Board of Education Meeting Recap
November 5th, 2024
January 26, BOE Recap
Staff Recognition
Presentation of Legislative Citation Acknowledging Superintendent Dr. Tremayne Clardy as the 2026 Wisconsin State Superintendent of the Year
Superintendent’s Report
2025 Act 42 - Wireless Communications Devices
Relevant Policies: Operational Expectations (OE) 10: Learning Environment/Student Behavior, Operational Expectations (OE) 11: Instructional Program
Verona Area School District (VASD) Counsel and Director of Compliance Nate Edwards provided an overview of Wisconsin Act 42, a new state law that requires all school districts to adopt a policy by July 1, 2026 limiting student use of personal wireless communication devices during instructional time. The law applies to non-district-issued devices such as cell phones, tablets, laptops, and gaming devices, while also requiring specific exceptions for emergencies, health needs, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 Plans, and teacher-authorized instructional use. Districts are permitted to adopt policies that are more restrictive than the statute requires.
School principals shared consistent feedback supporting limits on personal device use during the school day, noting that reduced access helps strengthen instruction and school culture. They emphasized that a general “off and away” approach is not sufficient without clear, shared definitions, particularly regarding what counts as “instructional time,” where devices should be stored, and how violations would be addressed. Districtwide consistency across schools was identified as a key priority for both staff and families. Director Edwards also highlighted the importance of clear guidance around allowable exceptions, including health and safety needs, disability-related accommodations, and teacher-authorized educational use.
VASD’s next steps will include updating Administrative Rule 533: Student Use of Cellular Telephones to comply with Act 42 while remaining aligned with the Board of Education’s (BOE’s) Operational Expectations. The revised rule will be informed by staff and building leader experience, student perspectives, and family input.
Following the presentation, BOE members discussed how the district can implement Wisconsin Act 42 in a way that is clear, workable for staff, supportive of student learning, and consistent across schools.
They emphasized the importance of defining expectations that are observable, enforceable, and realistic for teachers to manage. Several members noted that terms such as “away” and “instructional time” must be clearly defined at the district level so that expectations do not vary widely from classroom to classroom or school to school. Consistency within buildings and across the district was repeatedly identified as essential for students, staff, and families.
At the same time, the BOE recognized that teacher professional judgment matters. Members acknowledged that educators already manage device use in classrooms and that there are appropriate instructional uses for personal devices in some courses. The discussion reflected a desire to strike a balance between districtwide clarity and allowing teachers to use devices intentionally for learning when appropriate.
The BOE also discussed equity, safety, and exceptions, including how the district will clearly define allowable uses related to health needs, accommodations related to disabilities, and emergencies. Dr. Clardy clarified that students continue to have access to classroom and office phones for emergencies and that families can always contact students through school offices. The BOE noted that clear communication with families about emergency procedures will be critical.
Several members raised questions about the range of devices students bring to school, noting that policies will need to address not only phones but also smartwatches and other communication-enabled devices. BOE members discussed the importance of ensuring that enforcement expectations are clear and that teachers are not placed in the position of managing inconsistent or ambiguous rules.
Beyond compliance, the BOE reflected on the broader purpose of device policies. Members acknowledged strong research showing that phones can be a distraction and impact cognitive capacity, but also emphasized that simply removing devices does not teach students how to use technology responsibly. The BOE discussed the district’s role in helping students develop healthy, responsible relationships with technology, including digital citizenship skills that extend beyond the school setting.
BOE members connected this conversation to VASD’s governance model, noting that the discussion reflects the district’s inverted pyramid approach, with student, staff, and family input informing BOE-level direction. There was agreement that future work should include continued engagement with multiple voices and that this topic connects not only to operational rules, but potentially to curriculum and long-term student outcomes.
The discussion concluded with consensus that Director Edwards should return with a draft revision of Administrative Rule 533: Student Use of Cellular Telephones that incorporates the requirements of Act 42, reflects feedback from staff and students, clarifies expectations and exceptions, and supports consistent, instruction-focused implementation across the district.
2026-27 Budget Update
Relevant Policy: Operational Expectation (OE) 5: Financial Planning
Deputy Superintendent Chad Wiese and Director of Finance Pete Grender presented the foundational assumptions used to develop the preliminary 2026–27 budget and multi-year financial forecast. These assumptions include projected enrollment, flat per-pupil revenue limits, modest growth in categorical aid, and annual increases in property values, inflation, and operating costs. The model reflects continued cost pressures related to compensation, benefits, utilities, and special education services, while also accounting for anticipated enrollment trends and staffing needs.
A margin/shortfall analysis illustrated how these assumptions interact over time. While certain factors, such as open enrollment adjustments and categorical aid, will supplement the budget, rising costs tied to inflation, employee step increases, health insurance, and utilities impact available margins. The analysis shows that without structural changes, the VASD, like school districts across Wisconsin, faces increasing financial pressure in future years.
Deputy Superintendent Wiese also outlined potential strategies to address an approximately $2 million budget gap. These options included staffing reductions through attrition, freezing step increases, pausing cost-of-living adjustments, reducing certain fund expenditures, and exploring changes to healthcare plan design. The presentation emphasized that these items represent modeling scenarios rather than recommendations or decisions, and that each option carries significant implications for staff, programs, and long-term sustainability.
Tax Bill Discussion
Deputy Superintendent Chad Wiese and Director of Finance Pete Grender shared a detailed explanation of how Wisconsin’s state funding model, Department of Revenue (DOR) property equalization, and local property values work together to impact property tax bills.
In Wisconsin, the state sets annual revenue limits for school districts, which control how much total funding districts may receive per student. Over the last two decades, increases to those revenue limits have not matched the annual rate of inflation. In turn, the majority of the school districts in the state have turned to local property taxpayers to make up the difference through operating referenda. An additional complexity involves state aid funding. When state funding (aid) does not proportionally match new revenue permission, local taxpayers must fill the gaps.
Rising tax bills are not driven by a single factor. Inflationary pressures, declining state aid as a share of overall school funding, and state policy decisions such as private school voucher funding all influence how much of a district’s budget must be funded locally through property taxes. VASD remains committed to financial transparency and to clearly explaining how school funding decisions affect the community.
The Wisconsin DOR plays an important role in determining how property taxes are calculated. Each year, the DOR calculates equalized property values, which estimate the fair market value of all taxable property within a community. These equalized values do not set tax rates or determine how much revenue a school district collects. Instead, they provide a standardized way to compare property values across municipalities and are used to determine how the total school tax levy is distributed among individual property owners.
When equalized property values grow significantly, often due to a strong housing market or commercial development, the district’s tax base increases. While this growth can help stabilize or lower the overall tax rate, individual tax bills will still rise when a property’s assessed value increases faster than the community average.
To help illustrate these dynamics, the Board reviewed sample tax bills for residents in different municipalities. These examples showed that individual tax bills can increase even when levy growth is limited, particularly when a property’s equalized (fair market) value rises significantly. For example, when a Town of Verona property value increased by nearly 31% over a three-year period, the tax bill rose even when the school district’s tax rate declined. This resulted in an overall tax increase for that property owner of nearly 24%. This tax bill was compared to a City of Verona property owner’s tax bill, which showed an increase of only 7% during the same three-year period.
The VASD has worked to stabilize and minimize the impact of the school tax levy on our taxpayers. In fact, we had the lowest three-year tax levy increase among large Dane County school districts and were approximately 3% below the Wisconsin average.
Dr. Clardy added that understanding how state policy decisions and property values interact is essential to informed conversations about school funding and taxpayer impact.
BOE members acknowledged the inherent complexity of Wisconsin’s school funding system and emphasized that rising property tax bills cannot be attributed to a single decision, entity, or point in time. Instead, the Board’s discussion underscored how state policy decisions, DOR property equalization, and local real estate market dynamics intersect in ways that are often difficult for taxpayers to see on a single tax bill.
Several BOE members reflected on the challenge of explaining why individual tax bills may increase even when the school district is working to limit levy growth. The BOE reaffirmed that the VASD closely monitors and sets its mill rate with the goal of maintaining a neutral or minimal impact on taxpayers. However, because the VASD must apply a single mill rate across all municipalities it serves, it cannot offset sharper value increases in certain areas with different local rates.
The conversation highlighted that VASD’s state aid has steadily declined as the community has become more property-rich. While this reflects strong local property values, it also means a larger share of school funding responsibility shifts from the state to local taxpayers over time. BOE members noted that this reduction in state aid has compounded the strain created by revenue limits that have not kept pace with inflation.
The BOE spent considerable time discussing disparities between assessed and equalized property values, particularly in the Town of Verona. Members noted that under-assessment, rapid appreciation, and strong demand for large-lot properties in Dane County have contributed to sharp increases in equalized values. As a result, individual homeowners may experience significant tax bill increases even when overall levy growth is limited and the school district’s tax rate declines.
BOE members emphasized that tax bills, while appearing straightforward on paper, are the result of years of layered policy decisions involving multiple levels of government. The role of the DOR, legislative choices related to school funding and inflation indexing, and broader state budget decisions all shape local outcomes in ways that are not always transparent.
The discussion also reinforced that the vast majority of school district costs are personnel-related. With limited flexibility in spending categories, school districts must balance competitive compensation for staff with constrained revenue growth. BOE members reiterated that local property tax increases alone are not a sustainable solution to these systemic challenges.
Overall, the BOE expressed confidence that VASD has managed its tax levy responsibly, noting that the district’s levy growth remains well the below county average for large school districts and the state average. At the same time, members emphasized that understanding the interaction between state funding decisions, property valuation practices, and local market forces is essential for productive community conversations about school funding and taxpayer impact.
Board Action
Vote on Operational Expectation (OE) 5: Financial Planning Monitoring Report
Relevant Policy: Operational Expectation (OE) 5: Financial Planning
Deputy Superintendent Chad Wiese and Director of Finance Pete Grender presented the Operational Expectation (OE) 5: Financial Planning Monitoring Report. The Monitoring Report focuses on a multi-year financial plan that is directly related to the BOE’s Results priorities and Operational Expectations goals and that avoids long-term fiscal jeopardy to the district. The full report is available on the VASD website at this link.
Member Peguero motioned to approve the OE 5: Financial Planning Monitoring Report as meeting expectations. Member Porco seconded. The motion passed 7-0.
Board Updates
BOE members shared reflections from recent sessions that highlighted both the challenges facing public education and areas of emerging hope.
Member White noted that federal actions are increasingly influencing state-level education discussions, with many school districts facing similar pressures around funding stability and repeated reliance on referenda. While several education-related resolutions did not advance, he expressed encouragement that these conversations are happening at all, signaling a potential shift in how public education issues are being examined.
Member Peguero shared his experience attending a session focused on transgender youth, where much of the discussion centered on additional restrictions rather than support. He emphasized the importance of affirmation for transgender students and expressed concern about the lack of advocacy voiced during the session.
Member Porco reflected on a session that offered optimism, describing how a small district successfully narrowed opportunity gaps by intentionally centering empathy in teaching and learning. He noted that fostering empathy helped students better understand and value one another, strengthening the school community.
Member Murphy expressed gratitude for the BOE’s and district leaders’ shared commitment to learning and engagement, and Dr. Clardy thanked all BOE members for their leadership and presence.
Beyond the Ballot: Building Power Through Ongoing Civic Engagement
Member Peguero will be presenting along with other local leaders Francesca Hong, Donald Dantzler, and Joe Maldonado on January 31, 2026 at 6:00 PM at the Literacy Network (701 Dane Street, Madison). They will discuss how people can stay engaged, hold elected officials accountable, and build stronger, more informed communities.
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