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Student Green Team asks board for transparency on 2021 sustainability resolution targets
Summary
A Middleton High School junior raised questions about the 2021 district sustainability resolution’s goal to reduce landfill waste by 35% by 2025, asking whether progress is being tracked, publicly reported and why composting and recycling access remain inconsistent at the high school.
A Middleton High School student and Green Team member asked the Middleton‑Cross Plains Area School District Board of Education to make progress on the district’s 2021 sustainability resolution publicly accessible and to clarify whether the 35% landfill‑waste reduction goal for 2025 is being met.
Annabel (Annabelle) Goldberger, a junior and member of the Green Team’s Policy and Planning Committee, told the board on April 20 that the resolution calls for a 35% reduction in landfill waste by 2025 and lists specific sustainable practices, including composting and consistent recycling access. Goldberger said students cannot find evidence the district is monitoring progress toward that numerical target and asked why the information is not readily available to the public or the students affected.
Why it matters: The 2021 resolution sets an explicit target year and percentage; students said visibility into monitoring and progress would both increase accountability and create teaching opportunities about ecological sustainability.
What the student asked for: Annabel requested transparency on whether the landfill‑waste reduction goal is being met, how progress is measured and whether composting and consistent recycling are implemented at Middleton High School, where students said some practices are still absent.
Board response: Board members thanked the student for raising the issue; the board’s public comment response protocol (no public reply during comment) was followed. No formal staff report or action item on the resolution appeared on the agenda that night; board members acknowledged the student’s request and noted interest in accessible progress reporting.
Next steps: The student asked for accountability and transparency; the board did not adopt a motion or assignment at the meeting to produce a public progress report but did reference ongoing sustainability efforts the district has undertaken since 2021. The student’s request remains a public comment for the board and district staff to consider in future reporting.
