairing equipment, painting athletic field lines, applying pesticides, plowing snow, improving playgrounds, and maintaining the district's vehicle fleet. He also steps in to support daytime custodial needs when needed, truly exemplifying a team-first mindset. Beyond his daily responsibilities, Gary is a problem-solver and leader who is always looking for ways to complete repairs in-house, helping the district operate more efficiently and cost-effectively. His dedication is evident in his work ethic. He is often one of the first to

008arrive and one of the last to leave, whether it's a weekday or a weekend. Gary ensures that the job gets done so that our facilities are always ready for the next event. Gary's leadership, initiative, and unwavering dedication make a significant impact on our schools and community. His efforts help make Mukwonago Area School District a place where people are proud to work, learn, play, and visit. Thank you, Gary, for your outstanding service and commitment to excellence. Pose. Pose. Picture. Hold on. Congratulations. All right. Up next, we have the Kohl Teacher Awards. Thank you. Uh tonight, we're proud to recognize three exceptional educators from our district who have been selected as recipients of the Herb Kohl Teacher Fellowship Award. The Herb Kohl Teacher Fellowship Award is one of the most prestigious honors an educator can receive in

009the state of Wisconsin. Each year, this award is given to teachers who demonstrate a superior ability to inspire a love of learning, motivate students, and lead both inside and outside of the classroom. Fellowship recipients are selected based on their dedication, leadership, and the lasting impact they have on their students, schools, and communities. To be chosen for this recognition is no small accomplishment. Over 1,200 applic- applicant applications were received and only 100 were selected for this honor after a rev- vigorous rigorous review at both the regional and state level. Receiving this award reflects not only excellence in teaching, but also a deep commitment to students and a passion for making a difference every single day. Tonight, we celebrate three educators who embody these qualities. Their work represents the very best of our profession and their influence

010extends far beyond the classroom walls. At this time, we would like to present each of them with a recognition plaque and a small token of our appreciation and gratitude for the incredible work they do on behalf of our students. Would Christine Perkins, Christie Peterson, and PJ Yuhas please come up to the front? Congratulations. That's a cool letter sweater, PJ. It's a cool letter sweater. All right. Up next is my favorite part of every school board meeting, the student report, Big Bend. And any parents or teachers that want to come up and take pictures or video, you're more than welcome to come behind us and do that. And if you're talking to the microphone, you can just grab it, too. If it's kind of high for you, you can grab it. All right. The floor is

011yours. BBES presented by Student Council Executive Board. Raina Leeson, Teagan Wagner, Addison Robidou, and Noah Vander Koy. This is the Glow Dance that we celebrate every year. We celebrate this day with cotton candy, lights, a lot of fun, smoothies, dancing, concession stands, and yeah. 4K Highlights. 4K had some fun, hands-on learning with a visit from Miss Kim's Amazing Animals. The students got to learn about >> different animals and had the chance to pet and hold some animals as well. The favorites were the rabbits and the snakes. Kindergarten Highlights. The Big Bend kindergarteners received a royal welcome when they visited Retzer Nature Center and the planetarium. The field trip focus was a perfect complement to the science curriculum, Materials in Our World. The students got a hands-on experience creating their own paper. They also enjoyed gazing

012at the night sky, learned about the planets, and visiting some special animal friends. Here are some more pictures of what they did. Our first Our first graders have officially finished their spring AIMSweb literacy assessment testing. We are so proud of them and we're seeing amazing growth across both classes. Our students are reading more fluently and accurately and their hard work is truly shining. Way to go, readers. Second grade highlights. Second graders are researching animals and making animal books. They will take the information they learn and create a hard cover book. They will include non-fiction features such as table of contents, glossary, index, captions, and photographs. Third grade highlights. Third graders took the Forward exam for the first time, and it went well. In math, we represented the area and perimeter with tables, square tiles, and

013chairs linear pieces. In reading, third graders are researching honeybees. This is the third and fourth grade concert. Um the third and fourth graders song um K-pop Demon Hunters, Golden from K-pop Demon Hunters, Hamilton, and Moana. They had so much fun singing at the Mukwonago High School. The fourth graders went to Camp Edwards on Friday, March 20th, to extend our learning of Wisconsin history. We spent the day tapping trees and seeing the process of making maple syrup, as well as learning about the Native American games, early settlers, and pioneers. We are also looking forward to our trip to the capital on April 21st. Fifth grade highlights. Fifth grade at Big Bend is busy preparing for their field trip to BizTown at the end of the month. To prepare, the students have been learning about financial literacy.

014Students are beginning to understand basics of deposits, checks, and electronic banking, and bank cards. They're also learning about their rights and responsibilities as citizens. Community and economy. Students explored roles as citizens of a community, and they and the roles of government in communities. They're introduced to the circular flow of money and goods in an economy, and the impact of taxes and philanthropy. Work and career readiness. Students learned about how their interests and skills can one day lead to their future careers. To practice fill They practice filling out job applications and will one day and will continue learning about their interview process and how elected officials acquire their positions. Finally, bus- business management. Students will work in teams to learn about the key factors in operating a business, such as teamwork, operation costs, pricing, and advertising.

015Sixth grade highlights. Sixth grade math has been busy preparing for the upcoming Forward exam. We've been reviewing previous concepts, working at practice tests, and solving math problems in escape rooms. In ELA, we're researching how imagination enriches our lives, and are preparing for our field trip to Camp Edwards for fun. The orchestra has been doing amazing lately, especially at their winter concert, and they have their spring concert coming up. On March 16th, they played at the Endura Farmers Market. The all school art show will take place at Big Bend on April 23rd. The students work very hard on making amazing art to be hung up around the school. This year's theme is wing things, so our students do projects that include something winged. There are birds, bugs, and so much more. There will almost be 900

016pieces of art this year. Our choir recently went to Choir Fest at Parkview Middle School. Beforehand, all elementary school choirs practiced three pieces, then came together to a day of singing and fun. At the end of Choir Fest, we put on a show with the other choirs and middle schoolers. Day of Awesomeness is a day worth celebrating our accomplishments throughout the school year. This day also gets all the energy out. The Day of Awesomeness is celebrated with bouncy houses, foam machines, picnic lunch, snacks, and water from the PTO. And a water balloon toss at the teachers. To add on to that, the sixth graders at the end of the year dunked the teachers in a dunk tank. We love this day. Contrapt. Select students are building Rube Goldberg machines for Contrapt, which we will compete

017with at MSOWI on May 8th. Our goal is to have at least 14 steps for the most amount of points to make our plant grow. Each transfer of energy is a step. We are working very hard to complete it, test it, and fix it when needed. Hope Center Drive. Student Council started a drive for the Hope Center to help the homeless. We are trying to get people to donate food and clothing. We want to inspire people to take part in helping hands building hope. Blitz coaches. Mr. Lombard and Ms. Paltino are incredibly thrilled with the leadership, compassion, dedication, and effectiveness of this year's Blitz coaches. We all meet twice a month to discuss teaching new kid-friendly recess games, problem-solving strategies, as well as fostering and encouraging a safe, fun, and friendly environment. Every day, the

018Blitz coaches have been active at recess, and it is safe to say that not only do the coaches love it, but all our young ones at Big Bend Elementary love learning and playing with the Blitz coaches. The Blitz program has been a highlight of Mr. Lombard and Ms. Paltino's school year, including all the students involved. They rock, and we are thrilled to continue this wonderful program. Math Olympiad. Math Olympiad is a challenging math test that some students take in fifth and sixth grade. The tests are once a month from November through March. Each child is ranked based on their performance on the test, and our team is also ranked nationally amongst all the other schools that compete. We also do work around various problem-solving skills to help prepare us for our tests. Each person also

019takes practice tests in preparation for the monthly tests. Thank you for taking the time to listen to our presentation and updates from Big Bend Elementary. Thank you so much for listening. Have a good day. Any questions or comments for the students? Excellent job. >> Excellent job. All right, up next we have citizens' comments. Thank you. We're now entering the portion of the meeting for citizens' comments, whereby citizens may address the board. It is important to note that the board will not dialogue with community members during the citizens' comment section of the meeting. Each speaker will have 3 minutes to make his or her comments. We will signal you when we're at the 2 and 1/2 minute mark to begin wrapping up your comments. Craig's going to signal. We expect all speakers to honor the time

020limit, refrain from using inappropriate language, and be respectful of their comments. Citizens who do not meet these expectations will be prohibited from speaking at future board meetings, board and committee meetings. Speakers are to address the board, not the audience. The school board does not endorse any comments made by the members of the community here tonight. We would like to remind our community members of the impact of their words on others and our children children are watching. We commit to listening to you in a respectful manner, and we ask that you do the same. We expect the audience will be respectful of the speakers and of the board, and refrain from responding with verbal comments, cheering, applause, or behavior that would detract from the meeting. If proper decorum is not adhered to, the board president can

021suspend citizens' comments. Please note that no obstructions can be created between the board and the audience. Visual aids cannot be used and the area behind the speaker will be cleared during public comment. Also, to respect our speakers and the meeting participants, please silence your cell phones. All right, first one up is Marlena Warner. You got to push the button on that microphone and hold it for like 3 seconds, and it'll turn green. Good evening. My name is Marlena Warner, and I go to Prairie View Elementary in sixth grade. I'm here to talk about the possible band and orchestra cuts. There are plenty of other things that um make students miss more class time than the people in band and orchestra. Cutting band and orchestra is not a solution to the money problems. Listen to what

022the people are telling you. We don't want our music cuts. The people did not vote for no instrumental program music program in the younger grades in the new middle school. The people voted for a new middle school and keeping our music program. If everybody knew that the new middle school would come with this price, I do not think that we would have it in the process of being built right now. Please keep this in mind and listen to what the people of Mukwonago are telling you. I hope that tonight you will think about what the students want, rather than focusing on the money. Have a good night. Thank you. Lisa Warner. Good evening. My name is Lisa Warner, and I am the parent of two Mukwonago students and a music educator with 19 years of

023experience. I am a former Mukwonago High School Marching Band staff member of 14 years, and currently observe student teachers across our state. I also hold national board certification, and have been honored as a Herb Kohl Fellow and Civic Music Teacher of the Year. I share this because I understand music education from multiple angles, as a parent, an educator, and someone who has seen programs succeed in many different districts. I also understand what happens when they are steadily reduced. Though I no longer work directly with the Mukwonago High School Marching Band, I have watched administrative support for the music program steadily shrink over the years. There was a time when we had two band directors at the high school, two band directors at the middle school, and three teachers serving elementary band. Today, we have one

024high school band director, one middle school director, and two teachers splitting all elementary band instruction. That is not evolution, that is erosion. And yet, we are told participation is declining. We should be asking a harder question. What do we expect after years of reductions? When our youngest students must choose between band or orchestra and going outside for recess with friends, that is not a lack of interest. That is a structural burial barrier, sorry. Lesson pull-outs are also not the academic disruption they are often made out to be. Students are reinforcing the same skills used in reading and math, pattern recognition, sequencing, and fractions in rhythm. And I don't know a single music teacher who isn't willing to adjust schedules to support students or meet the needs of the classroom teachers. Now, we are considering cutting

025elementary music even further, removing the foundation these programs depend on. That is not a solution, it is a continuation of the problem. I urge you to reconsider. In supervising student teachers, I've seen 11 different districts just this year. There is no one-size-fits-all model, but there are far more sustainable approaches than the limited comparisons presented. I encourage the board to look beyond two or three districts before making a decision that will impact students for years. With clear parameters around staffing, budget, and lesson scheduling, I am confident better solutions exist, and I would be happy to help find those. I also want to address how teacher perspectives have been presented. What has been shared does not reflect the full picture. Context matters. A choir teacher may support earlier start times under this proposal, while an instrumental teacher

026facing the loss of foundational instruction would understandably feel differently. Selective quotes do not reflect a fully healthy or unified program. >> 30 seconds. Music education is not expendable, it is foundational. I'll close with this. If Mukwonago chooses not to invest in music education, families will notice, and someone will look elsewhere. There are schools like St. Bruno Parish School in Dousman, where students begin band in fourth grade, choir in fifth grade, and can start orchestra at any time. Those communities are ready to welcome those people. I urge you to make a different choice, to invest, not reduce, and to keep students at the center of this decision. The students should always be the North Star of every decision. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. Thank you. Josh Warner. Good evening. Tonight, under action

027item number eight, you are being asked to vote on changes to the music program. And I want to frame the entire conversation with one simple question. If this vote does not fix the budget, what exactly are we changing? Let's start with the facts. The board has been told that to balance the 2026-27 budget, the district needs to reduce expenditures by approximately $750,000. That is the target. That is the problem. So, here is the most important question of the night. Where in in either of these proposals is the amount that music contributes to that $750,000 reduction? Because it is not in the slides. It is not in the memo that was attached. And it has not been presented to this board over all these many months. So, I ask again, if this vote does not fix

028the budget, what exactly are we changing? Because we do know what we do know is this. Option one reduces access. Option two redu- reduces it even further, moving elementary orchestra to once per week during recess. This is not a meaningful instructional model. It is not an improvement. That is reduction in opportunity. And even with those reductions, you still will not meet that $750,000 target. So, this vote does not solve our financial problem. So, once again, if this vote does not fix the budget, what exactly are we changing? Now, let's talk about how we got here. We've seen inconsistencies in the numbers. We've seen explanations shift. And tonight, you are being told these changes are aligned with evidence-based practices without being shown the evidence. At the same time, the people who understand this program are program

029best are not standing here speaking. So, you are being asked to make a decision without clear financial data, without consistent information, and without a complete picture. And any district that just approved a $90 construction project, that should raise concern. Because this would be like asking you to approve that this that project without a final cost, without a clear plan, and without knowing whether it actually solves the problem it was meant to address. 30 seconds. You have not You have a defined goal, $750,000. These proposals do not show how they get there. But, they do clearly show that what will be lost. So, I'm asking you to do something very simple tonight. Vote no on both options. Not because change is needed, not because this is not the right change, send it back. Require a plan

030that clearly connects the $750,000 goal, looks across the entire district, and protects programs that are already working for students. Because if you approve this tonight, you are not solving your budget. If this vote does not fix the budget shortfall, >> is up. then the only thing it changes is what our students lose. And the hardest part about that is that they are the only ones who do not get a vote. Thank you. >> Thank you. That's my alarm clock in the morning, and it's giving me a sign. >> [laughter] >> Hi, Janine. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Janine Cooley, and I taught in the Mukwonago Area Schools for 35 years and was a substitute for an additional 9 years. I am also the parent of the of two Mukwonago graduates who

031participated in in instrumental music from fourth through 12th grade. I'm here tonight to speak on the music program options for the '27-'28 school year. The value of music, excuse me, in [clears throat] our lives, and how it it improves academic scores in all subjects is irrefutable. The question becomes the cost of making the music program accessible to all students while encouraging participation that will continue as students advance through the grades. There are two pro- two options that have been proposed. Option one, the varied instructional model, and option two, the unified instructional model. I would suggest option three, keeping the music program the same as it is. I feel confident that the teaching staff of music teachers and classroom teachers would be able to propose an acceptable schedule and budget suggestions in order to maintain the

032music program for 2027 and the future. The logo of the Mukwonago Area School District are the words students, staff, and community. I was asked to be on the committee for researching the history of Mukwonago schools with using the information in some way in the new Park View Middle School. At the first meeting of the of the committee, Dr. Cook asked the group what we thought of when we thought of Mukwonago schools. My first thought, I think of academics. I think of the teaching staff who have influenced thousands of students and who will continue to make the Mukwonago schools the best place for an education. The goal cannot be obtained with cutting programs or by cutting or changing the current program. If we are to continue to be known as an excellent school system, cooperation with

033the teaching staff is essential. The teachers are competent to work out the details of scheduling band and orchestra lessons and classes. As a member of the school board, you have been You have You have seen the support of maintaining the music program as it currently exists. The community of the triangle is speaking out to you. I'm asking you to rethink the music program options. I'm asking you to include teaching staff, as was done with only option one. I'm asking you to listen to past and current students in their commitment to the music program. I'm asking you to listen to the staff. I'm asking you to listen to the community. 30 seconds. I'm asking you to continue the funding and existing elementary inst- instrumental music program in order to continue the legacy of the Mukwonago Area

034School District. Thank you. Thank you. Steph Merkel. Hello, my name is Steph Merkel. I am a parent of two students at Mukwonago High School, or excuse me, high school and elementary school. I appreciate the opportunity to speak tonight. I'm very touched by everything that's said so far. I hope some of you were able to attend the band extravaganza yesterday. If if you did, you had the privilege of watching more than 500 students and staff deliver more than an incredible performance, showcasing not just the undeniable talent in our district, but the journey of musin- musicianship from elementary through high school. Like you, I couldn't be prouder of the students and staff, but today, I want to talk about the third side of the MASD triangle, community, just like the woman before me. Um in just 3

035months, we brought together more than 400 people in conversation in a music-focused Facebook group. We've collected over 800 petition signatures, and we put up dozens of yard signs, spoken at board meetings, secured media coverage, and organized a rally, all in support of keeping band and orchestra in the current grade levels. Why did we do this? Because music matters to this community. Tonight I have two simple requests. First, we are more activated and unified than ever before as a music community. Moving forward, come to us early and often with your ideas. We have shown you we are invested. We want to have a voice in how music moves forward in Mukwonago. Second, I caution against turning any core curriculum into an after-school club now or in the future. It puts a much greater burden on staff,

036students, and the community, and may participation and the success of the whole music program. Thank you so much. Thank you. Stacy Butzinski. I'm here in um regarding the proposed changes to the private school boundaries that the district is recommending and scheduled to take action on this evening. My children have been attending St. Joseph School in Big Bend since 4K. They are now in fifth and seventh grades. It is my understanding that the changing of these attendance boundaries will affect our bussing. My husband and I both work full-time and have relied heavily on the transportation to and from school every day for the last 10 years. As taxpayers of Mukwonago that are choosing to send our children to a parochial school that is within the school district boundaries, we should be able to continue to receive

037the bussing that we have received since we began sending them there. St. James the Less did not even have a school when we began to at St. Joe's. Despite what the Archdiocese and St. James leadership have expressed, there has been no collaboration regarding these proposed changes to the leadership of St. Joseph School. Based on St. James's March 26th communication to their parishioners, there are only eight families who want bussing, which some may not even be eligible for based on location, student age, or participation in their hybrid home school model. Eight families does not seem like enough to warrant four routes. The other 18 families want parent contracts. They don't want to utilize the transportation and are only interested in money from the district. It is extremely important to note that while they are both Catholic

038schools, they are vastly different from one another, and families should be allowed to choose what they feel is best for their child and have the option for transportation. According to Wisconsin law, a pupil attending a private school in Wisconsin is entitled to transportation provided the by the public school district in which the student resides. We live 8.5 miles from St. Joe's within the school district. We live approximately 3.5 miles from our home school, which is Rolling Hills, um yet only 0.9 miles from Clarendon Elementary, which would be considered within the new St. Joe's boundary recommended. It does not make sense. We've been very happy with our children's education at St. Joseph School, and the value and value the foundation of the Catholic faith, strong academic achievement, character development, and service to our greater community that

039our children have received. The St. James models of teaching are not aligned with our family values or our children's learning styles. Other families should also have this choice while still having the option of transportation should they need them. >> 30 seconds. We are asking for the district to give us continued transportation that we have received um and are entitled to. Buses literally drive by our subdivision on the way to pick up existing students. Furthermore, I would like to point out that St. James does not currently offer eighth grade. Our children will be in sixth and eighth grade next year. If St. James does not offer eighth grade, then these boundaries should not even be considered. Therefore, I ask that you please vote against these boundary changes at this time. Thank you. Thank you. Jolene Palatino.

040Sorry, I'm a little slow. I just had hip surgery, so um okay. As you know, I've spoken before, and I just speak what I feel like. Um call it dementia. I don't care. Um I'm not happy with what has been proposed for orchestra and band um for the fourth and fifth grade. I really think that you're doing a disservice to yourselves. Um we see what's happening with the Waukesha School District um now that they have gotten rid of their orchestra and band at the lower levels. Um some of the other school districts are doing that. How are we supposed to produce a great music program when the young kids don't have the fundamentals that they can build on. We have to start the kids early. With everything, you have to start early. Whether it's in

041sports, whether it's in music, academics, you need to start early. Um one thing that I want to say is that yes, there were people um that were running for school board, and you were not being run uh by yourselves. There you were not unopposed. Although a lot of people in Mukwonago thought that no one was running against you. Um remember that the community, Mukwonago, is a tight-knit community. Everybody knows everybody, and if they don't, they soon do. Um when we had our newspaper, it was not the Mukwonago Chief. It was called the Blabber, because everybody knew what everybody else was doing. Be aware that people know who's on the board. They know who um superintendent, assistant superintendent. We know what's going on, and everybody's going to be watching. There's nobody in the world that I

042respected more than my dad. And my dad had a saying. You know, throughout life, we all make decisions. Sometimes we make good decisions, sometimes we make bad. 30 seconds. My dad could see through people. He had a knack of being able to see that person and know what they were like, what they were thinking. And he had a saying. He'd see somebody and he'd say, "Mhm. Book smart and street stupid." If the shoe fits. Thank you. Brett Foster. Good evening, everyone. My name is Brett Forster, 1995 graduate of Mukwonago. I also have three sons that went through Mukwonago. I also have multiple family members, two brothers, multiple nieces and nephews who also go to Mukwonago. We all participate in the music program. And I think we're going to do ourselves a disservice if we entertain

043the two proposals that are coming forward tonight. In addition to those proposals, you also have on your docket this evening to look into the marching band's request to go to Indianapolis for the Drum Corps International Finals. Those kids that they're going to go watch perform, they started in fourth and fifth grade. And they are some of the best horn and drum players that are in the nation. People audition for those drum bugle corps and don't make it. Matter of fact, uh Vito Schwartz's son, Vito Jr., he participated in one of those drum bugle corps this last year, auditioning for several of them before finally getting into one of them. You don't get to that level by having your legs cut off from under you by eliminating the fourth and fifth grade levels. It just doesn't

044happen. So, I would seriously recommend that you do not take into consideration the two proposals this evening. Send it back to this committee, which we've been asking, "Who's on this committee?" And that's not being presented. I've heard from multiple parents who were asked, "Hey, would you be a part of this committee?" And they said, "Sure, we would." Phone never rang again. That's kind of funny. So, send this back to that committee. President Porter, you said that this action was not going to happen till June. Well, it's April right now. So, we have till June. Let's get two more months underneath this thing and deal with it then. It was brought up earlier about the over $700,000 deficit this district is running. You know, when I went to school here back in the '80s and '90s,

045our district office was a little little house across the street from what was Washington High School, now the community library. We were able to fit the entire administration in that building. We did not have an assistant superintendent. We did not have a director of data analysis amongst other positions that are in our administration. You want to start finding some places There's the places you can start cutting from. Because back then we had more student according to everyone. We had more students back then cuz every year I hear enrollment's declining, enrollment's declining, enrollment's declining. So, apparently we had more back in the '90s and we did it with less administration. Less assistant principals. We able to do it back then. Why can't we do it now? Thank you for your time. Thank you. Danielle [clears throat]

046Gordon. Good evening. At the March 23rd school board meeting, there was a presentation showing the mandated areas and optional enrichment areas for each grade level, elementary, middle, and high school in the district. This cut to the elementary school's music curriculum is not equitable. At the elementary age level, the students have very limited enrichment opportunities available to them. Currently, there are five opportunities, 4K, advanced learning program, which is not available to all students, band, orchestra, and library technology. If you take away band and orchestra, then there are only three enrichment opportunities available to our elementary school student population. In contrast, the middle school has nine opportunities. They have three career and technical education classes, business, family and consumer economics, and STEM. They have six enrichment specials, which include art, band, choir, library technology, orchestra, and world

047language. This is four additional opportunities that these elementary students do not have available to them. The high school has the highest opportunity for students at 10. There are four career and technical education opportunities, which include business, family and consumer economics, STEM, and technology and engineering. In addition, they have six enrichment specials, art, band, choir, library technology, orchestra, and world language. Our elementary students have half the amount of enrichment opportunities compared to the high school students. This is disproportionate. If you cut band and orchestra, you are widening the disparity between opportunities available for our youngest student population. If cuts are being made, then cuts need to be equitable. If these cuts are made, then a band extravaganza will not be possible in the future. It was so neat to see the staff in all age levels

048of students collaborate. How many of you attended the event and witnessed this collaboration? Thank you for your time. Thank you. Uh Rachel Habinger. Hello. Over the past several months, I have taken time to email all of you and have spoken with many of you. While I have only received one response to multiple emails, I have felt the conversations that have been had have been very productive. My issue is that's where the conversation ends. None of the things we discuss in our one-on-one conversation come here and are brought to the conversation actually addressed, which leads me to believe you're simply checking a box. Many of you have expressed your personal experience with the struggles your student has had with the current pullout lesson structure. The thing is, you are not here to represent your personal opinion.

049You are here to represent the voice of your community. You have expressed that some staff have come to you with frustrations. I sent a request to quantify this with complete disregard. Why are we fixing a problem we don't know exists? You have hundreds of parents signing petitions, showing up to meetings, emailing you, calling you, telling you this works for their students. The district is using data from a survey sent out last spring to third through sixth grade parents who have never seen elective opportunities in the middle of suggesting cuts to the German program, that seems like very skewed data. But then sends out a very detailed survey to students regarding the school lunch program, asking how they feel about the value of their lunch when they're not the ones paying for it. We're not asking

050the right people the right questions. Numbers don't lie. I use the current enrollment that was presented to you at the February meeting. Of the 242 middle school band and orchestra students that rotate on a 3-week schedule for pullout lessons, this averages to 16 students per day over eight periods. That is two. Two students per period all day long. You cannot tell me that that is a major disruption to learning. For those that have concerns for disruptions for students left in the classroom at the elementary level, you have clearly not spent much time in the elementary school. Between students being pulled out for speech therapies, manipulative students use, walks they take to help them stay focused and take a break, recess leadership opportunities, advanced placement learning, having six students stand to leave a classroom and go

051learn academic study hardly seems a valid argument. Our community has spoken. We voted yes to put you into these seats. We voted yes to a referendum. Let's not rush a vote. Let's pause, start asking adequate questions, and keep student opportunities. Thank you. Thank you. Angie [clears throat] Jelich. I was also at band extravaganza last night. Every band student in the district was [clears throat] in the west gym. And more than half of them were in fifth and sixth grade. So, what I saw was a pipeline. What has happened here is a failure to understand that. There has been no analysis of where our students go after that point, why they leave, or how district decisions contribute to that decline. And not just an absence of modeling, a literal refusal to do any modeling. No meaningful

052comparison, no evidence presented that justifies the direction the administration has forced this board to take, and never once proof that there was any problem outside of administration needing to save some money and not being able to share the myriad of alternatives they certainly would have looked at to determine which instructional area was the least important to them. And for the record, a survey question asking parents which areas they wanted the district to increase investment in is not a question that tells you what parents don't value. Parents should be on notice as to how their survey responses will be skewed inappropriately according to any valid data analysis techniques. So, here we are. The community feedback that has been brought forward has been clear, detailed, thoughtful, and passionate with dozens of questions that went unanswered by everyone

053in front of me. And the way it has been handled is quite frankly gross. What we've seen over and over and over again is selective information, partial narratives, and now curated feedback presented as if it represents reality. Imagine sitting in a room full of people whose jobs you can impact, demanding confidentiality, and then 2 months later turning around and presenting feedback from those same people as if it somehow reflects honest, open input. I've spoken with and listened to dozens of staff members across this district for several weeks now, at every level and across nearly every discipline, and the message is consistent. What is being presented here is not the full picture. The reality is a culture of fear, deep distrust, and an environment where protecting your paycheck starts to outweigh focusing on students. You should

054be embarrassed and ashamed. So, I'm not here to disagree with you. I'm here to tell you that this is a decision being made without complete, accurate information, and that's on you for allowing it. I'm here to call you out for being reckless with our time, our money, and most importantly, our children. And in a few years when participation drops further, when performance changes, and when the DPI scorecard and test score average reflects exactly what happens when you weaken a proven source of high performers, >> 30 seconds. >> at that point, this day will be part of that record. This is a preventable mistake, or I suppose I should say this was a preventable mistake. Moving forward with any change that seeks to cut and not improve is indefensible. Thank you. Cherry Winchelki. Hi. Hi, Cherry.

055Hi, Cherry. Okay, I'll read as fast as I can. Good evening. My name is Cherry Winchelki and I have sat in this at this board table when hard decisions had to be made. Some of these decisions were misunderstood and not popular. Most of these difficult decisions had to be made due to local, state, and federal laws or policy mandates. The proposed music and other curriculum changes that are being considered are or already being put into effect do not fall under these. These decisions, in my opinion, are being made on the beliefs and desires of administration to then share them with the board without total disclosure or without enough consideration for other possibilities. The board therefore does not have complete information or has not had enough experience to know what questions to ask. This does not

056excuse the board from becoming informed through the information presented by the community, people highly educated in their fields both within our district and beyond our district. By doing this, they can make their own decisions based on facts and knowledge, not opinions and information from one source. This does not only relate to the music situation. There have been and are being other changes made without the public or maybe even the board being aware because of how the district's being run. In the past, these conversations were held at committee meetings and were held in public. The public could attend, all of the board members could attend. Now, these conversations are held within administrative level and called advisory committee meetings. Of these, we only get reports. At last month's meeting, some of the teacher feedback was given. This

057was not There was not a single negative comment. In my experience with any group work, never does everyone agree with the same have the same opinions. Board members ask for the negatives. They help generate ideas. They help everyone in the group grow in knowledge of the subject and they help to get the whole picture. Board members, I believe you are asked you asked for other areas that where cutbacks could be made so that the whole you could see the whole picture. I do not remember this happening. How many people have you heard that say they do they How many people have you heard that want the music programs cut or diminished? How many people have you heard from who are concerned about these cuts? I had the privilege of to serve on the board with

058Vito Schwartz. When he was first elected, he thought he was going to change the system. He would speak without having all the information and sometimes was a bit obnoxious. But he took his election role very seriously and soon learned he had to get the facts. He asked questions, went to schools, and talked to staff directly. He listened to and learned from others with more experience than him. >> He came up with new ideas. When it came time to vote, he, I believe, tried to vote what was best for the whole, not just for a few and it sometimes did not go with what he would want. I ask you tonight if you really feel you are prepared enough to vote. Do at least a minimum and vote for the plan that gives this district a

059year to to actually um actually see what happens with funds. Actually see what happens with numbers. Actually see what happens with sixth graders and then evaluate. The trust in is growing thin and in the future when you want the voters to vote yes for other needs you have, think that the outcome um you might want to think about that. Thank you. Thank you, Cherry. Andrea, I'm not sure how to say your last name. Yes, thank you. Good evening. Tonight, um I'm not actually going to be speaking on behalf of myself. I've certainly shared my opinions openly with this board and I'm sure to the point you guys are tired of hearing from me. Uh tonight, I will be reading a statement on behalf of the Mukwonago Fine Arts Booster Club. To the Mukwonago Area School

060District Board of Education, on behalf of the Mukwonago Fine Arts Booster or MFAB, we respectfully submit our concerns regarding the proposed reductions to fine arts programming within the Mukwonago Area School District. MFAB's mission is to enhance achievement and appreciation of the fine arts by bringing together faculty, staff, students, and the broader community to build, sustain, promote, and support programs that are essential to a well-rounded education. These programs play a critical role in fostering creativity, discipline, collaboration, and student engagement. We are concerned that reductions to the fine arts offerings would significantly limit these opportunities and negatively impact students' educational experiences. In particular, we strongly advocate for the continuation of orchestra and band at the elementary level, including for fourth and fifth grade students, as well as the preservation of other proposed fine arts programs currently under

061review. We respectfully urge the board to prioritize and protect fine arts education as an integral component of student success and community vitality. Thank you for your time, your consideration of this matter, and your continued commitment to the students of Mukwonago. Thank you. That's it. I said it in the minutes. That's it. Can I close this citizens' comments? Moving on to consent agenda. Looking for the approval of the committee of the whole meeting minutes from April 13th, 2026. And approval of vouchers and receipts. Are there any questions or comments? Hearing none, that's approved by consent. Moving on to student learning topics, director's report. Okay. Um at the committee of the whole meeting last week, there were four student learning items. Um those items were a music program proposal and then we had recommendations for resource adoptions

062for both AP biology and third through fifth grade ELA. And then finally, an extended trip proposal for the marching band. Um all four of those are action items for tonight, so I will summarize those and provide some more information um in the action item section. Okay. Any questions or comments? I have some questions. Um are just some from the community here that's asked and I'm some asking as well. Is are all pull-outs in the high school middle school being being stopped? Unless there is a large group, one-time, one-off, we are working to eliminate all pull-out of instructional time to focus on learning. So, that is the that is the goal for next year, yes. What is the impact you see like from kids being tardy, kids coming and going in classroom? And have you heard

063from teachers about these disruptions? We have heard from some teachers about the disruptions. We have presented to teacher groups and there has been no pushback that it is not a disruption when it's been talked to talked about. Um what was the other part of your question, please? I have heard from some students that when they are pulled from class to go to music, that those students report that the sending teacher has commented, can I pull you for the following for my subject area, too? And so, while that doesn't directly come out and say there's a comment, it does indicate that there is a level of frustration from classroom teachers who are losing their kids from music. And that is being directed at students. That isn't even happening as a peer-to-peer conversation at the school. Like

064for elementary school, if we were to keep the music in elementary school the way it is, I know it's got to change because sixth grade's moving. But then, how would we work that not doing pull-outs in middle school or high school? One of the were three parameters that I asked the team to work from. One, deliver a high-quality music program. Two, stay cost-neutral, which means maintain the 15.75 FTE. Don't cut it, but don't increase it. And the third thing was to address the pull-out instruction. In order to accomplish no pull-outs at the secondary level and maintain 15.75 or 74 FTE in teachers, so that's 16 teachers, one of them is about three-quarters time. In order to accomplish that, there has to be adjustments in the music program as offered. But from a financial investment, we're

065currently spending $1.5 million. Our plan is a minimum of $1.5 million. CPI this year is 2.63%. If that's applied across all of those teachers, our investment in music will be higher next year than it is this year based off of the bodies that we have in the program. Any other questions or comments? Eric? I have questions. Carolyn? For the ELA curriculum, we had an email from someone asking about the literacy funds, which is a grant that is used for early immersion. Can you comment on that? I don't know if you saw that email or if you were on that. >> I haven't seen the email yet, but I'm pretty sure they're referring to um there are some possible funds that we can get through the Act 20, which is that um early literacy legislation that

066we've talked about a few times. We will be putting in for that grant. All right. And is that after that grant would come after we purchase the curriculum, we'd be reimbursed? >> Correct. >> All right. Perfect. Any other questions or comments? Okay. Jake? Would it be possible, I know we have two proposals here later today, to to come up with a third one? Where how could we achieve the same budgetary impact or offset the budgetary impact if we kept the program the same? Is that something that we could look at? The board asked that we have a final proposal by April. We brought that to the COW. We're here tonight with it. If we do any additional If we add in music, we're cutting from somewhere else. Understood. And so, that means there's going to

067be like Tom presented back in February or March when he went through the whole program. He went through all the finances. He showed, you know, all of the investments that we're making across the school district. When that presentation was made, he was very clear that if you add here, you're going to cut from somewhere else, which is why we asked to maintain status quo. We did not want to reduce our investment, but we did not want to increase it because that is going to cause further implication. And the dollar amount that we were working off of this past year was $1.1 million. We were at $1.4 million reduction last year. So, it's 2.5 over 2 years. Thank you. And based off of Tom's presentation, the budget cuts are coming in the future. So again, any

068add is going to then compound itself in the years ahead. Any other questions or comments? All right, thank you. Moving on to and facilities. Yep, Tom's got the director report up for finance and facilities. Um 1 second here as I grab it. So, before and after school daycare, we are working through the RFP process um on before and after school. Tom did provide an update. He has future meetings uh as we go about selecting a before and after school program. We did have it uh we have the two that are our regulars, local ones, YMCA and Kids Connection. Uh there is a group that is working in the area now called Innovation Learning. Um and we're seeking feedback. Parents have asked questions that are on that committee and we're doing some vetting of those questions

069with those companies. Um current budget update, all expenditures by fund as of April 15th, we've completed 78% of the school year, 22% remaining. Below is a summary of the budgets as they remain. Um salary expenditures, this exhibit tracks our salaries. Uh the 21st payroll deposit occurred on April 10th. As of this deposit, we spent 67.8% of the budget. Using the five prior fiscal years as history, Tom is projecting that we will spend 99% of our salary budget this year. He believes that with a high degree of confidence, we should be under in salary and benefits by approximately $500,000. Our bank balance uh attaches the bank balance uh for February in fund 10. We had $15.91 million as of February 28th, 2026. Our fund balance continues to be a strength of our financial position. As a

070reminder, our fund 10 cash position is lower this year because of we transferred $3.5 million out of fund 10 and into fund 46 at the end of 24-25. And we paid $2.2 million towards the upgraded security system um thus far as that project goes. Special education funding. Um again, we continue to work with the state. The state budget is projecting a $2.5 billion surplus for the current fiscal year. This was released in January by the nonpartisan legislative fiscal bureau. This is in due to stronger than expected income uh on and corporate tax collection. Tax revenues are expected to exceed prior forecasts by $1.4 billion. Before the year started, the state of Wisconsin held a $4.6 billion surplus in their general fund. Governor Evers is engaged with select Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on how they can

071use the surplus to lower property taxes. The governor has proposed dedicating $1.2 billion for the following: investing $200 million in special ed funding, result MASD would get an additional $500,000 this year, which would lessen the fund 10 to fund 27 transfer by this amount. Additionally, they we would get $1 million next year, which would eliminate that budget deficit. It would invest $450 million in general state aids for 26-27. Result, state aid plus 450, property taxes would go down $450 million. Invest $550 million towards the school levy tax credit. Result, an additional $550 million place would tight would lighten statewide property taxes by an equivalent amount. The net result would be relief for MASD's budget for 26-27, while MASD taxpayers would simultaneously get relief on their property tax bill. This is all contingent upon what happens

072at the state level. Any questions or comments? >> [snorts] >> All right, thank you. Yep. [laughter] Hey Dale. Yes. I can't see the agenda. I'm watching it on my phone. I'm but it doesn't match up also with what I'm hearing. So, um I think Rachel needs to slide me onto the screen. Thank you. I'm going to troubleshoot that, Eric, and figure out how to get you onto the screen. Can you see anything now, Eric? Nope. I see I see Rachel and I see a photo of you. The camera is off. Eric's Eric's camera's off? Can you see it now? Yes, I can. Thank you very much. Do you have any questions or comments, Eric? I do not. Thank you. Okay. Warranty deed easement. Yeah, just in summary, as part of the Parkview project, a decelerate

073a I'm sorry, deceleration lane and traffic lights will be installed at the new main entrance. Waukesha County will manage and maintain these improvements. To allow the county to maintain this, the Mukwonago School District will need to transfer five 5,771 square feet of land using a warranty deed for the deceleration lane and provide an easement for approximately 1,400 square feet of area for the traffic light signal loop sensors. So, we have this on as information for the board tonight. If there's any questions, uh we'd be looking to get approval on this in May uh to get the that work going possibly in this summer. So, just for perspective, the traffic light is if you picture where the condominiums are and where the current entrance to the district office Clarendon parking lot are, we'd be we're to

074help the condos, to help the school, to help with the increase. No U-turn. Uh it'll all be a controlled intersection then. Okay. Any questions or comments? All right, thank you. Moving on to action items: hires, retirements, and resignations. All right, do we have several uh tonight. So, we did not have any I'm sorry, we had one resignation um Brandy Klaus, social worker at Parkview Middle School, but then you'll also notice she is being recommended for a contract. So, she resigned from her current contract as a social worker, but she is being offered a contract to be our um AODA coordinator at the high school. So, one contract is being resigned, but she's being offered another contract. Um and then we have Samantha Geraci, a special education teacher at our elementary level. Marissa Reynolds, a math

075teacher who um is slated to be at Mukwonago High School. She is also a former alum of Mukwonago High School. Uh Katie Brown, a special education teacher who is scheduled to be at Section Elementary School. And then Lisa Jones, who is currently at one of our partner sites um as our employee. Um she's part-time. She is being recommended for a full-time 4K teacher teaching position at Big Bend Elementary School. Make a motion to approve the resignation and the new hires. Second. We have a motion and a second to accept hires, retirements, and resignations. Are there any questions or comments? >> [snorts] >> Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. >> Aye. All those not say no. Motion carries. Moving on to 26-27 board and committee meeting schedule. Thank you. Um tonight uh we

076come forward with a request to approve the meeting schedule. Uh this happens annually in April after the board reorganization. Uh you can see on there that we are the second and third uh Monday of the month. Um the exception is July uh just due to schedules. We propose to have one school board meeting to handle general business. We're proposing that the annual meeting and the budget hearing come in August. Uh September is standard, October is standard, November is standard uh due to the holidays and the break, um we're proposing one school board meeting in December. And then two, two, two and two to get to April of 26 or 27. So. Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the 26-27 board and committee meeting schedule. Are there any questions

077or comments? Did you put your hand up? No, sorry. All right. All right, hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed say All those opposed say no. Motion carries. Sorry, Eric. Uh up next, AP biology resource for adoption. Okay. Um at the Committee of the Whole meeting last week, I shared the process that we used um for researching and piloting for AP biology class. Um after thorough research process, we piloted two AP biology textbooks. We collected feedback um from the teacher and students. And based on that feedback, the pilot experience, and and then our thorough review of the resource, we are recommending that we adopt Biology for the AP course, second edition, that is published by BFW. So, we are looking for the board to approve that adoption of that resource

078tonight. Make a motion to adopt the AP biology resource. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the AP biology resource. Are there any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed say no. Motion carries. Moving on to third through fifth grade ELA resource for adoption. Okay. Um also last week at the meeting, Michelle Ziegler and I shared the process that we used for researching and piloting third through fifth grade ELA. Again, we um conducted a very thorough research process and then we piloted two resources this year. Again, we collected feedback um this time from teachers, students, families, and leaders within the district. And based on that feedback, um we are recommending that we adopt Amplify CKLA um for our third through fifth grade ELA.

079At the meeting, there was a question regarding the shipping and handling costs. Um the original quote had a 12% cost of shipping and handling. Um part of the reason for this higher cost is that various materials um are shipped as well as that this is um this includes shipments over multiple years. However, I was able to work with the rep um and reduce the cost of the quote. Um so the reduced shipping rate that they have provided is 6%. This reduced the cost of the quote um by $15,595 and puts the total quote at $267,649 and some change. Um again, this is for a 6-year adoption. Are there any further questions regarding that? Otherwise, we are looking for approval. Crosby. I just have a question. Can we make it standard practice from now on that

080we ask about price and never take the first option on the table? >> Absolutely. Okay. Thank you. All right, we're looking for a motion for third through fifth grade ELA. Make a motion to adopt the third to fifth grade ELA resource. Second. We have a motion and a second. Any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor say I. I. I. All those opposed say no. Motion carries. Moving on to the extended trip marching band. Yep. Um so at the meeting last week, I presented a extended trip proposal for our marching band um to attend the Drum Corps International Pre-Preliminary Finals Competition in Indianapolis. Um this trip is for the summer for August 6th and 7th. Our band director, Emma Emma Angeli, will be overseeing and chaperoning this trip. Um this is a trip

081that they do annually. Um all the information was provided including the itinerary, so we are looking um for the board to approve this trip. Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the extended trip for the marching band. Are there any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor say I. I. All those opposed say no. Motion carries. Moving on to the St. James and St. James and St. Joseph attendance boundaries. Yep, we're based off of the recommendation from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, we are seeking the board's approval recommending the board uh uh approve the new attendance boundary as as requested by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I make a motion to approve. Second. We have a motion and a second. Any questions or comments? >> I have a question.

082Carolyn. Crosby. >> We obviously heard a concern about that tonight. So this obviously isn't necessarily in our wheelhouse because we are not with the private schools, but is there a way to grandfather in families who would like to be bussed at least for next year to give them time to figure out what they're going to do? I mean, it kind of stinks that we're just pulling the rug out from underneath them. I understand this is a recommendation of the Archdiocese, but is there anything we can do to work with those families? You know, we can certainly take a look at that, but the Archdiocese, they have to submit their request on a timeline and they're the ones that determine what their attendance boundaries are based off of which Catholic schools are within their, you know,

083kind of within the region. Um you know, we can talk and and and look at that, but when they do shift the boundary like this, um issue. when they do shift the boundary like this, there's a high chance that there's not a bus in the area anymore. Um you know, similarly, I mean, if we were to look at, and I'm not proposing this, I don't want this to come back, please nobody comment on Facebook on it, but if we were to redistrict our elementary locations, right? The you move those attendance boundaries and you're not going to run into a situation where there's a bus that's coming by you to get to you to your school. So I don't know if that's possible or not. Um I can have Tom follow up with the family that

084that spoke tonight. Um but again, this is proposed by the Archdiocese. Um they hit their deadline this year. They did try to do this last year, but missed the deadline. They did meet their deadline this year and um and as such, we're bringing it forward with the recommendation. Carolyn. If say a third school would open and they would meet their deadline, they would have to redistrict again. Is that correct? >> have to look through the Archdiocese would look at the map and look at what attendance areas there are and then the Archdiocese would carve that up and then make that proposal to our board. Mike. Do we know how it would be affected if they don't get an eighth grade at the one school? I believe it was uh St. James. >> And again, this

085is the review from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The this is nothing that we do not get to weigh in on the Archdiocese attendance boundaries. Um we get they they make their decision and then they propose that to us. Similarly, like with parochial school start time and end time. You know, we have to transport, but if a parochial school wants to start at 9:00 a.m., you know, we then bus at 9:00 a.m. for them even though our schools have already started. So that it it is up to the parochial school and what the parochial school is wants to set up for their for their school day. I'd also like to see like how many students are affected by that. Do we have to close this out today or can it wait one more meeting? Uh we

086can bring that back in May if the board wishes to table it. Somebody has to make a motion. >> to table it until next meeting. Second. We have a motion and a second to table the St. James and St. Joseph attendance boundaries until next month. Any questions or comments on that? Does that motion supersede the motion that was already made to approve it? >> If we're going to table it, yes. >> Okay. Any other questions or comments? All those in favor for tabling the attendance boundaries, say I. I. All those opposed say no. No. Can we do a roll call vote, please? This is yes to table, no to vote on it. >> Okay. So Jason. Yes. Crosby, yes. >> Mike. Yes. Jake. No. Jim. Yes. Dale. Yes. Eric. Yes. Carolyn. No. Craig. No. What's

087the count? I didn't count. 6-3. 6-3, it's going to be tabled until next month. Okay, moving on to policies. Uh last week we presented uh a handful of policies. These are legal recommendations. Uh most importantly is the part of the policies that address Act 57 and the protection of our students. Um we are requesting approval of those policies so that we can start working on the professional development uh for our teachers and for our administrators um associated with those. We have a handful of other policies in there as were presented a week ago. Make a motion to approve the policies that are listed. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve the policies. Are there any questions or comments? Hearing no questions or comments, all those in favor of approving the policies, say

088I. I. I. All those opposed say no. Motion carries. Moving on to the music program. So just to refresh the board as to where we started with the conversation in in in about the middle school cuz this is really where it started was at the middle school level. Um our team worked for about 5 months to look at what is going to be the new middle school schedule starting in the 27-28 school year. Um general ideas were gathered from the steering committee, which is about 25 members. Given the feedback that we've gotten and how our administrative team has been addressed, we have not shared the names of the teachers. If they're willing to do this to us as administrators, I'm not going to put teachers in the middle of that. Similarly, with the staff that

089weighed in on the music recommendations, we have worked with the entire music department, but we are not sharing who feels how on it because there is disagreement in the group as to what is best. The majority has weighed in on what is being presented, but we're not going to put our music teachers in the spotlight of what has happened on social media and at the microphone here at our school board meetings. In January, we came forward with the first draft of a schedule. We knew that that was not the final draft, but that was going to be the first draft of the schedule. The parameters that I asked the team to work with, I mentioned them before. We wanted a high-quality program for our students. We wanted it to be FTE neutral. The thought that

090we're cutting music is simply not true. We're spending a million five this year. We will spend more next year. We have 15.74 teachers working in those positions this year. We will have 15.74 positions next year. And that to address some concerns that were had about pullout lessons, I asked that the team originally start out by not having pull-out lessons as part of that. Those were the three parameters that they set forth with. From January to April, our teams have met with parents, we've met with community members tied to the music program. We've met with our music staff on multiple occasions. We have presented to the board, we have received feedback, we have made revisions, and we have come forward with more refined approach. On April 13th at the Committee of the Whole, the administration presented

091a final recommendation to the board. At that meeting, the board asked us some questions, particularly around pull-out instruction. And now we are here tonight with the two options that you will see based off of what was presented, what was worked on and developed in a collaborative manner. And it's important to understand in collaboration, it doesn't necessarily mean I get exactly what I want. That means that we work towards a better project product. And that product is set within the parameters that we have. The one of the realities that we face is declining enrollment, and it is budget. There was a comment made tonight about how we're not presenting about what the financial impact is, and that's simply not true. Tom Cardellauser in February addressed the finances of the district in an almost 1-hour long presentation.

092He showed the board what we spend in all of our areas. All of our program costs. We have provided participation numbers in our programs. We have set the stage so that the board is in a position to act. We responded in March to have a final presentation to the board in April, and that is what we are doing. But it's important to note that Tom has presented the financials on this. And he has been very clear with that. And he's been very clear with where we're going in the next 5 years, should state funding not change. And we are not getting the support out of Madison that we need. We've all recognized that. The board has asked questions about that. There's a $2.5 billion surplus that the state is not sharing with its citizens, with

093its residents, and they're not using to support public education. So, I lead off with that as Angela and Rachel then take over to go through these presentations. Okay. So, last week we shared the proposal for our music programming that has been developed over the last several months. And as Joe said, there was some discussion regarding the pull-out. So, tonight we are bringing forward an additional option that does not include pull-out model for orchestra, but still honors the elementary start. So, to start with tonight, we're going to review the proposals for elementary, middle, and high that were shared last week, and then we will share the additional proposal that does not include the pull-out lessons. Okay. So, on the screen you can see the first proposal for elementary. So, again, for the 2026-2027 school year, which

094is next year, elementary band and orchestra will look largely the same as the current model. Orchestra will still begin at fourth grade and band in fifth grade. Students will receive 1 20-minute small group lesson, and then 1 30-minute large group rehearsal. So, this is a bit of a shift from the current model, where fifth and sixth grade students have two weekly large group rehearsals. The other shift is that the large group rehearsals will take place during recess. Currently, we are using WIN time for one of those rehearsals, and WIN time is not being recommended to be used for next year. And then in addition, we put some parameters in place for the pull-out lessons for next year. Moving to the 2027-2028 school year, orchestra will begin in fifth grade, and then band in sixth grade.

095And the orchestra in fifth grade will follow the same structure that was outlined for next year, which is one lesson per week in the pull-out model, following the parameters that we have there on the screen, and then one rehearsal during recess. Then moving to the middle school proposal, for next year, we would remain status quo. So, everything will remain the same for next year. Then moving into the 2027-2028 school year, the proposal would include the following changes. Sixth grade music will be required. Again, that is per state statute, and students will have a choice for their music class. Then we will be offering a introductory band course to our seventh and eighth grade students. This course, again, allows students the opportunity to enter at different points in their time here, and then also allows them

096the opportunity to be in multiple ensembles at an earlier age. We would be using the co-taught 2:1 teaching model for band and choir. Percussion would remain as a separate class for band. That class will not be co-taught. Again, we talked about last week, the reason for this is the number of instruments that we have for this class. And then orchestra would not use the 2:1 co-teaching model. Again, this is because we are prioritizing instruction at the elementary level. In this model, students would get lessons three times per quarter, and we would use those lesson prerequisites that we put in place, similar to elementary. And then starting in the 2027-2028 school year, seventh grade music will no longer be required, but will be available as an option for students. Then moving on to the high school

097recommendation, similar to middle school, high school music instruction will remain unchanged for next year. And then for the 2027-2028 school year, this proposal includes the following changes. Again, same as middle school, band and choir will utilize the 2:1 co-teaching model. Again, as noted at the middle school level, orchestra will not be co-taught, and instead students will participate in pull-out lesson three times per quarter with those lesson prerequisites. To encourage greater participation in music and help students meet their graduation requirements, we are proposing the option for students who complete marching band or show choir. Both of these courses involve significant physical activity. We are proposing that students who do that could earn an additional credit in English, math, science, social studies, or health in place of one of their required PE credits. This option is something

098that is allowed under state statute. And then finally, we will explore the potential addition of introductory band and orchestra courses at the high school level, contingent upon staffing. All right. So, then based on the feedback regarding the use of the pull-out model for orchestra, we've created another proposal option that doesn't include pull-out lessons, but still maintains orchestra at the elementary level. So, the left column on the screen represents the proposal I just went through. That's the proposal that we presented last week. And then if you focus on the right column, I will go through the second option. So, this second option would have the same entry points. Orchestra in fifth grade and band in sixth grade. The main change between this proposal and the previous proposal is that there would be one touch point per

099week instead of two during the school day at the elementary level. So, we would be able to provide one 30-minute time at each school. We would need to work with our orchestra team to determine the best use of this time. So, when we worked through various ideas with our team, we talked about various things, and one of the things that we did talk about was possibly starting with small group lessons at the beginning of the year, and then moving into the whole group lessons as students become more familiar with their instruments. So, this could be an option, but we would definitely want to work with the teachers to develop the best way to use the time. At the secondary level, band, choir, and orchestra would all utilize the 2:1 co-teaching model. So, all small group

100or individual lessons would happen within the class time. There would be no pull-out lessons. And a great benefit of this model is that we would have consistency in our approach across the three music options. And then additionally with this option, we will also look at adding an elementary club model through community partnerships. Again, this is something that we would want to develop further with the input of our teachers. So, those are the two options. Are there further questions we can answer? We have to have a motion to start to discuss that. >> Okay. We are looking for a motion for the board to approve one of these options. I'll make a motion to approve number one, option number one. I'll second. We have a motion to approve option number one. Are there any questions or

101comments? Um I just have a question of What? Why do we Why does orchestra Music is important, but why does orchestra take precedence over academics for pull-outs? So, I guess I kind of go back to what the process was. I mean, when we started out with this, I I shared those parameters, and option one addresses two of the three parameters that that I asked the team to set out with. That is the recommendation that the team came up with through that collaborative process. Do I believe that orchestra should take precedence over every other subject with the pull-out? I do not. Um but we committed to that that collaborative team approach, and that is what the team came up with. So, that's why it's on there. Any other questions or comments? I do have a question.

102When music is required through the earlier grade levels, >> [snorts] >> is there not a way to use band and orchestra instruction to qualify for music instruction in the same course or curriculum? So, could they not teach band and orchestra in the in place of the music class, I guess, is my question? Yep. We talked about that last time, um and I can pull up that slide, but our our music team really felt strongly that to have a separate band and orchestra class in lieu of that general music class was not favorable just based on how the schedule operates, based on how that instruction looks. So, um it's typically taught by instrument, and so our specials are typically scheduled by um home room. So, that is a really big scheduling barrier. Uh the other piece

103that we can most certainly do, and that our music team has talked about doing, is incorporating some of those foundational essential skills that will support band, orchestra, choir um as students get older. So, we have ukuleles in our elementary schools um in the general music class. We have, I believe, recorders in our general um elementary class. So, we do have time that we can set aside for some of that, you know, really early developmental skill development. Any other questions or comments? Crosby. Um I have a Go ahead, Eric. Sorry. Um I just have a question on why the elementary club option was only an option two. I feel like it could be an option one as well, since it's going to be done through community partnerships. Yeah, it it most certainly could be offered in

104both options. Like uh we said, it's it's really working with our community partners, but yes, you are right, it definitely could be part of both options. That was actually part of my question, too, is I mean, obviously, I don't think anybody is very happy with any of these options, whether it's in the community or on the board. Um but have we heard from any community partners? Have any community partners reached out and said, "Hey, we want to partner with you to help get these kids I have >> earlier access?" I had coffee with um um What is his name? Ray. Ray um Gooden. Gooden. Yep, thank you. Um and uh we discussed music, we discussed possible partnerships. He said, you know, whatever they could do to help. Um we do have our community education program.

105Um we shared the example around middle school weight training and the 100 or so kids that participate that way. If that is something that the board would like under option one, it is something that certainly can be explored. It does require people to step up and fill those positions. Jake. Do we Do we need to amend then to add that? If you want to add that, yes. All right. I'll um make a motion to amend to add the elementary club option to option one. Second. >> feature to option one, I should say. I do want to share that with our community ed partnerships that we do have several courses and programs that are run that are not taught by our own staff. So, again, we we can explore our community ed partnerships, not just community

106partnerships, um with people like Ray Gooden and and others. Doesn't have to be taught by a staff member. All right, we have an amendment. We have a motion and a second to add on the club option to option one. Are there any questions or comments? So, we're just voting on the amendment. I do have one more thing, Dale. Yes. So, if we back up just a few slides, um we are adding or, you know, potentially adding a new, I think it would be it was orchestra um to be taught in high school, correct? Potential for new newcomers. In lieu of that, could we not offer fourth grade orchestra instead of that? Without adding staff, if if if we can. No, we we ran um we actually ran a max schedule with all of the numbers,

107with all of the courses offered, with the projected sections, and um at the high school level, that introductory class is really pie in the sky if we are able to do it. Right now, um we we do not think that we will be able to do it at the high school level. That middle school level um introductory course for band is something that we absolutely can do with the co-teaching model. I think it's also really important to note that when we ran that schedule, um we looked at teacher prep time, we looked at travel time that they would have to have between buildings. Um and again, we we did confirm that if we were to stay status quo, we would need additional FTE. And that, in part, was why recommendation number one was put on

108the table from our team. Um our music teachers, I think, also recognize the the significance of their work and their peers, and, you know, Joe spoke to this that if it's not coming out of music, it's coming out of somewhere else. And I think that our music team, again, recognizes that these are departments that they have to work alongside of um that have already had had had um reductions. And so, again, without adding staff, we cannot maintain fourth grade orchestra. Any other questions? Crosby. I know that Tom isn't here tonight to speak to this, but obviously, more cuts are coming, right? I mean, I I I think there's this misunderstanding that this solves the budget, which it does not, and it wasn't necessarily intended to, if I understand that correctly, because we are not cutting

109funds. Right, we're not cutting we're not cutting any teachers, we're not cutting any dollars out of music. So, this does not support the budget reductions that we're doing. And our process has been to look at natural attrition, to look at what can be restructured in departments, um where our student enrollment is, what course selections the secondary students are are picking, um and then that's where we've come forward, plus some other areas with with budgetary reductions. Um but next year, there will be reductions, and the year after that, there will be reductions. So, it's important to note that this it's not a one-and-done. Um you know, until the state funding formula increases, until um we have more younger families in town whose children are going to school at our schools, um you know, this is the

110this is the work that we will have to do. Any other questions or comments? Carolyn. Just have a comment off of the for the pull-out options, because option number one would still have that pull-out lesson in it. And this is speaking from what I've heard from staff, but what I've also heard or have seen. So, I've got both aspects where I've got a student that is very advanced. Having her pulled out of class affects her in no way, shape, or form. She's well ahead, and she can get back into the classroom just fine. It's the she forgot to go down to her lesson. Now, the teacher the band teacher has to call the class, interrupt the class, get her and her friends to go down for band. So, now they all leave. They were all

111set up in groups for a project. Now, groups have to all be rearranged because all the band kids just left. They go down for their lesson, they rejoin the class. Now, the groups that were already set up and messed up have to be reset now that the band kids are back. So, it's not necessarily the band kids. Those kids are usually the ones that are the higher achievers. They can get right back into it, and they're fine. They'll figure it out, they'll catch up. It's every other kid in that classroom that's now been disrupted by having kids in and out of class all day, those little interruptions. So, that's what I've seen, and that's what I've heard. So, it's not necessarily the band kids that are affected by the pull-out and the interruptions. It's every

112other kid in the building that gets interrupted by that. And the teachers. And the teachers, yeah. I think if you look at what has been proposed, if you forward out fast forward out to 27-28, we're looking at doing that for orchestra, and orchestra only. Yeah. Um we're doing that less frequently than we have currently done it. Um so, the number of students that would be going, and the number of times that they would be going, and the times at which students could be pulled, um all of that is changing to try to address that concern, Carolyn. All right. Um I don't disagree with you about the disruption, um but there was work put into getting to that option one presentation. Any other questions or comments? If we find, and I know we had talked about

113this last time with the in the opportunities in the high school not working out, could we then reallocate to the the lower grades? Absolutely, yeah. Oh, sorry, we're not finished. Sorry. >> No, you're good. >> Just ramping up. No. If we find that there is a increased demand for beyond an orchestra, can we then reevaluate and look at potentially adding staff to meet the need? Absolutely. I think that that is currently how we schedule at our secondary level. So, our secondary level, our students choose courses and we want those students in the courses they want to be in, and so we do staff based on that course enrollment. That's why sometimes you do see, right, reductions in some areas and additions in others. Um, I think to your first point, our team is super committed

114to developing those metrics of success that we will bring to you, and through the evaluation of those metrics, we will have to make adjustments depending on, right, what those metrics are telling us, if we're being successful or we're not. And the team is super committed to that. So, we had to put a halt to the high school schedule changes. Mhm. Yep. Any other questions or comments? All right, we have a motion and a second to add the club option to option number one. All those in favor or any more questions or comments on that? All those in favor, say I. I. >> I. All those opposed, say no. No. Motion carries. Who's the no? Is that Eric? Me. Oh, okay. All right, now we have to go back to we're looking for a motion then

115to approve option one with the club option. Motion to approve. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve option one with the addition of the club option. Are there any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor, say I. I. >> I. All those opposed, say no. No. No. No. Roll call, please. All right, who's counting over there? All right. Jason. Yes. Crosby, no. Mike. No. Jake. Yes. Jim. No. Dale. No. Eric. No. Carolyn, no. Craig. Yes. What's the count? Okay. So, that motion is denied. So, we're back to option one or option two on their own. Wait. Right. Yeah, that failed by adding the club option. That failed. >> No, the whole thing failed. Yes, so we're back to option one or just option two. Right, but we wanted the the

116club thing added, I think. Okay, that's >> Yeah. We said yes. Okay. And then we asked everybody to vote on the whole thing with it on there. And it was failed 6-3. So, now we're back to to the original one and two. >> That I noted, yeah. That item's dead. Yes. So, we're back to option one and option two, looking for a motion. I'd like to make a motion that we move forward with option two. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve option two. Any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor to approve option two, say I. I. I. All those opposed, say no. No. >> No. No. Motion carries. I mean, motion doesn't carry. I need a roll call vote. Sorry about that. Jason. No. Crosby, no. Mike. Yes.

117Jake. No. Jim. No. Dale. Yes. Eric. No. Carolyn, yes. Craig. Yes. So, what's that vote? Five no's, four no's. Okay. Okay, option two is off the table. The only thing left is option one. Unless there's an amendment made for option two. We did it. We've already We already amended that. We already amended it, and that's the way it stands. I motion to table this until the May meeting. Second. We have a motion and a second to table this. Any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor of tabling this till next month, say I. I. >> I. All those opposed, say no. No. Motion carries. All right, up next is superintendent's report. So, I want to acknowledge the robotics team 930. They placed fourth in the state and they're heading to the world championships

118in Houston. I'd also like to acknowledge Mr. Ben Warashe for receiving the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs Apple for the Teacher Award. Eagle View will receive a donation of $500 from WFMC in recognition of this. Congratulations, Ben. That's it? That's all. All right. Nothing for president's report. And looking for a motion to adjourn. Make a motion to adjourn. Second. Second. Roll call, please. Jason. Yes. Crosby, yes. Mike. Yes. Jake. Yes. Jim. Yes. Dale. Yes. Eric. No. Carolyn, yes. Craig. Yes. So, what's that vote? What was Five no's, four no's. Okay. Okay, option two is off the table. The only thing left is option one. Unless there's an amendment made for option two. We did it. We've already We already amended that. We already amended it, and that's the way it stands. I motion to table

119this until the May meeting. Second. We have a motion and a second to table this. Any questions or comments? Hearing none, all those in favor of tabling this till next month, say I. I. >> I. All those opposed, say no. No. Motion carries. All right, up next is superintendent's report. So, I want to acknowledge the robotics team 930. They placed fourth in the state and they're heading to the world championships in Houston. like to acknowledge Mr. Ben Warashe for receiving the Wisconsin Federation of Music Clubs Apple for the Teacher Award. Eagle View will receive a donation of $500 from WFMC in recognition of this. Congratulations, Ben. That's it? That's all. All right. Nothing for president's report. And looking for a motion to adjourn. Make a motion to adjourn. Second. Second. Roll call, please. Jason. Yes.

120Crosby, yes. Mike. Yes. Jake. Yes. Jim. Yes. Dale. Yes. Eric. No. Carolyn, yes. Craig. Yes.