Dane County New Teacher Project thanks Waunakee district as fiscal agent, shifts to CESA 2

Heather Lott, a longtime leader of the Dane County New Teacher Project, told the Waunakee Community School District Board that the consortium is moving its fiscal sponsorship out of the district and into CESA 2 starting in July while hiring a full‑time director.

The recognition came during the board’s May meeting, where Lott and other project leaders described the project’s history, its growth and the district’s role as fiscal agent. Lott said the consortium began in 2003 with a grant and a partnership with Monona Grove to mentor new teachers. She told the board that the project at its peak included 22 districts and currently includes 18 districts in the region.

“The Dane County New Teacher Project began in 02/2003 when a grant was written in partnership with Monona Grove with the focus on mentoring for new teachers,” Lott said. She added the project has focused on recruiting, supporting and retaining new educators of color so the teacher workforce better represents the regional student population.

Sharon Nelson, who described how she helped start the project, said early state policy — she cited a law known to participants as PI 34 — helped create local support systems for new teachers and made the project’s work essential to improving classroom practice rather than merely offering emotional support to novices. Tom Howe, another longtime project coordinator, also thanked Waunakee district staff and named several individuals who provided sustained support.

Lott said the project will shift fiscal agency duties to CESA 2 starting in July and that the consortium recently hired a full‑time director who has not yet retired. The presenters attributed the project’s longevity in part to the district’s financial and administrative support over more than two decades.

Board members and project leaders emphasized the scale of the project’s reach: Lott estimated the consortium supports about 600 beginning teachers each year and conservatively calculated that, since 2003, some 8,000 new educators have been served and roughly a quarter‑million students had a teacher working with a mentor. Those figures were presented by the speakers as their calculations.

The board did not take formal action related to the Dane County New Teacher Project during the meeting; the appearances were part of the board’s recognition and community relations segment.