Committee of the Whole/School Board Meeting

001Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. Thank you. All right, uh Crosby, would you do roll call, please? Uh Jason? Is virtual. Uh Crosby here, Mike is virtual, Jake. Here. Jim. Here. Dale. Here. Eric. Here. Carolyn. Here, Craig. Here. This is an open meeting and it has been posted. Please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. Do you want me to time you? All right, up first we have our student report. Except I'm going to turn There we go. I'm going to hand it over >> [music] >> Now I'm afraid. >> [laughter] >> I'm going to hand it over to the students right away and they'll introduce themselves, but I do want to say that um I asked them to collect the information they were going to present at this time and I asked them to present

002to the board things that we don't necessarily think uh the community or the board always gets to hear about. Tom or I mean uh Andy is going to be here um probably pretty soon to present the athletic update um and activities update for the winter season and so I asked them to stay away from that topic um as we'll be getting an update later. So, Awesome, thank you. If you scoot those microphones away from the main microphone, that may be what's causing all that feedback. There we go. We're ready. Okay, so we're going to start off with Key Club, which is the Oh, wait. Sorry. I'm Evelyn Chakalis and I'm a junior. I'm Jayden Cajal and I'm a sophomore. And I'm Dolly Walsh and I'm also a sophomore. I'm going to stop just 1 second.

003If any of the parents want to come up here and film this or take a recording, you're more than welcome to come on up here and do so. All right, go ahead. Thank you. Um I'm going to start with Key Club. This is our volunteer club at MHS and they do various various events. So, they've done um an end of cancer party. They do food packaging um and they also do bulletin boards throughout the MHS and they'll help out at elementary schools. And this year we have 148 members and so far we have um just over 1,300 hours served across those 148 members. All right, I'm going to do HOSA. This year we have 53 members of HOSA who qualified for state making Mukwonago one of the schools with the highest number number of participants

004at the state level. The state for HOSA will be April 8th or April 8th. Oh, HOSA is um a medical medical club at school that kids who are interested in that field can take. The Mukwonago High School National Honor Society is currently supporting 72 active members and they must maintain a 3.25 GPA and or higher and uphold the four pillars of National Honor Society which are scholarship, service, leadership, and character. They Recently the National Honor Society sold t-shirts to fund sponsorships for veterans. They ended up raising approximately $2,300 for the Stars and Stripes Honor Flight. Next up is our Christmas Clearing Council. This is a committee on student government that each year will give gifts to family in the Waukesha County area in need of gifts for the holidays. This year we did 15 kids

005for a total of three families. Um blood drive is also a committee we have in our student government and at the last last blood drive we hosted on January 16th, we had 34 successful donations and our next blood drive will be at the high school on Tuesday, March 17th. And our main goals for the next blood drive are to increase the number of student donors by instituting student government sponsored initiatives. We are also working on involving more community member donations. Um this is our AMP club which is the Academy of Medical Professions. Recently took licensed high school students to vision screen elementary schools at all Mukwonago elementary schools except for Eagle Elementary and three Waterford elementary schools. Uh AMP had to partner with Waterford due to the fact that there were so many seniors this

006year that they needed more schools to accommodate the high the high number of licensed students. Students take a class in their junior year to become certified in vision screening and then during their senior year they take a field trip to actually screen the elementary students. So this year we had students from Costa Rica come over to speak to our students in Spanish five and compare Costa Rican students' days, school days compared to ours. And then they after that they toured our school with some of our Spanish five students. Next up we did night on Broadway which is the annual choir fundraiser. There were 150 choir students involved this year and we raised approximately $12,000 for the MHS choir department. Next we had the 24-hour musical which is our Mukwonago Fine Arts Booster fundraiser. There was

007170 students involved this year and it's an annual fundraiser. This theme this year was Addams Family and they raised $17,000 for MFAB. Last week we had a Mukwonago High School band concert on Tuesday, March 3rd and a orchestra concert on Thursday March 5th. The next band concert will be on Wednesday May 13th at 7:00 p.m. and the next orchestra concert will be on Tuesday May 12th also at 7:00 p.m. In the first weekend of February, Mock Trial went to the state courthouse to the regional competition. This year we saw our Mock Trial team make significant growth from our um performance last year. We got some perfect scores on witness presentation and cross-examinations, and we're very excited for our upcoming season, and we expect to have even more growth and maybe even a placement. Um the

008Watauga High School Model UN hosted their second annual Model UN conference on Friday, January 9th. This year we had two committees, one focusing on crisis and problem-solving, and the other on foreign intervention and conflicts. Over 50 students attended from across five schools. This year 13 students took the official national German exam, and nine of those 13 students earned an award of their of recognition. So, we had four students receive a certificate for performance. Those students were Jenna Keeling, uh Eddie Rajasekhar, Rosen Cortez Rodriguez, and Zach Butcher. And then we had five students receive a bronze medal, and those students were Aaron Johnson, Nolan Richards, Ethan Sherbarth, Rowan Klein, and Rena Jellish. And these students showed exceptional scores and growth on their German performance. The senior biomedical innovation students presented their projects that they have been

009developing since November. These students collaborated with professionals in the healthcare field to help with their resources, and then on last Thursday, March 5th, they presented them to healthcare professionals, families, and guests. So, this year for our pre ACT and ACT, for the pre ACT, we had 88 students take the pre ACT this year. 17 of those students took a quarter long pre ACT class. The main ACT is tomorrow for the juniors, and our scores previously were on a 7-year decline, but now we are on a 2-year increase with our average score last year being a 21.9. Our AP Human Geography class took a field trip um to explore different religious sanctuaries. They visited them um sorry for butchering this, the Maza Al Noor Islamic Center and Mosque, and the Congregation Shalom Synagogue, St. Josaphat Catholic

010Basilica, and the restaurant Cafe India Bar and Grill. And then, finally, our local history students took a field trip to some local elementary schools to teach Mukwonago students about um the history of Mukwonago. This These lessons were led by MHS students and were interactive and involved not only the elementary students, but also allowed the MHS students to be involved in their studies. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Does anybody have any questions or comments? Great job. Really good. Thank you for sharing all the amazing things going on at the high school. Up next, we have citizens comments. Oh, no. No, I think we missed something, right? Oh, we have presentations. The administrative board process approval. Thank you. Tom, are you able to pull that up? All right. Um So, a couple questions came in as

011to how do things arrive at the board, and then what's the process for approval at the board? Um so, just want to take everybody through just kind of a general overview. We, as a school district, cover any number of things. We get ideas and suggestions that come in uh from community, from board members, from staff, from families, from students. All of those are developed through a process and ultimately that process leads to the board if it is a substantial programmatic change, programmatic ad, there's a large budget allocation for it. We all always bring that forward through to the board. Next slide, please, Tom. So, just how do we get there? Again, we we start with staff members and administrators, students, parents and community members, board members, state and federal agencies. We can't forget that the

012the governmental agencies do like to tell us what we need to do in certain aspects. When those are are handed down to us, we usually bring folks together, almost always bring folks together unless it's one of those have to type things where we have staff and student impact that we look at. We look at the budgetary impact. We look at time allocations, how much time of our our school year or our school day. Recently, Act 20 came through at the state level, which was the literacy. That was passed at the state level, the science of reading, great approach. But we had to look at what does that mean then for our school district as we go forward with the implementation of that. And then what policy implications do we have? Does the idea fit within

013our current policy or does that require us to become to the board and change a policy internally so that we can address something? Next slide, please. So, when we talked about policies, policies are the board approved guardrails that I would say that we as a school district need to operate in. Um policies I would say come into the have to's and these are the state and federal law changes or the the dictates that we get from the Department of Instruction or the Department of Education. And then there are policy should do's. So, these reflect kind of best practices across K-12 systems and we work with a policy service called Neola. Uh they really stay on top of a lot of policy changes. They work across, I think it's seven or eight states right now. Um

01414 or 1500 school districts. So, they take all of their experience and say, "You guys should consider doing this." We also have policy changes that come locally. Um for instance, if there's something that we do need to adapt to in our district, um I would still put categories those under the should do. It's important to note that regardless of the type of change, policy changes follow at least a two school board meeting requirement. We go to the committee of the whole with policies first, and then a school board meeting. As the board knows, over the last couple of years, we've gotten a large batch of policies from Neola. We work through those what those recommendations could be, and those policies are generally on the agendas for several months uh before we go. We give everybody

015an opportunity to take a look at them, to review them, ask questions, refine them, and then we move them forward for uh ultimate approval by the board, or ultimate action by the board. Next slide, please. So, when we get ideas, um these ideas, I mean, they come through email, through conversation, through uh um our teachers and our teacher team meetings. Um they're shared with us, you know, in a variety of sources. Um we make sure that those are aligned with our strategic objectives, and that they're developed by teacher and administrator teams. I mean, an idea is not not that there's a bad idea, but we have to be able to take a look at what does that idea mean for us from a curricular impact, a budgetary impact, or a facility impact. And then again,

016we come to the board, and we do that at at least one committee of the whole meeting, and then we move forward to a board meeting for approval. Sometimes, you'll see ideas on the committee of the whole over several months. Next slide, please. So, a couple of ideas, just a a case study. Um when the uh high school was under its remodel between 2016 and 2018, one of the key areas of focus in that high school remodel was our career and technical education areas. Um teams got together, local businesses, the Department of Public Instruction. They really DPI really placed an emphasis um on CTE at that time. We also looked at what our student interest was. Um these teams provided input in on these offerings, what spaces were needed, what industry skills we were trying

017to target. And then over multiple cycles, these courses came forward to the board and they they've come forward to the board until recently um as to what do we want to implement in schools. Next slide, please. We seek feedback. Uh we hear this feedback through surveys, through meetings, uh through listening to our families, uh through our board members, our community members, and our students. Those ideas are refined and then we continue that cycle of feedback as we go forward until we get to a place where we can present to the board. After it's presented to the board again, we get more feedback um to the place where we feel we've got a good final product that we are recommending for approval at or recommending for action at a later meeting date. Next slide, please. While

018these ideas come from various sources, the path of the board is consistent. Uh so we provide our school board uh with weekly updates. Um these updates reflect our progress um on a variety of topics or just kind of a general snapshot of what's going on in the district. Um we've done a lot of updates on the project that's going on next door. We go to the Committee of the Whole. Um our administration recommends items for presentation, questions, and discussion. This is the first step as we more move towards approval on a topic. And then we have we go to a board meeting for action. The difference between a board meeting and a Committee of the Whole meeting is the committee is where a lot of the discussion and then happens. This is where the board

019asks administrators for further refinement, asks additional questions, talks about the topic, and and ultimately gives us administratively direction as to where we need to go. The board meeting is the action meeting then at some point in the future where an item is is is acted upon. Tom, could you please There we go. So, long-term structural timelines. It's important to note that we're we've had a couple recently. While we are in the construction phase of Parkview, that was first discussed at a finance committee in December of 2017. So, the board first heard and identified that Parkview was going to be an area of work for us in in December of 2017. That took 7 years to go from idea, identifying it, through refinement, through ultimately a successful referendum to do the project. Similarly, the instructional program

020for the school, we began that work in the fall of '25. Um our hope is to have a suitable structure for the new middle school to the board by June of '26. So, essentially a full school year's worth of work on the instructional program at the middle school. Again, two meeting approval process. So, the those other topics, the school as well as the instructional program will be on the board agenda over multiple months. But, it's a minimum of two meetings before the board takes final action on a topic. And then we do have some exceptions to that, and one of those is like personnel changes. So, if we have hires, retirements, resignations, we do have action each week on those, and we're making recommendations so that we can maintain operations. If we have a teacher

021resign, we conduct a successful search for that teacher. We want to be able to get that teacher in place as soon as possible. Does the board have any questions on this? How normal of a process is it before when you get these ideas like behind the scenes? Can you explain that cuz there's been a lot of questions because what our administrators do the work behind the scenes before they address it to the board, how much work is involved in that? >> Sure. So, there's a lot of research that takes place on the idea. We want to make sure that when we have clarity on what those ideas are, that we have an understanding um in some areas what is what is recommended best practice. Um those ideas are developed over periods of months um and

022in some cases years. Angela has come forward um on a couple of cycles now for curriculum. Um we have a board approved curriculum approval cycle and there's a lot of work around um uh research around what is that next step for curriculum. What is the research that goes into texts. Uh we work with our teachers through pilots in those areas and our teacher teams and our coaching teams to develop that curriculum. So, we have a product that is not a done product by the time we get it to you as a board, but a product that is something that we feel you can look at, give us feedback on, ask questions of just so that there's something to to start with there. We're using our expertise in a variety of fields to to give you

023ideas to go off of to give you a starting point. So, all that work is normal. All of it is normal. All right. Any other questions or comments? All right. Thank you. >> Thank you. All right. Up next we have citizens comments. Good evening. Ooh. Uh 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 the community members during the citizens comments section of the meeting. Excuse me. Each speaker will have 3 minutes to make her his or her comments. We'll signal you when you're at the 2 and 1/2 minute mark. Actually, Carolyn will do that tonight. To begin to wrap up your comments, we expect all speakers to honor the time limit, refrain from using

024inappropriate language, and be respectful in their comments. Citizens who do do not meet these expectations may be prohibited from speaking at future board / committee meetings. Speakers are to address the board, not the audience. The school board does not endorse any comments made by members of the community here tonight. We would like to remind you, our community members, of the impact of their words on others, and our children are watching. We commit to listening to you in a respectful manner, and ask that you do the same. We expect the audience will be respectful to 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 suspend citizens' comments. Please note that no obstructions

025can be created between the board and the audience. Visual aids cannot be used in the area behind the speaker will be cleared during public comment. Also, to respect our speakers and meeting participants, please silence your cell phones. Thank you. Uh first up, Evelyn. Ellen Seeley, thank you. Ellen. Hello. I've already introduced myself, but I'd like to add on to my introduction that I've been playing trombone since fifth grade in the Mequon to Go district. Removing band and orchestra programs from our elementary schools would take away from one of the most important entry points of music education. These years are when students first develop discover instruments and develop an interest that can last through middle school, high school, and beyond. If students are forced to wait till later grades, they simply just may never start. Early

026exposure matters because learning an instrument takes time and commitment, and beginning in elementary school allows students to build those skills gradually and confidently. Music programs also grow academic success. Studies consistently show that students develop stronger discipline, focus, and problem-solving skills. Reading music strengthens pattern recognition and math-related thinking, while practicing an instrument teaches persistence and time management. Students also score on average two points higher on their ACT when they're involved in a music program. Beyond academics, band and orchestra give students a sense of belonging. Not every child connects with sports or traditional classroom activities. But music builds a collaborative environment where students can express themselves and feel proud of their accomplishments. Performing together teaches teamwork, responsibility, and listening to others. Qualities that are fantastic to develop in our young students. Finally, if our district wants to

027call themselves a destination district, we should be expanding opportunities, not reducing them. Arts programs are one of the things that attract families to a school system. Cutting band and orchestra programs sends a message that the arts are simply put on the back burner in this district. Our AP computer science program is being sunsetted, and the German program used to be on the chopping block. If McGonagall continues to cut programs, they're sending a message that enrichment and exploration are expendable rather than essential. A person who's been in our band As a person who's been in our band program, our jazz band, our marching band, our blues suit program, I would be I would not be the musician I am today if it were not for those two crucial years where I developed the skills and that

028I needed to grow to grow to my maximum potential as a musician. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Thanks. Uh next up, uh Sharon Miley. >> [clears throat] >> Hi. I've been listening to the February board meetings, and when I think I >> Sharon, can you talk into the microphone, please? Thank you. Been listening to the February board meetings, I heard discussions about charts and graphs explaining why we would be understaffed in the music department um once the new middle school would open. What can be done? I find it concerning this wasn't talked about prior to approving the $4 million project for the music rooms in the new middle school. Or was it? I know there were meetings on whether or not to move sixth graders into the new school. At no time did

029anyone say we will need to make changes to the music program staffing. All the planning, budgeting, and staffing would not have taken place at that time. Um in the screenshots I saw, she explained the information quite clearly. It appears the changes will have to be made. We have heard no nearby We have heard other nearby communities have gone to this. It doesn't mean that this is where we need to go. If this type of information was available to us a year or two ago, maybe groups from our community or parents and students could have formed community groups to get ideas put together and help with other options. I heard a board member question if making seventh grade an elective could possibly fix the numbers. The PowerPoints in January indicated suggestions of making eighth grade an

030elective. I also heard suggestions to move to a before-school music program. That would definitely be unfair and would exclude kids as many parents can't get to their children to school for that format. I thought I also heard fourth grade would be eliminated already this upcoming year. I'm not sure if that is correct, but I'm not understanding why there's no change yet at our schools. Since I don't have children in school any longer, I am not up to speed on all the curriculum. I can only base my concerns and experiences that I had with my son. About 25 years ago my son needed reading assistance in grade school. He couldn't get the help he needed because the grade school didn't have enough reading specialists available. We were left to figure it out on our own for

031a few years. We were told about the wonderful specialized program he would experience once in middle school. Well, grade school is when he should have had that help, not seventh or eighth grade. Maybe that has been addressed since then, but it's another example of kids in our grade schools paying the price for what decisions are being made. The silver lining in our case was he had orchestra. The break from the regular classroom was good for him. He was learning in a different way. He gained >> 30 seconds. and in himself and he did quite well in orchestra. I think we're left in the dark and it's way too late in this game to implement changes before the June vote. We can't meet We can't keep taking away from our grade school kids. We need to

032help them succeed as early as we can. Thank you. To- Tommy Jimenez. Good evening. My name is Tommy Jimenez and I am an eighth-grade student at PVMS. I started playing the viola in fourth grade at Perry Elementary. In the now 5 years I've been playing viola, I've had many opportunities to grow and improve my skills. I believe that the early foundation of music in elementary school has led directly to my success and diverse accomplishments. Because of my involvement at an early age and Ms. Sekiguchi's encouragement, I was able to audition and was accepted in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra at the age of 12. I participated for several years and have continued to grow as a musician. This year for solo and ensemble, I'm attempting an A-class solo with the hopes of going to state.

033I'm 14 years old. This is something that I cannot imagine if imagine attempting if I had not been given the early exposure to music in elementary school. I love playing the viola. There were many days in elementary school where playing the viola was the highlight of my day. I hate to think that younger students will not be able to have the opportunities that I did. I hope you consider prioritizing the music programs in elementary school and thank you for listening. Thank you. Congrats. Dan- Danielle Danielle Gordon. >> I'd like to begin with a real-life anecdotal example of music statistics using our district. Three of the four students on my son's Reading Rumble team, the Dogs, who went to the district competition just recently, are in elementary band for both fifth and sixth grade school years.

034The students play the trumpet, trombone, and saxophone. Anyone can clearly see the correlation between band and success in reading. Will this reading enrichment program be cut too because it disrupts the regular classroom schedule? Band and orchestra lessons are not the only disruption. My sixth grader is also a Cougar Coach at Clarendon. He misses class weekly for this leadership program in which he leads games for third grade students at recess, promotes good sporting behavior, and is a role model. This is his second year in this leadership program in addition to band. And no teacher has contacted us with concerns about him missing class. Will this enrichment opportunity be eliminated as well? Will all enrichment opportunities for our excelling students be cut? >> [clears throat] >> Another disruption to the classroom schedule is monthly assemblies. These assemblies

035aren't educational speakers, but rather the time is filled with minute-to-win-it games. While the majority of the students sit and watch rather than participate. Sixth grade students are not required to attend assemblies. Instead, they can vote as a class to have a study hall. If assemblies aren't required for all, then they aren't necessary and are wasting class time. My solution would be that assemblies can be reduced to once a trimester and be more education driven. Next, I'd like to talk about budget and a suggestion for rate sizing ours. >> [clears throat] >> According to our 2021-22 fiscal year, our administration numbers was at 338.51 and the teachers were at 319.71. I question the board to look at what the ideal ratio of administration to student should be and compare us to other districts, state, and national.

036Also during COVID, our district decided to use funds for counseling, psychology, and speech and language impairment with additional staff. Are these additional staffing positions being retained without the continuation of COVID funding? I suggest we right-size our budget by looking at optimized staff roles and reducing non-classroom positions. How can our school district claim to put students first if they are considering cutting existing programs? Cutting opportunities for enrichment is not part of an vision that puts students first. Finally, thank you to the school board members that responded to my email when I invited you to the recent concert, regardless if you could attend. Deal, Caroline, Jake, and Mike, I appreciate your common courtesy of at least responding to my email. >> 3 minutes. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Steph Steph Merkel. Hello, my name is

037Steph Merkel. Um I reached out to several members of the board. I had the opportunity to meet with Joe recently. So, today I would like to actually read a letter from an alumnus who graduated in 2011 named um Dr. Nicholas Byzak instead of you hearing my concerns again. Um it says, "Dear distinguished Board of Directors, I write to you with gratitude for the opportunity that MASD gave me 26 years ago through elementary music education. These days I live in New York City working as the director of growth marketing for the New York Philharmonic, the oldest professional orchestra in the United States. My [snorts] story of opportunity Sorry. My story of opportunity began in the fourth grade at MASD when I decided to take up the viola after watching my sister perform in high school. In

038the fourth grade you have a nascent sense of what it is to be human and even more germinal, what a sense of community could be. Yet music music always gave me this community both in the early ages of my life and in my career I enjoy today. MASD taught me and many others the collaborative power of making music together. While I personally followed music education to its fullest and earned a doctoral degree in music composition, pursuing music as a career is a moot point. Instead, it is the investment in collaborative learning through creativity which matters most, especially at an early age. Music is fundamental to the success of students. I need not cite the many studies which show this. Instead, I ask you to consider my story. I'm a Mukwonago boy who forged his purpose

039and career from being exposed to music early on. Music teach Music teaches problem solving at a fundamental level. How do I make this thing make that sound? How do I make my sound blend into the community sound? How do I fit in? How do I fit in? Music teaches this and from the very beginning. Keeping early music education is an investment for the community. Kids living in Mukwonago today need a sense of collaboration toward a common goal and music directly fills the lacuna in a world that is divided and difficult to navigate. >> [snorts] >> Mukwonago is growing. To keep growing, consider that prospective home buyers with beginning families are looking for the best communities possible. Mukwonago has been especially attractive for the education it provides. Early music education is an investment that pays dividends,

040not only for the families the community will continue to attract as future taxpayers, but from the potential of young Mukwonagoans to gain the foundation to become the best and brightest future collaborative community leaders. Allow [snorts] me to share one way music changed my life. I wrote recently for the United States Air Force Band of the Golden West. This honor was one I'd never have dreamt of without growing up in Mukwonago with the support of my own musical outlet that my teachers provided. 3 minutes. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Do we know if those mics on there are causing a feedback? If they are, could we move those? You tell me where the mixer is, I'll fix it. You can tell me where the mixer is. >> [clears throat] >> Okay, go ahead, Craig. Sorry. Uh

041next up, as we fix some issues, uh Steven, Steven Prosen. Can you hear me okay? Yes. >> Okay. Hello, my name is Steven Prosen. I currently have two children in the district in third and fifth grade. I am here to speak out about the absurd decision of eliminating the fourth and fifth grade band and orchestra programs. I grew up in the area and have always known this district to be an exceptional and destination for the surrounding areas. That is why my wife and I moved our family here so our children would receive an amazing education and have opportunities they wouldn't have in other districts. Part of what makes Mequon-Thiensville a flagship of excellence is great academics, but also superb programs, including our music, band, and orchestra. The taxpayers of this community have listened to the

042needs of this board and administration when it comes time for upgrades to our schools. It is time that these same bodies listen to the people who cherish this beautiful program. I've heard the argument of the administration that there would be no hiring to accommodate the new middle school. But had it been transparent you would take away programs in order to achieve your goals, I for one would have voted against it. I recently sat in our beautiful Green Wall Center for the Performing Arts watching a group of 20 or more fourth-grade kids from just one of our six elementary schools during that performance. Or excuse me, during that performance I saw students demonstrating confidence, discipline, dedication, and excellence as a result of this program. And now you want to take that away. In an age where

043our kids don't get a break from screens at home or in schools, you propose cutting one of the healthiest outlets for a young mind. Not everyone is or wants to be an athlete, and we are crushing the chance for early exposure to something that can have lifelong benefits for these students. With that being said, I have serious questions for this board that has always been a hallmark of fiscal responsibility. Many districts cut their art and music programs when they are having internal financial issues. I have questions for the board about several financial items. One, upon the completion of the middle school, the 4K programs will be moving to the elementary schools. Where is the money that has been paid out or part to the partner 4K sites? Where is that money being reallocated out of

044the budget to? Two, there the position of assistant superintendent by my research has never been part of our district. So, why now? By all measures, our district has been shrinking. So, why do we need to add new administration to govern our district? And three, in the last 2 years there have been >> 30 seconds. several large raises given to administration. Raises but that by my research total $25,000 and $23,779. If we're able how is it okay to create unneeded administrative positions and hand out huge raises while cutting beloved programs for our children? If funding is the issue with keeping our elementary school music program, we need to look no further than the reckless use of taxpayer money by this board or our administration. Thank you. Thank you. Uh Chris Chris Noack, please. Good evening. I

045expect we'll hear from many parents tonight about the importance of instrumental music opportunities for our elementary students. As a former high school band director for nearly a decade, I can cite a plethora of research on the benefits of music education for young learners. I'm also the father of a kindergartner and a second grader in the district. So, these decisions are deeply personal to me both as an educator and a parent. But because of the time limit, I want to speak about this topic through the lens of school district priorities and governance. Since 2020, the Mequon-Thiensville School District has added four full-time administrative positions in a district of fewer than 6,000 students. During that same period, total administrative salaries and benefits increased from roughly $2.46 million to over $3.4 million, nearly a $1 million increase. According

046to the Wisconsin DPI searchable database, the annual salaries and benefits alone for these newly created administrative positions are over half a million dollars. At the same time, we're being told music programs must be restructured to keep staffing neutral. Yet, there has been little transparency at both the district administrative level and board level about why this is necessary, what data supports it, or how this administrative growth directly benefits students. I had the opportunity to participate in a town hall with Elon Musk this past year. In response to a question I asked, he said, "Quote, I'm a huge fan of teachers. If you look at the total number of teachers per student, that number has stayed fairly flat. But, the total number of administrators per student has grown dramatically. There's something wrong with that picture if massive

047amounts of money are being spent not on teachers, but on the administration of education. That doesn't make sense to me. End quote." That really hits home. The problem in our district isn't just music programs, it's a mindset. When administrative layers expand faster than instructional resources, and when decisions are made without transparency, the system acts asks students to sacrifice so the organization can sustain itself. That thinking, district-wide and at the board level, needs to change. Board members have talked repeatedly about making Mequon to go a destination district. We don't do that by building fancy facilities while minimizing programs and staffing that makes school meaningful, human, and whole for kids. Elementary band and orchestra are essential. They're not nice to have. Families in the community deserve transparency, accountability, and leadership that puts students first. Even after a

048nearly 1/10 of a billion-dollar referendum to build a new school, which asked tax taxpayers to invest in facilities, not operations, we are now facing discussions about minimizing opportunities for our youngest learners. If leadership cannot clearly explain how new construction priorities align with student-facing programs, we have to ask, "Where are our priorities, exactly?" Asking for more money, lacking transparency about what it will mean for staffing, and then minimizing opportunities for students is not how we build a destination district. If program reductions become necessary, the place to start is with administrative growth and spending over the last 5 years, not with opportunities that shape our students' education. Student programs should always come first. Thank you for your time this evening. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Jason Jason Jason Schwafel You guys, we really need to move the

049meeting along. Please keep that to a very minimum. Thank you. My name is Jason Schwafel. I am a resident of Mukwonago. However, my children are out of the public school system. But this was one uh school district we were looking at when considering open enrollment. My uh youngest started playing guitar uh in first grade uh private lessons, which we were fortunate to be able to afford. Not all families are. Then she started viola in second or third grade. I don't remember exactly when. Um MYSO for the viola uh in fourth grade, which is the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, one of the preeminent after school orchestra programs in the country. Excuse me. In uh fifth grade, um she started the uh viola at 12. And uh a couple years later, she was in accepted to MYSO

050for both the oboe and the viola. So, playing two different instruments. And her She played it so well at the start, her private oboe teacher was a principal oboist for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and a professor of music at UW-Milwaukee. This has been extremely beneficial for her at her early grade school ages in this development. It uh supported music, it supported reading, it motivated her to do better. Um recently, the Waterford Orchestra uh program for grades 4 through 8 has been eliminated in a closed door meeting. There was a new orchestra room that they built last summer. Uh so uh in in that vein, I'd like to thank the Mukwonago School District Board for having this as an open meeting as is required. Closed-door meetings, while they do have their purpose for privacy uh and

051student information, HR, etc., generally speaking, a closed-door meeting at best case is un- ethical and antithetical to open meetings, and at worst is smells of corruption, to be honest. So, thank you again for being open. Uh with that being said, with the orchestra program being eliminated, even now, more than ever, Mukwonago can be a destination district for uh families that are looking to move to this area, and they want a music program. Waterford is no longer uh something that would be on their list. And we should also make sure >> that we prioritize STEAM and not just STEM, with the A being for arts. Arts are creative outlet that go hand-in-hand with technical and uh mathematical and the other uh STEM disciplines that we all know, and some of those, as I've heard, have been

052eliminated, but it prepares students for a great future. Thank you. Thank you. And Angie Angie Jelich? I want to start by acknowledging something positive in the update the district shared this week. The music-related presentation begins to define the problems being addressed, the intended goals, and the metrics that will be used to evaluate success. That is a constructive step forward. However, the problem statements themselves still appear to rely largely on assumptions. For example, the presentation suggests that pullout lessons create inconsistency in the student experience and that classroom teachers struggle to make up lost learning. Those may be concerns worth examining, but no data, quantitative or qualitative, was presented to demonstrate that those issues actually exist at scale. In fact, we've heard far more of the opposite and therefore, if anecdotal evidence suffices, then these problem statements

053should be removed as unsupported. So, let's focus on the fact that increasing participation in high school music programs, a goal that has not been achieved by other districts that have made a similar change, is one of the presentation's stated goals. When I chose this as the destination district for my now graduating senior, the primary reason was because there was both an early band and an early orchestra program, and I wanted my daughter to have the option to take advantage of those opportunities. And she did. By all accounts, she's the first MASD student ever to perform in the top ensembles of band, orchestra, and choir. And my daughter's academic achievements are many, a National Merit Finalist, a perfect ACT score, a Presidential Scholar nominee, and she was just referenced twice in the earlier student update. But

054those achievements do not stand out when compared to applicants at the top colleges in the country. Still, she was just admitted to the number two biomedical engineering program in the country. The number one program's results are not out yet. Despite having absolutely no engineering background, no robotics team, no engineering club, the only remotely related class is the one you just heard about she's taking this year, biomedical innovations. Then what set her apart? Well, she has eight years of instrumental music in this district. Her music achievements are equally significant, and there is no way I can reasonably decouple her success in all academic related area areas from music participation. If anyone believes that one of the most prestigious biomedical engineering programs in the world does not value the discipline, cognitive development, and sustained commitment that come

055from high-level music education, then we need to rethink what we believe about how students become successful. So, my only question to the board tonight is simple. How do the proposed models strengthen the early pipeline that leads students into these fiscally responsible programs that breed high-achieving students? And how do the models encourage continued participation over time, which again is a stated goal of the up- upcoming presentation? Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Shaw, Cardillo Cardillo? Is it Shaw Shaw Shaw Cardillo? Sam? >> [clears throat] >> First, I'd like to apologize for not being here last month. Uh I had work to do, so I had to be out of state. But, uh last time I was here, I kind of just um you know, left it all out here on the table. Heart on the

056sleeve, passion in my heart for my children, for the children of this community. Um but I had a few questions. So, I went back, was looking at some of the videos, reading some of the agenda, and one would be the steering committee. You know, when the steering committee is counting these fourth and fifth graders, are they counting them twice? Cuz my daughter both daughters, actually, were both in band and orchestra. When they went into sixth grade, they had to choose one, and they were done with the other. So, these numbers that show dramatic drop-off, is that factual, or is that for each kid, or is that for one kid in both both programs? Okay? The second thing is peer pressure has a lot to do with these kids dropping out of band. That's just a

057fact. That's just the way it is. Both of my girls have been bullied in seventh grade. Both of them have come out fine. And they continue, but a lot of that a lot of that stuff carries on to other kids. Both boys and girls. So are a lot of these band members dropping out. The 13 and 15-year-old were supposed to be sitting here with me tonight, but it's 70° and their bike got tires where aired up, so they decided not to come. Um but they talked about, you know, the peer pressure in school and why they drop out of band. It's not really that they get bored with it. They love it. But, you know, they're they're pressured to play baseball, join football, whatever. I don't think that we have the full picture of why

058these kids are dropping out of these classes as they get older. But the one thing I will challenge the steering committee and this board is why don't we figure out a way to keep the program instead of trying to figure out a way to get rid of it. Simple. Put the steering committee in charge of keeping this program in place. You want a golf tournament? I'll lead the golf tournament. That'll put money in the pocket. Whatever. But let's let's move in a different direction. Let's try to figure out a way to keep the program and how we build money for the program. There's over 250 students signed up for football every year since 2021. 40 seconds. Let's figure out how we just keep 100 kids or 50 kids or 40 kids and make one life

059one life make a difference. I read that I read that letter from the doctor in New York. Beautiful. That was one man, one changed life that this school district did. Proud of that. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Uh Marlina Marli- Marlina Warner. Good evening. My name is Marlina Warner and I go to Prairie Marlina, can you talk in the microphone a little more, please? Thank you. My name is Marlina Warner and I go to Prairie View Elementary. I am in sixth grade and I have been in band for two years and just joined orchestra on piano this year. I'm here to talk about the possible band and orchestra cuts. If you are looking for more numbers by cutting fourth and fifth instrumental music, that is not correct. As kids get older, they are less likely

060to try new things due to social anxiety, a fear of failure, and less confidence. Music, however, builds confidence and builds strong friendships. Also, music speeds up brain development in kids. They are usually smarter than their peers in not in music, even with missed classes. We are also pulled out of band and orchestra for school work sometimes. Thank you for letting me speak. Have a good night and I hope you might change your mind about cutting music in a crucial time of children's lives. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Uh Josh Josh Warner. Good evening. After reviewing the presentation that will be shared tonight, I would like to focus on one simple question. And I I posed this to to Joe when we met a few weeks ago. What problem are we actually are to solve? In

061the slides, several things were listed as problems. Sixth grade moving to the middle school, K4 coming to the elementary buildings, the district spending about 1.5 million on music, concerns about pullout lessons, and a goal to increase participation in high school music. But, those are not the same issue. Some are structural changes, some are financial observations, some are complaints, and one is a long-term goal. What we have not seen, and what I've asked this board uh either last month or in January, is data that clearly shows that the current elementary music program is failing students. For example, the presentation that we will see tonight mentions concerns about pullout lessons disrupting classroom learning. As we've heard said from several speakers tonight, this is a serious claim, but I would respectfully ask, what data supports that? Not just

062the claim, but what data? Has the district studied academic outcomes of students who participate in instrumental music? Has it compared grades or achievement between music students and non-music students? Or are we making a system-wide decision based largely on anecdotal concerns? Because without evidence, that becomes speculation. Another point I found interesting is the regional comparison slide. When we look at some of the highest performing districts listed in the slides this evening, many of them actually begin instrumental instruction earlier, not later. Whitefish Bay begins orchestra in fourth grade. Elmbrook begins band and orchestra in fourth grade. Mequon begins band in fourth grade. Those districts consistently rank among the strongest academic systems in our region. So, if our benchmark districts are introducing music earlier, we should ask why Mequonago would move in the opposite direction. Finally, the presentation

063states that one of the district's goals is to increase participation in high school music programs. Research and decades of music education experience shows something very consistent. Students who begin earlier are far more likely to stay involved longer. Reducing access in fourth and fifth grade risks weakening the very pipeline that leads to strong high school programs. 30 seconds. >> I fully support thoughtful change when supported by clear evidence. But before removing opportunities for hundreds of students, we should be able to clearly demonstrate that the current program is not working. Right now, the evidence presented that will be presented tonight does not show that. McQuinnago has built something special in its music programs over the years. My hope is that any decisions moving forward will be guided by clear data, long-term thinking, and the best interests of

064the students who will benefit from these opportunities every day. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Kristen Kristen Westmeier Kristen Good evening. I have two school-age boys. Um they are currently in a different district, but we had originally come here with the um positive components of music. My background is I'm a composer, performer, and I also I'm an instrumentalist, and I compose music. Just got back from LA for movies. So, I have a strong music but my roots go back on a personal level to when I started music at age 3, and I performed in Carnegie Hall at age 17. So, I know the roots of music, and as I've been a teacher, I've had multiple parents come back and say um positive components teaching young children even how to compose music, and in addition

065to seeing children pulled out of depression that even with clinical um counseling and various things, it's music that has honestly put them so where they're grounded. And so, I have, um, the same concerns as a lot of the others, so I don't want to repeat what's already been said. But I agree with the statements when it comes to looking at our funding. When we look at the funding, we have to look at the whole, um, systematic picture. We can't just look at one pic- one item and pick it up and act like that's the only square of the quilt that has to be replaced or removed and everything's fine, because that's not fine. If we're not getting anything figured out financially, who's to say what is going to be cut next? So, let's get to

066the root of the problem. Where is the funding issue? And let's try and stay grounded though for the children. When I look at music, I know from my background, um, it's really important, even I have a background also as a nurse for 25 years in in public health. So, seven college degrees later, um, I um, really come back to music for one reason. Well, let me say one more thing. Sorry, I sidetracked tangent, but CDC even says now, after my master's in public health, I'm back to music and here's the reason why. Music is really what helps everyone stay grounded and rooted from chronic stress. Chronic stress is something that lasts our whole lives. It starts when we're young and it goes all the way up through elderly. And it's one thing that has kept

067not only my students grounded, as I said, that has pulled them out of depression, but also, um, in addition to what's important to, as we're starting to plant the initial seeds of what's important at that age bracket, these are important things that are components. So, I can go through the same things, but it's, um, brain development, academic growth, emotional regulation, teamwork, social skills, discipline, responsibility, and then it also opens our mind to different cultures. >> So, I ask that you sustain the music department, because that's not where the core issue is. The core issue is what do we need to do with the funding so we don't run into the same problem and have to cut something else. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> ANDREA KOKOTT, ANDREA. I HAVE many questions about the structure

068of the MESD administration and the decisions the school board has been making. These are not rhetorical questions. These are This is information that taxpayers of this district have a right to know. If we have a shortage of funds and decreased enrollment, why would this board add an assistant superintendent position? This district has always operated without one, so why in the world would anyone think a time of shrinking enrollment would be the right time to add administrative cost? Why was that position added so secretively without a formal posting, the interview process, or announcement? So much so that the teachers in this district didn't even know it existed until the HR director's email suddenly stated she was also the assistant superintendent. This leads to my next question of why would this board allow the person who heads

069up the HR function to hold any other additional role? The nature of what HR is responsible for makes holding another role within the same organization a huge professional and ethical conflict of interest. For example, the assistant superintendent should never know the medical details of an employee's need to take FMLA leave, but HR needs that information to evaluate the request. I say that as a vice president of human resources myself. That is what I do for a living, and I'm telling you that it is not appropriate. And of course, the biggest topic of the night, why is this board even considering changing over the middle school and high school to the 2:1 teaching model if it would come at the cost of the elementary band and orchestra? The 2:1 model at those levels could be a

070nice-to-have if it was actually done well, but it is not a necessity, and frankly, no one's asking for it. The teachers are not asking for it, which this board would know if they hadn't made a change to forbid teachers in the district from speaking at school board meetings. If you took the time to hear directly from the teachers of the district, you would learn that the 2-1 model is also disruptive in its own way. You would hear that the middle and high school levels, the teachers don't actually want smaller class sizes for band or orchestra groups like they do for other disciplines. Unfortunately, for whatever unknown reason, you have chosen to silence the teachers' voices as though they are not the front line of education and information for our district. We all know that students

071are pulled out of classes regularly for a variety of things. So, please don't sit and pretend like the 2-1 model is some sort of necessity doing due to kids missing too much class. Whether it's sports, student council, remedial tutoring, gifted and talented programs, students sometimes have to be pulled for classes for other things that are also part of their education. Bottom line is that the 2-1 model is not a necessity, and the deficit it would create at the elementary level is simply not worth it. If you choose to, this district can find a way to continue providing the same number of kids the same music programs they've had with the same number of teachers, no additional cost. Please take the time to actually talk to our teachers in our district and hear how this could

072work. Also, please talk to teachers from other districts that have made the mistake of cutting elementary band and orchestra. I sought people out, and it was very eye-opening. As the individuals responsible for this vital decision, I hope that you will seek your own sources of information and not naively and blindly accept what is being presented to you by this administration as though it is fact. Thank you. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Moving on to consent agenda, looking for the approval of the school board meeting minutes from February 16th, 2026 and February 25th, 2026. Are there any questions or comments? Hearing none, that's approved by consent. Moving on to finance and facilities. Yeah, I'm going to grab this one here. Okay, so um just real quick, I'm going to jump to number two and three quickly.

073So, food food service review, Chris Oswald, our food service director, will be here next Monday night to just give a state of the union on food service and to also bring you the results of the student survey that was issued to grade students in grades five through 12. So, we'll share those results on Monday night. Um, and then regarding our health plan for our employees. >> Very time. If you're in the audience, can you please be quiet? We're trying to conduct meeting. And we'll have our Sarah Hammes and Megan Zimmerman who join us every March at this point to give us a state of the union on our health plan, the performance of it, the financial ultimate outcomes there. Um, they'll be here next Monday as well. So, just want to that's what number two

074and number three are on our um, on the finance and facilities agenda. The the one thing that's just uh, requires a little discussion tonight um, is our 10-year plan. So, our 10-year capital plan we bring to you every March. We do that so that this can get approval at this time and then Andy Wagner and his team from buildings and grounds can go move forward and start to plan what this summer looks like. We've already done the Rolling Hills roof. That that will cost $950,000. You gave permission back in February for that. Um, but as we take a look at our 10-year capital plan um, and I'm just going to scroll down here real quick here. I know there's a ton of line items, a lot of information. In 2026-2027, um, what we're looking for

075if you approve this next Monday is that you're going to give us the green light to move forward with those projects that are listed in 2026-2027 and I have those summarized here for you right now. Um, these projects have been on our 10-year capital plan. We look at everything that's on the list of projects, whether if it's a roof, Andy and his team will and Andy's here. Um, Andy he also answer questions here on this. But, Andy and his team will walk the roofs, make sure that yep, they are due. Um it's time to do that project. If Andy and his team can squeeze another uh year or two out of things, we we try to grab every every day of life out of things until it becomes to the point where hey, we have

076a concern, the right thing to do is to make some changes here. So, um we have our projects listed here in 2026-2027. Um ultimately, what we're looking for right now is that we have a variety of funding sources. All of our funds in the 40 series of funds, 41, 46, and 49 are spelled out there with some details of how they receive their funds. Um but, ultimately, we would work with each of these funds to finance these projects such that we would minimize the impact of um of the annual operating budget along with uh tax impacts. It does matter which fund is used for those. So, we always try to pay attention to how can we minimize the next tax levy uh and minimize that impact onto our taxpayers here. So, um I'm Jason Bennett.

077Give me 1 second here. So, we are just um looking for approval to move forward with these or to answer any questions of any of these projects that we have. Andy, do you want to add any commentary to what we have there? >> [clears throat] >> Tommy, you did a great job. And with that, the 10-year capital plan is uh spelled out. You've all seen that in the past. The additional items, we have meetings with the uh principals annually to let them know or to get have them give us input as to the things that they see in their schools that are of dire need. I can tell you we have pushed back quite a few items uh recently. Uh boilers in a few schools that are being They're working. Their years of service would

078be in the 40s already. And so by ASHRAE, we would have replaced them in the 20 to 30-year mark. But we thought what what I'm bringing to you are needs, they're not wants. Do you guys have any questions about what we have here? If you don't have them now, you can send them to us this week and then we can bring answers to anything you might have next Monday. But the recommendation from Andy and I is to move forward to adopt this 10-year capital plan. Then Andy and his team can then move forward starting next Monday once it's adopted to to move forward with getting bids on each of these projects. And moving forward. Eric. The locker room remodel, is that going to be turned into some sort of learning space or what are we

079looking at with that? Oh, yeah, that's going to be a learning space there. So, uh 4K at Clarendon, they currently host one section. We're planning for two at this time. Uh we need classroom space. So, there's an old locker room. I think there's once upon a time there sho- there is showers in there. We haven't used it for that purpose since Andy was in fifth grade there at that building. Yeah, correct. So, so yeah, the school is or that room right now is being used as a storage facility. It's not being used as a locker room. Neither none of our grade schools are using locker rooms as locker rooms. Thank you. Yes. Any other questions, comments? Carolyn. Andy, I think you were starting to allude to this, but since we've got so many community members

080here, I think it'd be helpful as we when we approve this plan, as we start to get close to items, roofs for example, if you just discover as you're walking roofs, something needs to be done sooner or maybe something has more life, it could push to the next year or the following year or it could be pulled up. Is that right? So, for instance, the roof we're looking at is Rolling Hills Elementary. The school was built in 2000. We've assessed it the last few years. Now, I've put repairs into that roof the last 5 years. And the last 2 years we've had continual leaks in the roof during the school year. So, >> [clears throat] >> it's really come to the point do you keep putting a band-aid on something or do you go and

081do the repair? And my recommendation is we go to do the repair at this point. There is other times that yes, we do push things off though if we can and we have. Any other questions or comments? All right, thank you, Andy. Thank you. Thanks, Andy. And that's all we have there for finance and facilities then. Okay, thank you. Moving on to student learning. Tom's just pulling up the presentation. >> This is the one you want in here, correct? >> Yep. Okay, yep. Got it. All right, so Angela and I are going to talk a little bit about where we're at with our music conversations and um work that we're doing around our programming. So, Tom, if you want to click. Yep. So, just an overall timeline of where we've been and where we're headed.

082So, the month of February, we spent time working with our subcommittees. So, if you remember, we had our whole music department together at the end of January and then from there, we broke off into subcommittees. The subcommittees were really focused on two goals. One was to identify metrics of success and I'm going to talk about those in a little bit. And then the other was um identifying what we really wanted that instructional program to look like. So, brainstorming ideas, looking at advantages and disadvantages to those ideas. Um on March 6th, we had our whole music department together. So, this past Friday, it was a really great meeting. We were able to finalize some of our metrics of success into what I'm still calling like final draft um mode because we still are tweaking some things,

083but we've got them we've got them I got them in a pretty good place. Um we reviewed uh cross-comparison data. And um again, we're continuing to develop some of those ideas, which Angela's going to talk about tonight. And then later this month, we have another subcommittee meeting, and our goal will be to start to narrow some of those ideas. I think by the time that um we get to March, we'll have about five to six different program model ideas on the table, and so we want to start to narrow those down based on again the team's um discussion. And then start to talk about the staffing implications for those program ideas um because as we're looking at the ideas, we're already weighing again the student experience, the strategic objectives, all of those other things. You

084go ahead. So, metrics of success. This is something that the music team felt strongly about developing. Um really wanting to have an understanding of what we are going to consider a healthy music program. And so, we identified four buckets essentially. Student growth and learning. And this really focuses on what are the metrics around academic achievement that we want to see out of students who are in our music program. And so, we're not talking here about students performing on the forward exam. We're talking about how are students performing in alignment with the music standards that are taught across all of our um music courses. Performance quality and authentic application. So, our teachers work really hard to present amazing forward-facing experiences, right? The music concerts, the um you know, the orchestra concert we heard about it the

085high school. And so, um we want to find ways to again gauge um people's perception of that and the student experience around that. Um overall engagement was a metric. So, are we looking at course enrollment data? Do we see increases? Do we see stagnancy? Um and then the last measure was around program health and sustainability. So, for example, we want to make sure that we have fully certified staff. We want to make sure that we're retaining 95% um staff particular in music. That's that's our strategic objective around staff. Um so, again, these are not final measures in the blue text. These are just kind of what they are going to center around. We'll get to a draft of the final measures once we have them. Um so, before Angela goes into the new ideas that

086we're going to talk about, just um a reminder of some of the previously discussed ideas. So, one was remaining status quo, doing what we have done, which is orchestra beginning in fourth grade, band in fifth grade, choir begins in seventh grade, um and then music is a requirement K through seventh grade. Um the second idea that we have discussed is moving to a co-teaching model. So, it's called the two-to-one model. Again, it's a co-teaching approach. Um and this would happen in grades 6 through 12 um and happen in band, orchestra, and choir. So, one of the ideas when we plan this out, status quo, we do anticipate that there would be a staffing increase. The second approach um we anticipate that that would be staffing neutral. Uh but like I said, Angela's going to talk

087now a little bit about some more ideas that we have been brainstorming with our music department. Okay, next slide. All right. So, as Rachel said, we have been working through some other program ideas with our music team. So, I'm going to go over two of those ideas that we've started to discuss tonight. Both of these ideas do allow for some form of instrumental instruction at the elementary level, and both allow for that two-to-one instructional model at the secondary level. So, on the screen, you can see one of the ideas that we have discussed with our music team. So, in this program idea, we would maintain orchestra and band at the elementary level during the school day at fifth grade. Students would pick orchestra or band, and students would receive either whole group or small group

088lessons once every 2 weeks during their lunch and recess time. At the secondary level, we would implement the two-to-one model for band, choir, and orchestra at both the middle and high school levels, and we would be able to provide a beginner class at the ninth grade level. So, this would allow students an additional entry point into instrumental music. So, just a key point about this idea, Can you please be quiet in the audience? We're trying to listen. A key point about this idea is that it requires all four of our current elementary teachers to travel between the elementary schools and the middle and high schools in order to provide that instruction. Additionally, at the elementary level, they are delivering lessons only at the lunch and recess time. Again, that's for our parameter of not pulling

089students out of academic time. So, when we have tight parameters like this, it can create some scheduling conflicts. So, the total staffing needed for this model would depend on how we are able to create the schedules in a way that would manage these scheduling conflicts. And so, this model could result in anywhere from staffing neutral impact to an increase of two full-time teachers. Next slide. So, another idea is to run band and orchestra at the fifth grade in a club of model, similar to how we currently run choir at the elementary level. So, this would run either before or after school, and they would meet two times per week at the elementary level. At the secondary level, this would look the same as the first model I described tonight with a two to one model

090in all music classes at both middle and high, as well as again offering beginner classes at the high school. And um this model would be staff neutral. We would not need to add additional staff, and this model would give us greater flexibility with our staff since staff would be providing that elementary instruction before or after school. So, in this model, there may be the capacity to offer beginner classes at the middle school level as well. Next slide. So, when we met with our music team on Friday, we discussed the advantages and disadvantages to both of these models. Some of the advantages that were discussed are that in both of these models, we have expanded access. So, we are able to do the two to one model, which has many benefits for students, as well as

091allowing us to offer those additional access points to our music programming with the beginner courses. Another advantage is that these models provide programming without pulling students out of academic classes for their rehearsals and lessons. So, this reduces the need for re-teaching, catching up on things that were missed, and eliminates the overall disruption to the instructional environment. And then, a final advantage that we discussed is that these models allow us to utilize our staff in an efficient manner and to remain staffing neutral. Again, that first model, it will just depend on the schedule. Some disadvantages that were discussed were that in the first model there is a lack of consistency with students only receiving instrumental music instruction once every 2 weeks. This will be challenging to support sustained skill development and growth. In the second model,

092with band and orchestra as a club a disadvantage is that there could be competing priorities. Students and families may have other scheduling conflicts um that make attending music as a club a challenge. So, as we worked through the advantages and disadvantages of these models we also discussed how we might adjust the models to address some of those disadvantages. And we will continue to work with our subcommittee, as Rachel said, um on adjusting these models. Next slide. Okay. So, then some regional comparisons as we have had some questions about what other districts do. So, we took a look at nine high-performing districts in the region. All of these districts are ranked in the top 25 in the state based on the DPI report cards. So, these next two slides detail what each of the districts is

093doing from an instrumental music offering, and I'm just going to summarize the findings for you. So, [clears throat] in this group of nine districts, there is only one district, which is Elmbrook, that is offering a similar model to what we currently have. They offer both band and orchestra starting at fourth grade with whole group and small group lessons during the school day. Two other districts, Whitefish Bay and Mequon, also offer band and orchestra starting at fourth grade. However, they do this in different ways. In Whitefish Bay, they offer whole group lessons only during the school day. So, they are pulled out just once. There is not any small group lessons. And then in Mequon, they do a combination of before and during school with whole group lessons before school and small group lessons during the

094school day. And if you go back, Tom, New Berlin has currently um six elementary schools, kindergarten through sixth grade. So, they offer orchestra starting at fifth grade and band at sixth grade with whole group lessons occurring during recess and small group lessons during the school day, similar to what we currently have. And then there are three other districts that offer band at the fifth grade level. However, they do this without pull out lessons. So, Cedarburg offers band at fifth grade before school. And then Grafton and Hamilton both have school structures that allow them to do band during their music course time. So, Grafton has a fifth through eighth grade middle school and Hamilton has a fifth through sixth intermediate school. So, the students choose one of those courses and that is their music time that

095they have their lessons in. And then finally, there are two districts, Kettle Moraine and Pewaukee, that both start their instrumental offerings at sixth grade. So, you can see from these comparisons, there's a wide variety of offerings among these high-performing districts, and it is very interesting and helpful information for us as we continue to look at our program ideas. So, just um in response to some of the questions that were posed um at last month's board meeting, and then just some of the questions that have come in, wanted to just address some of this. Um one is, and it's not on here, some people might be wondering like who's on the subcommittee for music. All of our music teachers were invited to be part of this work. It really um just depends on when the meetings

096are and who can attend. All of our music teachers, every one of them has expressed an interest on being on these teams, and depending on the date, we have anywhere from almost all of the department to three quarters of the department. So, um that is who is on the subcommittee team when we talk about subcommittees. Um it was asked last month, what is the cost of a new teacher? So, the cost really varies based on the level of degree that somebody's coming in with, years of experience, whether or not they take our benefits. Um but that range is typically anywhere between 69 and 89,000. And again, that factors in all of those those things. Um what is the academic performance of our students in the music program? We know that our students who are in

097our music program do very well in school. That is the general consensus. We know that when students participate in extracurriculars, Dr. Cook talked about this in last month's presentation, that they do have higher GPAs, that they do um show a deeper engagement in school. Um it's one of the things that the high school and the middle school both measure is how many of our students participate in one of these programs. Um because we know that they have a strong connection. When it comes to looking at specific academic measures, we have a lot of different academic measures we could look at, right? Forward exam, I ready exam, classroom formative assessment. And so, um we really we really rely on our strategic objective data. So, again, Forward exam, ACT, and we know that kids who are in

098our music program perform very well. Um and so then last the last question we um wanted to address is what problem are we trying to solve? So, we have a shift in our structures. Sixth grade going to Parkview and K4 coming to elementary. Sixth grade going to Parkview, we've talked about this. There's there's not a recess at Parkview. And so, um we have a whole group, a third of our students going to Parkview and need to be serviced if we stay in our current model with a lesson structure and a whole group structure that again just doesn't currently exist at Parkview, that does exist in sixth grade. So, that's going to create um some some sort of need for change. And then we have our K4s coming to our elementary, and we feel strongly, our

099music department feels strongly, that our K4 students deserve a music experience. And so, um we have to plan for that. We spend $1.5 million on music, and we do not propose to reduce this cost. There is no proposal, there is no conversation, there is nothing on the table that um would reduce our investment in music. And so, I think that's really important because again, we want to continue to build strong programs. We want to continue to provide the best experience for students. Um and we are not proposing an elimination of any dollars going into the following school year. Um so, how do we do things differently and again keep those keep the cost the same? Um, we know that there's an inconsistency in the student experience with pull out lessons. So, Angela last month shared

100an example of a teacher schedule and just the constant rotation of students coming in and out of different points in the school day um, creates that inconsistency. And that equates to then classroom teachers struggling to make up students on lost learning activities. Um, and then lastly we want to increase our participation in our high school music programs and one of the both of the proposals that Angela just talked to mentioned the idea of having beginner level courses. Currently students who are not in band in sixth grade do not have an entry point to band after that. And so our band teachers um, felt excited about the idea that if [clears throat] we could find a way for an entry point in seventh grade or an entry point even in 10th grade for them to start

101a beginner band class or a beginner orchestra class that that would continue to open up doors for students especially at a time when students have more availability for choice in their schedule. Students at at elementary through sixth grade really have very limited choice but as they get older they have more of the um, more availability in their schedule to have choice and so that idea of a beginner level class we think could help with that participation in our high school music programs. Next slide. So, next steps we have a parent advisory meeting on March 17th. We like to take any systems level discussions to our parent advisory for feedback so we do plan on taking this to our parent advisory. Um, we will continue with our subcommittee work. We have a meeting um, the second

102last week in March and then we will continue to update you as a board and continue to update um, the community through key Notes and other avenues. >> [clears throat] >> Do we have any questions or comments? Eric? Okay, can we go back to the slide that uh shows the increase for the FTE? I think it's Yeah, that's it. Okay, so I'm looking at this. Now, this I know it says it, but I just want to verify. This is with no requirement to take music in seventh grade, correct? Correct. Okay. So, and then there's no fourth grade orchestra. Correct. Okay. So, looking at last month's slides, we did a two-to-one model for fourth grade on up, and it had we had us at a cumulative of 2.26 increase in staff doing all of that with

103seventh grade and with fourth grade. So, I guess I'm just curious how we got to a neutral to two when we were at a 2.26 with an entire seventh grade in there and a fourth grade. So, I guess I guess this the numbers don't make sense. The slide you're referring to was essentially this the status quo model from last month, I believe. I I can't speak directly, but um Oh, that Yeah. So, the reason you see the 2.0 there is that when we mapped this out, if we're only providing those experiences during the lunch [clears throat] recess, that's four teachers who have to be at the elementary school during the lunch recess. And then, they're traveling to the middle school and the high school. We just It's really hard to say without knowing what scheduling

104conflicts would exist if we can pull that off without additional staff because you're taking all of the elementary teachers and saying for the middle of the day, you're at the elementary level. And then, all of the the band and orchestra and choir classes at the middle and high school have to run beginning of the day, end of day. It's not to say it can't be done. I just don't want to over promise from a staffing position that if there was a scheduling conflict and we needed to again add to make it work, there's no way for me to predict this without running our master schedule. And to do that, we have to actually schedule students. And so um I mean we have scheduling conflicts all the time. We're we're going through that process right now.

105Um and so it's just it's really hard to say, but my best prediction is that there will be something in the 2.0 is the safest way for me to I would say not have you guys come back and say Rachel, you told us it was staffing neutral and now you need 2.0. It could be staffing neutral. Sure. I And and let's say it is 2.0. Um I'm just I guess I'm just not making sense of the numbers being that we're getting rid of seventh grade, cutting fourth grade, and then we're doing lunch and recess when none of this was in included in the 2.26. I feel like the numbers should have went down a lot, maybe down to a one. And it it could go down to a one. Again, I just I don't want

106to promise that without seeing how the master schedule plan pans out. Greg, Rachel, the the music teachers are involved in this process? And to what extent? They we meet with them I mean in February we met with them twice. March we just met with them for three and a half hours. Um we're meeting with them again in like I said two weeks. They are fully invested. They are a phenomenal group of educators who are showing up to the table ready to collaborate, work, and yeah. Good. Thank you. >> involved. Any other questions? Comments? I do. Eric. All right. So, I'm just going to say this just to say it. I think that if we if we're going to start cutting from fourth and fifth grade, um I'm going to equate this to football because my

107son was in football, right? So, if we're going to cut and start in seventh grade, that would be like taking the football players out of fifth and sixth grade's program and saying, "All right, go perform in seventh grade." You go perform in seventh grade football, you never played football before. You're not going to play a robot. Okay? Hold on. Hold on, please. That's just That's me trying to equate it to to sports, right? Um starting at somebody off at the sixth grade or seventh grade level. I mean, if when we have an opportunity we can consider, you know, getting them in younger, I think they're going to be better, right? I think that just makes sense. Um so, that said, I'd like to propose um that instead of, you know, continuing doing this, we'd make

108one change. We come back, the numbers don't make sense. Um why don't we just say what we want and then we just figure it out from there. We find cut someplace else. I think I I I'm not going to speak for everybody else, but I feel pretty strongly that we should just keep it um and figure out how to make it work. So, that said, I would like to see maybe a vote um or maybe something brought forward to the the next board meeting of doing the two-to-one model, which I think is good because my, you know, my kid actually was part of that where she's getting pulled from classes to go do choir and and she was struggling. And so, I mean, as far as metrics go, I mean, it it it does exist.

109Okay? So, I'm in favor of the two-to-one model. Um >> [clears throat] >> that said, I think we do the two-to-one model from sixth to 12th grade, keep the status quo from the fourth and fifth grade the way they're doing it now. Um and then we just figure out where to cut money someplace else. Any other questions or comments? Dr. Cook. >> ask a question of clarification. So, we're not proposing to cut. So, is the question to add enough staff to do what you're proposing and then cut from elsewhere to make that happen? Correct. Rather than spend 6 months trying to figure out how to cut not cut, but you know what I mean. Um not add money to this, why don't we just add the money to this and figure out where to cut

110somewhere else. Can I cut somewhere else in the cut somewhere else in the in the whole budget or just cut somewhere else what what it what it Can you define that, please? Absolutely. I think that we cut someplace else to make up the funding that we're going to be >> Someplace else. Where is Give me an idea. What >> Anywhere. I mean if you wanted to find a teacher that's a paraprofessional or something, um maybe you know, maybe we don't need them. Maybe we ask the teacher to do more with less, right? I mean, I've been in the military for 20 years. We get to do this stuff all the time. People got to do more with less all the time. And they figure it out. So, I don't know where we look. I'm not

111going to direct the administration on where to cut. Um have them bring us, you know, information and and and we obviously we approve it. That's the the process. But I think that this is important enough and I mean, we get enough people to show up every month that I mean, I have yet to meet anybody who says, "Yeah, you should do this." I mean, have it has anybody? I have yet to see anybody. Everybody says we shouldn't do this. So, I think we don't do it. We figure it out and then we fair we find the money someplace else. So, just a point of clarification. If we were to do what you're asking, that cannot be brought to a vote next week, correct? Because it's not been presented yet. I I would ask if we

112could wait out until April to take a look at that just so that the board knows what the potential dominoes of that idea would be. Um you know, where one gets cut. I mean, Tom has presented that we are um we are uh going to need to do a $1.1 million reduction. So, when we go through that process, we just need to be very clear as to what would be the other cuts as a result of this. Does that come from CTE? Does that come from art? Does that come from FYAD? Does that come from operations? What does that look like in the scope of that cut? Um knowing that, you know, we're we're not proposing to go below the $1.5 million that we're spending. The In the last 5 years, we've increased our investment

113by 1/2 million dollars, and within the last 2 years, we've added two full-time teachers to the music programs. So, I just want to make sure that we'd have all of that presented or prepared for the board to consider. Then, follow up to that, Tom, is 1 week enough time to pull all that So, I'm not opposed to exploring this. I think we should. But, is 1 week enough time to pull something together to show us a a different option? I guess I you and I I if if you're committing to this idea, I just want to make sure I understand what you're asking, Crosby. If you're committing to this idea that we're going to defer this the cuts to other parts of the district. What I would tell the community right now is that the

114cuts that we have to make are not unique to our district. That this is taking place next door in Muskego and Oconomowoc. Kettle Moraine is closing schools. Waukesha closed three schools. Um everybody is facing this. And if you defer this, we will have a different group in here with the same passion, because I get it. People are passionate about their education. It'll be a foreign language. It'll be a CTE. It'll be a you name it. Nothing we have in front of us is easy. And in leadership, you'll be disliked despite your attempts to do the best for the most. And we have to understand that in this room right now, and that no matter what we choose, we will have a large number of people completely unsatisfied with whatever we choose. As we talk about

115some of the problems in here tonight, and the questions that I heard during public comments, um where is the source, you know, what is the issue with funding, and let's fix it. We were delinked in student funding back in 2009. We used to get in funding increases on an inflationary basis, and that stopped in 2009. We are public funding has not have kept up with inflation for the last 15, 16 years. Ask anybody who does my job in anywhere, and you'll hear that. So, we have a tough job in front of us. So, just keeping it neutral at 15.74 FTE, you know, everybody everything else is being examined right now throughout the district from a financial perspective. Everything is being looked at to say, "How are we going to close a $1.1 million gap?" To

116make a commitment that we're not going to touch band music orchestra is it's it's it's good to know that they're not going to shrink the number of people we're dedicating to teach these kids. To commit to growing it while everybody else is going to get cut, that's just it's it's the tough work you guys have in front of you. Tom, just to commit just to go apples to apples here, I saw like all the other schools up there. [clears throat] Mhm. Can you just Yeah. people know that aren't here all the time, Yeah. what's the funding difference between Mukwonago and New Berlin? Yeah, no, I can I I off the top of my head I don't know where New Berlin is at, but what we you know, if we're going to compare ourselves to Elmbrook,

117what I will tell you is that Elmbrook and Kettle Moraine both get significantly more funding. If we are funded at $11,650 per student this year and our per pupil revenue limit I believe that Kettle Moraine is in the higher 13,000s or low 14,000s. They get a lot more funding on a per pupil basis and that's not to pick or to pit ourselves us versus them. Those are our friends. Those are our neighbors to the north. I got a lot of respect for Kettle Moraine, but when you look at how much funding does a kid in Mukwonago get versus how much funding does a kid in Kettle Moraine or Elmbrook get, it's a lot more. I wish we had access to more financial resources and that we could take care of all this. But we don't.

118So now we have tough choices to make. Thank you. Any other questions or comments? I just want to make sure I'm understanding Eric, your request. Um, so 7th grade not required in your proposal. Um, and then you said um, status quo in 4th and 5th, correct? Okay, thank you. With 7th grade not required, are you saying in 7th grade there would still be a new beginner band lesson for beginner band classes? Is that what you're suggesting, Eric? I'm just suggesting that we don't make somebody who doesn't want to do a music class take a music class. No. Because it's not a state requirement, it's a district requirement. Which I think would significantly shrink some of the people who are taking the classes who don't actually want to be there, right? They can go into classes

119that they want to be in, which I think could make the grades go up in the district because they will they're going to want to perform in the stuff that they want to do. And it might fix some of this, too. Tom, I have a question since something I brought up earlier. Um, if somebody was to do a fundraiser such as a golf tournament that was suggested. Can that money be donated and allocated to a music program? I would never stop anybody from But can it be used for teachers? Can it be used to pay teachers? I mean, is there is there a distinct line of where that money can go? I don't know. I guess that's a tough question there. I'm just trying to think about like what am I missing right now to

120be put on the spot there. I want to answer your question Eric, but um You can answer it next week. That's fine. >> You know, I guess that you know, if there's going to be a private fundraiser that's going to serve as a source of funding you know, is it like is that like in lieu of their of their paychecks or I mean, I couldn't stop somebody from fundraising and taking those proceeds and donating them however they wish. I couldn't get in the way of that. Um I would need a minute to kind of think about this cuz I want to answer your question, but I also don't want to say something that you know, I missed out on something. So Yeah, but generally speaking anybody wants to make donations to the kids, come on

121by. We will honor your request. You can restrict those funds however you'd like and we will honor those donations. But then we we would rely on that year after year after year because probationary hire. >> That wouldn't be fiscally responsible. >> Right. Yeah, I mean, you're you're relying on somebody to to make that happen. So it's it's only as good as the commitments and commitments can be strong at certain times and some people get fatigued from all that work. I mean, there's a lot of fundraisers in this community. It takes a ton of work. So I got no question. Carolyn? Rachel, uh can you bring up the pros and cons again, Tom? Yes. Would you go back in your meeting with the band? I'm interested to hear for the kids that don't succeed. Eric, you

122mentioned your daughter wasn't being pulled out for choir. My oldest being pulled out for band was that was not great. Her academics started failing. We ended up pulling her from band. Band teacher really wanted her to stay. We all would love that, but she just wasn't that child. My fifth grade child is definitely that child. She can miss anything. She doesn't really need to go to school. And she's better than most people at school. There's those two extremes. I'm wondering how many of those kids start with the good intention of wanting to join band and or orchestra, but can't because they can't do the pull out method. versus how many students stick with it and are absolutely successful. And as we know, kids that are in band and orchestra, as many people said, are very

123successful because they're the kids that can multitask. I'm wondering how many kids that we're losing every year in those early grades because they just can't hack it. Great question. Thanks. And if kind of going toward that model that was up there with the fifth grade option doing lunch time where they're not missing academic time or at before school or after school. Because my fifth grade daughter, who's now in eighth grade, or was was in fifth grade and we had to cancel out her flute lessons. Uh now in eighth grade, she's like, "Oh, I wish I could have taken band in seventh or eighth grade." Just an opportunity. And it wasn't an opportunity, unfortunately, because academically, she could just couldn't hack it. So, she had zero offering for music outside of just doing choir. And even

124then, being pulled out, that's always a big struggle for her, so. Be interesting. Yep. Absolutely. Any other questions or comments? I'll address um since this has been coming on the agenda, teachers have approached me and they talked about kids getting pulled out of their classroom. And they always ask, "Can I get those minutes back in my classroom? Can I pull them out of music class?" And I think it's a fair question. That's something we have to look at and balance as well. Cuz those teachers, a lot of teachers that approached me, they don't like that model either. Kids getting pulled out of their class. Not only are they missing their class time, it's also a distraction in the classroom with kids coming and going. So, that's something we have to take all of that into

125account when we're thinking about this. So, any other questions or comments on that? All right. Thank you, Tom. >> [clears throat] >> I I I had one other informational item for student learning. This is in regards to the academic and technical excellence scholarships. So, each year the state of Wisconsin Higher Education Aids Board asks public school districts to nominate senior students for these awards. Um the academic excellence scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who have the highest grade point average and plan to attend one of the qualifying Wisconsin colleges that they list. And then the technical excellence scholarship is awarded to high school seniors who have the highest demonstrated level of proficiency in technical education subjects, and then they plan to attend a Wisconsin Technical College. So, based on those criteria, the nominations for

1262026 are for the academic excellence scholarship, we have Rena Gellish, Whitaker Carmichael, Catherine Wilhelm, and Carson Rudolph. And then for the technical excellence scholarship, we have Owen Kinnunen, Derek Steinbrenner, Nicole Friedrich, and Ava Lupo. So, we congratulate all of those students. We are very proud of their accomplishments and wish them the best as they continue on in their education. That's awesome. It is awesome. All right, thank you. Moving on to personnel topics. >> [clears throat] >> All right, so we're going to give a brief update on where we are with our Park View planning. So, just a brief update on our steering committee. As a reminder, our steering committee is composed of Park View Middle Schools guiding coalition, the building leadership team, three elementary school representatives, teacher representatives, and then the Park View building administration,

127the instructional coach, and then district office administration. It is a 29 member team and over my right around 17 are um certified teaching staff. So, our group at this point in time, we're continuing to meet on a monthly basis and we have divided into three now area focus groups. So, we have a group that is really looking at the home room structure and what that will look like going into the new middle school. Um as you've heard, our elementary students experience what is called what I need time and that is not currently a structure that exists at the middle school. And so, we're just looking at how can we potentially use home room and then um potentially use that time for what I need as well. We have a group that Christina is spearheading that's

128looking at intervention and our specially designed instruction. And then we have a group that's looking at the schedule and the course work. And so, the focus for our March and April meetings will continue to be on these three topics. And our immediate next step is we're going to start to collect cross district course requirement information. So that seems to right now be um I would say it's a topic of conversation for our team is what courses again we want to require in Maguanago versus what is statutorily required. And um just have that discussion. Go ahead, Tom. So the schedule idea that we have proposed is um that the core areas would have a longer period of time. So they would operate in 90-minute blocks. Um and then our elective areas would operate in 45-minute blocks.

129And this aligns to those instructional guarantees that we developed in the fall with again the prioritization being on core time. Um if you want to go ahead and click, Tom. Our team as we've been looking at this, we continue to identify advantages and disadvantages. And our advantages, again, core time is prioritized. When we have a longer chunk we can deliver the intervention for those students right into that classroom. There That's a really big benefit when it comes to transfer of skill for students, when it comes to those teachers collaborating with each other. Um there's a really a great opportunity for small group instruction, independent practice with feedback. Um there advantages to this schedule is that kids have exposure to a variety of electives. So we really are giving students um choice in what they want

130to take. There's fewer transitions throughout the day. If you've ever been into a middle school during passing time, you can appreciate the fact that fewer transitions might be a benefit. And then lastly, there's fewer scheduling conflicts for students. So when you align and Tom, if you want to flip back, please. Um when you align the 45 minutes to the 90, you can pair classes against each other. And that allows more flexibility than for example what we're doing right now, which is some classes are 60 minutes and some classes are 45. They can't run alternate and so this schedule would allow classes to run alternative each other which allows students to then have more access to taking those. Some disadvantages for some students, 90-minutes is going to be a really long time. If you put my

131son in a 90-minute middle school math class, he might struggle. And so really teachers are going to have to be really intentional with how they're using that time. It's it's a different way of teaching. Classes meeting every other day who are not used to meeting every other day may struggle with that continuity and again middle schoolers really having to plan their time, understand that I might not have class this day, but I have homework that I need to get done two days later, right? Like that's a skill set that they're going to need to develop. And then probably the biggest disadvantage that we're trying to work around right now is that in this model our elective teachers are going to carry a larger student caseload than our core teachers. And while that is definitely something

132that we see in cross comparison data and it currently exists in our system, we still want to ensure that all of our teachers are set up to have success. And so we want to make sure that with our expectations of teachers that they are providing meaningful feedback, providing you know, quality assessments, you know, adhering to the guaranteed and viable curriculum, that they can do that with the caseload of students that they are responsible for. And so we are I would say that's the one right now we are currently trying to problem-solve around is what options are on the table to again ensure that they can do that work. All right. So as we have discussed at previous meetings, our course requirements for our new middle school is a key piece of our transition work. So

133this is a look at a comparison between what is required by the state and what we currently require in Mukwonago in the various middle school courses. So, starting with our core courses, which are ELA, math, science, and social studies, um those are all obviously required by the state and required here in Mukwonago. In physical education, as I had shared last time, that is required by the state from kindergarten through 12th grade. So, that also is required in Mukwonago in both 7th and 8th grade. Then when we get into the other elective areas, which include art, music, Project Lead the Way, um world language, and business. None of these are required by the state at the 7th and 8th grade level. In Mukwonago, we are currently requiring both art and music at 7th grade. We are

134requiring Project Lead the Way classes at 7th and 8th grade. We require world language exploratory at the 7th grade, and then we also have a business course requirement at the 8th grade level. So, these requirements have really been a large discussion at our planning team and our steering committee meetings, um and will be something that we continue to discuss um and explore. Okay, so the buckets I'm going to talk about tonight, um one of the subcommittees that we are working through is intervention and specially designed instruction. So, when you're thinking about those two specific areas, intervention is really meant for our students who um are struggling in the area of reading or math, while specially designed instruction really refers to students who have um an IEP and have legally mandated required minutes um that are

135all done through a comprehensive evaluation process. And so, similar buckets, but different ways of getting there. So, um our current model is that we have math and ELA intervention um is a 90-minute block every other day. Same thing with resource. And resource is where our students with IEPs get that specially designed instruction. So, a student qualifies for intervention if they score below 30% on i-Ready. A student who it has specially designed instruction goes through a very specific process. Um, and then uh after that process is determined, then they have an IEP and those minutes are very targeted. If a student has an IEP goal in reading, they typically don't have reading intervention. Likewise, if they have a goal in math, then they wouldn't necessarily have math intervention. The same students um may attend math intervention

136if they don't have a goal. So, if it sounds crazy, but if you have a reading goal, you're going to get that targeted instruction from the special education teacher. If you have a math goal, you're going to get that from the targeted special education teacher. If you don't have a math goal in your IEP, you can go to to math intervention. Does that make sense? Okay. Um, and then during our current model is that students can receive specially designed instruction in multiple areas during one period. So, if I have a um student I'm working with that has an IEP, they might have a written language goal, a goal in reading comprehension, a goal in math, and maybe a goal in social skills. And I can, as a special education teacher, attack all of that during

137that resource time. Next slide, Tom. All right. So, the current advantages um and disadvantages. The advantage is that you have small group uh sizes, so you can have some very specific intentional instruction. Um, there it is a large chunk of time, so that 90 minutes does give you a good amount of time to work within. There's flexible grouping options, and then we do have strong resources available for our interventionists and for our, um, special education teachers who do specially designed instruction. The disadvantage is that it is a long instructional block. So, it might be an area where students struggles, and then where it is a long time, um, then that 90 minutes becomes a long time. Uh, also for some of our students who receive specially designed instruction, they might have a goal that would

138be, let's say 45 minutes a week for math instruction. And we're already putting them in a 90-minute block. So, it gives them more time than what they might need. Um, and then it can limit or, um, it can limit their selection of an elective. So, another disadvantage is that it's not daily instruction, so it is that every other day. Um, I like just said this already, it's a loss of an elective. Parents can opt out of an intervention, so if a student doesn't, um, if a student meets criteria for intervention, they they score below that 30% mark, they get, um, uh, they get targeted, I guess, for intervention. A parent doesn't have to put their child in intervention. Where if a student has an IEP, we do need to make sure that they're getting that

139time during the school day, um, because it's legally required and it's it's how we're going to close that gap. Another disadvantage would just be that it is a struggle between when do they get homework done, when do they get specially designed instruction, and then how do you also manage behaviors in that 90-minute block? Next slide, Tom. >> [clears throat] >> So, some of the, um, ideas we've talked about for 2027-2028 is just that, um, so there's going to be that 90-minute block for math and ELA. So, how could we utilize either the beginning of that 90 minutes or the end of that 90 minutes to do some targeted instruction? So, we have those three buckets, specially designed instruction, our intervention, and our extension for kids who need enrichment. So, how can we align our instruction

140either at the front end or the back end to explore different options to be able to blend that learning right into class. I think that moving forward, and again, these last three bullets we have a great group of people great group of teachers, interventionists, special education teachers who are a thoughtful group. They are all in it for kids like our teachers are. So, we will continue to work through that planning process. I think one thing that stood out to me from the group is that just need to continue to be open-minded and explore different possibilities or different models and not to shoot anything down right away. And so, that can feel sometimes uncomfortable. And then, also just talked about creating lead teachers in some content areas, specifically in special education, so that we have some,

141I guess, chair people that are really entrenched in math or ELA or whatever the topic might be. All right. And then, from a staffing lens, we had a meeting on February 24th. Dr. Cook, Mr. Smith, Melinda and I hosted that for all elementary teachers who were interested in coming to the new middle school. At that meeting, we gave them an update on just the progress of the new middle school, and then we reviewed with them kind of the staffing plan, how they can express an interest in their transfer, and then licensing licensing procedures. Some staff we know are going to have to go through the emergency license process, and so just walking them through that. We do anticipate that all of our teachers who have a desire to move will have a spot to go.

142So, obviously our enrollment numbers drive staffing allocations, but based on the number of teachers who have said they want to go and what our current enrollment looks like, we believe that we'll have spots for all of our teachers at the new middle school. Um, and then next October we'll be sending all of our staff at Park View as well as then all of those elementary staff who have expressed an interest a staffing survey asking them, what are you licensed to teach? What do you want to teach? Um, because we have a lot of again elementary teachers who might be right now specializing in science, but have to when they move to the new middle school teach, you know, social studies or math. And so, we want to make sure that we have their their top

143preference so that we can get them in the most ideal state. Um, but we also again have to make sure they're licensed in that. And then the staffing increases that we are planning for when the new middle school opens right now are custodial and student services. So, it is a bigger building. We are anticipating that we will need some increase in custodial, um, staff and then student services we are adding again an entire grade level and so we are going to have to look at student services, um, and how we provide that to them as well. Carolyn? The Can you go back to the slide that showed this schedule that had the WIN time and home room every single day? What do we do at high school right now for our our flex and our

144home room time? Just curious. Um, we have home room occasionally at the high school. Um, the flex is gone. Uh, they will use that as needed. Um, so, um, as Stephanie and I have had conversations if there's a prep going like into the ACT, she might use it then. She might use it during homecoming week. What they did do is create labs. So, they have a math lab, they have a writing lab. Um I want to say they have so the science or is it just the two of two curricular areas where they have staffed with a licensed teacher where kids can go and get help. So, um that's the step we've taken when we removed the shortened day and then when we uh removed flex from the regular high school schedule. That's worked out

145really well, right? It has worked out well, yes. What are our thoughts on adding cuz right now the kids I believe have home room and flex opposite days, right? They have it every day. It's It's called home room. Um I think some of the differences we have what's called um academic career planning lessons that have to be taught in middle school that look a little bit different than what's taught at the high school. We're having conversations with that team right now of what it makes sense to embed those lessons into that structure. Um I don't think anything is off the table. It would just be a matter of kind of to Joe's point like what are those have tos, right? When scheduling comes around when um just different experiences that we know use up that

146time. Are there enough of them that would warrant we would want to keep that recommendation that it's every day or is it one time a week we can get away with it and then we could look at a different structure. I know a lot of eighth graders would love to keep that every single day cuz from what we hear it's kind of their screw off time. They flex into their friends' classrooms. They sit there. They screw around. I even overheard at orientation one of the teachers who I will not say but was saying, you know, yeah, this is kind of where we screw around. And I'm like, oh my gosh, she said it out loud at orientation. It just breaks my heart. So, I would love to see that 25-minute block filled with I don't

147know band. I'm just kidding. But like what what can we put in there that's academic that would help our students grow and not sit there and have their screw around time. That's my suggestion. But to that though, they don't get a recess. They have options for study hall. So they get a a 45-minute study hall and they get a 25-minute screw around where they can flex into their flex >> a study hall's not a screw Well, it's not supposed to be a screw around time. Right? >> [laughter] >> Neither is Neither is Neither is what I need now. They're supposed to be completing all of their homework and some kids can do that during class. They don't even need the time. So that's why they're flexing in. Some kids are are This is not all

148children. Some kids actually use this time. They miss class for whatever reason. They're on vacation. They're flexing in and they're making up work and they're using that time wisely. So this is not to stereotype all of these kids are screwing around. A large majority of these kids are screwing around and it's allowed to happen because I used to be a teacher. To have a 25-minute huh? That sounds great. I would love that, too. But like I'm It's no fault to anybody, but So the home room committee just we just kind of broke off into these subcommittees. So this is really good feedback for me to take to that committee and for um Christine is kind of hand in hand with that committee um to take to them and have them have them look at that.

149Any other questions or comments? All right. Thank you. Moving on to action items, hires, retirements, and resignations. All right, just one tonight. We are looking for the approval of Joanna Vick for our new um STEM teacher at Park View Middle School. I'll make the approval. Or I'll make the motion to approve Joanna Vick to move to the middle school. Second. We have a motion and a second to approve. Are there any questions or comments? My daughter's really sad. >> [laughter] >> She hasn't met Joanna yet. She's going to be really excited when she has her. No, my my youngest daughter has her now. >> Joanna? Correct. Sorry, then yeah, she's probably going to be sad. Any other questions or comments? If none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed say no. Motion

150carries. Thank you. Looking for a motion to close the closed session and go or open session and go into closed session. I'll make a motion to close open session and go into closed session. Second. Roll call, please. Are Jason and Mike still on?