Happy Holidays to everyone! Despite the cold weather, the Madison Board of Education continues its work.


On December 18th the board will begin the process of 2007-08 budget preparation and receive a report on the 2005-06 audit. On December 11th the Board will continue its discussion and analysis on positive student behavior in safe and secure schools that will hopefully lead to changes in the student Code of Conduct and Board policy #4502…In November, the Board completed the evaluation of the Superintendent. He was evaluated in five areas: District Management, Board Relations, Community Communication & Relationships, Staff Supervision & Evaluation and Professional Growth & Relationships. His scores qualitatively fell between the rating of Proficient and Strong in all categories except in Professional Growth & Relationships where he received the rating of Strong. In addition, the Board and Superintendent mutually agreed to four goals that include: (1) development of a Math Task Force; (2) a plan to promote the MMSD; (3) evaluation of information to the Board; and (4) implementation of the Administrative Intern Professional Development Program… On December 4th the Board received a report by Madison Partners for Inclusive Education. The board also received the annual report from the district regarding the annual goals of 3rd grade reading, algebra/geometry by 9th & 10th grade and student attendance of 97%… On December 20th there will be a public hearing regarding a charter school proposal from The Studio School (www.madisonstudioschool.org)… The Equity Task Force continues its hard work… Lastly, the board is discussing increasing building permit fees and has moved administrators and non-represented employees to three HMO plans effective 7/1/07. More district information can be found in the latest edition of MMSD Today at http://mmsd.org/today/.
Board Committees:
Finance and Operations (Lawrie Kobza, Chair) discussed the process for getting feedback on the citizen’s budget; analyzed the transportation budget and received monthly financial reports. Long Range Planning (Carol Carstensen, Chair) discussed enrollment history and projections; school capacity; enrollments; boundaries in West/Memorial attendance areas and overcrowding at Chavez and Lakeview. Human Resources (Ruth Robarts, Chair) reviewed administrative contract renewal, merit pay, positions covered by state statutes. Communications (Arlene Silveira, Chair) discussed planning and structure of community conversations and communications during a school crisis. Community Partnerships (Lucy Mathiak, Chair) discussed the amount of funds expended for MMSD partnerships and reviewed the annual report of programs receiving community services funding. Performance and Achievement (Shwaw Vang, Chair) will receive a report on the disproportionate number of minority students in special education and review credits for courses outside the MMSD. On 12/18, the committee will follow up on the discussion of a Fine Arts task force.
High Schools of the Future:
As you may have heard, the district is embarking on an in-depth analysis of our local high schools. The Superintendent made a presentation at the November 27th board meeting giving some background information and outlining the process to gather community input and evaluate possible changes for our schools. The scope involves challenging curriculum, relationship building and the development of the skills needed for all of our students to succeed in a global economy. The process will take two years. I encourage our community to provide input at local school and community meetings when they are scheduled in the near future.
Thank you for your interest and support of the MMSD. Have a happy and safe holiday season!
Johnny Winston, Jr., President, Madison Board of Education
jwinstonjr@madison.k12.wi.us
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