Wisconsin Association of School Boards

WASB Regions Wisconsin Association of School Boards Supporting, Promoting and Advancing Public Education

At Your Service Member Services - Valuable Support to Wisconsin s School Leaders Supporting, Promoting and Advancing Public Education The Wisconsin Association of School Boards (WASB) is dedicated to serving as an advocate for education and students. Founded in 1921, the WASB seeks to advance education through supporting the tradition of local school board control of the state s public schools. The Wisconsin Association of School Boards is a memberdriven organization that supports, promotes and advances the interests of public education in Wisconsin. To fulfill our role as public education advocates, the Wisconsin Association of School Boards: Offers an array of services that address current and emerging local needs. Enhances board governance through innovative training and leadership activities. Enhances advocacy on issues affecting public education by informing members. Collaborates with other organizations. Legal Services Helping You Make Sound Management Decisions - p. 4 School law, human resources, labor and employment information and services. Advocacy & Government Relations Advocacy that is Heard at the Capitol - p. 5 Advocacy on state and federal legislation. Governance & Leadership Development Building Effective Leadership - p. 6 Board governance development and community engagement strategies. Policy Services From Development to Distribution - p.7 Policy reviewing and consulting services individualized for district needs. Superintendent Search Services Helping You Find the Right Match - p.8 Superintendent search services with leadership transition planning and assistance. Organizational Consulting Problem, Assessment and Response: Analyze Your Organization s Effectiveness - p.9 Organizational effectiveness analysis and consultations. Coaching Program Building Essential Knowledge and Skills - p.10 Relationship and leadership building for superintendents and school board presidents. Communication Services Serving Members with Events and Information - p.11 Professional development designed for school board members. 3 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Legal and Human Resource Services Helping you make sound management decisions. Your board s WASB membership opens the door to a variety of benefits offered by the Legal and Human Resources Department. Collectively, the highly respected WASB attorneys have been working for Wisconsin school boards for more than 65 years. Members can direct general questions on employment, labor and school law, collective bargaining and employee compensation and benefits to any WASB staff counsel. WASB attorneys field thousands of telephone calls and emails every year. The WASB website is also a rich source of legal information: The WASB legal library includes WASB Legal Comments, Legal Notes and presentation outlines from past legal seminars and conferences. The WASB School Law Index provides a quick and easy way to access relevant state laws and more. Districts receive numerous publications, including the Wisconsin School Employment & Labor Law Review, the Guide for Candidates, the Annual School District Meeting, and the School District Election Schedule. WASB attorneys are available to provide fee-based assistance to meet a large array of member needs. These include: Collective bargaining Personnel and employment law matters Employee handbook development Public records requests Policy reviews Individual contraact reviews Dismissal and nonrenewal proceedings Grievance hearings Student expulstion hearings Investigations Vendor agreements Intergovernmental agreements WASB Model Employee Handbook WASB attorneys have created a Model Employee Handbook and annual subscription to address district employees terms and conditions of employment. Now that collective bargaining has been relegated to bargaining over total base wages, districts need to fill the void created by expiring collective bargaining agreements. As part of your subscription, the WASB will provide selected employment policies to you and supporting resources titled Coordination of Policies with Handbook, Employee Handbook Updates, and Employee Handbook Policy Updates. The Handbook also includes the WASB Hiring Guide and the WASB Impartial Hearing Officer Guide. Advertisement 4 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Advocacy & Government Relations Advocacy that is heard in the capitol. The WASB Government Relations staff provides highquality, professional representation for Wisconsin school boards at the state Capitol, and with state agencies and federal representatives. They assist in crafting legislation and regulations that best meet the needs of school boards and the children they serve. The WASB Government Relations staff develops effective relationships with legislators on both sides of the aisle along with agency officials to advance the WASB Legislative Agenda and the policies adopted at the annual Delegate Assemblies. The WASB strongly encourages school boards to get involved as advocates for their districts. As one elected official to another, school board members have a powerful voice in influencing lawmakers. In addition to providing direct representation, the WASB provides resources and regular updates to guide school board members to be the most effective advocates possible and assist with communicating regularly with state and federally elected officials. Stay Informed, Stay Active - The WASB Government Relations staff offers a variety of resources to assist in advocating for the needs of local districts: The weekly Legislative Update electronic newsletter, sent to all board members and district administrators as part of the econnection. Delivered via e-mail each week, with special bulletins sent out for important developments, the Legislative Update provides highlights of the week s legislative activities, links to proposed law and rule changes, and WASB action alerts. The WASB website includes background information on major legislative issues, a legislative bill tracking chart, contact information for legislators and effective advoccy tips. The WASB is the collective voice for school boards in Wisconsin. Together, school boards can shape education policy at the state Capitol. 5 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Governance and Leadership Development Building effective school district leadership. The world, Wisconsin, and expectations of public education are changing. Technology and globalization are driving economic and cultural changes around the world. Wisconsin is experiencing economic and demographic changes that threaten its long-standing record of educational excellence. School board members face complex challenges as they work to lead their districts in these demanding times. The changing context requires that board members work differently than they did in the past. Today, board members need more than technical expertise; they need to develop leadership skills that allow them to create conditions within their districts that enable students to leave our schools prepared for the challenges of the 21 st century. The work of school board members is best accomplished when they work as a Board-Superintendent leadership team. The goal of the Governance Program is to develop board members ability to lead their districts efforts to implement change that will lead to improved student achievement in this new context. WASB Website Resources The GoLD website contains a wealth of information to spark conversations about board roles and responsibilities. Check it often and use the resources in board workshops to improve your board s leadership efforts. The GoLD team has developed several ways for you to get the support you need as you work to improve student achievement in your district. Our goal is to support your efforts to deliver top-notch educational opportunities to your students, making the best use of your resources. Conversation builds relationships. Relationships build trust. Trust boosts student achievement... So create opportunities for more conversation! School Board Member, WASB 2012 Presidents/Leadership Conference Board Development Services Does your board struggle with any of the following situations? Creating a vision supported by internal and external stakeholders. Using that vision to guide decision-making. Creating agendas that reflect student achievement. Dealing with conflict. Addressing emerging issues like curriclum changes and referendum needs. 6 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Policy Services From development through implementation. One of the school board s most important functions is policymaking. Through policy, the board sets goals for the entire school system and provides directives for administrators and other staff to follow while working toward achieving the goals. Collectively, the WASB Policy Services staff has more than 90 years of serving Wisconsin school districts. They have extensive experience in Wisconsin law and administrative rules and are uniquely positioned to assist school boards in setting the policies that best meet the needs of their schools and their students. Your board s WASB membership opens the door to a variety of benefits offered by the WASB Policy Services Staff: Member Services Available to All Members Answers to policy questions from experienced WASB Policy staff. Access to sample policies from the extensive WASB Policy Library. Subscriptions to the WASB Policy Perspectives monthly newsletter to stay informed of current policy issues. Additional Fee-Based Services The FOCUS Policy Publication This comprehensive policy publication presents an in-depth analysis of one policy topic each issue and includes legal and policy considerations and sample school district policies, and also highlights how the policy topic is being addressed in Wisconsin school districts. Policy Manual Re-Coding Upon request, a WASB consultant will re-code the district policy manual to correspond with the WASB Policy Manual Coding System, the standard numerical coding system used by the WASB when disseminating policy information to member districts and used by a large number of Wisconsin school districts. Policy Manual Quick Check Upon request, a WASB consultant can do a quick check of the district s policies to identify any suggested policy topics, including those mandated by law, that seem to be missing and to identify policies that, based on their last revision date, may need updating due to recent law changes affecting the topic. Customized Consulting Services Upon request, a WASB consultant or attorney can work directly with your district on policy development or updating to meet your particular policy needs, interests or requirements. A range of customized consulting services are available on an hourly basis. The WASB Policy Resource Guide (PRG) is the most comprehensive, online source of information on policy issues facing Wisconsin school districts. The PRG is a web-based policy information tool designed to help school districts update their board policy manuals, develop policies on individual topics, answer day-to-day policy implementation questions, and provide for board member and administrator professional development. The guide provides streamlined access to detailed information on a variety of policy topics, including policies required by law and hot policy topics, in one place. The PRG is easy to use. Everything is there to research and develop policies, guidelines and exhibits! Deb Stolz, Shorewood School District Contact the WASB today for subscription information. olicy esource uide P R G 7 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Superintendent Search Services Helping you find the right match. Selecting the right superintendent is the school board s most important role. Finding an instructional leader who will achieve the vision and mission of your schools is an important decision that will directly impact student achievement. The consultants who fulfill the WASB Superintendent Search Services understand that school boards, in order to select the right person, will dedicate time and deliberation to the completion of this duty. The WASB consultants are equipped to help you from start to finish with a customized process. We also offer transition services that can help the right hire and the board quickly begin their journey together. Why the WASB? We are staffed by people who are committed to providing service to Wisconsin school board members. Our consultants are experienced educational leaders who recognize that each search must be customized. When you select the WASB, you are selecting a trusted partner with whom you, your board and superintendent will have a long-term relationship; the WASB stands ready to be your partner, now during the search process, and beyond. Our Services As your membership organization, we connect you with the full range of WASB support services from policy assistance to legal services and board development. Our Commitment to School Boards Our relationship with you does not end when your new superintendent takes office. The consultants can also assist with the transition between your former superintendent and your new one. What are people saying about the WASB Search Services? Our WASB Search consultant accurately discerned what our district needed in a superintendent, and went above and beyond the call of duty to bring us exceptionally well-matched and highly qualified applicants. Stu Olson Board Member, Shell Lake School District Effective, efficient, and friendly with great results. Marcie Badtke Board Member, Wilmot Union High School District WASB Search Services did a great job for us during our superintendent search. Dan Kotek Board Member, Westby Area School District This was probably the best long-term investment we, as a board, could have made. Lynn Schlager Board Member, Platteville School District WASB provided all the necessary tools to help our search. They were very reliable and extremely professional. Nadine Slowinski Board Member Wilmot Union High School District 8 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Organizational Consulting Problem, Assessment and Response: Analyzing Your Oganization s Effectiveness. The WASB Organizational Consulting Service provides member school districts with an alternative resolution strategy to the specific challenges and circumstances that confront Wisconsin school boards. Each district is unique and has its own set of challenges that may require an experienced, objective and non-biased perspective in order to resolve them. The WASB Organizational Consulting Service is designed to be that resource with a focus on Problem, Assessment and Response. Problem Solving is Problem Finding. Many problems go unresolved because the core issue of a problem is not identified correctly. As a result, the symptom may be treated, but not cured, leading to frustration and failure. Problem misidentification occurs when there is inadequate expertise, time or commitment to address the problem. Problem Identification WASB Organizational consultants work with a local school board to identify a particular problem that is hindering the district from moving forward. Problem Solving is Problem Finding! Assessment WASB Organizational consultants can analyze your district s effectiveness by assessing one or more of the district s key operational systems and their subsystem components. Through a systemic analysis, specific recommendations are provided which will help boards focus their decision making on maximizing limited district resources to most effectively improve student achievement. Response Whether a district uses the Problemidentification, Assessment services or both, the WASB Organizational consultant provides the school district with a written report. The report analyzes the identified problem and/or provides an assessment of a operational system with specific recommendations that the school board can use to plot a course of action. WASB Organizational Consulting Services can be tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of individual school districts. A consultation may include one or all three of the service components. 9 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Coaching Program Building Relationships and Strengthening Leadership. Coaching is a concept that is commonplace in a number of settings such as sports and business. It is easy to overlook the fact that the purpose of coaching is not only to achieve individual high performance and accountability but also organizational success. The WASB believes that coaching can build essential knowledge and skills that are applicable in the education setting. The WASB Coaching Program is designed for initial and second-year district administrators, and includes the active participation of the school board president. The intent of the program is to build the working relationship and strengthen the leadership capacity of these two individuals. A major focus of the program is the development and implementation of effective communication strategies, which are critical determinants to organizational success. The ability to communicate is the most sought after trait by school boards in superintendent searches. Effective communication necessarily includes role clarifications, conflict resolution strategies and goal and objectives identification. Goals The WASB Coaching Program will: Enhance each participant s communication skills both internally within the school system and externally with the school community. Expose participants to various problem-solving strategies for issues that are typically encountered by district administrators and board presidents. Improve leadership team efforts between the school board president and district administrator through an analysis of decision-making and leadership style preferences. Often an appreciation of each individual s strengths comes only through recognition of style differences. Help set the stage for positive district administrator performance evaluations with the school board. With the implementation of standards-based evaluation, an emphasis on position description validity for administrators becomes even more critical. Provide an opportunity for individuals experiencing the same types of challenges to share ideas and learn from each other in a risk-free, learning environment. A Coaching Program may be tailored to best meet the needs of the individual participants. The WASB Coaching Program consultants have a tremendous amount of school experience and are invaluable in helping school leaders develop their skills. Nancy Thompson, Waterloo School Board The WASB Coaching Program serves a very important role in helping superintendents in their first or second year quickly develop the skills they need to be successful. Steve Klessig, Brillion School Board Working with a coach can be instrumental for any professional to achieve their potential and maximize their performance. Mary Janssen, Little Chute School Board 10 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Communication Services Serving Members with Events and Information Publications & Subscriptions The WASB pubishes a wide array of publications and subscriptions both print and electronic covering policy, school law, employee relations, legislative affairs and general school topics. The preeminent WASB publication is the Wisconsin School News magazine. The award-winning, Wisconsin School News, is the official magazine of the Wisconsin Association of School Baords. It brings relevant articles to public school leaders across Wisconsin. The magazine highlights school district successes, addresses challenging issues facing public school districts in Wisconsin, and communicates important information on an array of topics including board governance, policy, legal, facilities, safety and more. Published 10 times a year and included as a part of member dues, each issue features articles written by WASB staff members, Wisconsin school leaders, or other respected public education experts. Members and WASB Service Associates are welcome to submit articles for consideration. WASB members should also watch for the econnection newsletter delivered each week to their email inbox. Provided as a part of member dues, the econnection provides timely updates and reminders, including state and federal legislative updates of most interest to school board members and administrators. Events The WASB hosts a series of workshops, conferences and webinars throughout the year, culminating in the annual State Education Convention each January. Co-sponsored by the WASB, the Wisconsin Association of School Disrict Administrors and the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials, the State Education Convention is the premier education event and professional develoment opportunity for school officials in Wisconsin. Each year, more than 2,000 school officials attend from across the state to learn from state and national experts, meet more than 300 hundred exhibitors, network with colleagues and celebrate public education. For more information about the WASB/WASDA/WASBO State Education Convention and other WASB events held throughout the year, visit. For more information about the WASB publications and subscriptions visit. Many of the WASB publications and subscriptions are included as a part of member dues, but some are fee-based and available to nonmembers. 11 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

WASB REGIONS 1 4 5 6 9 REGION 1 Amery Ashland Barron Area Bayfield Birchwood Bruce Butternut Cameron CESA 11 CESA 12 Chetek - Weyerhaeuser Clayton Clear Lake Cumberland Drummond Area Flambeau Frederic Grantsburg Hayward Community Ladysmith-Hawkins 2 10 12 7 3 8 13 Luck Maple Mellen Northwood Osceola Prairie Farm Rice Lake Area Saint Croix Falls Shell Lake Siren Solon Springs South Shore Spooner Superior Turtle Lake Unity Washburn Webster Winter 15 14 11 REGION 2 CESA 9 Chequamegon Crandon Elcho Florence Hurley Lac du Flambeau #1 Lakeland UHS Laona Mercer Minocqua J1 North Lakeland Northland Pines Phelps Phillips Prentice Rhinelander Three Lakes Tomahawk Wabeno Area White Lake Woodruff J1 REGION 3 Algoma Ashwaubenon Beecher-Dunbar-Pembine Bonduel CESA 7 CESA 8 Coleman Crivitz Denmark DePere Gibraltar Area Gillett Goodman-Armstrong Green Bay Area Gresham Howard-Suamico Kewaunee Lena Luxemburg-Casco Marinette Menominee Indian Niagara Oconto Oconto Falls Peshtigo Pulaski Community Sevastopol Seymour Community Shawano Southern Door Sturgeon Bay Suring Washington Wausaukee West DePere Wrightstown Community REGION 4 Altoona Augusta Baldwin-Woodville Area Bloomer Boyceville Community Cadott Community CESA 10 Chippewa Falls Area Colfax Cornell Durand Unified Eau Claire Area Eleva-Strum Elk Mound Area Ellsworth Community Elmwood Fall Creek Gilmanton Glenwood City Hudson Lake Holcombe Menomonie Area Mondovi New Auburn New Richmond Osseo-Fairchild Pepin Area Plum City Prescott River Falls Saint Croix Central Somerset Spring Valley Stanley-Boyd Area REGION 5 Abbotsford Almond-Bancroft Antigo Athens Auburndale Bowler Colby D. C. Everest Area Edgar Gilman Granton Area Greenwood Loyal Marathon City Marshfield Medford Area Merrill Area Mosinee Neillsville Nekoosa Owen-Withee Pittsville Port Edwards Rib Lake Rosholt Spencer Stevens Point Area Stratford Thorp Tigerton Tomorrow River Wausau Wisconsin Rapids Wittenberg-Birnamwood REGION 6 Alma Alma Center Arcadia Bangor Black River Falls Blair-Taylor Cashton CESA 4 Cochrane-Fountain City Gale-Ettrick- Trempealeau Hillsboro Holmen Independence La Crosse La Farge Melrose-Mindoro Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton Onalaska Sparta Area Tomah Area Viroqua Area Westby Area West Salem Whitehall REGION 7 Appleton Area Berlin Area CESA 6 Clintonville Fond du Lac Freedom Area Hortonville Iola-Scandinavia Kaukauna Area Kimberly Area Little Chute Area Lomira Manawa Marion Menasha Neenah New London North Fond du Lac Oakfield Omro Oshkosh Area Ripon Rosendale-Brandon Shiocton Waupaca Weyauwega-Fremont Winneconne Community REGION 8 Brillion Campbellsport Cedar Grove-Belgium Chilton Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah Hilbert Howards Grove Kewaskum 12 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Kiel Area Kohler Manitowoc Mishicot New Holstein Oostburg Plymouth Random Lake Reedsville Sheboygan Area Sheboygan Falls Stockbridge Two Rivers Valders REGION 9 Argyle Barneveld Belmont Community Benton Black Hawk Boscobel Area Cassville CESA 3 Cuba City Darlington Community De Soto Area Dodgeville Fennimore Community Highland Iowa-Grant Ithaca Kickapoo Area Lancaster Community Mineral Point North Crawford Pecatonica Area Platteville Potosi Prairie du Chien Area Richland Riverdale River Ridge Seneca Shullsburg Southwestern Wisconsin Wauzeka-Steuben REGION 10 Adams-Friendship Area Baraboo Beaver Dam Cambria-Friesland CESA 5 Columbus Dodgeland Fall River Green Lake Horicon Lodi Markesan Mauston Montello Necedah Area New Lisbon Pardeeville Area Portage Community Poynette Princeton Randolph Reedsburg Rio Community River Valley Royall Sauk Prairie Tri-County Area Waupun Wautoma Area Westfield Weston Wild Rose Wisconsin Dells Wonewoc-Union Center REGION 11 Arrowhead UHS CESA 1 Cudahy Franklin Greendale Greenfield Hartland-Lakeside Jt. 3 Kettle Moraine Lake Country Merton Community Mukwonago Muskego-Norway New Berlin Norris North Lake Oak Creek-Franklin Richmond Saint Francis South Milwaukee Stone Bank Swallow Waukesha West Allis-West Milwaukee Whitnall REGION 12 Albany Belleville Brodhead Cambridge Deerfield Community DeForest Area Edgerton Evansville Community Fort Atkinson Jefferson Johnson Creek Juda Lake Mills Area Madison Metropolitan Marshall McFarland Middleton-Cross Plains Monona Grove Monroe Monticello Mount Horeb Area New Glarus Oregon Stoughton Area Sun Prairie Area Verona Area Waterloo Watertown Waunakee Community Wisconsin Heights REGION 13 Beloit Beloit-Turner Big Foot UHS Brighton #1 Bristol #1 Burlington Area Central/Westosha UHS CESA 2 Clinton Community Delavan-Darien Dover #1 East Troy Community Elkhorn Area Fontana J8 Geneva J4 Genoa City J2 Janesville Kenosha Lake Geneva J1 Lake Geneva- Genoa City UHS Linn J4 Linn J6 Milton North Cape Norway J7 Palmyra-Eagle Area Paris J1 Parkview Racine Randall J1 Raymond #14 Salem Sharon J11 Silver Lake J1 Trevor-Wilmot Consolidated Twin Lakes #4 Union Grove J1 Union Grove UHS Walworth J1 Washington-Caldwell Waterford J1 Waterford UHS Wheatland J1 Whitewater Williams Bay Wilmot UHS Yorkville J2 REGION 14 Milwaukee REGION 15 Brown Deer Cedarburg Elmbrook Erin #2 Fox Point J2 Friess Lake Germantown Glendale-River Hills Grafton Hamilton Hartford J1 Hartford UHS Herman #22 Hustisford Maple Dale-Indian Hill Mayville Menomonee Falls Mequon-Thiensville Neosho J3 Nicolet UHS Northern Ozaukee Fall Regional Meetings provide an opportunity to meet with others from your region and the WASB. Watch the calendar at wasb.org for your region s fall meeting in September or October. Oconomowoc Area Pewaukee Port Washington-Saukville Richfield J1 Rubicon J6 Shorewood Slinger Wauwatosa West Bend Whitefish Bay 13 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

The WASB At Your Service... What do you get for your membership? Services designed and tailored for Wisconsin school boards. The WASB provides: Access to highly exprienced staff. The WASB team of experts range in skills from school law, policy development, advocacy, leadership development, board governance and communication. The WASB staff responds to more than 5,500 law-related inquiries from members and more than 1,400 requests for policy information each year. A powerful, unified message for state and federal lawmakers. As a voluntary membership organization representing all 424 school boards and 12 cooperative educational service agency boards of control in Wisconsin, the WASB has a powerful voice in advocating for schools and the students they serve. Dozens of professional development opportunities. The WASB hosts dozens of conferences, seminars, workshops and webinars, as well as the annual Joint State Education Convention. Together, the WASB events reach more than 4,700 school board members and administrators every year. The WASB provides unparalleled information, guidance and networking opportunities. I strongly encourage board members to take advantage of the vast knowledge of the staff. The WASB resources will make you a better and more effective school board member. Patrick Sherman Lake Geneva UHS/ Genoa City J2 School Boards You Can Count on Us for Guidance and Support For further information, contact the WASB toll-free at 877-705-4422 or visit the website at wasb.org. 14 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

15 122 West Washington Ave. Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703

Wisconsin Association of School Boards A member-driven organization that supports, promotes and advances the interests of public education in Wisconsin. 122 W. Washington Ave., Suite 400 Madison, WI 53703 608-257-2622 (Toll Free) 877-705-4422