Latest news with #AreaSchoolDistrict
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ECASD looks at how declining enrollment affects district staffing
EAU CLAIRE — During a period of declining enrollment, the Eau Claire Area School District is looking at how fewer students can have an impact on staffing levels. ECASD is not alone in facing declining enrollment, as it has become common issue across many other school districts. Michelle Golden, the executive director of human resources, stated that maintaining a balance between staff and students requires consistent monitoring as their students progress through grade levels in the school district. 'As we have navigated through this period of budget deficits and declining enrollment rates, it has become necessary to make some very difficult decisions regarding staffing reductions,' she said at a meeting on Monday night. 'These decisions are never easy, but they are crucial for the long term financial sustainability of our district. Our foremost priority remains maintaining a high quality of education that we provide and honor our results policies despite these challenges.' In talking with members of the board, information provided serves as a means to update them on the process of staffing in the district. 'Instead of 60 kids coming into kindergarten, you have now 50,' she said. 'Instead of having three classrooms of 20, you have two of 25. 'We have a reduction in staff because of the staff student ratio. We just have to keep monitoring all of the time to see where our class sizes are at so we can either decrease or increase based on the numbers we have on hand.' It can be a complex thing because looking at some data regarding district staffing may only give point-in-time information. It also does not mean that the district is letting people go or that people are losing their jobs; rather, it indicates that the district may have to reevaluate their class sizes and student staff ratios to stay on budget. Currently, the student staff ratios of the elementary school are one teacher to every 22 students, give or take three students, for grades K-3 and one teacher to every 25 students, give or take four students, for grades 4-5. In middle school those ratios are one teacher to every 27 students, give or take five students, and in high school it is one teacher to every 30 students, give or take six students. Board member Stephanie Farrar said, 'That 25 in kindergarten is a tricky number, and I just wonder if there are opportunities to add support staff to assist teachers in those classrooms.' Golden said it is something that they do monitor. But they do try to staff within those numbers fairly strictly, specifically because of the budget. Board member Erica Zerr also asked about evaluating the needs of each school, or if there is a way to be more equitable with staffing at schools. On top of looking at how those ratios would effect grade sizes, Golden said, 'Principals, we are allowing them to say, 'we have a high number of behaviors, or special education, or ELL (English language learners) in this grade, so I am going to decrease the staffing here and increase it here because I know this is where the needs are.''
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Election Day is Tuesday. Here's what Stevens Point-area voters need to know.
STEVENS POINT – Here's your guide to contested races in the April 1 election in the Stevens Point area. The polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. A mix of races are on the ballot, including justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, state superintendent of public instruction, an appeals court judge, Stevens Point city clerk and alderpersons, and Stevens Point Area School District school board seats. A statewide referendum question will also appear. More voting resources can be found at including: See what races are on your ballot. Find your polling place. Check to see if you're registered to vote. (i) denotes incumbent Stevens Point alderpersons serve two-year terms with half of the council's seats up for election each year. In 2025, the odd-numbered districts, 1 through 11, will be on the ballot. District 7: Mary Kneebone (i), Tim Johnson District 11: Shaun Morrow (i), James Haine Aline Cychosz Susan Pagel Three of the nine seats on the Stevens Point Area School District School Board are up for election. School board members serve three-year terms. Current board member Dennis Raabe is not seeking reelection. Jennifer Bushman (i) Miguel Campos Jeremy Lebrick Marne Mercer Barb Portzen (i) Kristina Smith The Wisconsin Supreme Court is made up of seven justices. Justices serve 10-year terms. Justice Ann Walsh Bradley announced her retirement from the Wisconsin Supreme Court in April after serving three terms since 1995. Susan Crawford Brad Schimel State superintendent serves a four-year term. Jill Underly has served in the position since 2021. Brittany Kinser Jill Underly (i) Here's how the question will appear on the ballot: "Photographic identification for voting. Shall section 1m of article III of the constitution be created to require that voters present valid photographic identification verifying their identity in order to vote in any election, subject to exceptions which may be established by law?" Erik Pfantz covers local government and education in central Wisconsin for USA TODAY NETWORK - Wisconsin and values his background as a rural Wisconsinite. Contact him at epfantz@ This article originally appeared on Stevens Point Journal: Stevens Point spring election: What to know as Election Day approaches
CBS News
26-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota school district sued by students, parents over book ban policy
Two lawsuits were filed Monday against St. Francis Area School District over its book banning policy. The ACLU of Minnesota and Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP filed one of the two lawsuits on behalf of two parents of children in the school district to end the "illegal banning of books from the district's school libraries and classrooms." The lawsuit is in response to the district's recent policy change that removed librarians and teachers from the book approval process and replaced them with a website called "Book Looks," founded by Moms for Liberty, a group that has been at the forefront of the conservative movement targeting books that reference race and sexuality. The website rates books on a scale of zero to five, with zero being "for everyone" and five being "aberrant." St. Francis banned books with a rating of three and above, according to the ACLU. If a book is already in the library and has a rating of three or above and is challenged, policy dictates that the book must be removed. Since the policy change, the lawsuit claims at least 46 books were removed or are in the process of being removed from St. Francis schools. Education Minnesota-St. Francis also filed a separate lawsuit over the book ban on behalf of eight students in the district whose parents are teachers. That lawsuit claims the district's policy is "antithetical to the values of public education and encouraging discourse." Both lawsuits allege the policy violates the Minnesota Constitution and state law, saying school districts cannot discriminate against viewpoints expressed in books and that it violates the right to free speech and to receive information, as well as the right to a uniform and adequate education. "The Book Looks rating system that is now binding upon the school district discriminates extensively based on viewpoint, particularly with regard to topics of gender, race, and religion," the lawsuit said. The teachers' union says the Holocaust memoir "Night" by Elie Wiesel is set to be removed after a recent complaint. On Sunday, Book Looks announced it was ceasing operations and taking all reports down from its website. "Our charge was always to help inform parents and it would appear that mission has been largely accomplished. We pray that publishers will take up the torch and be more transparent regarding explicit content in their books so that there will be no need for a in the future," an announcement posted to the website says. St. Francis Area Schools says its legal team is reviewing documents from both lawsuits and determining next steps. About 4,100 students attend the school district.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Appleton officials consider truancy ordinance to address student absenteeism
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The Appleton Common Council is considering implementing a truancy ordinance to help enforce state laws requiring students under 18 to attend school. Officials say the move comes as hundreds of students in the Appleton Area School District missed more than 50 days of school last year, increasing their risk of long-term struggles, including poverty. The proposed ordinance aims to provide support rather than punishment, according to district leaders. 'Celebrating Success': 90+ students in the Appleton School District recognized during Dunlap Awards 'We know what outcomes are for kids who don't have the literacy or numeracy skills to be successful as an adult,' said Appleton Area School District Superintendent Greg Hartjes. 'That's the bottom line. That's where the support is. That's where the help is, and so that's what we're looking to do. We aren't trying to be punitive in any way. We just simply want kids to come to school.' If passed, the ordinance would allow officials to issue tickets to students who repeatedly miss school, similar to a speeding ticket. No final decision has been made. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Schuylkill Haven Area School District introduces AI policy for students, staff
Schuylkill Haven Area School District officials are looking to establish guidelines for how students and staff engage with AI technology. At a meeting Wednesday, the school board held the first reading of the newly proposed artificial intelligence policy. 'It is absolutely mind blowing how quickly AI is taking off,' said Matthew Buletza, director of learning innovation. 'We need to protect our students…teach students how to use it appropriately and teach staff how to use it to push the bar forward.' The policy's stated goal is to ensure that AI is used ethically and responsibly to enhance teaching, learning and administrative processes, while safeguarding student privacy and data security. It calls for students at all grade levels to be taught how to use AI tools, as well as the necessity of proper human supervision, critical thinking and skepticism regarding accuracy. 'Such instruction should aim to empower students with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the increasingly prevalent presence of AI technologies in their academic and personal lives,' the policy says. To let students know whether AI can be used to complete certain assignments, the policy directs teachers to use an assignment rating scale from zero to four, with zero being no AI assistance allowed and four allowing full use of AI with human oversight. Students who violate the assignment standards may be subject to detention, suspension or expulsion, the policy notes. In addition, the policy allows teachers to use approved AI websites and applications to assist with grading student work, although it says final grading decisions must be made by teachers. AI tools approved by district personnel may also be used to assist with human resource processes, although humans must still make the final call regarding employee evaluations, promotions and hiring, the policy says. The policy also: • Mandates filters that block 'obscene or pornographic material' on district-owned computers and the school provided internet, in compliance with the federal Children's Internet Protection Act. • Prohibits the use of the personally identifiable information of students while using AI websites, tools or applications that have not been approved by district technology personnel. • Directs district technology staff to establish a process for teachers and administrators to request approval of new AI resources. • Requires those using AI resources to adhere to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, a federal law that protects the privacy of students' education records. • Directs officials to establish protocols for vetting AI tools before they are used for budgeting, payroll, financial or population forecasting, HR analytics and similar tasks. • Directs officials to offer regular professional development training for administrators, teachers and staff on the ethical and appropriate use of AI in school. 'AI can be used to take our information and make sense of all the data that we collect, but we've got to be careful of putting any student identifiers in there that would put them at risk,' Buletza said. 'Trying to give our teachers everything they need, too. It's a brand-new world for everybody.' The policy has not been finalized and may be subject to change before approval, officials noted.
