Wisconsin Education NewsOctober 24, 2025A daily update of education news and events that are taking place around Wisconsin. JACKSON — The West Bend School District has begun the first steps in the process of building a new elementary school in Jackson, as part of an approved referendum. On Monday, the district secured approval from the Village of Jackson Board on the rezoning application, certified survey map and conditional use permit for the new Jackson Elementary School, to be constructed on Jackson Drive, south of the current school and Highway 60. With the doors open for construction, the district can now move the process forward. Burke reports on student community service initiatives Rhinelander School District superintendent Eric Burke said he tried to highlight the amount of community service the district’s students are involved with at the school board’s Oct. 20 meeting. “District-wide, but especially at the high school,” he told The Northwoods River News on Oct. 21, noting there was a “community service day” to be held in the afternoon on Wednesday. “Where the students are going out, they have all these places in the community, but where they’re doing service. And then on top of that, we have key club and other groups that are doing this throughout the year.” Wisconsin school districts on federal land feeling effects of government shutdown As the federal government shutdown continues, some school districts on federal lands in Wisconsin are scrambling to sort out their finances. Twenty school districts in Wisconsin were expecting to receive payments this month for Impact Aid, a federal program that supports districts in places with nontaxable federal land. The program reimburses districts for lost local property tax revenue, including those with national forests or Native American reservations in their boundaries. Oginski updates board in monthly report ANTIGO — Antigo School District Superintendent Glenda Oginski updated the school board during the superintendent’s report on Monday evening. Oginski explained that on Friday, Oct. 3rd, she and district staff met with local businesses and industry partners as a roundtable to discuss topics specific to the district. Antigo School District Business Director updates board, discusses budget hearing ANTIGO — Antigo School District Director of Business Services Kelly Fassbender submitted her monthly update to the board during Monday night’s meeting, with the main topic being the budget hearing, which will be Oct. 27. “The development of a school district’s budget is a long-range process,” Fassbender wrote in her report. Bloomer School District held meeting to discuss state of facilities BLOOMER, Wis. (WEAU) - Bloomer School District held a community information session Thursday night to discuss the state of current facilities. After a recent facility audit, the district is looking at the possibility of constructing a new high school. They say community information sessions will help inform the public of options but also help gauge the public opinion on possible plans. Manitowoc school district plans to close two K-5 schools and restructure middle schools MANITOWOC (WLUK) -- At Wednesday night's school board meeting in Manitowoc, after months of committee meetings, the group tasked with identifying the best path forward for the Manitowoc Public School District (MPSD) amid declining enrollment and excess building space offered its official recommendation. Declining enrollment is something school districts across the nation are dealing with. It's nothing new in Northeast Wisconsin, either. Burke's Briefings focuses on district's finances, enrollment WATERTOWN — While Watertown Unified School District Administrator Jarred Burke only had a dozen individuals at his Burke’s Briefing on Wednesday afternoon, he did have a lot of questions to field from those who attended at The Marquardt. One Watertown resident asked Burke if he could speak on the district’s fiscal responsibility. Going green: School board commits funding for VAHS solar panel project The Verona Area School District (VASD) Board of Education has officially committed to match Sustain Verona’s fundraising efforts to install solar panels on the Verona Area High School (VAHS) campus. Sustain Verona founder David Lonsdorf joined VASD Deputy Superintendent Chad Wiese at the Monday, Oct. 21 board meeting to share an update on the VAHS solar panel project, something that was previously greenlit by board members in June. Neillsville District Administrator Discusses Items From the Annual and Regular October Meeting The Neillsville School Board held their Annual Meeting and regular Board Meeting for October on Monday. I spoke with District Administrator Corey Peterson and he discussed several items on Monday’s agenda including the approval of the 2025-26 Tax Levy at the Annual Meeting. Wausau East High School showcases $9 million in improvements from 2022 referendum WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - Wausau East High School is celebrating new improvements made possible by a referendum passed in April 2022. The upgrades range from security enhancements to athletic field renovations. The high school received more than $9 million from the referendum, out of the millions given to the Wausau School District in funding. Sunrise Buddies Explore the Fun of Reading As the Beatles famously put it, we all get by with a little help from our friends. At Sunrise Elementary in Sturgeon Bay, students who need a little help with reading skills connect with adult volunteers through the “Reading Buddies” program. Reading buddy pairs meet once a week for 30 minutes from the last week in October through the end of the school year in May to explore new books, practice reading out loud and build confidence in the written word. WI teacher: Federal special-ed cuts another blow to struggling state A Wisconsin teacher is voicing significant concerns about the recent federal special education cuts and says it’s an added blow to the state budget deficit. This month, the U.S. Department of Education began laying off more than 450 employees, many of whom oversee special-education management. Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, President of the Wisconsin Education Association council, also a high school teacher, said Wisconsin educators have already been sounding the alarm about the lack of special education funding and advocating for a higher reimbursement rate for special education needs. She added that the state cannot withstand what she describes as a federal attack on public education. Oconomowoc Area School District outperforming state rates on exams OCONOMOWOC — Tests taken by students in the Oconomowoc Area School District in the spring show continued improvement in reading, writing and math. The spring 2025 assessments released recently by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction included the Forward Exam, PreACT Secure, and ACT with writing. Raymond gains, RUSD loses: How enrollment and voucher shifts reshape budgets RACINE, WI — The ongoing debate over school funding in Wisconsin – general education aid, open enrollment, and vouches, in particular – creates a significant financial impact, albeit in vastly different ways, for the Raymond School District and Racine Unified School District (RUSD). Each district serves unique student populations, but both are experiencing budget pressure as students either opt into or out of their schools, and the funding follows them. MADISON - State Superintendent Jill Underly is under fire over how the state education department handles allegations of grooming and sexual misconduct by licensed school staff and faces bipartisan criticism for skipping a Capitol hearing on the matter. Wisconsin lawmakers are considering a series of changes to state laws aimed at making it easier for state education officials and local law enforcement to keep students safe from predatory school employees. Lawmakers seek legal opinion from Wisconsin AG following report on teacher sexual misconduct State lawmakers are seeking a legal opinion from Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul about whether allegations of public school teachers grooming students is punishable by an existing state law barring immoral conduct that endangers children’s safety. The vote by the Assembly Committee on Government Operations and Transparency, or GOAT, came after a contentious hearing responding to an investigative news report into hundreds instances of public school employees being accused of sexual misconduct or grooming behaviors towards students. Hundreds of students gather for annual youth advocacy training in Eau Claire EAU CLAIRE (WQOW) - Students from different area school districts are learning how to be community role models both inside and outside of the classroom. It's called the SAFE Student Program and it focuses on youth advocacy training. Over 100 middle and high schoolers packed the Dakota Ballroom at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. One of those students was North High School Senior Amaya Ternberg. MILWAUKEE, WI- Milwaukee Academy of Science (MAS) is proud to announce the completion of its brand-new gym floor made possible through a generous $125,000 donation from the Pat Connaughton Foundation (PCF). To celebrate the completion of this project, MAS will host a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, from 1:00 to 1:45 p.m. at its Main Campus, 2000 W. Kilbourn Avenue, Milwaukee, WI. Fab Lab Grants Applications Open For Schools The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is now accepting applications for its Fabrication Laboratories (Fab Labs) Grant Program, which provides funding to help public schools build or expand Fab Labs. Logan High School students mentor elementary readers through story walk program LA CROSSE (WKBT) -- Students from Logan High School and North Woods Elementary School combined reading and exercise during a story walk featuring Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree." The outdoor activity displayed pages from the beloved children's book along a walking route, allowing students to read while getting physical activity. High school students served as mentors, helping elementary students navigate the story and build reading skills. Building Bridges in Complex Times: A Leadership Workshop for Growing Intercultural Capacity
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