Wisconsin Education NewsMay 19, 2026A daily update of education news and events that are taking place around Wisconsin. Register Today for AWSA’s Upcoming Professional Learning Events! Join school leaders from across Wisconsin to strengthen your leadership, empower your teams, and build a culture of excellence. Registration is now open for our upcoming conferences:
Manitowoc Council Approves Madison Elementary School Purchase Madison Elementary School in Manitowoc is one step closer to being owned by the city. The Common Council unanimously approved a resolution to acquire the school property for only $1.00. Watertown School Board silent on song controversy at latest meeting WATERTOWN — At the same time the Watertown High School Wind Symphony took the stage Monday night, the school board that decided to ban one of its songs held a regularly scheduled meeting of its own. Last Tuesday, the board voted 7-1 to ban a song called ‘A Mother of a Revolution. The composer says the instrumental piece was inspired by a trans woman who was an agitator during the 1969 Stonewall riots. Watertown high school spring concert draws support after controversial music ban The Watertown High School spring concert drew a packed audience and loud applause for the Wind Symphony and its band instructor Monday night, following a controversy surrounding one piece students were not allowed to perform. The Wind Symphony performed multiple musical selections during the concert, but “A Mother of a Revolution” was not played. However, students are expected to perform the piece later this week at a local church with the original composer, Omar Thomas, serving as conductor. The Fond du Lac School District is one of just 16 school districts in the nation that are recognized and celebrated for being on the rise in both reading and math by the 2026 Education Scorecard, a comprehensive study released by researchers at Harvard and Stanford Universities. The report highlights the Fond du Lac School District as a statewide leader in academic recovery, noting that the district climbed 200 places in state rankings between 2021 and 2025. ACT scoring issue could change Wisconsin students' test scores High school students in Wisconsin and nationwide may see changes to their ACT scores after the testing company discovered a scoring issue with this spring's exam. On May 13, the company notified school district test coordinators that it would remove or reissue scores for students who took the online ACT during school-day testing this spring. Students' composite and section scores will either remain the same or go up slightly based on their individual performance, the email said. La Crosse Polytechnic School students show off documentaries at Rivoli in collaboration with PBS LA CROSSE (WKBT) -- La Crosse Polytechnic School students hit the big screens at the Rivoli on Monday. In a collaboration with the PBS Wisconsin Youth Media Project, students made documentaries about local topics of their choice. The films were shown off at a premiere showing at the Rivoli Monday night. Butternut School District hosts Stem Shuttle to teach kids about wonders of space BUTTERNUT, Wis. (WJFW) — Last month four astronauts made their way around the moon in Artemis 2, sparking more interest in space around the world. One local organization, Dream Flight USA is also bringing wonder to space through a remodeled motor coach. The founder, Sharon Ryan, says it’s designed to teach kids about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through hands-on space themed experiments. The Hudson School District’s updated guidelines curtailing the use of cellphones at the high school level have helped with learning in the classroom and interacting with classmates during school hours, according to Hudson High School Principal Michael Ballard. “I will share with you: I don’t know if you could talk to an adult in our building right now that doesn’t think it [has] absolutely positively impacted their instruction, their ability to teach,” Ballard said at last week’s board meeting. Fighting the fatigue: Support for Wisconsin school referenda continues to weaken MADISON, Wis. — Voters across Wisconsin approved 46 of 75 school district referenda on ballots during the recent April spring election. The roughly 60% approval rate is on track with a downward trend, which could worsen if voters feel the same about measures on the ballot this fall. Wisconsin’s public schools can be transformative places for innovation and leadership, and students at Ashwaubenon High School are proving it. Led by just three students—Amrusha Prathigudupu, Akshath Yadawad, and Ryan Lai—their initiative, Bridging the Gap, is expanding educational access for children thousands of miles away. Dodgeland Preparing to Teach Hustisford Students in 2026-'27 (JUNEAU) The Dodgeland School District is getting ready for an influx of about 150 new students from Hustisford who will attend school in Juneau next year, even though they will remain Hustisford district students. Dodgeland superintendent Todd Greco said the arrangement will necessitate hiring new teachers. Some of them may be displaced teachers from Hustisford. Curriculum tackling mental wellness takes home top Project Pitch It prize Fond du Lac high school teacher and entrepreneur Kurt Wismer was awarded Project Pitch It’s $10,000 prize for his neuroscience-based leadership curriculum GRiT, used in schools and universities to develop emotional regulation, resilience and mental wellness skills. Roughly 25-30% of adolescents are affected by mental health conditions, Wismer said. To combat that rise and an overarching lack of career readiness, Wismer created a curriculum for students from elementary school to college to improve soft skills and mental health. Eleva-Strum School Board approves staffing plan for 2026-27 school year CENTRAL - The Eleva-Strum School met April 8, just after the spring elections, for the final meeting of its old term in the Central School Building's IMC. The Board gave its unanimous approval of the 2026-2027 staffing plan presented. Waukesha students help VFW place flags on veterans' graves ahead of Memorial Day WAUKESHA, Wis. — A group of students and graduates from Waukesha Transitional Academy is helping the Waukesha VFW carry on a decades-long tradition of placing flags on the graves of veterans ahead of Memorial Day. The VFW has made it its mission for decades to place flags on the graves of those who served. Every year, they put the flags on veterans' graves at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha. GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — A special delivery at Lincoln Elementary School in Green Bay came with boxes of books, bright colors, and a lot of smiles. Students took part in NBC 26’s spring book fair through the “If You Give a Child a Book...” campaign. Each student got to choose five brand-new Scholastic books to take home for free. Educators met to discuss the state ‘Portrait of a Graduate’ Area high school educators and administrators, along with representatives from Southwest Tech and CESA 3 came together last Wednesday at CESA 3 in Fennimore for a listening session on a statewide definition of a “Portrait of a Graduate.” The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s (DPI) Portrait of a Graduate is a statewide effort to define the knowledge, skills, and mindsets every Wisconsin student needs to succeed after high school—no matter the path they choose. Tony Evers says school leaders ‘beside themselves’ following failure of education and tax deal Democratic Gov. Tony Evers says school leaders are “beside themselves” after the Legislature rejected a deal he negotiated that would have boosted education funding in exchange for tax cuts. In an interview with WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Evers blamed the impasse on “politics,” but focused his criticism on Democratic state senators and U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican candidate for governor.
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