A new era for Wisconsin school boards

LuAnn Bird:

What can we expect from our school boards in this new era without collective bargaining? Can our elected school officials, unconstrained by union contracts, spend time creating the conditions for our professional teaching staff to succeed in reaching high levels of learning districtwide? Or will they continue to let operational issues - buses, buildings, personnel, etc. - dominate board agendas?

New Berlin provides an example for how school leaders plan to use their new power to create changes in their district. Is it necessary to lose almost one-third of your teachers in the process? Maybe in a failing school district where total transformation is needed, but New Berlin's students perform well on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exams with around 90% scoring proficient or advanced in both reading and math.

Since some New Berlin students score at lower levels, improvements are still needed, but the district's teachers deserve respect. New Berlin is one of the higher ranking school districts in the state.

In a recent Journal Sentinel article, some New Berlin teachers were quoted as saying they were leaving because they did not feel respected. School boards need not let that happen in their system. There is a better way.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at July 9, 2012 10:38 PM
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