Monthly Archives: July 2010

I’m going to put on my media-critic hat and vent a little bit here.  We recently learned that Wisconsin is not one of the 19 finalists for federal Race to the Top (RTT) funding.    While it’s tough to lose out … Continue reading →

There is a wonderful opportunity brewing for the right teacher to resurrect and revitalize the agriculture program at East High School.  East was the only district high school that offered agriculture classes, but they ended a couple of years ago … Continue reading →

Common Core state academic standards are getting a lot of press. There was an interesting article in the Journal-Sentinel yesterday (Hat-tip: SIS blog) about the growing clout of Tony Evers as state superintendent of public instruction. The article noted that … Continue reading →

Dan Nerad recently informed the School Board that, subject to Board approval, his choice to be the inaugural Deputy Superintendent/ Chief Learning Officer (DS/CLO) for the district is Sue Abplanalp, currently the assistant superintendent for elementary schools.  Congratulations and best wishes to … Continue reading →

Monday’s School Board meeting featured a presentation on the facilities assessment that was prepared for the District by Durrant Engineering.  This assessment was completed in the spring, and managed to capture the fancy of the press (see here and here), but the … Continue reading →

Jim Zellmer, proprietor of the School Information System blog, sent an email to School Board members last week asking our views on our roles. The email  stated in part, “I recall a BOE discussion where Ed argued that there are … Continue reading →

At the School Board meeting on June 7, we heard a presentation on the school district’s implementation of the REAL grant.  This is a $5.3 million, five-year federal Small Learning Communities grant the district received in 2008 to support changes … Continue reading →

On July 1, the Department of Public Instruction released its estimates of how  much general school aid each school district in the state is slated to receive for 2010-2011.  According to DPI’s hot-off-the-presses calculations, MMSD is in line for about … Continue reading →

Today, July 1, is the first day of the school district’s 2010-2011 fiscal year.  Any pencils or erasers that were purchased yesterday are expenses listed in the books for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.  Paperclips purchased today go on the books … Continue reading →