WASB consultant briefs Kenosha Unified trustees on self‑assessment; board discussion centers on culture, planning and goal setting

Kelly Thompson, a Wisconsin Association of School Boards consultant, presented results of the district’s 2025 board self‑assessment and led a discussion on priorities for board development.

Thompson guided trustees through nine evaluated areas and recommended the board consider goals where scores trended lower than state averages. “Out of the 9 areas, 6 of them went up. And I would ask, did you do something specific?” Thompson said, then encouraged trustees to be intentional about setting board goals and using data to refine practices.

Board members and staff focused the conversation on culture and planning after Thompson noted those areas scored lower in 2025. Trustees described internal tensions, attendance issues and the need for clearer norms and accountability. One trustee said the board already has norms but questioned how to hold members accountable for attendance and conduct. “There are certain people on the board that just flat out refuse to work with other people, and it makes things very complicated,” one trustee said.

Administrators recommended practical steps: publish and share the board’s internal calendar of recurring agenda items (for example, capital planning and curriculum calendar events), create clearer evaluation or data processes for recurring topics and consider a board‑level goal‑setting agenda item at the next regular meeting so all members can participate.

Thompson and trustees discussed whether to convene a full‑board retreat or set two or three focused goals at the next regular meeting. Staff said they would support the board by sending templates and a sample calendar so trustees can draft candidate board goals for review.

No formal board goals were adopted during the agenda‑review session; trustees directed staff to include potential next steps and goal‑setting on a future agenda so the full board can weigh priorities.