West Allis-West Milwaukee board hears school showcase, approves Frank Lloyd Wright trip and a slate of WASB resolutions; referendum, bond and enrollment updates

Central High School showcase draws board attention to classroom practice and college-prep work

Central High School staff and students presented classroom projects and programs to the West Allis-West Milwaukee School Board on Jan. 13, highlighting efforts to align instruction to grade-level learning targets and support student well-being.

"Our theory of action, just for you guys reminder is about improving student outcomes," Principal Brian Summerfield told the board as he introduced science, art and mindfulness programs that students demonstrated during the meeting.

Why it matters: Presentations are part of the board's regular spotlight on instruction and help board members see how curriculum and professional learning are being applied in classrooms. Teachers described standards-aligned lessons, differentiated instruction and activities intended to build student resilience ahead of spring assessments.

What presenters showed and said

- Science teacher Mark Hawksley described a unit on freshwater resources in which students assumed stakeholder roles (farmer, business owner, environmental activist) to negotiate solutions to aquifer overuse. Senior student Bryce Evans explained the role-play and said groups were able to "present some of their solutions."

- Art teacher Bob Graff showcased advanced-studio work and discussed how long-term projects build student persistence and leadership. Students displayed posters and large panels reflecting personal and cultural themes.

- Heather Townsend, a physical education teacher, described a new mindfulness class that earned PE credit. Students demonstrated breathing and movement exercises and said classmates use the techniques outside of class to manage anxiety.

Board members thanked staff and students for the presentations and asked follow-up questions about class sizes, transferability to assessments and student participation.

Board approves Frank Lloyd Wright intermediate school trip to Philadelphia

The board voted to approve a field trip for current seventh-grade students at Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School to visit Philadelphia Oct. 8–10, 2025.

Key details provided by trip organizers Sarah Caso and Crystal (last name not specified): the vendor is WorldStrides; the per-student price quoted was $1,934 including full-refund insurance; WorldStrides offers a payment plan and financial aid eligibility (household income threshold stated at about $80,000) and scholarships up to $1,000. Organizers said parents who sign up within 48 hours of the informational meeting may receive a $100 discount.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (minutes, employment summary, supplementary contracts): motion to approve passed (vote called; outcome: approved). Motion and second were taken on the record; no roll-call tally was stated.

- Item 11.1, Frank Lloyd Wright field trip (Oct. 8–10, 2025): motion to approve passed. The board took the motion, second and an all‑in favor voice vote; no roll‑call tally was stated.

- Item 11.2, WASB resolutions: the board moved and seconded to approve the district's delegation positions for the Wisconsin Association of School Boards convention. The board recorded support for the packet of resolutions but instructed its WASB delegate to vote NO on resolution 2508 (the proposed change to the state school accountability/report-card calculation). The motion to approve the slate, as discussed, passed.

Discussion: WASB resolutions and accountability

Board members discussed several proposed WASB resolutions ahead of the district's delegate vote at the state convention. Topics raised included the Common School Fund distribution, state funding for early childhood (3K and all-day 4K), and the proposed accountability change to weight "achievement only" in the school report card.

Superintendent's report noted a statewide announcement: "Secretary of School Sarah Gailewski announced a historic $70,000,000 distribution from the common school fund to Wisconsin Public Schools," the superintendent said, citing the department's announcement and the fund's long history as a source for library and technology support statewide.

Board members expressed near-unanimous support for resolutions that would increase early childhood funding and for measures that would decouple public and private school funding from local property tax levies. Several members opposed resolution 2508, which would return the state accountability report-card calculation to an achievement-only model; opponents said that model would de-emphasize growth, attendance and graduation metrics that matter locally.

Referendum implementation, bond sale and project procurement update

District staff presented a multi-part update on steps already taken and next steps to implement the referendum approved by voters last year. The presentation covered the board-approved parameters for bond issuance, the timing of sale, the financial-services request for proposals (RFP) and planned facility procurement.

- Bond sale: District staff reported they issued bonds in late January after a parameters resolution approved by the board. Staff said a stronger credit position and timely sale reduced the district's projected interest rate by nearly a full percentage point versus earlier estimates; staff estimated community interest savings of roughly $5.5 million across the bond term compared with the higher estimate used during the referendum campaign.

- Financial services RFP: three firms responded; staff recommended PMA Capital as the partner to manage and optimize bond proceeds and district investments because of fees and track record; the board will receive the formal recommendation in two weeks.

- Program management and procurement: the district posted a project-manager position; staff screened about 30 applicants and planned interviews the week following the meeting. The district also released RFPs for a construction manager and an owner's representative; vendor site tours are scheduled to let firms see representative school spaces before proposals are due.

What staff said about outreach and transparency

District staff told the board they will maintain a single "referendum" web inbox and a public page that centralizes procurement RFPs, schedule updates and Q&A. Staff said that, until the new project manager is onboard, the district communications team will route community questions to that inbox so replies can be coordinated.

Enrollment projections and open-enrollment seats for 2025–26

The board received the district's enrollment projection and a staff recommendation for available open-enrollment seats for the 2025–26 school year. The district projection process uses the third-Friday count roll‑forward method, historical kindergarten progression rates, and a policy of reserving a small share of capacity for incoming resident students (staff said they project to leave classes at 92% capacity for modeling).

Key numbers presented by district enrollment staff:

- Projected district enrollment for 2025–26: about 6,464 students (projection model output shown to the board).

- Staff recommended opening 156 total open-enrollment seats for the 2025–26 full year across grade bands after calculating sections and staffing needs under board-approved class-size matrices.

- Staff noted that, historically, roughly 40–60% of offered open-enrollment seats are accepted; kindergarten and transitional grades typically see the largest movement.

Board discussion focused on the reasons families choose open enrollment out of the district, whether specialty-program options (for example, language-immersion or K–8 models) could stem outflow, and whether class-size policy and facility capacity should be adjusted to prioritize early literacy or targeted grade bands. Board members asked staff to include family-survey data and follow-up investigations into the drivers of open enrollment in longer-term strategic planning work.

What happened next

The board set the items on next meetings' agendas: the financial-services recommendation and a vote to adopt the recommended open-enrollment seat counts will be placed on upcoming meeting agendas (staff indicated the open-enrollment approval will be requested at the Jan. 27 meeting). Board members and staff signaled interest in deeper analysis of open-enrollment drivers as part of the district's strategic-planning work.

Ending note

The meeting concluded after routine reports and a lengthy workshop sequence; board members thanked Central High staff and students for the in-person presentations and praised staff for the referendum and bond work.