Students Earn Awards at UW-Parkside King Celebration

From Racine Unified:

Several students from Racine received awards during the 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Working with the theme "The Significance of His Actions," students were honored for their art and essays during a ceremony held in the university's Communication Arts Theatre on Jan. 21.

In the middle-school essay contest, Zachary Atkins of the REAL School was the first place winner and A'Jehanna Gaston of Starbuck Middle School was runner-up. At the high-school level, Park High School's Sedaria Wallace won the ninth and 10th-grade essay competition. Park studentsMiranda Langdon (first place) and Jazlyn Collins (runner-up) completed a school sweep of the 11th and 12th grade contest. In the college essay contest, UW-Parkside student Luis Tesillos of Racine received first-place honors. Each award recipient was honored with a commemorative medallion during the ceremony.

Students from Case High School earned the Community Outreach Project Award for the Minority Visionary Program, a group whose intent is to get new high school students thinking about their educational options beyond high school.

The university's 2011 Dr. King Community Service Awards were presented to Racine residents Latasha Collins and Tuanquilla (Tessa) McKinney.

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Unified, REA agree on federal funding

RUSD and its teachers union are in agreement on federal funding. They want it.

RUSD's Shaw and REA's Urso sign the memorandum

Leaders of Racine Unified from both sides of the bargaining table signed a Memorandum of Understanding supporting the state's Race to the Top grant application. Without it, the district could not participate in Phase Two of the Race to the Top; with it, Unified culd receive between $4.5 million and $7 million in federal funding.

IF Wisconsin receives the grant -- and it's a big if, since the state finished in 26th place in Phase One -- Wisconsin could receive up to $250 million in funding.

On Thursday Racine Education Association Executive Director Steve Urso and REA President Pete Knotek met with RUSD Supt. Dr. Jim Shaw and  Deputy Supt. Alan Harris to sign the memorandum of understanding. RUSD Board VP Sue Kutz also signed it earlier in the week.

 The memorandums were sent out on May 6 by Gov. Jim Doyle and State Supt. Tony Evers; school district leaders had until May 21 to sign and return them.

“We have come together with district leadership to sign this MOU because we feel that the state’s Phase Two application is strong and we’re very hopeful Wisconsin will receive a grant,” said Urso. “We look forward to the opportunity to work together if that happens.”

Despite Wisconsin's poor showing in the first round, several changes have been made to improve the application for Phase Two. To review the state’s application, visit the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website. The state must submit its Phase Two Race to the Top application by June 1. The U.S. Department of Education will announce grant winners in September.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Phase One winners in March -- Delaware and Tennessee. In all, some $4.25 billion is available, to spur states to develop innovating education-reform plans.

Racine Unified exploring new home for its central office

The Racine Unified School District could save $1 million a year by relocating its central office to to the former Surgitek campus on the city's north side.

Unified Chief Financial Officer Dave Hazen said Tuesday the district was investigating the move. The savings would come from reduced energy bills and operations savings, he said.

District administrators met with employee group leaders Tuesday night to present the opportunity and discuss steps needed before the move.

The building - actually, a two-building campus - would provide for more efficient energy use resulting in reduced utility costs and more efficient work flow, Hazen said. The district now houses warehouse and maintenance staff in two different buildings at 2200 Northwestern Ave. One of Unified's central office buildings is three stories and the other a four-story building. The Surgitek campus, located at 3037 Mount Pleasant St., would allow these departments to be housed on a single story and in one building, providing cost savings.

Hazen said the former Surgitek and ACMI Corp. plant had suitable office space in good condition. The owner of ACMI, a medical instrument manufacturer, shut down the plant in 2007, putting 170 people out of work.

Prior to making a recommendation to the School Board, the district will conduct a feasibility study to determine cost savings as well as cost of the potential move. It will also seek input from employees and the business community and have a third-party review of the deal to make sure it actually saves money. 

The early numbers look good, Hazen said.

The cost of the building purchase would be approximately $5 million including moving costs. The move would save the district about $1 million per year and cost the district about $500,000 in loan payments for 10 to 15 years.  The district is also looking into the possible sale of the current central office building, which would offset some of the cost. 

Hazen said he was looking at the potential new home as a business decision. It would help the district save money, which is important at a time when the local school system is dealing with shrinking budgets and growing needs, he said.  

Hazen added the potential move would go through a different process than building or moving a school. While important, schools don't result in savings, he said. Moving the district's central office could free up resources to hire teachers or additional district staff. 

"They're totally different decisions," Hazen said. 

View Larger Map
Map showing the possible new home for Racine Unified's central office.

The district put out a Q&A on the potential move: 

What process is District administration using to ensure that central office relocation will actually save the District money?

     1.  Share information and begin discussions with employee groups and union leaders

2. Seek private sector help for the feasibility study
3. Review feasibility study with an external accounting firm to determine actual yearly cost savings associated with the relocation to the Surgitech campus
4. Review completed feasibility study with Board of Education by July 12, 2010
5. Ask for Board Decision at the July 19, 2010 Board meeting
6. Reinvest cost savings into schools – ongoing

How much is this going to cost the taxpayer?

The cost of relocating the District central office will be approximately $5 million and will be paid out of current funding. The funds used to purchase this building would be paid back through the cost savings – which could be up to $1 million a year. No additional funding will be required.

Where is the District going to come up with $5 million to purchase the new building?

The building would be purchase using a loan. The loan would be paid back through yearly cost savings. No additional funding will be required.

What’s wrong with the current central office building?

The current building is energy inefficient with high utility costs. The layout of the current central office building doesn’t provide for operational efficiencies – specifically for our maintenance and operations departments. The District currently houses warehouse and maintenance staff in two different buildings; one is three stories and the other a four-story building. The Surgitech campus would allow these departments to be housed on a single story and in one building, creating operational efficiencies and cost savings. Both the operating and the utility savings could then be reinvested into our schools.

Why is the District considering the purchase of a building for central office when schools are in need of new buildings?

The District is always looking for ways to save costs and create efficiencies.  The Surgitech campus is available now and we believe that the purchase of the campus and the relocation could save the District $1 million in costs annually. If the external feasibility study and audit confirm the savings, administration would recommend to the School Board to move forward so that the District can begin reinvesting that money back into our schools.

Why not move Walden School to the vacant Surgitech campus?

In order to make a building “education-ready,” different standards are required (e.g. heating/cooling, room size, etc.). This would be very costly. In addition, as a school, this building would not see the increased work-flow efficiencies that it will as a central office building. Relocating Walden (or any) School to the new building would not allow for the cost savings we anticipate by relocating the central office there. The end goal is to reduce costs so we can invest this money back into our schools.

Where will the money the District saves go?

District administrators will consider the needs of the District and reinvest the money in a strategic way that aligns with our North Star Vision.

Racine Unified announces new interim Area 1 superintendent

Racine Unified Superintendent Dr. Jim Shaw named current Gifford Elementary School Principal Steve Russo interim Area 1 Superintendent on Monday. Russo will replace Dona Sens who is retiring after 16 years with the District.

“Steve Russo’s record as a principal in a high performing school and his commitment to Racine Unified, make him an ideal candidate to serve in this interim position and help redesign the RUSD Administrative Service Center,” said Superintendent Shaw.

Russo has been with the District for more than 36 years. He began his career as a teacher at Franklin Elementary for two years years and then at Knapp Elementary for 24 years. He’s been at Gifford Elementary for 11 years, having started as a teacher and then served as an assistant principal. He’s been in his current role as Gifford principal for seven years.

“I’m eager to take on this new challenge,” said Russo. “Dona Sens has been a mentor and inspiration to me for some time. I know it will be difficult to fill her shoes, but I am motivated by this opportunity to serve the entire District.”

As Area 1 Superintendent, Russo will be responsible for the District’s Cluster 1 Schools which includes Case High School. In addition, he will assist the central office team in redesigning the work of central office administrators in supporting school improvement plans, principals, teacher data teams and the achievement of the North Star.

Two Racine Unified directors to retire this spring

Jim Linstroth, assistant director of continuing education at the Mack Center, Jim Kerkvliet, Park High School activities director, will be honored at Racine Unified's annual retirement dinner on Thursday night.

Together, Linstroth and Kerkvliet have contributed 61 years of service to the school district. They are among 44 retirees from Racine Unified this spring.

Linstroth has worked in the Mack Center for 34 years – having seen four name changes and many building changes over the years. He started his career as a social studies and English teacher for 11 years, then spent 10 years as Work Experience Coordinator and finally spent the most recent 13 years as Assistant Director at the Mack Center. Linstroth also served as head boys and girls swim coach for 10 years at Park High School. During that time, he was recognized as Racine All County Coach of the Year five times. In 2006, Linstroth was selected RAMAC Administrator of the Year.

Kerkvliet will retire after 27 years with RUSD. Most recently, Kervliet served as Park High School Activities Director for eight years. He began his career in the District as a physical education teacher at Mitchell Elementary for three years and at the Mack Center for 12 years. He taught health at Park High School for four years as well. During his tenure, Kerkvliet also spent 19 years coaching girls basketball at Park High School with a career record of 303 wins and 126 defeats, seven conference championships, 12 regional championships, four state tournament appearances and a state championship in 1997. In addition, Kerkvliet coached JV softball for eight years.

Pepsi Grant Winner: Mitchell Middle School's Wendt teaches an empowering lesson

Mitchell Middle School science teacher Kim Wendt sees her school just won a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant. Wendt led efforts at the school to secure the money, which will be used to remodel science rooms built in 1974.

Kim Wendt heard "No" many times over the past three months. The Mitchell Middle School science teacher ignored every one of them.

No, she couldn't convince her colleagues to tear down the walls between their classrooms. No, the construction work wasn't possible. No, she couldn't enter the Pepsi Refresh Project to compete for $50,000. No, she couldn't raise the money needed to organize a campaign. No, she couldn't get enough votes to win the grant.

All those "No's" made for an emphatic "Yes!" Friday night as the competition ended and Mitchell Middle School won $50,000 to remodel science rooms built in 1974. The project, first imagined by Wendt in February, finished third in the voting for the Pepsi Refresh contest; the Top 10 projects received money.

Friday night's contest deadline brought to end a frantic marketing and voting campaign led by Wendt, her colleagues and students, Racine area residents and even people around the country and across the world.

Wendt got started when she heard that Pepsi had decided to skip placing Super Bowl ads this year and spend the $20 million on a social media campaign that would award grants to nonprofit organizations that compete for money throughout the year. Anyone could enter a project, which would be voted on by visitors to the Pepsi Refresh website.

Wendt immediately saw the contest as a marketing challenge. Already a creative designer -- she painted her science classroom lime green and her students' chairs bright pink -- Wendt knew how she wanted to rework Mitchell's science department. She just needed to convince others it was a good idea.

One of Mitchell Middle School's science rooms. Wendt's plan is to knock down the far wall and 

create an open space for classrooms and a student laboratory. 

Some were initially skeptical of tearing down walls between their classrooms and replacing them with glass cubes. But they, like most people associated with the project, came around to Wendt's idea. 

Her vision is to create a modern science learning center at Mitchell with space for students to conduct experiments, work on computers and hone reading and writing skills. The plan, as drawn, will require expensive structural changes. A cash-strapped Racine Unified doesn't have money to spend on projects like this, and even if they did, Mitchell would have to compete with the needs at other district schools. Instead, of waiting for the district, Wendt decided to raise the money herself. 

She got Racine Unified's facilities manager to go along with the plan with a passionate plea that even included a few tears. After initially saying, "No way," the manager changed his mind and promised her it would happen.  

Students voting after school on Friday in the Mitchell Middle School computer lab. 

With a plan in place, Wendt launched a nonstop, all-out marketing campaign that rallied students, teachers and plain old school supporters in favor of the project. Wendt, who titled the project "Construction for Instruction," started by distributing postcards, pencils and T-shirts to everyone she could think of. A school dance fundraiser helped pay for the supplies, but Wendt also bought the supplies out of her own pocket.

The message was simple: Mitchell had a chance to win $50,000 to rebuild its science rooms, and all people had to do was visit a website and click to vote. It was free, quick and easy - she just had to let people know.

Wendt's plan was to submit the proposal to compete in March, but projects from all over the country overwhelmed the Pepsi Refresh website and prevented her from entering. Wendt took her project straight to the Pepsi Refresh officials and pleaded with them to include the project. They relented and personally entered the project for April.


Word spread as marketing materials got around. Mitchell staff and students started to vote, and soon families and teachers in other Racine schools joined in. Wendt and her students sent a three-minute DVD explaining the project to 50 area businesses, and businesses responded by encouraging employees to vote. The project's Facebook page took off and people all over the country joined in.

Wendt was the driving force. She relentlessly sold the project to anyone who would listen. She even convinced the flight attendants on her flights to and from Los Angeles to let her make a mid-air pitch for remodeling the science rooms. While in Los Angeles, a friend scored tickets to American Idol and Wendt spent the entire show handing out pencils to people in the crowd and trying to convince family members of the performers to get the performers to mention the project on the show.

The only downturn in support for the Mitchell project came during Spring Break when students were away from their school computers. They stopped voting for nine days, and the project slipped to eighth place. Once the students, and Wendt, were back in school, they regained momentum and avoided slipping out of the Top 10.

On Friday, the final day of the April competition, Wendt's project sat in third place. Students rallied after school to make their last votes. Excitement crackled through the computer lab and lunch room, where sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders sat at computers and tracked the results. Other students met during lunch hours and voted at home. Their efforts are inspiring because they're empowering. At a time when schools are out of money, here was a group of teachers and students doing more than complaining. Following Wendt's lead, they weren't accepting no. 

Friday evening, Wendt stared at her iBook waiting for the competition's 11 p.m. deadline. She refreshed her browser and the screen flipped - voting was done. Mitchell finished in third place and won the $50,000 grant. Wendt now has to fill out paperwork, finalize plans for construction, which will happen this summer.  

And Wendt isn't done. She has a binder full of grant opportunities for schools and teachers, and she's thinking about pursuing another Pepsi Refresh grant (there's no limit on how many a school or school district can win) in August to do more work on Mitchell's science rooms. 

Here's some background on the project: 

In other rounds of the competition, a project to fund an alternative cancer treatment with no side effects,  and one to rebuild an elementary school destroyed by mine subsidence in rural Illinois were each on track to receive $250,000 awards. In all, Pepsi is giving away $1.3 million each month. A new round of project competition will begin Saturday. For a quick look at all the winners, go here.

Here are the ten winning projects in Mitchell's category:

1. Preservation of a one-screen movie theater in Rosendale, NY.

2. Buy Smart Boards for the Lone Star School in Sapulpa, OK.

3. Redesign and revamp science classrooms built in 1974 at the Mitchell Middle School in Racine.

4. Give 100 children with disabilities AmTryke therapeutic tricycles.

5. Save one of the nation's first Cub Scout camps from being shut down. Anthony DiNicola, who suffers from cerebral palsy, attended Camp Tadma in Bozrah, CT, as a child, and says, "I am now trying to save the camp that saved me."

6. Install multiple wind turbines in the Waukee, IA, School District.

7. Provide 200 music scholarships to the Hudson Valley Youth Wind Ensembles in Poughkeepsie, NY.

8. Engage thousands of high school teachers in teen suicide prevention.

9. Open the KIDDS Center for Youth Development and Performing Arts for elementary and middle school children in Lithonia, GA.

10. Provide an after-school program in foreign language instruction for disadvantaged public school students in New York City.

And, just in case you were wondering: The project that just missed getting funding, winding up in 11th place, was one to save lemurs by by building a new tour path, at the Duke Lemur Center in Southern Pines, NC.

Update: Unified clarifies policy on public use of new tennis courts

Local tennis players were disappointed earlier this month when they went to Case High School to play on the school's new tennis courts and discovered they were locked.

It was surprising because the courts had been open to the public before they were were re-surfaced, along with the courts at Horlick High School, last year with $651,000 in referendum money.

However, a check with Racine Unified Spokesperson Stacy Tapp and a visit to the courts ourselves shows the courts - at least some of them - will be open for public use.

After checking with Case Activities Director Rupnow, Tapp said the district's policy is to unlock the tennis courts when a building engineer is on duty. An engineer is typically on duty from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The courts are not available for use during school days or when they're being used by the high school tennis teams.

The courts can also be reserved by a group or individual. The fee is $5 per court per hour, including a $25 deposit and a certificate of insurance.

We visited the Case High School courts on April 21 to test if the district was keeping with its policy. We found four of the new courts were unlocked and open for play, and eight were locked. It's unclear if more courts will be opened, as needed, or if the district will keep some locked up. On the day we visited, there was nice weather, but no one playing.

The new courts at Case and Horlick are a coups for local tennis players, who had been struggling to find decent, free courts in recent years. While the city has invested in nice new courts at Lakeview Park, some had complained about the new style of surface that was used. The city also resurfaced the courts at Lockwood Park, but paint is chipping off the surface, obscruring some lines and creating an unattractive appearance.

The new Unified courts were badly needed. They replace courts that were cracked and uneven, creating a difficult playing environment for the district's boys and girls tennis teams.

Update: Here's the official policy for use of Case High School's tennis courts:

Case Tennis Court Usage Policies

1. The Case tennis courts are not available during the school day or during interscholastic events.

2. The second set of four courts labeled D2 will be unlocked for public use. All other courts will be locked for individuals or groups making reservations.

3. In order for an individual or group to secure (reserve) a court or courts, a Racine Unified School District Facility Use Form must be completed. This individual becomes the “responsible adult”. Individuals or group leaders must provide a certificate of insurance. For private citizens, this means a policy that covers you and the group playing.

4. The Facility Use Form should be completed and sent to Mike Rupnow, Activities Director at Case High School. Mike Rupnow will approve the request for availability and send the form to the Racine Unified School District’s Building and Grounds Department for their approval.

5. The “responsible adult” named on the Facility Use Form, may secure a key for the tennis courts with a $25 deposit with Mike Rupnow. The adult will be responsible for the key through the date of reservation.

6. The “responsible adult” will be billed $5.00 per hour per court that is used by the Racine Unified School District’s Buildings and Grounds.

VIDEO: Reinvesting in Racine Unified presentation

Welcome to the RacinePost Video Experience. After wrestling for the better part of a day with video formats, video editors and YouTube, we have three videos of Racine Unified's Monday night presentation on its plans to spend up to $80.6 million building new schools and maintaining current staffing levels.

There are three videos, each about 10 minutes long. The first talks about the building proposal, which includes building three new elementary schools. The second talks about the need for an operating referendum to maintain staffing levels once the federal stimulus money disappears. And the third talks about how the district would pay for the construction and operating proposals.

If you'd like a clearer, more complete broadcast of the forum, tune into Racine Unified's public access station later this week. They'll be airing the meeting in its entirety.








Update: The presentation of the District’s Reinvestment Plan is now on RUSD Channel 20 (Time Warner Cable.)  The meeting may be viewed at 4:30 p.m. daily.


The School Board, on Monday, March 29, reviewed a plan that includes the construction of three new elementary schools and additions/improvements to five existing elementary buildings.  The plan would also improve building access for people with disabilities and provide operating costs to maintain legally required staff levels. The total price tag would range from $58 million to $73.1 million for the construction and $7.5 million for annual operating costs.


The School Board is currently seeking public input to the plan and may determine in June whether to schedule a referendum in the fall.

And just who owns that $100,000 home?

As I was writing up last night's story on Racine Unified's reinvestment presentation, one nagging thought came to mind: Just how many homeowners living within the school district own that $100,000 home on which taxes would rise $92 to $120 per year?

Keep in mind, we're not chastising Unified for using the $100,000 figure; every taxing body does when talking about bonding costs. Still... how relevant is it, except as a starting point?

I called Jim Ladwig, County Registrar of Deeds, who set me onto Patrick J. Harmann, manager of the Real Property Lister's Office. Pat sent me voluminous spreadsheets listing far more information than I needed, but it came down to this.  We divided the total assessed valuation of all residential property by the number of homes in each community to come up with an average figure. The value of undeveloped homesites slightly skews the resulting average home value figure, but it's the best we can do.

In any case, here's what the numbers show:

If I've calculated the math correctly, the average home within the school district is assessed at $168,695. (Total value of $7,576,936,310 divided by the number of homes: 44,915.)

Someone else had second thoughts about a set of numbers. Caledonia Unplugged took exception to David Hazen's bar chart comparing the  amount spent per student by Unified, before and after referenda costs are calculated, with other area districts and the state average. Nobody's questioning the actual figures, but Caledonia Unplugged says the graphic, taken from one of Dave Hazen's slides, "struck me as disingenuously intended to amplify this supposed difference."

Here's Hazen's bar chart, followed by one from Caledonia Unplugged. Clearly, depending on where you set the X axis  changes the graphic representation of the difference in spending among districts. Caledonia Unplugged set his at $0, thus minimizing the representation of the different spending levels. Hazen did the opposite.

Caledonia Unplugged sees this chart example as a "to what extent will they try to trick us" issue, and there's no question that he's right about the graphic representation being skewed. I tend to look at the numbers rather than the graphic depiction -- no matter how you draw it, Unified is still spending $798 less per student than the state average. And that's not a pretty picture, especially given our student population's needs. You decide. Not that the amount of money spent is the be-all, end-all answer...

RUSD lays out its reinvestment wishlist: $73 million... plus $7.5 million, plus...

 RUSD's two approaches to improving student learning: 

New schools and better operations

A key element of Racine Unified's "reinvestment" plan was made clear Monday night -- its cost.

David Hazen, the school district's financial officer, right, outlined the program to about 50 people, most of whom appeared to be board members or district employees or members of the 72-person committee drafting the plan.

Not to keep you in suspense any longer: $58 million, for the "base" bricks-and-mortar portion of Phase 1. That would be accompanied by an additional referendum for operations funding of $7.5 million.

Those are preliminary numbers, Hazen cautioned, admitting that "some will say no" immediately, blaming the economy. Others will say, "You want what? for what?" and that's where the board must go out to the community for "pushback and feedback."

Key elements of the program, so far, include three new K-5 elementary schools, renovations to five more and district-wide ADA improvements. The $58 million bottom line looks like this:

• Bull Fine Arts: $4,000,000
• Jerstad-Agerholm Elementary: $2,250,000
• Roosevelt Elementary: $5,350,000
• Schulte Elementary: $2,825,000
• Wind Point Elementary: $7,325,000
• District-wide ADA improvements: $4,150,000
• 3 New K-5 schools: $32,100,000

But that's just a base version. Construction options that would add three classrooms to Bull, or provide a K-8 school instead of a K-5, re-roof all renovated schools, maybe build a new Wind Point Elementary instead of remodeling, since the added cost is "only" about $2.7 million more,  and add air conditioning to Bull and Roosevelt would raise the Construction Referendum's $58 million total by $15,186,389 ... call it $73 million. The construction and remodeling would add 936 spaces for elementary students and free up one building for a secondary school, RUSD says.

The Phase 1 Operations Referendum would raise $3.5 million as an ARRA bridge for the 2011-2012 school year (covering the end of stimulus funding); $1 million for financial stability (money put into the district's "surplus" account, which helps lower bond interest rates), and $3 million for educational efficiencies.

And what would all this cost you?  That depends upon the assessed value of your home, of course. The district estimates that the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $92 to $120 per year in additional taxes, depending on which options are approved. Also relevant is the per-pupil cost at Unified, compared to other districts. The bar chart below shows where the district is today, and where it would be if the referenda pass. Of course, all those districts we're compared to would also (probably) increase spending as well. Hazen noted, "we don't want to over-burden the taxpayers."

Hazen spent time outlining the various "pillars" on which the district hopes to build. The construction funds would provide efficient school size, smaller classes and ADA compliance. All elementary staffing would be revised, there would be a 13-1 student/teacher ratio in K-1st and 26-1 in 2nd through 5th grades. There would be 14 schools with 312 students, 10 with 468 and 1 with 624. Operations funding would fill the district's existing "staffing gap" of 81 teachers (average yearly cost of each teacher: $74,475.)

The timeline for all this:

• April and May: Community feedback
• Fall 2010: Referendum
• February 2011: Issue bonds
• May 2011: Break ground
• September 2012: Open new schools

This timeline would be "aggressive," said consultant Peter Scherrer. "We'd need to be moving with the design work as soon as the referendum passes." Another issue the district has yet to decide is where any new schools would be built, because a "rural" school requires a different design than an "urban" one -- and "rural takes longer." But the district cannot begin to buy land for new schools. "It's hard to negotiate when you don't have the money," Hazen said.

Hazen said "now is a good time to build," with construction companies hungry and interest rates low. The program would create 200 construction trade jobs for a year, he said.

"Is the fall too soon (for a referendum), given economic conditions?" Hazen asked rhetorically. "If we wait," he answering his own question, "construction goes back another year."

A Phase II referendum in Spring 2012 would be aimed at reducing secondary school size (High schools: 1,800 and Middle schools: 702), replacing Walden with a Green School, replacing Red Apple, remodeling Olympia Brown and perhaps the new project on the drawing board: a high school partnered with Gateway Technical College.,

The result of all this would be updated facilities ("2012 vs. the existing 1856"); ADA improvements, efficient school size and efficient class size. Looking at the reinvestment program like a business plan, Hazen said nearby area districts have already committed to building: Kenosha has a new high school, Burlington has newer schools, Oak Creek is building, he said. "We need to compete that way," he said.

Two other points: Earlier in the evening, the School Board approved the proposed $8.5 million technology refresh plan, that will replace all 8,000 of the district's computers and servers. Second, the $1 million to "maintain financial stability" would be on-going, with no sunset clause.

Hazen's complete presentation, and more background on the reinvestment plan, will be posted HERE on Unified's website. 

Questions about the plan may be sent to referendum@racine.k12.wi.us Answers will appear on Unified's website at: About us>Reinvesting in RUSD.

The auditorium at Starbucks was mostly empty for RUSD's presentation

Park no longer 'undefeated;' team forfeits 10 games

UPDATE, 2/24: Park High School's basketball team is no longer "undefeated." Because of the truancy violations, the team has forfeited 10 games. RUSD issued the following press release today:

The Park High School varsity boys basketball team will forfeit 10 of its 2009-10 regular season games based on the findings of an internal investigation into violations of the Racine Unified School District’s Athletic Code. These violations, related to truancy, resulted in some players being ineligible to participate in some games. Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) rules require teams to forfeit games in which players are found to be ineligible.

Park officials contacted the WIAA and athletic directors at affected schools on Wednesday, Feb. 24. The 10 games are:

• Nov. 27: West De Pere
• Dec. 1: Milwaukee Custer
• Dec. 11: Kenosha Bradford
• Dec. 15: Racine Horlick
• Dec. 29: Beloit Memorial
• Jan. 15: Franklin
• Jan. 19: Kenosha Tremper
• Jan. 29: Kenosha Bradford
• Feb. 2: Racine Horlick
• Feb. 16: Franklin

As of Feb. 24, Park’s regular season record is 11-10.

All Park High School players will be eligible to participate in the WIAA regional playoffs starting Tuesday, March 2 if they are in compliance with the RUSD Athletic Code.

The internal investigation was started Feb. 17 and conducted by Park H.S. Directing Principal Dan Thielen, Area Superintendent Brian Colbert and Park H.S. Activities Director Jim Kerkvliet. The WIAA was kept informed throughout the investigation and review.

Original Post:

No. 1 ranked Park boys basketball team to forfeit games

The No. 1-ranked Park High School boy's basketball team will forfeit some of its games because some of the team's players broke truancy rules.

The number of games forfeited will be determined Wednesday, according to a statement from Racine Unified. It's unclear how the forfeits will affect Park's hopes of a state championship, though the release said all players will be eligible for the WIAA regional playoffs.

Here's the statement from Unified:

Park High School expects to forfeit some of its 2009-10 varsity boys basketball games as a result of an internal investigation into violations of the Racine Unified School District’s Athletic Code as it relates to truancy. The exact number of games to be forfeited will be announced Wednesday, Feb. 24 following verification of the class attendance records of some team members.

The RUSD’s Athletic Code requires players to have no unexcused absences during the week prior to a game. Games to be forfeited involved players who were later found to be ineligible.

All Park High School players will be eligible to participate in the WIAA regional playoffs starting Tuesday, March 2, assuming they attend classes and comply with the RUSD Athletic Code.

The investigation began last Wednesday, Feb. 17 at the request of Park High School Directing Principal Dan Thielen. The review and investigation was conducted by Thielen, Area Superintendent Brian Colbert and Park H.S. Activities Director Jim Kerkvliet. The WIAA has been informed of the ongoing investigation.

Racine Unified teachers get 1.4 percent raise in tentative contract; REA voting tonight

Teachers will receive a 1.4 percent raise this year and 1.5 percent next year under the tentative two-year contract it reached with Racine Unified, according to copy of the contract leaked to RacinePost.

Currently, teacher salaries range from $37,822 to $65,084. Under the proposed contract that would go up to $38,351 to $65,995 this year, and $38,926 to $66,985 in 2010-2011.

Racine Education Association members are scheduled to meet tonight to ratify the contract, which runs through the 2011 school year. A majority of the district's 1,600 teachers must approve the deal before it's approved.

You can read the contract here.

Here are a few highlights we picked out of the tentative contract:

* Prep time for teachers is brought up in the contract. The proposal gives teachers a minimum of 360 minutes of prep time every two weeks, with the goal of 200 minutes per week and 40 minutes per day. Teachers use prep time for grading, lesson plans and other organizational tasks not possible when teaching.

* A school administrator will observe new teachers in their classrooms at least three times per year, but not more than six. Teachers in their first year must be observed within the first quarter of the school year.

* Administrators will make an effort to observe "tenured" teachers at least once per school year, but not more than six times, according to the tentative contract.

* Students get out two hours early on the last day of school.

--Teachers at the top of the salary scale with 15 years' experience would receive a $900 bonus this year, and $400 the next.

--Extra-duty stipends, which under the existing contract are paid at the end of each semester, would be paid in quarterly installments, on the 6th, 12th, 18th and 22nd paychecks of the school year.

--Teachers will pay $19 per month for single health insurance, compared to $18.29 in the 2007-2008 contract; $38 for family health insurance instead of $36.58 in the 2009-2010 school year; those rates rise to $19.75 and $39.50 in 2010-2011. Teachers' insurance copay increases from $10 to $15 unless they go to a special clinic where the copay is $0.

There's a lot more in the contract, and not being teachers, we don't know what we don't know. So take a look and if anything jumps out send us note.

NFL grant may help resurface Hammes Field

The School Board will consider applying for an NFL grant tonight that would help the district resurface Case High's Hammes Field.

The National Football League's Grassroots Grant Program would cover one-third of the $600,000 cost to install a synthetic sports turf surface. While expensive, the synthetic surface requires little ongoing maintenance, which saves money over time.

The grant requires a $200,000 match from the district. The district would raise the remaining $200,000 with community donations, according to a letter Unified Finance Officer Dave Hazen wrote to the School Board.

The NFL grants are available to "target" cities affiliated with NFL teams. Racine is listed as a target market for the Green Bay Packers along with Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Manitowoc, Milwaukee and Sheboygan.

The NFL grant program has given out $25 million in grants to 200 programs. Last year, Southwest High School in Green Bay received $50,000 to rebuild bleachers.

Shaw: Unified needs to expand options; Supports expanding Walden and REAL School, building two elementary schools

Racine Superintendent James Shaw delivered the annual "State of the District" address on Tuesday night. Here are a few key points of his talk:

* About 75 people attended the address at SC Johnson's Golden Rondelle theater.

* Shaw talked a lot about his "North Star" initiative, which is a goal to have every Unified student college or career-ready by the time they graduate. A key aspect of the "North Star" is measuring student and school performance.

* Shaw noted Racine has more impoverished children than most school districts in the state, but is spending less per student than most school districts in the state. "We are addressing above average needs with below average resources," he said.

* Unified is working on ways to use numbers to evaluate school safety. He said it's a priority to keep children safe in schools.

* Saying he wants to give parents "options," Shaw threw out a few innovative ideas:

1. It's time for Unified to open a kindergarten through eighth-grade school, he said.
2. Unified needs one or two new elementary schools to lower class sizes. An audience member asked if the former Caddy Vista Elementary in Caledonia would be an option. Shaw said no sites have been chosen for the proposed schools, but they would be built where kids live, and early analysis suggests the new schools would be needed in the city.
3. Expand the Walden and REAL School programs to more students.
4. Expand Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, which offer high-level classes to students.
5. Open a virtual school that would allow students to attend classes online. Shaw said Unified is one of the few districts in the state not to have a virtual school option, and it's losing some students because of it.

* Shaw made an interesting point about looking to other districts as models. While they may help, he said, Unified has to find "The Racine Way" to improve. Essentially, the Racine area needs to fix its schools and can't look elsewhere for the answers.

* "The community wants a voice in Racine's schools," Shaw said. "They want a say." He added the community has supported Unified for years by passing referendums and working to improve the district.

* Unified's diversity is a strength, Shaw said. "It's a reflection of America," he said.

* Shaw's concluding point was to "never give up" on trying to improve Racine Unified. He told a story about reading an essay written by a high school student. He was moved by the essay and asked for the student to be recognized at a School Board meeting. The teacher said it wasn't possible, because the student was in juvenile detention. Shaw told the teacher he was "deeply disappointed." The teacher responded: "What are you going to do? Give up?" Shaw's response: "We don't ever give up."

* An audience member asked if Unified was working on a way to allow parents to check students' grades online. Shaw said the district is working on such a program. He also noted Unified trails many districts in offering this service, which is now limited to Case High School. "We need to move in that direction," Shaw said.

* Shaw said if his plans aren't working, the School Board should find someone new to lead the district. "If the needle doesn't move, the School Board should find a new superintendent," Shaw said.

He added similar accountability can't be brought down to the teacher level because there are too many factors that go into individual success. It's the administrators who should be held responsible for district-wide improvement.

"When schools don't make progress, central office has a problem," Shaw said.

Racine Unified receives $1.8 million for construction; lags Kenosha, other districts

Update: The JT reached the district and learned Unified didn't get more money because it hadn't passed a construction referendum. Kenosha Unified did pass a referendum to add on to its Indian Trails High School, so it got more money.

Original post: Racine Unified is in line to receive $1.8 million in interest-free bonds to finance new construction and renovation projects, according to Gov. Jim Doyle's office.

The money comes to Unified through the federal stimulus act and is part of $125.5 million in bond authority for Wisconsin schools.

The news for Unified is somewhat tempered by the money allocated to other districts. Kenosha Unified is set to receive $11.7 million in bonds (plus another $8.5 million for another stimulus bond program), Sun Prairie was given $23 million and West Bend received $12 million. Milwaukee Public Schools received a whopping $72.3 million.

Racine Unified officials were not immediately available for comment.

Here's the press release from the governor's office (which doesn't explain on how the dollar amounts were awarded):

Doyle, Evers announce $125.5 million in bond authority for Wisconsin schools

MADISON — Governor Jim Doyle and State Superintendent Tony Evers today announced allocations for Wisconsin school districts to finance major new construction, renovation, and rehabilitation projects with bonding authority totaling $125.5 million.

The allocations come in the form of authority to issue two special types of bonds authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). In contrast to a typical bond, where the issuer pays the buyer interest on their investment, the ARRA bonds provide federal tax credits to buyers, relieving school districts of the need to make interest payments.

“These bonds will help money flow through our economy, supporting jobs, while helping Wisconsin schools repair, improve, and build new facilities where needed,” said Doyle.

“Deferred maintenance has become the norm instead of the exception for Wisconsin schools,” said Evers. “These bonds will help reverse that trend as well as provide for some smart improvements. From weatherizing buildings and repairing roofs to constructing new facilities and installing green energy, schools have plans in place
for projects that will pay back our investment well into the future.”

ARRA authorized schools to issue the bonds through two programs, the Qualified School Construction Bond (QSCB) Program and the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) Program. The total dollar amount of bonds requested by Wisconsin school districts through both programs was $526.4 million—far greater than the amount the state was allowed to allocate under rules issued by the United States Department of Education. The complete lists of allocations to Wisconsin districts can be found here and here.

Created by ARRA, the QSCB program lets public school districts issue bonds to finance new construction, rehabilitation, or repair of public school facilities, as well as acquisition of land and acquisition of equipment to be used in such facilities. Wisconsin was allotted $170.7 million in Qualified School Construction Bonds. The federal Bonds for Schools law set aside a significant portion of the QSCB bonding authority for the nation’s largest school districts, including $72.1 million for Milwaukee Public Schools. ARRA charged the Department of Public Instruction with distributing the other $98.6 million among the rest of the state’s school districts.

The remaining bonding authority announced today was issued through the Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB) Program, created in 1997 and expanded by ARRA. School districts with populations at least 35 percent low-income (as measured by eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals) applied for QZAB financing to rehabilitate or repair school facilities. In addition to the ARRA-authorized QZAB funding, a small amount of non-ARRA bonding authority remaining from the 2007 QZAB program is included in today’s allocations.

School districts are allowed approximately two years to issue the bonds. Wisconsin districts will have another opportunity to apply for both types of bonds in 2010, because ARRA authorized both programs through that year. Historically, QZAB has been reauthorized every biennium.

The ARRA also provides funding for special education, services to economically disadvantaged students, teacher quality enhancement, school lunch equipment purchases, enhancing education through technology grants, and other education purposes.

Racine teachers union head resigns; Whitman leaves for job in Tampa

Racine Unified's teachers and educational assistants were already in for tough negotiations this summer with the school district facing an unexpected $8.2 million budget deficit. And now they're heading into negotiations minus an executive director.

REA and REAA Executive Director Nick Whitman (right) announced this week he was resigning after less than two years on the job. Whitman, hired in December 2007, is leaving Unified to lead a teacher's union in Tampa, Fla. He notified the Racine Education UniServ Council (REUC) of his resignation on Wednesday.

In his letter, Whitman said REUC would work toward hiring an interim executive director while a search is conducted for a permanent director. He also said the Wisconsin Education Association Council will support the local teachers and educational assistants unions in the interim period.

Whitman picked a difficult time to leave. Racine Unified needs to bridge an $8.2 million budget deficit this summer and fall by raising property taxes and cutting services. Unified's Board of Education could raise taxes 12 percent to $8.09 per $1,000 of assessed value to offset the deficit, but the district said in a statement this week it was already working with its labor unions to cut costs.

The district's statement said, in part:

Racine Unified is going to face some tough decisions related to that loss in state aid. However the District’s Board of Education does not have to make those tough decisions alone. Instead, the leaders of the unions representing the various District employee groups anticipate having the opportunity to work closely with Administrators and School Board members to ensure that all options are reviewed and that the budgetary focus remains on improving educational quality as outlined in the jointly created and recently adopted North Star Vision.

While the District and Union Leaders began meeting today regarding the budgetary situation, the specifics of those discussions cannot be shared at this time as they may impact contract negotiations.

Whitman is leaving to represent teachers in the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association in Tampa. He'll be executive director of an organization with 15,000 teachers and 8,000 educational assistants. It's the eighth-largest school district in the country.

Cut in state aid means Racine Unified facing steep property tax increase

Get ready for a property tax increase.

Racine Unified, like many school districts around the state, will face the troubling decision this fall of cutting spending or increasing property taxes to cover a $4.8 million decrease in general state aid.

The news came down this week as school officials came to realize the brutal impact the recently passed state budget will have on districts. (The news may be equally grim for local governments, which are also facing state aid cuts.)

Dave Hazen, Unified's finance officer, described the situation in terms of pie. The Legislature had already determined Unified would have a smaller pie next school year by reducing the annual increase in spending per student. (Yeah, yeah, we know this is a case of an increase being called a decrease, but in terms of budgets, it means a cut in services.)

Unified used the state number to pass a preliminary budget on June 15 that assumed a $3.4 million increase in general state aid. But after the Legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle passed the budget, Unified is now facing a $4.8 million decrease in state aid. (In southeastern Wisconsin, only Waukesha faces a larger decrease.)

Hazen explained that the only way to make up that money is to cut services or increase local property taxes. The district was already anticipating an increase of 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in its preliminary budget. By our calculations, without any cuts in spending (and remember, the School Board already made cuts in its preliminary budget), the district could be looking at a $1 per $1,000 (13.9%) increase in property taxes (that's $150 on a home valued at $150,000, and doesn't include property tax increases from other governments).

The School Board's job over the summer will be to figure out how much of the lost state revenue to pass on to taxpayers and how much to address through cuts, Hazen said.

"The question is how big is the slice (from the state) going to cover and big are local property taxes going to cover," he said.

School districts all over Wisconsin are facing the same decision. Salem, Madison and Oshkosh are all in near-crisis mode after learning of the reductions in state aid. One in four districts around the state will lose 15 percent of their state aid. (Here's a list of state aid to regional school districts.)

Amazingly, Kenosha Unified is not one of the districts facing a cut in state aid. The district actually will receive a $600,000 increase from the state, Hazen said. State officials explained away the roughly 90 school districts who will receive an increase in state money as the product of a "complex" funding formula.

Hazen is still waiting for a response from the Department of Public Instruction on the discrepancy between Racine and Kenosha.

You may also wonder if any of the federal stimulus money could help offset the lost state aid. In a word, Hazen said: "No."

The federal money was already used to minimize cuts in the preliminary budget, he said. It also can only be used for specific purposes, such as special education or math and reading instruction in schools with low-income students.

So what does all of this mean? Look for an increased tax bill later this year. How big, at least Unified's share, must be determined by Oct. 15. The School Board will hold a public hearing on the budget in August before voting on the final budget for the 2009-2010 school year.

Showing Progress: Four Unified schools improve scores to avoid state rebuke

Racine Unified showed encouraging results Tuesday on a state test designed to measure "adequate yearly progress" (AYP) for public schools around the state.

But even though four Unified schools showed improvement this year after falling short in 2007-08, Superintendent James Shaw said the district still had work to do.

"The district is not currently where it needs to be in terms of academic progress, but I believe that the district is poised to develop a comprehensive strategy to improve mathematics achievement at all schools," Shaw said in a prepared statement. "The development of our North Star vision has given the district the framework to ensure that all students graduate career and/or college ready."

Here's a breakdown of Unified's results:

The Good

Racine Unified as a whole received "satisfactory status" from the state Department of Public Instruction. The district had missed AYP the year before.

Goodland and Wadewitz Elementary Schools and Mitchell Middle School missed AYP in the prior year but met AYP this year. They're designated to be in satisfactory status.

McKinley Middle School also met AYP and is designated as Improved. However, the school must meet AYP for two years in a row to be removed from the "Schools Identified for Improvement" (SIFI) list.

Criteria for "satisfactory status" include:

• 95 percent of enrolled students must take the state's standardized test
• Elementary and middle schools must have an attendance rate of 85 percent
• High schools must have a graduation rate of 80 percent
• Schools must have a reading proficiency index score of 74 percent
• Schools must have a math proficiency index score of 58 percent

The four schools that made AYP this year after missing it in the prior year all took part in Unified's "Data Retreat" during August 2008. Knapp, which missed AYP in one category, and Gilmore also participated in the retreat, which will be expanded to all of Unified's schools this year, according to the district.

The data-driven model is part of Superintendent James Shaw's plan to create a "data warehouse" for teachers, parents, students and the public to access Unified student data to evaluate public education in our community. The hope is putting data in people's hands will help them identify and solve problems, leading to better results.

Shaw talked about this on his blog. We reported on plans for a data warehouse here. A district-wide "data retreat" is scheduled for August where school districts from around the country will present the strategies they used to dramatically improve student achievement and close achievement gaps.

The Not-So Good

Two schools missed AYP this year in one or more areas for the first time. Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School missed AYP in reading and Gilmore Middle School missed in reading and math. These schools are designated satisfactory because they missed these areas for only one year.

Four schools continue in SIFI status. Case and Horlick High Schools missed in three areas, reading, math, and graduation rate. Park High School missed in math, graduation rate, and test participation.

Knapp Elementary was designated as a SIFI this year after missing AYP in math for two years in a row. Since Knapp is a Title I school, sanctions will apply and the school must meet AYP for two years in a row to be removed from the SIFI list. Sanctions include development of a school improvement plan (which is already a district requirement for all schools) and providing Knapp students with the option to transfer to another public school within Racine Unified.

Unified noted about Knapp's scores: "Knapp missed AYP for only one demographic group in math. The school did in fact make AYP across the other twenty-eight categories of the Wisconsin formula for determining AYP."

Unified said in a prepared statement plans are already underway to improve Knapp.

District administration will assist and support Knapp Elementary students and staff through a three-step process. Administrators began planning with central office staff last Friday and will conduct an Administrative Services Center (ASC) Data Retreat this week to create a school assistance plan for Knapp.

ASC staff will meet with Knapp staff next week to explain and discuss next steps. A meeting with Knapp parents will take place within two weeks. Further strategies which may be employed will include developing a more rigorous math curriculum, providing student tutors and teacher coaches, smaller class sizes, extended time for instruction, and best practices regarding parent engagement.

What else is being done

Unified officials saw hope for all of the district's schools in the results achieved by McKinley and Mitchell Middle Schools and Goodland and Wadewitz Elementary schools.

The district is also working on implementing a more rigorous reading and math curriculum for first and second-grade special education students. The inclusive practices will be expanded to more grades in future years.

And, the district is also rolling out a new research-based math program for sixth- to eighth-graders next year.

Shaw looks to develop leadership within Racine Unified

Racine Unified Superintendent James Shaw met with the Racine Unified School Board on May 28 to review his first nine months as head of the school district. The far-reaching conversation touched on several issues facing our public schools. We're breaking down the meeting by topic and will post stories over the next few days reporting on the meeting. See our first story here.


Superintendent James Shaw is reorganizing Unified's central office to focus on his priorities and to allow top administrators to develop priorities of their own.

Shaw’s plan puts district administrators in charge of different issue areas – such as redistricting, school safety and curriculum – and, by the sound of it, will push them to become the district’s leader on those issues.

It solves a couple of problems at once, Shaw said. First, it gets people working everyday on key problems in the district. Second, it improves leadership within the district and sets a succession plan if any leaves.

“We do want to build a pipeline of people for the future,” Shaw said. “We need three or four internal people assuming higher level positions.”

Part of Shaw’s plan includes hiring a full-time deputy superintendent to replace Jack Parker, whose interim contract expires at the end of June. But Shaw was cautious with the position, which will combine three vacant jobs into one. Following Van Atta’s advice from the business world, he told the School Board he wouldn’t hire someone unless they were a perfect fit.

“If we don’t have the right person, we won’t move,” Shaw said.

School Board Member Dennis Wiser said Unified needs to get away from relying on the superintendent to make improvements.

“We can’t afford to start over every time a superintendent leaves,” he said.

Shaw agreed.

“The big responsibility I have is succession, providing leaders to you, that you can have the flexibility of promoting within,” Shaw said. “You need to have some internal options to take a look at.”

He added: “We should be losing leaders to other school districts. That’s where we should be.”

Plan aside, Shaw said Unified has work to do at simply getting along both internally and with the community.

“The distrust thing is still here,” he told School Board members. “There is still significant distrust with people.”

The antidote, Shaw said, is creating a vision for success that everyone can follow.

Shaw sees 'data warehouse' as key to Unified improvement

Racine Unified Superintendent James Shaw met with the Racine Unified School Board on May 28 to review his first nine months as head of the school district. The far-reaching conversation touched on several issues facing our public schools. We're breaking down the meeting by topic and will post stories over the next few days reporting on the meeting.


Near the top of Superintendent James Shaw's wish list for Racine Unified is a warehouse.

OK, that's a little misleading. What Shaw really wants is a "data warehouse," which is an important distinction. Instead of storing inventory and equipment, Shaw wants to store numbers. Lots and lots of numbers.

Like every Racine Unified student's grades, test scores, attendance records, extracurricular activities, GPA, credits and anything else administrators, teachers, parents - even the public (student confidentiality would be maintained) - needs to evaluate and improve student, school and district-wide performance.

“The idea is to get data in the hands of everybody,” Shaw said.

Listening to Shaw talk, it's easy to see why he covets data. Many of his sentences begin with the phrase, "The research says ..." and Shaw often talks about using numbers to uncover problems and work out solutions.

Data warehouses are a growing trend in schools, and according to Shaw, Racine is falling behind other districts. Milwaukee and Kenosha both have data warehouses in place and are training staff to use them. For example, one database search can pinpoint freshman with high test scores but low GPAs, giving schools the opportunity to create study skill sessions for them.

Case High School is testing out a pilot version of what's possible. Parents of some classes can log into a website and check on test scores, assignments and other numbers.

Shaw has more ambitious plans for a more comprehensive system in every Unified school. The system would cost millions of dollars, but $10 million in federal stimulus money over the next two years is arriving just in time to create the data warehouse Shaw hopes to see. (The stimulus bill, which restricts how the federal can be used, actually recommends districts create data warehouses as a way to help the economy.)

“If we don’t have the bottom drop out, we should have enough money,” he said.

School Board member Dennis Wiser, a former math teacher, said math teachers have long requested a system to track students’ math history through grades and test scores. That’s the type of thing that can be included in the data warehouse, Shaw said.

Board member Julie McKenna said she's hearing demand for the system. “Parents want this,” she said.

As far as a timetable, Shaw offered a hint of frustration with the pace of change in Unified. One technician told him he could get a data system running by fall, but Shaw was skeptical.

“That’s not been my experience so far in Racine, that we can do those things so quickly,” he said.

But principals are creating data teams for the summer to figure out what should be included in the data warehouse, and at least the beginning of a system could be in place by next school year, Shaw said.

That said, Shaw said advice he’s receiving on the system is to “go slow and do it the right way.”

That means involving teachers and principals in the setup process and then making sure everyone in the district gets trained on how to use the system.

“It’s not that they have it,” Shaw said, “it’s that it’s used.”

One sticky question: When will teachers have time to crunch the data to gain insights on their students? Shaw said the district needs to figure out a way to give teachers time to do that work within the school day.

He’s hopeful the district can hire “coaches” to work with principals and teachers on how to use the system. The district had three such coaches – ex-teachers with years of experience and training - this year, and it helped principals learn how to use data to identify and solve problems, Shaw said.