September 2026

Operations and Safety

We are two weeks into the start of the 2026-2027 school year, and off to a great start. We wanted to take a quick minute to give our thanks to the community for their support in the Capital Referendum, as a few of those projects really prioritized the safety of our students during some of the highest traffic times with drop-off and pick-up at the middle school and Nelson's Bus Company bringing students to one central location so they can get on buses for their campuses. The bus drop-off is now centralized in a location between Lincoln and Whitewater Middle School that minimizes any traffic coming through, so that our students and the drivers can safely get to where they need to. The pick-up and drop-off has been going well at Whitewater Middle School and has reduced traffic flow, with cars being on Elizabeth as some of our students are trying to get across safely for those that are walkers. We appreciate everyone's continued support in ensuring these processes run smoothly both at the beginning and end of the day. The Career and Technical Education (CTE) educational spaces are getting their finishing touches soon, and once those are complete we will be inviting community members in to see these spaces, and the opportunities they will provide for our students.

Capital Referendum Project Updates

Whitewater Unified School District Strategic Plan

We also just shared our new district strategic plan where we are committed to an inclusive community where ALL foster their dreams, explore their interests, and build their futures every day, in a UNIFIED way. We also have five strategic priority areas, and they are:

Connected Community
Culture of Belonging
Social and Emotional Wellness
Future Ready Learners
Sustainable Operations

We are also developing our "Portrait of a Whippet Graduate," which you will find more information on further below under the section of CTE. We will also be providing more updates on the progress of this throughout the year.

Operational Referendum Information

The school board at the regular monthly August 24th board meeting approved to go in November to the community for a non-recurring referendum in the amount of $5.5 million for four years. If approved, the referendum would allow WUSD to exceed its state-imposed revenue limit by $5.5 million annually for four years, beginning in the 2027-28 school year and ending after the 2030-31 school year. The funding would replace the district's current four-year, non-recurring operational referendum, which voters approved in 2022 and is scheduled to expire at the end of the 2026-27 school year. The proposed referendum would be $1.1 million over the current amount.

Property Tax Impact: An approved referendum would increase the school district’s current mill rate by approximately $0.40 per $1,000 of assessed property value, or about $120 per year for a home valued at $300,000.

Here is how the question will look on the ballot on November 3rd:

Question: Shall the Whitewater Unified School District, Walworth, Jefferson and Rock Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $5,500,000 per year for four years, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year and ending with the 2030-2031 school year, for non-recurring purposes consisting of the following: maintaining student support and mental health services, maintaining comprehensive instructional and co-curricular programs, and maintaining technology, safety, and facilities infrastructure?

Lastly, there are a few red buttons below, the first one titled "Operational Referendum Page" would be a great one to visit as it has lots of information such as:

Addressing WUSD's operational needs
The proposed solution
Frequently Asked Questions

We will continue to update this webpage, as well as a list of locations that the community can come to hear more information on the operational referendum. We have also added some important voting information below as well.

Operational Referendum Webpage with Information

Where Can I Vote? (click to find out)

Can I absentee vote? (click to find out)

How do I register to vote? (click to find out)

Join us for the Discover Whitewater Series – September 20, 2026!

It's Not Too Late to Join Us for the Discover Whitewater Series – September 20, 2026!

The Whitewater Unified School District is proud to once again partner with the Discover Whitewater Series: 5K, Half Marathon, 5K Teams, and Fit Kid Shuffle. We encourage our students to sign up in teams of four for the new 5K Teams Event, and we are also looking for volunteers to help make race day a success! For more information, contact the organization at

jpk@knightpublicaffairs.com

or call 920.728.0662.

You can click on the link below for more information.

All Means All,
Superintendent Karns

Register for the Run Whitewater Series 14th Annual Race

Teaching and Learning

Make a Difference as an AVID Tutor!
AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) helps students develop the skills, confidence, and habits they need to succeed in school, college, career, and beyond. Whitewater Middle School and Whitewater High School are looking for AVID Tutor volunteers to work with students in grades 8, 10, and 11 on Tuesdays and Thursdays, just 2–4 hours per week. Morning and afternoon opportunities are available!

AVID Tutors can be college students, adults, retirees, professionals, or anyone who enjoys encouraging and supporting young people. No prior tutoring or AVID experience is needed- we provide training and support! Your time can make a meaningful difference in a student's confidence, academic success, and future while helping strengthen a culture of opportunity and achievement across our schools. It's also a rewarding way to connect with students, share your experiences, and give back to our community.

Interested in becoming an AVID Tutor? Complete our brief three minute interest form by clicking the red button below, and we'll follow up with you with more information!

AVID Tutor Interest Form

Pupil Services

SAVE THE DATE: MOBILE VACCINE CLINIC

Who: Whitewater Unified School District in partnership with SSM Health

What: Vaccinations for ages 5 and up

Where: Whitewater Middle School

When: September 28th from 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Why: to reduce the spread of disease and to protect health

How: Register by clicking the button below "Make an appointment"

We will have a flyer coming soon!!!

Make an appointment (click the button)

Human Resources

The Whitewater Unified School District is always looking for great people to join our team! If you are excited to work in a positive, collaborative, and student-focused environment, we are interested in meeting with you to discuss the many opportunities to serve in many different ways. Apply online by following the links or reach out to the person of contact on the posting. We look forward to hearing from you!

CHECK OUT CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES HERE

Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Portrait of a Graduate & Durable Skills: As shared in August, development of our Portrait of a Graduate is underway. We are currently working with Donovan Group to design the visual framework that will help bring this work to life across the district.

At the building level, principals worked with their teams to introduce Durable Skills and begin identifying authentic opportunities to intentionally embed these skills within existing content and instruction. This work is not about recreating curriculum this year. Instead, it is about recognizing where we are already teaching these skills and making that learning more visible and intentional for students.

Our goal is for students to better understand who they are, the skills they possess, and how those skills connect to success in college, career, and life. Ultimately, we want to be able to ask any student, in any building, at any time, what skills they possess, where they feel confident, and where they have opportunities for growth.

Our Portrait of a Graduate cannot be something that lives in a filing cabinet or simply hangs as a poster on a wall. It needs to be embedded in everything we do.

“Education counts, but skills count more.” - Kevin Fleming, Founder and CEO, Catapult

Transcripted & Dual Credit Articulation Agreement Update: We are excited to share that Whitewater High School will offer courses providing students with the opportunity to earn more than 125 college credits during the 2026–27 school year through partnerships with:

UW-Whitewater
Gateway Technical College
Madison Area Technical College
Lakeshore Technical College

What an incredible opportunity for our students! We are also partnering with UW-Whitewater to host a Dual Enrollment Pathway Partnership Showcase on Thursday, September 17th to highlight the work being done to expand college credit opportunities for our students.

In addition, UW-Whitewater is partnering with us to create Transcripted Credit/Dual Credit maps that will allow students to easily see the college credits they have earned at WHS, regardless of the college or university awarding the credit, and how those credits can apply toward various UW-Whitewater degree programs. Our goal is to make these opportunities easier for students and families to understand and navigate.

Business Partnership Interest Form (click here)

Library Media Resources

So happy to have students back in our libraries and checking out books again! There are many new titles for them to choose from. Also in each library students can find displays of our Battle of the Books program. We have teams from grades 4th-12th in district and have been very successful over the years with our student competitors. The Whitewater Public Library also supports us with having the books available through them and both digital and print books are available on SORA and accessible to all of our students. If your student enjoys reading please have them speak to their library paraprofessional and ask about when teams will be created. We meet during the school day over lunch. We book talk the 20 titles at each meeting, practice questions and how to answer them, and overall have a great time.

WUSD Library Link

Health Services

Student Immunization Record Form (Click Me)

Registro de vacunación del estudiante (Click Me)

Medication Consent Form (Click Me)

Consentimiento de Medicación (Click Me)

Inhaler Administration Form (Click Me)

Formulario de administración del inhalador (Click Me)

When to keep your child home? (Click Me)

Cuando mantener su hijo(a) en casa

School Nutrition Services

Ensuring Quality Meal Service Across Our District

Our Food Service Director recently visited all school locations to observe lunch service operations and ensure we continue to meet the high standards set by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. These routine visits help us maintain compliance with nutritional regulations while delivering quality meals to our students every day.

You can also click on the button below to find out what is on the lunch menu each day as you decide whether to participate in school lunches or pack one.

Lunch Menu (click to find out)