Board of Education Meeting Recap

Marcie Pfeifer-Soderbloom

January 10, 2025

Board of Education meetings can be viewed live on YouTube here and previous meetings can be reviewed here.

Members of the Board of Education will be attending the Wisconsin State Education Convention on January 22 - 24, 2025. There may be a quorum present at various times throughout the conference and it will be noticed to the public as such.

The next meeting of the Greater Dane County School District Governance Consortium is on January 15, 2025, at Mount Horeb High School. All BOE members have received a Google form invitation on which to RSVP.

The purpose of a Board Workshop is to provide a publicly available venue in which the BOE discusses current issues. While no BOE action is taken during a workshop, the conversation may impact future BOE decisions.

The Wisconsin Guarantee is based on Wisconsin Act 95. The Wisconsin Guarantee offers guaranteed admission to all UW System Schools for all who qualify. First-year/freshman applicants from Wisconsin high schools who are in the top 10% of their class at the end of 11th grade will be guaranteed admission to all UW System Schools except UW-Madison; those in the top 5% are also guaranteed admission to UW-Madison.

According to Act 95, “Pupils shall be ranked on the basis of academic achievement and the sole criterion for ranking pupils shall be the pupil's grade point average (GPA)”. If, however, more than 10% of students have the highest possible GPA, Boards of Education may submit a waiver to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) for permission to use criteria in addition to GPA to determine the top 10% of students.

Executive Director of Academic Services Amy Engelkins shared possible criteria the BOE could consider including in a waiver request as a starting point for the conversation.

Criteria for Verona Area High School’s current Academic Excellence Award (see Administrative Rule 434P) which include the following:

• Grade Point Average

• ACT score

• Total number of credits earned

She shared other potential criteria being considered by other area districts include weighted grades and advanced course credits earned (Advanced Placement, Dual Credit).

BOE members started their conversation by clarifying the timeline and immediate impact. Member Medina asked about when the decision-making criteria need to go into effect. Executive Director Engelkins confirmed that information on the top 10% of rising seniors is required to be shared with the DPI this summer.

Member Stier Christensen responded to the idea of using the ACT score, and only the score achieved on the ACT administered at and by Verona Area High School. This could exclude students who do not perform well on standardized tests or who have an off day on the day the ACT is administered. She is not in favor of using the ACT score as a criterion. Member Stier Christensen pointed out that many students who are preparing for college are taking advanced courses as part of their college entrance planning and preparation, and this seems like a reasonable criterion. Member Hanes asked if an Advanced Placement (AP) criterion would include enrolling in AP courses, earning credits in AP courses, completing the AP exam, and/or obtaining a certain score on the AP exam. Member Stier Christensen shared the idea of using the number of AP courses completed as the criterion, but not including the grade or the AP exam result. Member Murphy asked if this is an idea for one year or for the long term. Member Stier Christensen stated this could be a long term approach unless another reason arose to change it.

Member Peguero asked what other school districts are considering. Executive Director Engelkins shared that other districts are considering weighting grades and advanced coursework completion. An unweighted GPA calculates a student’s grade point average on a 4.0 scale for every class. A weighted GPA carries a judgment of how easy or difficult a class may be, so an A in an “easier” class becomes worth less than an A in a “harder” class in the calculation of a grade and a grade point average.

Member Murphy shared hesitation to make changes counter to the BOE’s philosophy just to satisfy the criteria for Act 95. Member Porco shared that the easiest solution might be weighting grades, but that goes against the grain of what VASD stands for. Member Peguero cited the Equity Framework and wondered if there is a way we can look at what students are doing outside of school (e.g., service hours) that could be considered. Member Porco asked if there is a way we can look at soft skills that students will need to succeed in college. Member Hanes asserted that he is not in favor of this law, and he asked how the BOE can make an objective ranking when the BOE believes that there is value to many different educational choices a student can make that aren’t necessarily reflected in a GPA or what is considered “advanced coursework”. Member Porco articulated that our community has developed the Journey of a Lifelong Learner as part of the Strategic Framework and wondered if the criteria that already exist could be used in developing a “top 10%” ranking.

Member Medina asked when we would know how many students have 4.0 GPAs. Executive Director Engelkins shared that that would be known at the end of the semester in June.

Member Stier Christensen reinforced that she is opposed to using the ACT score as a criterion. She supports using the number of credits earned and advanced credits earned as ranking criteria.

Member Hanes stated that the BOE has to accept that this work and the related decisions are all retrospective because the law went into effect and will impact students who could not have had an awareness of it and planned accordingly. He suggested using GPA, total number of credits earned, and number of advanced credits as criteria, highlighting that “advanced credits” would need to be defined further and be limited to just AP courses. The most equitable rating would be “credits earned”, but could it inadvertently incentivize students to take “easy” credits to achieve a 4.0 GPA.

Member Medina shared a concern about how we define “advanced credits”. He would not want to automatically exclude certain classes or areas (e.g., Career and Technical Education). He raised the idea of VASD finding a way to define “advanced credits” that includes students challenging themselves in some way.

Member Stier Christensen shared that none of this seems fair so making a fair system based on an unfair premise is challenging. Multiple BOE members concurred with this sentiment.

Member Porco asked if other criteria outside of grades and credits can be used. Director Edwards stated that other criteria can be considered. Member Porco again raised the question of whether the Journey of a Lifelong Learner could be useful. The Strategic Framework may also be relevant here. There was a lot of community and staff input in the Strategic Framework and the Journey of a Lifelong Learner; using them to inform ranking criteria would reflect the values of the students, community members, and staff who contributed to the Strategic Framework and Journey of a Lifelong Learner.

Member Peguero raised the concern of the representation of students of color in AP courses. He has prior experience where students of color were underrepresented in AP courses. If that’s the case in the VASD and we have AP course credit attainment as a criterion, are we further throwing up barriers for students of color to access higher education?

Director Edwards shared that the waiver has to be updated each year, so it can be changed annually using the experience of the BOE. Dr. Clardy pointed out that Administrative Rule 434P criteria include the ACT as a deciding factor for scholarships. Medina expressed a desire to align waiver criteria with Administrative Rule 434P.

The BOE will continue to consider multiple issues as they move toward making a decision on what criteria will be included in the waiver request to DPI.

Dr. Clardy prefaced the BOE’s conversation about school safety with feedback from the most recent Superintendent Advisory meetings. Middle school and high school students shared the following priorities and desires:

Transparent and Inclusive Communication

• Provide timely and accurate updates directly to students, ensuring 9-12th grade students are included in all emails sent to families. This addresses situations where parents may not inform their children.

• Share updates about new policies or safety measures and involve students in discussions when appropriate.

Enhanced Safety Preparedness

• Expand safety drills to include all classrooms, core classes, and passing times, ensuring students are familiar with all emergency procedures.

• Consider and communicate any potential new safety measures, like weapons detection systems, based on community needs.

Accessible Mental Health and Emotional Support

• Offer more in-depth mental health resources and create safe spaces for open dialogue.

• Provide anonymous channels for students to share concerns and access support without fear of judgment.

Reassurance and Community Sensitivity

• Ensure communications comfort families and affirm the school’s commitment to safety.

• Acknowledge that incidents impact individuals differently and respond with care and inclusiveness, allowing space for students to engage or opt-out as needed.

Staff and Parent Advisory members shared the following priorities and desires:

• Safety and Security in Schools

• Balancing safety with a welcoming school environment (avoiding a "prison-like" atmosphere)

• Entry point management (weapons detection system)

• staffing needs

• Addressing potential gaps in security, such as unsecured entrances.

• Role of school personnel in responding to threats

• Long-Term Safety Vision

• Coordinating safety measures with broader initiatives like mental health improvement

• Developing a phased approach for secondary and elementary schools

• Establishing committees to evaluate and recommend systems

The group discussed weapons detection systems. They wondered about placement, effectiveness, staffing, response plans if a weapon is detected, and cost.

Member Peguero highlighted mental health and emotional support as critical in creating and maintaining a positive school culture. Member Stier Christensen wondered how the VAHS open campus impacts student safety.

Member Hanes wonders about how school shootings happen so that the BOE can make decisions based on real information about why and how critical incidents occur, or how they are avoided. Member Medina asked how we can maximize safety without it feeling invasive and, like Member Hanes said, how can we get good information upon which to base decisions.

Member Medina shared that having a School Resources Officer (SRO) that is introduced and embedded into the school in a positive way could help with school safety. He also understands the concerns expressed by a VASD family in an open comment about SROs and their potential impact on students of color.

Member Porco cautioned against conceptualizing safety as only a physical “thing”, like defending a fortress. He offered that safety is also a feeling and an atmosphere. He wondered about the right balance between “things” (e.g., weapons detection systems, drills) and how those things are done and how they add to or detract from the feeling and atmosphere of safety. How do we make investments in a way that engenders a feeling of safety? Member Murphy concurred that students feeling like people care about them as individuals and their well-being contributes to that feeling and atmosphere or safety. Member White asserted that we want to keep our babies safe, that’s why we’re here, and encourage the BOE to consider the safety of our staff as well during these conversations.

Dr. Clardy asked if the BOE would like more information on weapons detection systems. Member Hanes said it is important for the BOE to get more information because it’s important to the community. Member Murphy concurred.

Member Medina asked about next steps and the BOE’s top priorities for further exploration. What are VASD’s gaps and needs? Member Porco summarized that the BOE’s conversation seems to be waning toward:

• Continuing to explore having an SRO

• Continuing to explore weapons detection systems

• Working to ensure that VASD has the correct and sufficient mental health supports to build and maintain safe feelings and a safe atmosphere

Member Stier Christensen suggested a closed session where specific information is available, for example, on VASD’s safety plans that we would not disclose every piece of information on publicly.

Member Peguero asked how can VASD support and encourage families to have supportive conversations with their students at home related to school safety? Member Porco was very happy to see the Resources for Families pop-up on the website after the recent school violence incident at Abundant Life Christian School. Member Peguero agreed and asked how VASD might be involved in a community approach to enhancing school safety.

The BOE will continue to discuss school safety at future workshops and meetings.

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