Wisconsin Education NewsApril 6, 2026A daily update of education news and events that are taking place around Wisconsin. Register for the Creating a Culture of Excellence for All Conference The conference will highlight the leadership practices essential to building continuous improvement at the school and district levels and will feature sessions by Wisconsin school and district exemplars (June 25-26, 2026, in Madison). View the program here. More cuts on the table as SCC attempts to balance budget for 26-27 school year A preliminary outlook regarding the 2026-27 budget for the St. Croix Central School District was presented to the school board during last month’s monthly meeting. To balance the 2025-26 budget, cuts or reductions had to be made. To achieve that goal for the 2026-27 budget will require even more cuts, explained Business Manager Jen Kleschold. After a year under Brenda Cassellius, some progress being made at MPS In February 2025, just as Brenda Cassellius was selected as superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, I wrote a column summarizing some of the mess that characterized MPS at that point. I listed 11 problems, and I summarized it in seven words: WOULD YOU FOLKS GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER? Cassellius has now passed her first anniversary on the job. It’s been quite a year. By her own description, on her arrival, she faced a situation that was worse than she expected. Her work pace at first was “just hair on fire,” as she puts it. Overall, the job has been harder than she expected. She encountered problems that were heftier than what she faced in previous jobs in Boston, Memphis and her homebase of Minneapolis. Cambridge Schools moving to full-day 4K CAMBRIDGE – The School District of Cambridge will move to a full-day, four-day-a-week 4-year-old kindergarten program starting this fall. At its March 23 meeting, the School Board unanimously approved switching from the current four-day-a-week, half-day program to a full-day 4K program that will also be held Monday-Thursday. Administration recommended the change. Board members Jesus Rivera and Gary Swain were absent. Forest Lane Elementary School Honored with the Wisconsin Blue Ribbon Award Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jill Underly visited the Montello School District on Thursday, March 26th, to celebrate Forest Lane Community School being named one of Wisconsin’s Blue Ribbon Schools for 2025. Underly presented the district with a certificate honoring Forest Lane Community School on its enormous achievement. She then had the chance to tour several classrooms to see the work students and staff were doing to earn that honor. DPI releases records showing $8M in Forward Exam standard-setting expenses (The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction spent about $8 million on resetting its standards on the Forward Exam, according to new records released by DPI. Gov. Evers signs bill allowing audiovisual recording on school buses in Wisconsin LA CROSSE (WKBT) -- Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill that allows school districts to record both video and audio inside school buses. State law previously allowed cameras in school buses, but the rules for recording audio were unclear, creating confusion for school districts across Wisconsin. School referendums on multiple area ballots MONROE — Voters across multiple area school districts will face operating referendum questions next week. Monroe is asking voters for $2.75 million per year for the next four years. The non-recurring referendum would then end following the 2029-2030 school year. While individual property taxes vary, the general estimated school tax increase per year would be about $136 per $100,000 home; $272 on a $200,000 home or $408 on a $300,000 home. Tomah School District Selects New Superintendent The Tomah Area School District Board of Education has selected Dr. Francis Redmon to become the district’s next superintendent. Dr. Redmon is currently completing his second year as superintendent in the Keystone Central School District in Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. Frank’s previous district-level leadership experiences include serving as superintendent for five years in the Quilcene School District in Quilcene, Washington, and the director of the Ashgabat International School in Turkmenistan for four years. Local educators receive Kohl's Teacher Fellowship, Principal Leadership awards Local educators have received The Herb Kohl Educational Foundation 2026 Teacher Fellowship and Principal Leadership awards. They were chosen from a pool of distinguished educators from traditional public, charter and private schools across the state recognized for their exceptional leadership, dedication to students and commitment to educational excellence. Lodi Elementary Principal Eric Scheunemann, from Merrimac, was among the 15 Wisconsin principals selected to be honored with Principal Leadership awards of $6,000 for their efforts in setting high standards for instruction, achievement and character while fostering a positive and impactful school environment. Local high schools compete in statewide energy competition MADISON (WKOW) — High school students across Wisconsin have been competing in "Renew Our Schools" for the last six weeks, trying to save their schools energy and money. The challenge, hosted by Focus on Energy and Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program, encourages students to monitor their schools' energy use and educate their peers on sustainable practices. Spooner Area School District welcomes inspirational speaker SPOONER — The Spooner Area School District (SASD) is excited to announce that inspirational speaker Tasha Schuh will be presenting to students across the district on Tuesday, April 14. Thanks to a donation from Healthy WashCo, this opportunity has been made possible for SASD students. Out-of-state groups pumping money into Wisconsin school board elections RHINELANDER, Wis. (WJFW) — Election Day is quickly approaching on Tuesday and school boards around the state will likely be filled with some new faces. Recently, nationwide groups have been investing substantial amounts of money in these races to help tip the scales in their favor. Ryan Girdusky is the founder of the Project 1776 PAC, the largest organization aimed at getting Conservatives on school boards. FEC filings indicate that the PAC is located in Virginia and has donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars this election cycle to school board candidates in Wisconsin. 'I want recess for my school': Middle schoolers in Kenosha push for more playtime KENOSHA, Wis. — Nearly 40% of school districts across the country have reduced or cut recess since the mid-2000s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A group of parents and students in Kenosha are taking a stand and pushing for more recess time. Wausau West High School hosts second Hmong Culture Fest WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - Wausau West High School hosted its second Hmong Culture Festival on Saturday. The event focused on community, culture and competition. Food and drink vendors, along with apparel and accessories, filled Wausau West’s halls and gymnasium. “I think it is a way for us to represent ourselves. We do have merchandise vendors that have a bunch of our Hmong symbols on them, and I just think that it’s a way for us and our community to have fun and show them what we’re all about,” said Bianca Vang, Freshman Director of the Hmong American Student Association. Sauk Prairie one of many school districts with referendums on ballot SAUK CITY, Wis. — On April 7, roughly 75 school districts across the state will have referendums on the ballot asking taxpayers to either help pay for building projects or improve budget deficits. The Sauk Prairie School District is asking for both. It’s put forth a $3.2 million operational referendum to help pay for staff salaries and student programs, in addition to a $68.4 million capital referendum to update facilities. Wisconsin Rapids, Nekoosa school referendums on April ballot Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (WSAW) -Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools is asking voters to approve a new operational referendum. The district is seeking $3.8 million a year for the next five years. The money would maintain existing programs and pay for updated curriculum and technology. It would replace the current referendum that passed in 2021. Whitefish Bay voters split on $135.6M referendum WHITEFISH BAY, Wis. — On the April 7 spring election, many voters will be asked to raise their taxes to fund their community’s public schools. There are nearly 75 school funding referendums on the ballot statewide. Whitefish Bay voters are being faced with one of the biggest — a $135.6 million school referendum.
|