Latest news with #Act20
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Green Bay school district cuts race-related language from two policies; second DEI change
Driven by federal funding threats, the Green Bay Area Public School District voted unanimously Monday to remove more language on diversity, equity and inclusion, this time from district policies. The two policies affected will cut provisions aiming to address achievement gaps and representation in high-level programs. These cuts, along with similar changes in late February, show the fear of losing key federal funding that's supporting programs across the district. At the February meeting, every board member spoke out about their disapproval of the change, even though a 4-3 majority voted in favor. This time, there was no discussion. The district changed two policies: one on reading instruction and another on gifted and talented programs. It also changed policies on grade promotion and retention, but it states in a memo that those changes are to meet state Act 20 requirements. The policy on reading goals eliminates a goal set less than a year ago for 10% more Black students in third through 11th grade to meet grade-level standards. The old version of the policy states the goal was set after data showed 'the district is meeting the needs of some student groups better than others.' The other policy, on gifted and talented students, cuts a requirement that the district self-assess and report on how its gifted student identification process could better respond to different demographic groups. Achievement gaps between Black and white students in Wisconsin are some of the worst in the nation. In 2024, 38% of white Wisconsin fourth graders tested 'proficient' or better in reading compared to 8% of Black students, according to results from the U.S. Department of Education's National Assessment of Educational Progress test. The changes are based on federal guidance issued Feb. 14 and clarified Feb. 28, saying school districts and colleges can't treat students differently based on race – that includes actions aiming to balance out historical inequities, like affirmative action. If schools don't comply, the guidance letter threatens federal funding. The Green Bay school district receives about $38 million in federal funding annually. Those dollars support programs like free and reduced lunch, Title I, special education and Head Start. Without that funding, some or all of those programs would disappear, district communications director Lori Blakeslee said. This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Green Bay school district cuts race-related language from two policies
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Wisconsin school districts are turning to science of reading, despite lack of financial support from state
This is the second of two columns on the state of changes in reading education in Wisconsin. If you're looking to see if the reading education reform law that passed in Wisconsin in 2023 is having any effect, don't look so much to state government, where disputes and delays have meant there's been limited action. Look to places such as the suburban Milwaukee schools in Greendale and the Whitnall district. Or to districts such as New Berlin and Cudahy, which didn't wait for the state law to pass before embracing the phonics-oriented changes pushed by the state law. More: Cudahy Schools' shift to a new reading curriculum looks like it's paying off More: Cudahy's move to science of reading curriculum hasn't been easy, but test scores are encouraging More: Reading looks different now in Cudahy Schools, as students g-r-o-w through science of reading While more than $49 million of the $50 million approved by both legislative Republicans and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has been frozen by the legislature's Joint Committee on Finance as part of a power dispute in the Capitol, some districts have been moving ahead with implementing the "science of reading' called for by the law. In Greendale, reading scores for students were not as alarming as in some other places. But school district leaders felt too many students were not mastering reading by the time they completed third grade. The district has made major progress in adopting curriculum and teaching approaches in line with the science of reading. Superintendent Kim Amidzich said switching from what is often called a balanced literacy approach to teaching children to read using the science of reading was difficult for some teachers. Some were reluctant to change, while some felt guilty about previously using curriculum materials that left some students behind. Maggy Olson, director of equity and instruction for Greendale schools, said a trifecta of patient and supportive work with teachers paid off. The approach emphasized professional training, learning different ways to teach reading and personal development for teachers. Greendale tried several curriculums and settled on Core Knowledge Language Arts or CKLA, one of six curriculum choices endorsed by a statewide early literacy curriculum council created through Act 20. Barb Novak, director of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Office of Literacy, said recently that CKLA has been the most frequent choice of school districts statewide that have purchased new curriculum. Amidzich said the passage of Act 20 provided a good framework for change. As Olson put it, it added to the sense of urgency around getting more students to be capable readers. What the state didn't provide, at least so far, is money. Greendale took a loan from a different state fund to pay for some of the cost of the new curriculum, with the expectation that part of the cost would be reimbursed from the $50 million approved under Act 20. The result of not getting that help is increased financial pressure on the district. But Amidzich and Olson said they were pleased with the how the change was going. 'We see huge results,' Amidzich said. Olson said there have been double digit gains in proficiency rates, and 80% of students are hitting their reading targets. Greendale growth rates are in the top 5% of the state, Amidzich said, and all three of the elementary schools in the district were given five stars, the top rating, in the most recent state report cards for schools. Olson said that at recent meetings of school administrators from across southeast Wisconsin, there has been more talk about reading and more urgency to the conversation. 'We needed a jolt to tell us this matters,' she said, and Act 20 provided that. Brady Reinke, superintendent of Whitnall schools, is a firm supporter of the science of reading. He said, 'Now that we know (what works better), we've got to do something about it. ... It's a moral imperative.' Getting some money from the state to support implementation would help, he said. But not getting the money shouldn't stop schools. 'We can sit here and whine about that, or we can do what's best for kids,' Reinke said. 'You have to prioritize.' If you really believe reading is so important, then you find the money, he said. One recent morning at Seeds of Health Elementary School, a charter school on Milwaukee's south side, a third-grade girl and a reading teacher sat at a table. For one minute, the girl read a passage from a story about frogs, and then, for one minute, read from a story about a boy who loved socks. The teacher kept track of words the girl stumbled on. The result: a quick assessment of how many words she could read per minute and how accurate her reading was. 'Pat yourself on the back, my dear,' the teacher said, praising the girl's effort. The girl did her best to do exactly that. This was a glimpse of one requirement of Act 20 that is being implemented statewide: screening all public school students from 5-year-old kindergarten through third grade to identify those who are in the bottom quarter of students in their grade nationwide. Act 20 calls for those students to get individualized help to improve their reading. The first round of screening in Wisconsin was completed at the end of January. The law calls for screening to be done three times a year going forward — near the start, middle and end of each school year. The DPI specified a specific screening program to be used in all schools. The cost of the screener is being paid by the state from money separate from the $50 million set aside for Act 20. But there is no specific state aid for providing individual help for students or coaching for their teachers. Especially in schools serving low-income populations, well more than a quarter of students will score in the bottom quarter of the national results, which means the obligation to help will be large. How schools will handle that is one of the important unknowns about Act 20's impact. The girl at Seeds of Health scored just above the 25th percentile. But about half the students in the school were below that point. Michael Pointer Mace, director of curriculum and instruction at Seeds of Health, said the school has added a half-hour a day to its reading efforts so there is time to give students both what they need to catch up to their grade level and still get reading and literacy work on their grade level. What about Milwaukee Public Schools, where overall reading scores are among the lowest in the nation? Jennier Mims Howell, chief academic officer for MPS, said results from each student's screening would be included in that student's records, and students would be given help based on their needs. She said MPS also planned to encourage students who need additional reading help to attend summer school. MPS has been using HMH Into Reading as its reading curriculum for several years. It is among those recommended by the state. Act 20 calls for reading teachers statewide to receive training in how to teach reading and specifies a training program known as LETRS. It is not clear how widespread LETRS training is so far, but teachers in districts such as Greendale and some teachers in MPS have been getting the training. Novak, the head of the DPI's literacy office, said she believes Wisconsin school districts as a whole have been changing their approaches to reading instruction in line with Act 20. Pressure is on nationally to get better outcomes, she said, and schools generally are putting more emphasis on teaching fundamental skills. Buying better curriculum, screening children, dropping approaches to reading that have been strongly criticized — these are potentially good steps, she said. But 'none of this matters unless they change the way they are teaching.' Holding back the $49 million that Act 20 said would be made available to schools means some schools have had 'a tremendous out-of-pocket cost,' Novak said. And not funding the coaching work that was intended to improve the teaching of at least some teachers around the state 'really weighs on my heart.' Kathy Champeau, a veteran reading teacher and a leader of the Wisconsin State Reading Association, said her organization remains critical of the science of reading and of the requirements of Act 20. The real issues that are not being addressed, she said, are providing all students the expert teachers and the resources they need. That gets at the heart of why scores statewide have been flat for years and have declined recently, she said. 'Instead, we have a legislation that is based on speculation as to why our test scores are the way they are,' she said. Act 20 relies on private companies to provide curriculum materials, training and screening procedures when reading instruction should rely on educators' expertise, she said. That means teachers are being given training in how to use products but not how to teach, Champeau said. But even as Act 20 has encountered political headwinds — the hold-up on state funding, uncertain prospects for money in the coming two-year budget and continuing resistance from some educators —there appears to be significant action to change reading instruction on a fairly broad basis in Wisconsin. Some if it is a matter of acting with more urgency, some of it is an eagerness to see better results for students, some of it is prodding due to Act 20. But overall, the pressure is on, even if overall scores haven't improved in recent statewide results, and patience will be needed to see if Act 20 pays off. On an optimistic note, the DPI's Novak's said, 'If we move forward in the spirit of Act 20, we'll see a change.' Alan J. Borsuk is senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School. Reach him at This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Some schools adopt Act 20 curriculum despite lack of state money
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Candidate Q&A: Five candidates vie for three open seats on the Neenah School Board
With one board member not seeking reelection, the race for three open seats on the Neenah Joint School District Board of Education is on. Two incumbents and three challengers will compete for those three open seats on April 1. Board vice president Sarah Moore-Nokes will not return to the board. Two other incumbents, Lauri Asbury and Tara Brzezinski, are running for reelection alongside challengers Eric Fredrickson, Tom Hanby and Kenneth McNeil Sr. We asked the candidates to tell us why voters should choose them for the school board. Their responses were lightly edited for clarity. Candidates are shown in alphabetical order, not necessarily the order shown on the ballot. To learn more about voting and how to register, visit Age: 59 Residence: Town of Neenah Occupation: School board member, researcher, advocate Highest level of education: Master's of public affairs, La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin-Madison Relevant experience: Served on the School Board since 2016, Legislative Committee chair, past vice president Campaign website: Age: 38 Residence: Neenah Occupation: Child/parent advocate Highest level of education: College Relevant experience: Current board member Campaign website: Age: 37 Residence: Neenah Occupation: Quality engineer Highest level of education: Master's in business administration concentrating in finance and operations management from Purdue University. Relevant experience: Quality engineer. Parent of son attending 4K in district. Family is active in the Chinese community. Campaign website: (Hanby did not respond to multiple requests from the Post-Crescent to participate in the candidate survey.) Age: 41 Residence: Neenah Occupation: Applications manager Highest level of education: Master's degree Relevant experience: Educational background, ASD training, engaged father of two Alliance Charter students Campaign website: Asbury: Serving on the school board is an honor. I'm running to provide continuity and experience, to be a champion for excellence in public education for all students, and to continue the great work we have started with our community. I will increase literacy with Act 20' improve communication; transparency and engagement with the community; support our educators with adequate resources; and advocate at the local, county and state levels; with strong fiscal management and highest academic standards. Brzezinski: As a candidate for Neenah School Board, my top priority is ensuring that every child has the opportunity to succeed and that our community has a voice in shaping the future of education. Fredrickson: I am running for office to protect our schools, our students and our educators. My education and experience as a quality engineer provide me the opportunity to gather and interpret data, to focus on all that is going well and evaluate opportunities for improvement. School board is a nonpartisan elected position for a reason; the only focus should be continuously improving our schools and ensuring our district meets the needs of our community. McNeil: I am running for a position on the school board because I know I can make a difference and help drive further improvements in the Neenah JSD. I would like to help enhance communication with the community and parents, provide greater visibility into curriculum decisions, improve school choice and strengthen programs for special education, along with workforce and college preparedness. I'd also work to address the growing pains and student safety concerns from the recent facility changes. Asbury: Experience, knowledge, character and passion make me a strong candidate for reelection to the Neenah Board of Education. I'm a lifelong learner and value serving my community. I understand the value of excellent public education and opportunity. I strive to be engaged and educated about the issues, am well prepared for meetings, ask questions, rely on multiple sources for information and act independently within the collective structure of the board. Brzezinski: I will be an advocate for special education. They need a voice at the table, and I will be their voice. I sit on the board of People with Developmental Disabilities. I have advocated at state level for special education funding. I will ensure fiscal responsibility, as I have a background in business management and risk management. Fredrickson: I am comfortable with responsibility. I'm prepared to do the work to benefit our schools, our children and be accountable to the community. My background as a quality engineer has given me experience looking at complex and detailed processes, and given me perspective on optimizing those processes and finding solutions to difficult problems in our schools for the benefit of our students and educators. McNeil: We have some great candidates this cycle, but what sets me apart is my background in technology, business analysis and project management. I know how to address problems strategically and how to build consensus for results. I am a fast learner and a hard worker. I strive for excellence and am passionate about improving our district. My previous experiences in education, finance, contract management and leadership can all be used to benefit our kids, parents, taxpayers and the board. Asbury: Communication and transparency, inclusion in the decision-making process and increasing literacy with Act 20 are top issues. Recruiting and retaining staff, and overall school funding, including equalization aid and special education reimbursement, are also top issues. For our community: redesign website, BOE agenda topics in advance, surveys, strategic plan discussion, local report cards. Staff: active role in decision-making, professional learning developments, collaboration time. Literacy: implement curriculum, train, assess. Brzezinski: Transparency: I will ensure transparent communication between the School Board and parents by making sure all areas of communication are accounted for and also that parents and community members have a voice. Bullying and concerns at the middle school: ensuring our bullying policy is updated and sufficient. Ensuring our middle school is supported and appropriately staffed to handle issues that arise. Special education: ensuring all IEPs are followed accurately and staff are supported fully. Fredrickson: Teacher retention is a big issue. Teachers are leaving the profession, and it's increasingly difficult to attract new talent. There are policies that could help improve conditions for educators with minimal impact to the budget. Reading proficiency is another issue. According to the district report card, 41% of students read below their grade level. I struggled with this as I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was in school. I support more evidence-based practice in the reading curriculum. McNeil: I would focus on enhancing communication between the board and the community so that we can have a more robust dialogue before decisions are made. We also need to improve staffing levels for special education and drive academic improvements across all student population groups. I think there is a great opportunity for our district to enhance partnerships within the community for workforce and college preparedness. We also need to improve student safety so that learning is the priority again. Rebecca Loroff is a K-12 education reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. She welcomes story tips and feedback. Contact her at rloroff@ This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Candidate Q&A: Neenah school board candidates answer our survey
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Partisan infighting taking a toll on Wisconsin kids' ability to learn to read
This is the first of two columns on reading initiatives in Wisconsin. What's a higher priority, fighting over partisan control within the state Capitol or helping Wisconsin's children learn to read? The fight over partisan controls is well on its way to being the winner as gridlock within the Capitol is making it likely that $49 million of already-approved money for reading instruction continues to be held up. If the battle between Republicans and Democrats cannot be resolved before June 30, the $49 million will be returned unspent to state coffers, with growing chances that no comparable amount will be approved for the two-year budget cycle that will begin July 1. The impact already has been to greatly crimp the reading initiative approved in 2023 by the Republican-controlled legislature and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. If nothing further happens during the current budget period or in the period beginning in July, it will amount to a major retreat from a statewide initiative to promote the phonics-oriented 'science of reading.' Some elements of what was called for in the 2023 law known as Act 20 will probably continue, but a larger-scale commitment will have yielded almost nothing at the state level. The deadlock over the reading money comes at a time when reading scores across Wisconsin have been a source of concern, especially when it comes to low-income and Black and Hispanic students. The gaps between higher-income students and lower-income students when it comes to reading success have grown since the COVID pandemic began in 2020. And recently released reading scores for fourth- and eighth-graders nationwide found that the gaps between white students and Black students in Wisconsin were the largest of any state, as has been the case for many years. Act 20 approved $50 million to be spent to help school districts statewide launch or increase 'science of reading' efforts. The money was to go to support three dozen reading coaches to work with educators across the state and to support some of the cost of new curriculum materials being purchased by schools. The law made Wisconsin one of about 40 states nationwide that took action in recent years to promote a shift away from reading instruction often labeled 'balanced literacy' toward instruction that is best known for its emphasis on phonics. In short, balanced literacy relies, in large part, on teaching reading to early-grade students through learning to recognize words, including use of context and visual clues. Critics say that approach has failed many students and that the more structured 'science of reading' approach that includes teaching students to sound out letters and combine them into words has more support from research. Of the $50 million, less than $1 million was released by the Legislature's joint finance committee to be used to create a reading office within the state Department of Public Instruction and to support efforts such as a special council that recommended curriculums that met the standards of Act 20. The remaining $49-plus million was to be used to directly help teachers and students. In short, in action on a separate law, Evers used a partial veto that affected who could control release of the $49 million, the joint finance committee or DPI. Democrats have argued that Evers' action was within his powers as governor; Republicans have argued that Evers broke a deal with them over how the money would be controlled. A Dane County judge ruled that Evers' action was within his powers but did not order the reading money to be released. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has agreed to bypass an appeals court and take the case up this spring. But a decision may not come before the clock runs out on spending the money during the current budget cycle. And no one involved in the dispute has budged. State Rep. Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) is chair of the Assembly education committee and has been Act 20's leading supporter. Kitchens said in recent months that he was aiming for action in the Capitol that would release the $49 million. But he has not been successful in getting agreement on that, and he said Feb. 19 that it is now likely the money won't be spent. 'It's a long shot that it (the dispute) will be settled during this biennium,' he said in an interview, referring to the June 30 end of the current budget cycle. He said he continued to regard reading as 'the most important thing in education,' and that he is not giving up on the fight to implement the science of reading approach statewide. 'Unfortunately, it got caught up in politics,' Kitchens said. He said that brings into doubt whether money for reform in reading instruction will be included in the 2025-27 state budget, which is now in its formative stages. In his budget address last week, Evers called for including $80 million to support the reading effort over those two years. But Kitchens said Republicans may not agree to including money in the budget if Evers wins control through court action of how it will be spent 'How do we do that after how he acted last time?' Kitchens said. 'If you can't negotiate with somebody in good faith, I don't know how anything happens.' He added, 'I'm not giving up on it, but it's going to be very difficult.' In a statement, Jill Underly, the state superintendent of public instruction, said, 'Schools committed to transformational literacy initiatives with the understanding that the legislature would contribute $50 million to support those efforts. Now, nearly two years after Act 20 was signed, Wisconsin students have yet to see a single cent of this promised funding. Meanwhile, our schools have made substantial investments to meet their obligations. This delay is an outright betrayal of our students and a failure of leadership. Legislative leaders have let down both our children and our schools. I don't want to hear another elected official complaining about literacy outcomes — they have no one to blame but themselves.' More: DPI Superintendent Jill Underly seeks release of funding for state literacy program Kitchen said the good news is that a significant number of school districts around the state — although there is no count of how many — have made moves to implement 'science of reading' approaches. 'The districts I talk to are doing very well and are happy with the results they're getting,' Kitchens said. 'They obviously would like (financial) support,' he added. The law, he said, 'is still having an impact, but it's not happening as quickly as we would like.' Act 20 included provisions that have been moving forward at local school levels. They include screening of kindergarten through third-grade students to identify those who need extra help learning to read and providing individualized plans for helping those students. Also, an independent council created under Act 20 examined curriculum options for schools and recommended a handful of programs that meet the standards set in the law. Some school districts are moving to adopt curriculums from that list, even without the state aid that was expected to underwrite some of the cost. More: Wisconsin politicians wrangle over new recommended reading curriculum list More: Nearly half of Green Bay Schools' K-3 students are 'at risk' of not meeting reading goals, district says Jeanne Schopf, president of The Reading League Wisconsin, which advocates for 'science of reading' instruction, was critical in a recent interview of the leadership in state government on reading issues. 'This is very critical to the future of our children and our state,' she said. 'Our challenge in Wisconsin is having leaders who are leading this in a unified way.' Schopf said, 'Act 20 is just a piece of paper until it is fully implemented as designed.' Kitchens said, 'There are kids who are not going to learn to read because of this screwing around.' Next: A look at what is happening in some schools and school districts that are adopting science of reading plans. Alan J. Borsuk is senior fellow in law and public policy at Marquette Law School. Reach him at This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawmakers are withholding $49 million intended to help reading efforts
